Reykjavík, the tiny capital of a remote island-nation, is unexpectedly cosmopolitan, with an artistic, bohemian flair. It lacks world-class sights, yet manages to surprise and delight even those who use the city mostly as a home base for exploring Iceland’s natural wonders.
The city’s downtown streets are lined with creative restaurants, quirky art galleries, rollicking bars serving everything from craft beer to designer cocktails, and shops selling stuffed puffins, local knitwear, and Gore-Tex parkas. Reykjavík is a colorful enclave in a stark landscape: It seems every wall serves as a canvas for a vibrant street-art mural, and each corner is occupied by a cozy, art-strewn, stay-awhile café. In the old town center, colorful timber-frame houses clad in corrugated metal sheets huddle together amid a sprinkling of landmarks—such as the striking Hallgrímskirkja church, which crowns the town’s highest point.
Reykjavík, like the rest of the country, has old roots. Viking Age farmers settled here in the ninth century. Until the 1750s, this area remained nothing more than a sprawling farm. As towns started to form in Iceland, Reykjavík emerged as the country’s capital. Today, the capital region is a small city, home to two out of every three Icelanders—a population similar to that of Berkeley, California, or Fargo, North Dakota. The northernmost capital city in the world—which straddles the European and American hemispheres—feels more New World than Old.
With the recent tourism boom, these days Icelanders tend to work, live, and shop elsewhere, and make fun of Reykjavík’s downtown core with all its “puffin shops” selling souvenirs. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid downtown: Visitors find just about everything they need in this small, walkable zone. You can take in the vibe of the pithy city in a leisurely two-hour stroll, and it’s an enjoyable place to simply hang out. While museums aren’t a priority here, those seeking sights can easily fill a day or two.
Step into Hallgrímskirkja’s serene church interior, and ride the elevator up its tower for a view over Reykjavík’s rooftops. Learn about this little nation’s proud history at the National Museum, and about the city’s humble Viking Age roots at the Settlement Exhibition—built around the surviving walls of a 10th-century longhouse. Art lovers can visit a half-dozen galleries highlighting Icelandic artists (early-20th-century sculptor Einar Jónsson is tops). Naturalists can go on a whale-watching cruise, or ride a ferry to an island getaway. Modern architecture fans can ogle the award-winning Harpa concert hall, then walk along the shoreline to the iconic Sun Voyager sculpture.
Explore the city’s pricey but well-done private museums: At Whales of Iceland, ogle life-size models of gigantic marine mammals; at the Saga Museum, meet the Viking protagonists of the Icelandic sagas face-to-waxy-face; and at the Aurora Reykjavík exhibit, watch mesmerizing time-lapse footage of the northern lights. More sights await in the suburbs, including another city view at a domed building called the Pearl, and family-friendly activities (open-air museum, zoo, botanic gardens). To recharge, the capital area has plenty of relaxing—and very local—thermal swimming pools.
But don’t focus too much on the capital. On a short summertime getaway to Iceland, I might not even devote a full day to Reykjavík. Instead, use the city as a springboard for Iceland’s glorious countryside sights, taking advantage of its accommodations, great restaurants, and lively nightlife. Even on a longer visit, drivers may prefer sleeping at a distance, dropping into town only for occasional sightseeing, strolling, and dining. To save money and have a more local experience, consider sleeping in suburban Reykjavík—which has fewer hotels, but ample Airbnb options.
On a short visit, savor Reykjavík’s strolling ambience in the morning and evening, maybe drop into one or two sights early or late, and use your precious daytime hours to tour sights in the countryside (see the Near Reykjavík chapter for an overview of your options). My self-guided Reykjavík Walk offers a helpful town orientation (and crash-course in Iceland) that can be done at any time of day or night.
On a longer trip—or in winter (when countryside options are limited)—Reykjavík warrants more time. The following schedule is designed to fill two full days in Reykjavík itself. With less time, mix and match from among these options. My plan ignores weather—in practice, let the weather dictate your itinerary. If it’s blowing hard and drizzling, prioritize indoor sights. Use the good weather well.
