Blönduós is a town of about 930 people in the north of Iceland, on the Ring Road at the mouth of the glacial river Blanda. The river splits it in two: the old town and its late 19th-century houses on the south bank, most services on the north. A church on the hill above town resembles a volcanic crater. The town lives on agriculture, tourism and textiles: a wool washery, the Icelandic Textile Center and Iceland's only textile museum are all here. Hrútey, an island nature reserve in the river, is reached by a footbridge off the Ring Road.
Blönduós
- Currency
- Icelandic króna (ISK)
- Language
- Icelandic; nearly all speak English
- Power plug
- Europlug and Schuko sockets, 230 V
- Visa
- Schengen; outside the EU
- Time zone
- UTC±00:00 (Atlantic/Reykjavik)
- Tap water
- Safe; hot water smells of sulphur
- Tipping
- Not customary
- Emergency
- 112
Things to do
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When to go
High season
Jun – Aug
At 65.7°N the nights barely darken. Route 1 through the town carries its heaviest traffic, and the footbridge to Hrútey is at its busiest.
Shoulder
Sep – Oct
Daylight shortens fast and traffic on the Ring Road thins out. Driving conditions are still usually straightforward.
Low season
Nov – Mar
Days are very short and it gets colder here than in Reykjavík. Blizzards off the sea can strand anyone caught outside town.
Shoulder
Apr – May
Light comes back quickly, but Arctic blizzards still blow in from the sea as late as April. Few cars stop in town.
How long to stay
Half a day covers what the town holds: Hrútey, the textile museum, the old houses on the south bank and a swim in the outdoor pool. Most travellers give it far less and stop for an hour on the drive between Reykjavík and Akureyri. One night makes sense if you would rather break that 388 km run than drive it in a single stretch.
Getting around
Blönduós sits directly on Route 1, the Ring Road, 244 km north of Reykjavík and 144 km short of Akureyri. It is the first town reached when driving into North Iceland from the west. A hire car is the practical way to arrive and to move on. The nearest rental desks are at Akureyri airport and in Sauðárkrókur, where Hertz, Budget, Avis and Bílaleiga Akureyrar operate. Sterna runs scheduled buses along the western stretch of the Ring Road through North Iceland.
The town is small enough to cross on foot, but the glacial river Blanda splits it in two. The old houses stand on the south bank; the supermarket, the outdoor pool and the community centre are on the north. One caveat: winter here is harder than in the south of the country. Arctic blizzards blow in off the sea as late as April, and being caught outside town in one is dangerous.
What to see
Destinations in Blönduós
Frequently asked questions
Where is Blönduós?
In the north of Iceland, on Route 1 at the mouth of the glacial river Blanda. It is 244 km from Reykjavík and the first town reached when entering North Iceland from the west; Akureyri is another 144 km on.What is there to see in the town?
Hrútey, an island nature reserve encircled by the river and reached by a footbridge just off the Ring Road. Iceland's only textile museum, Heimilisiðnaðarsafnið, and the Icelandic Textile Center. The old town on the south bank keeps many houses from the late 19th and early 20th century, and the church on the hill above town was built to resemble a volcanic crater.Is there a swimming pool?
Yes, a modern outdoor heated pool on the north side of the river, near the supermarket, the school and the community centre.Can you get there without a car?
Sterna runs scheduled buses along the western stretch of the Ring Road in North Iceland, which is the road Blönduós stands on.Is Blönduós still a municipality?
No. In 2022 it merged with Húnavatnshreppur to form Húnabyggð, and it is now a town within that municipality.