Grimsey

Grimsey is a small, windswept island of about 5 square kilometres lying 41 km north of the Icelandic mainland, bisected by the Arctic Circle (66°33’N) and home to fewer than 100 permanent residents. It is the only part of Iceland that actually sits within the Arctic Circle, making it a bucket-list destination for travellers who want to stand at 66°33′ and receive the official Arctic Circle certificate — a tradition that has been observed here for decades and involves crossing a monument on the island that moves slightly each year to track the circle’s gradual southward drift.

Grimsey is an extraordinary birdwatching location, with an estimated million or more seabirds nesting on its basalt cliffs each summer — puffins, razorbills, guillemots, Arctic terns, and fulmars among them. The puffins in particular are so numerous and tame that they will walk across the path in front of visitors with complete indifference. The island also offers one of Iceland’s best midnight sun experiences in late June, when the sun circles above the horizon through the night without setting.

Grimsey is reached by a twice-weekly ferry from Dalvík (about 3 hours each way) or by daily flights from Akureyri Airport (25 minutes). Accommodation on the island is limited to a small guesthouse; most visitors come as day-trippers in summer. The crossing can be rough; seasickness precautions are advisable on the ferry.