Hidden away in a private backyard in Akureyri town, the capital city of North Iceland, I found extraordinary colourful sculptures of fairytale figures.
I got permission from the folk artist Hreinn Halldórsson to show them to you here in my travel-blog on Guide to Iceland.
Top photo: the Fairytale garden
Pippi Longstocking
I didn't know about this wonderful fairytale garden, but while we were staying at Mývatn for a couple of days back in 2019, my husband had listened to the news, where the garden was featured.
So while returning home the next day, he wanted to surprise me and drove into a residential area in Akureyri and told me to look into all the gardens...
The artist Hreinn with Gulli gosi
I didn't know what I was looking for, but I was in awe when I spotted all the colourful fairytale figures in the garden, where the folk artist Hreinn has created a private gallery haven in his backyard at Oddeyrargata 17 Street.
We had shown up unannounced, but Hreinn was in his garden working and invited us in and showed us around, and took the time to tell us all about his wonderful fairytale figures.
Sleeping Beauty and the Prince
On my second visit to the garden in 2023, Hreinn had just opened the garden to visitors and put up new beautiful additions and signs by every fairytale figure.
Here you will find figures from several fairy tales, f.ex. Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and I saw Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Ridinghood and several others.
Geppetto and Pinocchio
In my photo above are Pinocchio and Geppetto. The cat Figaro is beside them, but he escaped from my photo ;)
The Swedish Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking sat up in a tree with her monkey. And the mischievous Emil by the same author, sat on the roof.
Then we saw figures from Icelandic fairytales, and the Icelandic Dimmalimm by Muggur sat by the pond.
And Sigríður and Indriði from the popular Icelandic book Piltur og stúlka.
The Sisters at Stapi are wearing old Icelandic costumes - photo taken in the summer of 2025
During my last visits, I saw the 5 Sisters at Stapi, who are inside the garden shed.
The Sisters at Stapi are my favourite fairytale figures in the Fairytale garden, and I love their new outfit, especially the pink one :)
They are all wearing old Icelandic costumes, i.e. Hreinn's take on the Icelandic costumes, which is very decorative and lovely.
You can sign your name in the guestbook in the garden shed by the sisters. I browsed through it, and people have left such lovely remarks.
Prince Charming and Cinderella - love the shoes
Prince Charming and Cinderella in my photo above are both carrying fabulous shoes :) Aren't they lovely?
Hreinn "lets the fairytale figures out of his basement", as it were, in the Spring and bolts them down so they don't budge, and it can be quite a task to move them.
Some of them he leaves outside during the winter months.
Hreinn, who has lived in Akureyri for almost 2 decades now, has had these delightful fairytale figures on display both at the annual Hrafnagilshátíð festival and Amtsbókasafnið - the Municipal Library close to his home, and more places.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
There are more than 30 colourful fairytale figures now in his backyard.
And Hreinn regularly repaints them and adds more accessories, so they change in appearance. I love seeing the "new outfits" when I visit the garden. And the latest additions.
When I visited the Fairytale garden in the summer of 2025, I saw at least 3 new additions.
One of them, Rósa, the Queen of the Flowers, is a fairytale figure created by Hreinn. While we sleep, she walks around the garden and talks to the flowers, who bow to her in reverence.
I read in one interview with Hreinn that even though the Fairytale garden is filled with queens, princes and princesses then he is the only King of the Fairytale garden :)
Hreinn's gardener Garðar Blómkvist is a new addition
I also saw the new gardener Garðar Blómkvist with his gardening tools, Jörundur the Winter boy on a ski-sledge, and Helena, the Snow Queen of Akureyri, all lovely additions.
Kids love visiting this colourful garden and Hreinn has invited around 250 kids from kindergartens for a visit. And more are asking to come for a visit.
And as this is not an official gallery, he allows them to touch the fairytale figures and sit on them.
Álfrún the elf-lady and the wishing stone
Once he was a bit uneasy though, when 3 boys sat on the back of the big bad wolf from the fairytale about Little Red Riding Hood.
Be on the lookout for the elf-lady Álfrún with her old doll carriage. In the carriage, you will find a wishing stone.
You can touch the wishing stone with your closed eyes and make a wish.
The Wishing Stone
Hreinn told me that he welcomes visitors who want to have a look at his work. And you will often find Hreinn in the garden, and he might even show you around.
I was so lucky that the sun was shining on all the occasions when I visited the fairytale garden (in 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025) as the sun makes the colours of these lovely fairytale figures even more vivid and cheerful.
If you look closely at the fairytale figures, you will see all kinds of recycled material, like candlesticks, kitchen utensils, rope, etc.
