Akranes is town of 5,582 people (2003) on the west coast of Iceland. The town started to form in the 19th century as a fishing village and in 1942 it was formally chartered and in the following years experienced the biggest surge in population in its history. The fishing industry remains the town's most important source of employment but commerce is also a significant employer as Akranes acts as a service center for a large rural region surrounding it. Industry is a big and growing employer as well, a cement plant has been operated in the town since the 1950s and a aluminum smelting plant has been in operation near the town since 1998.

Akranes' has a strong football tradition and the local team, ÍA Akranes, has for many years been among the best of the Icelandic football league.

Akranes traces its history all the way back to the Period of Settlement, when around the year 880 people of Irish descent settled in the area. The name Akranes indicates that in the old days corn was grown in the fertile land around Mt Akrafjall which towers in the background of the town.

When you visit Akranes you´ll think your time well spent here. You can, for instance, visit the old lighthouse where there is a beautiful panoramic view, the folk museum, the museum of Icelandic stones (The Kingdom of stones), the Hvalfjörður bay tunnel museum, and the local "Long Beach". You may also want to visit the wooded area close to the folk museum to enjoy the peace and quiet there, so far away from the everyday din of a bustling town and yet so close. Close to the folk museum is the local golf club which soon will be able to offer its members and guests a full-fledged 18-hole golf course. Akranes is an excellent choice for staying in if you want to go on excursions to other parts of the west of Iceland, to the Reykjanes Peninsula or to the south of Iceland. We have a good all-year-round hotel as well as a summer hotel, restaurants, shops and other services that will make your stay in Akranes a pleasant one.