7 Must-See Places in North Iceland: The Diamond Circle

Like the south of the country, north Iceland has plenty of amazing natural sites to visit. All of the places I’m sharing are free of charge and will provide hours, if not days, of fun activities. If you’re not familiar with north Iceland, there is a route up there called the Diamond Circle.If you think that sounds familiar, then you might be thinking of the Golden Circle, which is in the south. The Golden Circle came first and I have a theory about why the north has called this route the Diamond Circle but I’ll share that in the random fact of the episode.Personally, I love going north. There is a lot of gorgeous nature and one of my favorite places in the country is there. Don’t worry, I will be sharing about what that place is in this episode. If you are planning to visit north Iceland, I recommend staying over at least one night.I was on a road trip from Reykjavík, and I stayed over two nights but that is because I arrived late in the evening the first day. You can stay as long or short as you like, but just know that there is so much to see in the north and this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Go Car Rental Iceland – My Preferred Rental Car Company in Iceland Before I get into the stunning places in North Iceland that are worth visiting, I would like to thank the sponsor of this episode.I partnered with Go Car Rental Iceland to make this road trip to the north possible. Go Car Rental Iceland is an awesome local car rental company that has transparent pricing, great rates, unlimited mileage on their rentals, and friendly staff. They are my go-to company when I need a car for my adventures, which are many.I was delighted when one of my listeners of the podcast reached out to me via email after listening to the Ultimate Guide to Renting a Car in Iceland to say that she had saved $400 by switching her rental from a company that is a big brand name around the world but has a franchise in Iceland, to Go Car Rental Iceland. The most amazing part is that she was able to get more features, like an additional, and extra insurance while still saving!I highly recommend booking with them. You can use my code Iceland10 to save 10% on your entire rental cost, which is a good deal of savings. Must-See Places in North Iceland's Diamond Circle 1. Akureyri Akureyri is the known as the capital of the north. This stop is about a 4 and a half hour drive from Reykjavík.It’s the second largest urban area in the country and it has a population of 19,642. That’s according to Statistics Iceland data from January 1st, 2022.To put that into perspective, the population of people in the Reykjavík area is 135,688 according to the same source.Akureyri is such a lovely place to walk around and explore. Some fun things to do right in the center is walk downtown, which is easily walkable. You can visit Akureyrarkirkja, which is the church at the top of the hill. There are a decent number of steps if you want to reach the top if you are walking from the main street downtown. For those in a wheelchair or that have a hard time with steps, there is wheelchair accessible parking lot and entrance.You can also visit the botanical garden, take a dip in their epic swimming pool (it has one of the best slides!), walk along the shore and admire the gorgeous view of the fjord, attend a cultural event at the Hof culture center. A Delicious Vegan Hot Dog in Akureyri If you are looking for some delicious food,