Goðafoss & Botanical Garden Akureyri Shore Excursion

This Goðafoss and Akureyri Botanical Garden shore excursion is a compact way to see North Iceland while your ship is in port, combining the Goðafoss waterfall with a walk through one of the world's northernmost botanical gardens.

• Goðafoss, a wide horseshoe waterfall with a well-known place in Icelandic history
• The Akureyri Botanical Garden, one of the northernmost botanical gardens in the world
• A short, easy tour that fits comfortably around your ship's time in port
• Round-trip coach transport with an English-speaking guide
• No entry fees at either stop

Your day, stop by stop

1Akureyri cruise portMeet your guide at the quayside.

Your guide meets you at the quayside at the cruise harbour on Laufásgata. The tour is timed to fit around your ship's time in port, so you are back on board in good time.

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2Goðafoss waterfallA wide horseshoe waterfall on the Skjálfandafljót river.

Goðafoss, the 'waterfall of the gods', is a horseshoe-shaped fall on the Skjálfandafljót river, about 12 metres high and 30 metres wide, right beside the Ring Road. The name is tied to a well-known story about Iceland's conversion to Christianity around the year 1000. Paths on both banks give different views of the curve.

Time here · about 45 minutesWalking · short walk on natural, slightly uneven paths

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3Akureyri Old TownA scenic drive past the old streets and historic buildings.

Akureyri sits at the head of Eyjafjörður, Iceland's longest fjord, and is often called the capital of the north. It is the largest urban area in Iceland outside greater Reykjavík and feels like a proper town, with a walkable centre, a church on a hill and a harbour used by fishing boats and cruise ships. Its sheltered position gives it a slightly milder climate than much of the north coast.

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4Akureyri Botanical GardenA walk through one of the world's northernmost botanical gardens.

One of the northernmost botanical gardens in the world, with native Icelandic plants and cold-climate species from other countries on level, easy paths. You have about 45 minutes here, and entry is free. The tour returns through Akureyri's Old Town on the way.

Time here · about 45 minutesWalking · flat, accessible paths

Read our Akureyri guide →

About the Goðafoss and Akureyri Botanical Garden shore excursion

This tour keeps things simple: two well-known North Iceland sights, done in a morning or afternoon, so you are back on board in good time. It leaves the port and heads east along the Ring Road to Goðafoss, then returns through Akureyri's Old Town for a walk in the Botanical Garden.

Goðafoss, the 'waterfall of the gods', drops over a wide horseshoe of dark basalt on the Skjálfandafljót river. Its name comes from the story of Iceland's conversion to Christianity around the year 1000, when the law-speaker Þorgeir is said to have thrown statues of the old Norse gods into the falls. The paths at the falls are natural and a little uneven in places, so wear shoes with grip.

Back in town, the Botanical Garden is a gentler stop, with level paths through native Icelandic plants and hardy species from other cold-climate countries. It's a good contrast after the waterfall, and pleasant even on a grey day.

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