Dimmalimm, the Prince and Þórunn hyrna by the garden shed
Visitors have also come bearing gifts for Hreinn to use for his fairytale figures. The fairytale figures are so lovely, and I think that we all feel like kids when visiting the fairytale garden of the artist Hreinn :)
Hreinn uses old Christmas ornaments, buttons, and old toys and gets leftover wood from workshops to build his wonderful figures.
And he is a regular customer at the handicraft shop in Akureyri and the charity shops, where he gets a warm welcome, as everybody in Akureyri knows about his Fairytale garden :)
Þórunn hyrna in 2023
On the right side of the garden shed, you will meet Þórunn hyrna, the settler-woman.
She is the wife of the settler of Eyjafjörður, Helgi magri. And the sister of the noted settler-woman Auður djúpúðga.
Helgi magri and Þórunn hyrna used to stand side by side, but they had an argument, so she walked away and was found by the house.
Helgi magri was the settler of Eyjafjörður
She is now by the garden shed, and Hreinn is hoping that they will reconcile soon.
In my photo above, you will see Helgi magri, the Settler of Eyjafjörður fjord, whom you can read about in my travel-blog about Akureyri.
On my second visit to the fairytale garden in 2023, Helgi magri and Þórunn hyrna still had not reconciled.
Helgi magri and Þórunn hyrna still hadn't reconciled in 2025
But Þórunn hyrna had changed her outfit and her appearance, so maybe she is ready to walk over to her husband soon.
When I visited the garden in 2025, they still hadn't reconciled, so I guess that the argument was pretty serious.
See if they have moved any closer to each other when you visit the Fairytale garden of Hreinn.
With Snow White and the 7 dwarfs
By the beautiful corrugated iron-clad house, you will find Snow White, the wicked stepmother, the prince and the 7 dwarfs, each with a special name, which Hreinn has given to them, all wonderfully colourful and cheerful.
I asked Hreinn if he sold any of his fairytale figures, and he said no; he puts his heart and soul into his work and wants to keep them. I can relate to what he was saying.
Hreinn gave me a guided tour of his work of art in the summer of 2025
I have also put my heart and soul into the 320 travel-blogs about Iceland, which I have written over the past 12 years, and regard them as a part of myself.
I love creating by writing these travel-blogs, and I hope that my passion for Iceland shines through :)
Hreinn told us the name of this fairytale figure below, but I cannot recall it; this boy holds a lantern to show Hreinn the way to his house when he returns home.
What a lovely visit this was, thank you Hreinn, for creating such a wonderful garden, it sure brightens up the world :)
You can visit Hreinn's page on Facebook for more photos.
Hreinn creates his fairytale figures in his spare time, always adding more and more wooden fairytale figures to his private collection.
So on each visit, you will notice something new; be it a new fairytale figure or a new outfit.
The collection box for Hreinn in his garden
There is free admission to the Fairytale garden, but if you like his work, which I am sure that you will, and would like to see new additions to the fairytale garden, please show your appreciation by leaving a donation for Hreinn, so that he can keep up his good work and continue inviting guests into his lovely private garden :)
The Fairytale garden is open from 10:00 - 20:00.
And if you want to see the work of Hreinn's role model, the folk artist Samúel Jónsson, then I have written about Arnarfjörður and the folk artist in another travel-blog.
The Shepheard - in honour of the folk artist Samúel Jónsson
I have written another travel-blog about Akureyri if you want to find out more about the lovely capital of the north: Eyjafjörður Fjord - Akureyri, the Capital City of North Iceland.
There are so many things to see and do in this lovely town, including the Akureyrarkirkja church, and many interesting museums, like Nonnahús House and Akureyri Museum.
And don't miss the Akureyri Botanical Garden. And there are many good restaurants and beautiful old colourful houses in Akureyri.
The Fairy Tale Garden and home of the folk artist Hreinn
Akureyri is located up north, some 388 km from Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland. To reach this area, you can rent a car in Reykjavík and drive to Akureyri in one day.
Or take it slowly and explore Iceland on the way up to Akureyri. And do stay for a night or two, as there is so much to see and do in Akureyri and Eyjafjörður: Accommodation in Akureyri.
Here is the location of the Fairytale garden of the Folk artist Hreinn on Google Maps.
Photographing Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs in 2023
Eyjafjörður, where Akureyri is located, is one of Iceland's longest fjord, with many attractions, so I have written some 7 travel-blogs on what there is to see and do here.
Here is the first part with links to the other travel-blogs if you want to know more about this beautiful fjord.
Have a lovely time in Akureyri :)
