Akureyri

A stair of 112 steps climbs to this hilltop church, which is visible from anywhere in town. One stained glass panel was taken out of an English cathedral before the bombing.

Seven thousand plant kinds able to grow this close to the arctic circle are gathered here. Flowering lasts only two summer months and the labels are renewed for that window.

A crescent 30 metres wide sends the water down in two separate arms. The story goes that old idols were thrown in here when the country accepted Christianity.

A shallow lake formed by volcanic action holds false craters rising out of the water. Midges swarm here in summer, and the name records exactly that.

Lava that spread over water and hardened left behind only pillars and arches. Several paths cross it and colours on the signs mark how hard each one is.

Steam rises from the ground and grey mud boils across this geothermal field. Sulphur in the air cuts most visits short, and stepping off the path is dangerous.

Inside the fjord the water stays calm, so seasickness is less of a problem. Humpbacks and white beaked dolphins turn up often in summer.

Bathers sit in water mixed with yeast and hops from the brewing process. A tap stands beside each tub, so a glass can be drawn while soaking.

The arctic circle actually crosses this island and a concrete sphere marks where. The line shifts north each year, so the sphere is moved along with it.

It lies 10 minutes from the centre by car and the runs face down over the fjord. Snow holds into spring, so it is still open in March.

A geothermal pool opened in 2022 among the trees on the Vadlaheidi slope across the fjord. Conifers ring the water, so from the pool you look through the trunks to the town opposite. It draws on hot water that burst out while a road tunnel was being dug.

A milky blue geothermal lagoon on a hillside beside a power plant, overlooking Lake Myvatn and the lava. Compared with the Blue Lagoon it is smaller and draws fewer people. The water is rich in sulphur, so remove silver jewellery or it will tarnish.

A grey ring of a crater, roughly a kilometre across, rises east of Lake Myvatn. A 20-minute climb up a gravel slope puts you on the rim, which you then follow in one full lap. From the top the pseudocraters around the lake look like scattered dots.

Clear hot water pools in a small cave beneath a crack in the lava. After eruptions in the 1970s the water grew too hot, and bathing is now banned. You stoop through a low opening and simply look at the blue of the pool.

A herring industry museum in Siglufjordur, one hour north by car, spread over four buildings: salting station, factory, boathouse and old slipway. It won Europe's Micheletti Award for industrial museums in 2004. Some summer days bring salting demonstrations.

An old parsonage by the fjord's east bank, its turf-roofed gables joined in a row. Each room keeps its 19th-century household untouched. By car it lies a bit beyond 30 minutes out, with a wooden church beside it that belongs to the visit.

Some ten minutes south of town by car stands a red house selling nothing but Christmas decorations, all year. The thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads turn up more often than Santa among the figures. Even in midsummer the inside smells of cinnamon and plays carols.

The black timber childhood home of Jon Sveinsson, who wrote adventure stories about an Icelandic boy. It sits in a narrow street among the oldest houses, and its small rooms take little time. His stories, translated into many languages, line the shelves.

Woodland planted by residents on the hillside to the south, with trails, playgrounds and barbecue spots. In winter the paths carry cross-country ski tracks. Trees are scarce across Iceland, which makes a forest this size beside a town a point of pride.

An island in the fjord, a 15-minute ferry crossing from the Arskogssandur pier. There are almost no cars, and a tractor-drawn wagon carries visitors around. Hunting is banned here, so ptarmigan stay put beside the paths as people pass.