Information about the garden

Opening hours

The Akureyri botanic garden is accessible year round.
Summer (1st June - 30th September)
Garden gates and toilets are open from 8am-10pm
Winter (1st October - 31st May)
The gates are open but the toilets are closed.

LYST Café

year round during the hours
10am-7pm Sundays - Thursdays
10am-11pm Fridays - Saturdays
(Please note that LYST provides toilet facilities for customers only)

For more information on LYST, visit them on Facebook.

How to find us

The park is located between Þórunnarstræti and Eyrarlandsvegur, to the south of Akureyri Junior College (MA).

Park Facilties

During the summer months (1/6 - 30/9) the garden operates two unisex toilets located on the western side of Jónshús. These facilities are closed during the winter.

Drinking fountains are located alongside the path to the west of the pond.

Park Rules

Plants

The garden is both a botanic resource and public park that is protected by Icelandic law.

It is strongly prohibited to damage plants or take seeds and please do not interfere with the plant labels.

Much effort goes into maintaining the garden, so we ask that you kindly refrain from walking on the garden beds. During the winter please use the ploughed paths.

Many plants have thorns and may cause rash if touched and some plants are poisonous. Please contact staff or 112 if accidental ingestion occurs.

Activities 

The garden is intended as showcase of plants for the peaceful enjoyment of all visitors. When the gates are locked, the garden is to be vacated.

In order to protect the garden beds, ball games and frisbee discs are prohibited inside the garden.  

Cycling and the use of scooters and skateboards are not permitted in the park. Bicycle parking is provided at each entrance.

Dogs are permitted in the park but must be kept on a leash at all times. Please ensure you clean up after your pet and ensure they do not damage the garden beds. 

Park history and objectives

The Public Park was first opened in 1912 and became a botanic garden 1957. The park has been enlarged three times since 1912 and is now around 3.7 ha in size and lies at altitude of 40-50 m amsl.

The aim of the botanic garden is to grow trees, shrubs and perennials in the demanding climate of northern Iceland, which is characterized by pronounced seasonality of temperature and day length. Sheltered by the mountains of Eyjafjord, one of the longest fjords in Iceland, the gardens provide a favorable microclimate for plant growth.

Besides Icelandic native species, we are able to grow a surprising number of 6600 alien taxa. The garden is an IPEN member and is active in seed-exchange, public information, education and recreation.

Icelandic Flora

The Icelandic flora comprises 530 naturally sustaining species and around 280 alien species, which is very small compared to other countries. Only one species, Icelandic Hawkweed (Pilosella islandica), is considered fully endemic.  A great majority of these plants are on display at our gardens.

Plant databases

Below are links to two databases with information about many of the plants found in the garden (provided in Icelandic only).

One contains information about the Icelandic flora and the other contains hardy species found in the garden that are not native to Iceland.

The nomenclature used is mainly based on Lid, J. & Lid, D.T. 2005. Norsk flora.

Icelandic FloraHardy Alien Perrenials