Day 1: Start with my self-guided walk around downtown, and (if the line’s not too long) ride up the tower of Hallgrímskirkja church. Then find a nice lunch in the Laugavegur/Skólavörðustígur area. Walk down to the Sun Voyager sculpture for a photo op, then follow the shoreline to the Harpa concert hall (peek in the lobby, and stop by the box office to survey entertainment options). Follow the moored boats around to the Old Harbor, where you can comparison-shop whale watching and other boat tours for tomorrow. Then continue along the harbor to the Grandi area, where you can drop into your choice of exhibits: Whales of Iceland, Saga Museum, Maritime Museum, or Aurora Reykjavík. Return to the downtown area for dinner and after-hours strolling.
Day 2: Begin your day at the Settlement Exhibition. If that compact exhibit whets your appetite for Icelandic history, take a walk along the Pond (the city’s little lake) to the National Museum. After lunch, take your pick of activities: boat trip (either whale or puffin watching, or simply a ride out to Viðey Island); suburban sights in Laugardalur (botanic garden, zoo) and/or Árbær Open-Air Museum, with a stop at the observation deck/museum called the Pearl; or explore the city’s many art museums. In the late afternoon, unwind with the Icelanders in one of Reykjavík’s thermal swimming pools, before another dinner in the center.
If you’re in town on a weekend, squeeze in a visit to the Kolaportið flea market, downtown.
Reykjavík’s population is about 125,000, but the entire capital region has nearly double that (220,000). The compact core of Reykjavík radiates out from the main walking street, which changes names from Austurstræti to Bankastræti to Laugavegur as it cuts through the city. You can walk from one end of downtown Reykjavík (Ingólfstorg square) to the other (the bus junction Hlemmur) in about 20 minutes. Just northwest of downtown is the mostly postindustrial Old Harbor zone, with excursion boats, salty restaurants, and a few sights.
Greater Reykjavík is made up of six towns. Hafnarfjörður (“harbor fjord”), to the south, has its own history, harbor, and downtown core. Kópavogur and Garðabær, between Reykjavík and Hafnarfjörður, are 20th-century suburbs. Mosfellsbær, once a rural farming district along the road running north from Reykjavík, has turned into a sizable town of its own. And Seltjarnarnes is a posh enclave at the end of the Reykjavík Peninsula. While I haven’t recommended specific hotels or restaurants in these neighborhoods (except in Hafnarfjörður)—finding an affordable Airbnb in one of these areas can provide a very local home base.
The city-run TI is in City Hall, by the Pond (daily 8:00-20:00, Tjarnargata 11, tel. 411-6040, www.visitreykjavik.is). It has three desks: one for impartial information; the “Guide to Iceland” desk, which sells tours and excursions; and a “Safe Travel Iceland” desk, which offers advice and answers questions about driving, weather, and other risks and concerns. Around downtown you’ll see several booking services billed as tourist information offices. These are primarily tour-sales offices, but can be helpful.
The Reykjavík Grapevine, a free informative English-language paper and website, provides a roundup of sightseeing hours, music listings, helpful restaurant reviews, and fun insights into local life. They also publish a quarterly Best of Reykjavík booklet with lots of reviews (www.grapevine.is). The local blog IHeartReykjavik.net also has helpful insights about both the capital region and all of Iceland.
Sightseeing Pass: The Reykjavík City Card may make sense for busy museum sightseers on a longer stay, but is not worth it for a short visit. It covers bus transport, city-run museums, Reykjavík swimming pools, and some other attractions (24 hours-3,700 ISK, 48 hours-4,900 ISK, 72 hours-5,900 ISK; sold at hotels and City Hall TI).
Money: You’ll use credit cards more than cash in Iceland. If you do need cash, several big banks downtown have ATMs, and can exchange money (banks closed Sat-Sun). The downtown branch of Landsbankinn at Austurstræti 11 is convenient and along my self-guided walk.
