In Iceland:s northern area lies its second city: Akureyri. With a population of 20,000 people in 2025, it is a bustling metropolis for this island nation of 404,000 people. Within the city is the Museum of Art, which the Akureyri Rainbow Footpath.

As a staunch defender and supporter of equal rights for all genders and sexualities, it is common to find rainbows in Iceland, including Pride flags, pins and other signs throughout the country. Along with Reykjavik’s Rainbow Road and Seyðisfjörður’s Rainbow Street, the Akureyri Rainbow Footpath is a prominent reminder of the struggles that Icelanders have gone through to get equity, diversity and inclusion.

To get to the Museum of Art and the Rainbow Footpath from Reykjavik, you will need to rent a car, take a bus tour or fly from Reykjavik Airport (the one in the capital, not Keflavik in the southwest). The drive takes just under 5 hours in a car. Just follow Route 1 – Iceland’s ringroad – heading north from Reykjavik and you will quickly see signs for Akureyri due to its size and importance in this part of the country.

If you are not staying in Akureyri (i.e. you do not have a place to park your car), you can park it at the Hof Cultural and Conference Centre, which sits onthe harbour. It is then a short walk from the Hof to the Museum of Art and other attractions in Akureyri, such as Akureyrarkirkja. This is also the place where the whale- and seal-watching boat tours also depart from.

The Akureyri Rainbow Footpath can be seen at any time of the day or night as it is part of the public street in front of the museum. Here is the location on Google Maps.

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