Egilsstaðir is the unofficial capital of East-Iceland with an population of 2332. It lays on the banks of the Lagarfljót river.

Understand

Climate

Egilsstaðir
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       76     1 −6       54     1 −5       61     3 −4       41     5 −2       31     9 2       28     13 5       38     15 7       42     14 6       63     11 4       78     6 1       62     3 −3       70     1 −5 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm Averages 1955-1997, data from the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Up to date weather information from the Icelandic Meteorological Office .
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       3     34 22       2.1     35 23       2.4     37 25       1.6     41 29       1.2     48 35       1.1     55 41       1.5     59 44       1.6     57 43       2.5     51 39       3.1     43 33       2.4     37 26       2.8     34 23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

The weather in Egilsstaðir is unpredictable. Temperatures are bland: they don't go very high in the summer, nor do they go much below zero during winter. January is the coldest month.

Get in

By plane

One airport serves the Egilstaðir area and most of East-Iceland.

1 Egilsstaðir Airport (Icelandic: Egilsstaðaflugvöllur, EGS  ^IATA). Located between Egilsstaðir and an neighboring town named Fellabær. One airline has scheduled flights to and from Egilsstaðir airport: 

• Air Iceland - operates domestic flights to Reykjavík

By car

Two main roads serve as entry points into Egilsstaðir

• The ring road (Road 1) enters the town from north and south.
• Seyðisfjarðarvegur (Road 93) enters the town from the east, linking it to Seyðisfjörður and the Smyril line ferry.

Renting a car

Car rental services can be found at Egilsstaðir airport. If you indend only to go between the towns of East-Iceland, renting a car is not neccessary as the area does have an bus system.

Get around

On foot

Walking in Egilsstaðir is recommended as the town is small. The longest walking path in the town is 3.2 kilometers long.

By bus

Most of East-Iceland has an joint public bus system. Single rides within the town cost 350 ISK and 10 tickets can be bought for 3150 ISK. Children below the age of 16 are charged 175 ISK for a single ride trip within the town. The bus system is divided into 23 areas where one single ride fare or one ticket is charged for each area. The longest trip is between Borgarfjörður, north of Egilsstaðir, and Höfn.

By car

As an tourist you should be able to manage without an car if you are only staying in the city. Driving is reccomended though for travel outside of the town.

By bicycle

It is easy to bike in Egilsstaðir if you can handle a few hills and strong headwinds. You could even go over the Lagarfljót bridge and visit the neighboring town Fellabær as these towns are situated quite close to each other.

• Skógar rent a bike, Dynskógar 4, ☏ +354 4711230. 

See

• East-Iceland archive museum, Laufskógur 1, ☏ +354 4711417. Mondays to Tuesdays: 12-16. Archive of films and documents relevant to the history of East-Iceland. 

Do

• Egilsstaðir swimming pool, ☏ +354 470077. Summer: Mondays to Tuesdays from 6:30 to 20:30, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 17. Winter: Mondays to Fridays 6:30 to 20:30, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 17. 25 meter long swimming pool, two hot tubs and an water slide. 600 ISK for adults, 250 ISK for children.. 

Eat

• Bónus, Miðvangur 13. Low-cost supermarket chain. 
• Nettó, Kaupvangur 6. Low-cost supermarket chain 
• Café Nielsen, Tjarnarbraut 1, ☏ +354 4712626. Mondays to fridays from 11:30 to 13:30 only during the summer.. Up to 2500 ISK for a main course.. 

Sleep

• Guesthouse 707, Hamragerði 3, ☏ +354 8471733. 
• Lyngás guesthouse, ☏ +354 4711310. 
• Egilsstaðir campsite, Kaupvangur 17, ☏ +354 4700750. 1200 ISK per adult. 
• Icelandair Hotel Hérað, Miðvangur 1-7, ☏ +35 4444000. 

Go next

• Hengifoss is the second highest waterfall in Iceland. It is 128 meters high. Directions: turn into road 1 over the Lagarfljót bridge. Once you have crossed the bridge turn left into road 931. Park the car at an the end of the lagoon and walk up the mountain towards the waterfall.
• Hallormsstaðaskógur is one of the largest forests in Iceland. It covers an 730 hectare area. Directions: turn into road 1 towards Höfn. Turn right into road 931. The forest will appear along the road to your right.
• Stórurð is a natural phenomenon with rocks and lakes. Travelers should only go to stórurð during the summer. Directions: Turn into road 94 towards Bakkagerði. Park the car near Geldingarfjall mountain. From there is a 7.1 kilometer long marked path towards Stórurð.

Routes through Egilsstaðir

Akureyri ← Reykjahlíð ←

N  S

→ Höfn → Reykjavik