Eastern and southeast Iceland - The Rough Guide to Iceland - page 271

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE EGILSSTAÐIR

By plane The airport ( W airiceland.is) is off the Ringroad
1km north of town, with year-round daily services to
Reykjavík (1hr).
By bus Long-distance buses run by SBA ( W sba.is), TREX
( W trex.is) and Sterna ( W sterna.is) stop at the campsite
outside Kaffi Egilsstaðir . Local buses to Borgarfjörður
Eystri, Seyðisfjörður, Eskifjörður and Neskaupstaður
pulls up near the Visitor Centre on Fagradalsbraut; see
our individual accounts for operator contact details.
Note that buses from Akureyri and the East Fjords
operate year-round, but buses to Höfn only run between

mid-May and mid-September.
Destinations Akureyri (1 daily; 4hr); Berunes (1 daily;
2hr); Beskaupstaður (1 daily; 1hr 15min); Breiðdalsvík
(1 daily; 1hr 30min); Djúpivogur (1 daily; 2hr 30min);
Eskifjörður (1 daily; 50min); Fáskrúðsfjörður (1 daily;
40min); Goðafoss (1 daily; 3hr 10min); Höfn (1 daily; 3hr);
Reykjahlíð (Mývatn; 1 daily; 2hr 15min), Reyðarfjörður
(1 daily; 20min); Stöðvarfjörður (1 daily; 1hr 10min).
By car Avis ( W avis.is), Hertz ( W hertz.is) and National
( W nationalcar.is) have outlets at the airport; it's best to
book in advance as rental stocks are small.

INFORMATION AND TOURS

Tourist information Opposite the N1 fuel station on
Fagradalsbraut, the Visitor Centre (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm;
Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; T 471 2320, W en.east.is) is well-
stocked with brochures; staff can make accommodation
bookings for the region.
Services Most services lie just off the highway, close to the
N1 fuel station. The well-stocked Nettó supermarket
(Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm)
is directly behind the N1, with a slightly cheaper Bónus
store (Mon-Thurs 11am-6.30pm, Fri 10am-7.30pm, Sat
10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm), 250m north along the
highway. There's an ATM around the side of the Visitor
Centre, and at the bank behind the N1 fuel station on

Kaupvangur. The post o ce is up the hill on Fagradalsbraut.
Egilsstaðir's pool is past the museum on Tjarnabraut (Mon-
Fri 6.30am-9.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm) with children's
play area, hot pot and lap lanes.
Tours Ferðaskrifstofa Austurlands, Kaupvangur 6 ( T 471
2000, W fatravel.is), organizes hiking, birdwatching and
fishing tours, mostly around Borgafjörður Eystri. Jeep
Tours in Egilsstaðir ( T 898 2798, W jeeptours.is) offers
day-trips into the highlands west of town, including
around Kárahnjúkur and Snæfell. Tanni Travel, based down
the coast in Eskifjörður ( T 476 1399, W tannitravel.is), is
also worth contacting about transport to and from Snæfell
(see p.280).

7

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation fills up fast in summer, particularly
mid-week, when the ferry docks at Seyðisfjördur. For
homestays with sleeping-bag accommodation, contact
the Visitor Centre.
Campsite Kaupvangur T 470 0200. Flat, grassy area
behind the N1 fuel station; you pay at the adjacent Ka
Egilsstaðir . There's a laundry, toilets and showers, though
you need a river stone to driv e pegs into the stony soil.
Long-distance buses stop here. 1000kr
Edda Tjarnarbraut 25 T 444 4880, W hoteledda.is.
Summer-only option across from the pool, offering clean
and functional en-suite doubles and family rooms, plus
conference f facilities an d a good restaurant. Breakfast is
1500kr extra. 18,800kr
Ì Gistihús Olgu Tjarnarbraut 3 T 860 2999,
E [e-mail]. Russet-coloured house set
back from the road, with cute, bright if somewhat plain
furnishings, wooden floors throughout and large

bathrooms; the friendly owner lives off-site. 15,000kr
Guesthouse Egilsstaðir T 471 1114, W egilsstadir
.com. At the end of a gravel drive 500m west of town, this
solid stone farmhouse on the lakeshore has been
accommodating travellers since the 1880s; the completely
renovated en suite rooms have a smart, ho mey feel and
there are views right up Lögurinn. 28,490kr
Hérað Miðvangur 5-7 T 471 1500, W icelandairhotels
.com. Icelandair's smart, Nordic-style hotel with
aluminium-panelled exterior, reindeer-themed lobby,
decent-sized rooms that are all lines and pale colours, and
a full range of business facilities. Huge breakfast 1700kr
extra. 24,700kr
Hótel Egilsstaðir Skógarlönd 3 T 471 2830, W hring
hotels.is. A friendly, organized place opposite the
museum, though the drab exterior and clinically
unador ned room s (all with bathrooms) won't win any
prizes. 19,500kr

EATING AND DRINKING

Ì Café Valný Miðvangur 2-4 T 471 2219. Serves
excellent coffee, home-made cakes and light, healthy
meals; the inside feels pleasantly like a friend's kitchen, and
they have free wi-fi for customers. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat 10am-4pm.

Ka Egilsstaðir Kaupvangur T 470 0200. At the bus
stop and campsite, this is a café, restaurant and - especially
- a bar, with tables in rows for watching sport on the wall-
mounted TV. All the usual grills and pasta, plus good-value
12” pizzas starting at 1500kr. Daily 11am-11pm.