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Akranes is a small port city with 6500 inhabitants in the west of Iceland, in the Vesturland region.
Info
The city is best known in Iceland for its concrete factory and its successful football club ÍA Akranes, the stadium Akranesvöllur is located near the sea.
Arrive
By plane
The nearest airport is Reykjavík Airport (Icelandic: Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, (IATA: RKV, ICAO: BIRK). However, this is a smaller airport near the city center. As this airport has rather short runways, it is mainly used for domestic flights and for flights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The nearest international airport is Keflavík (Icelandic: Keflavíkurflugvöllur) (IATA: KEF, ICAO: BIKF, also known as Flugstöð Leifs Eiríkssonar and Keflavík International Airport) is Iceland's largest airport. The airport, named after the explorer Leif Eriksson, is located near the town of Keflavík, about 50 km southwest of Reykjavik.
By train
Iceland is one of the few countries in the world that does not have its own railway network, so it is not possible to travel to Akranes by train.
By car
From Reykjavik you can go through the toll tunnel Hvalfjarðargöng (with its 5.57 kilometers one of the longest tunnels in the world) under the Hvalfjörður by car to Akranes, the city is located slightly north of the capital. In the past, before the tunnel was built, people had to drive around the fjord, which today reduces travel time considerably.
By bus
There is also a bus connection to Mosfellsbær (near Reykjavik).
By boat
Akranes is a port city and there is a ferry to the capital Reykjavik.
Travel around
To look at
The nature in Iceland is breathtakingly beautiful and Akranes also has a lot to offer in that area. The city is located on a peninsula and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, which provides beautiful images for those who love photography. For example, the small football stadium is beautifully situated near the coast. On the other hand, it is the mountainous landscape that attracts attention, the city lies at the foot of the Akrafjall where all roads to the city run in a wide arc.
To do
- Visit the Akranes folk museum [1], the oldest museum in the city is right next to the cemetery.
- There are two swimming pools in the city, Bjarnalaug is a nice indoor pool, but the largest pool in the city can be found in the Jaðarsbakkar sports center (which also houses the football stadium).
To learn
To work
The population of Akranes is mainly employed in the fishing industry and the concrete industry, since the end of the eighties the aluminum industry has also been added.
To buy
Food
Going out
stay overnight
- Hotel Glymur, Hvalfjörður, tel: 430 3100, [2] (email: [email protected]). This romantic 22-room hotel is located on a ridge in the Icelandic countryside overlooking the fjord. There is a wellness area, library, piano bar and meeting rooms. The hotel has a large art collection and a wonderful restaurant.
Safety
Contact
all around
Further north is Borgarnes, just keep following the Hringvegur (Ring Road).