Akranes Fishing Town
Akranes Fishing Town
Akranes is a town with a thriving fishing industry. See the boats come and go at the busy port and enjoy the view from the larger of the two lighthouses, which doubles as an arts venue. Some of the town's 6700 inhabitants work at the nearby aluminum and ferrosilicon plants or commute to Reykjavik, thanks to easy access provided by the Hvalfjordur tunnel.
In summer locals come to bathe at Langisandur, the town's 1km long sandy beach - there are showers to rinse off and a jogging path to warm up afterward. The less hardy should head for the steaming geothermal swimming pool and hot tubs, fed by water from Iceland's largest hot spring. There is a Saturday summer market in town and a choice of places to eat and shops to browse. Trace the development of the fishing industry at the local museum and get acquainted with local geology at its impressive rock collection - some of the exhibits were found when blasting the sea bed for the Hvalfjordur tunnel.