Useful Bus App: If you’ll be using public buses, use the Strætó app to avoid having to carry exact bus fare. Download the app, then change the default language to English under “Settings.” At the prompt to enter your mobile number, include “001” for the US country code. You’ll receive a PIN number on your mobile phone—once you enter the PIN, you can enter your credit card details to buy bus tickets.
Pharmacy: A downtown pharmacy is at Laugavegur 16 (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-16:00, closed Sun, tel. 552-4045, www.lyfja.is). For a pharmacy with longer hours, try the ones at Lágmúli 5 in outer Reykjavík (tel. 533-2300) and Smáratorg 1, under the Læknavakt after-hours medical service near the Smáralind shopping mall (tel. 564-5600).
Local Guidebook: Look for historian Guðjón Friðriksson’s great little book Reykjavík Walks, which describes six building-by-building routes around the downtown center.
Laundry: The downtown Laundromat Café, has four washers and four dryers in its basement (long hours daily, Austurstræti 9, www.thelaundromatcafe.com). It’s also a popular comfort-food restaurant (described later in this chapter)—turning your chore into a fun night out.
Bike Rental: WOW Citybike provides basic rent-and-return bikes at several self-service stations around the city center (400 ISK/one-way trip up to 30 minutes; www.wowcitybike.com). For a better-quality and longer-term rental, Reykjavík Bike Tours rents from its location on the pier in the Old Harbor (3,500 ISK/4 hours, 4,900 ISK/24 hours; in summer daily at least 9:00-17:00, in winter by appointment; Ægisgarður 7, mobile 694-8956, www.icelandbike.com). They also run tours (see “Tours in Reykjavík,” later).
Taxis: The two long-established companies are Hreyfill (tel. 588-5522, www.hreyfill.is) and BSR (tel. 561-0000, www.taxireykjavik.is). Both offer flat rates to Keflavík Airport. For early-morning rides, call the evening before to reserve. Icelanders generally order taxis by phone, but there are a few taxi stands downtown and at major transportation hubs. In general, though, taxis are expensive—even a short ride in Reykjavík will cost 2,000 ISK—so use them only when there’s no better option (cabbies expect payment by credit card but not a tip). Services such as Uber and Lyft don’t operate in Reykjavík.
Online Translation Tip: A few of the websites I list in this chapter are in Icelandic only. To view them in English, use Google’s Chrome browser (for automatic translation) or paste the URL into the translation window at Translate.google.com.
North Americans will feel at home in Reykjavík, as it’s largely a car city. If you’ll be renting a car to explore the countryside, you may want to keep it for part of your time in Reykjavík. Outside of downtown, parking is generally free and easy.
That said, you don’t need a car to enjoy your visit. And if you are staying in the center (inside the street called Hringbraut) and visiting only downtown sights, a car can be a headache. But many interesting and authentic things to do in town are outside the center, accessible only by car or bus. If you plan to have your own wheels in town, consider looking for accommodations with free parking a little outside the center.
Parking: Downtown, on-street parking is metered (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-16:00; free outside these times). Pay with credit cards or coins at machines (look for the white and blue “P” sign), and display your ticket on the windshield. Parking in the P1 zone is the most expensive (275 ISK/hour); parking in P2 through P4 costs about 150 ISK/hour. You can prepay for an entire day, so even if overnighting in the center, you don’t have to worry about returning to feed the meter. A few coin-op-only parking meters still survive.
There are several small public parking garages downtown (check up-to-the-minute availability at www.bilastaedasjodur.is/#bilahusin). The Traðarkot garage at Hverfisgata 20 is the best option and close to the end point of my Reykjavík Walk (80-150 ISK/hour, daily 7:00-24:00). Progressively closer in, but typically full on weekdays, are the Kolaport garage, near the Harpa concert hall at Kalkofnsvegur 1; the Ráðhúsið garage, underneath City Hall at Tjarnargata 11; and—closest to my Reykjavík Walk’s starting point—the Vesturgata garage at Vesturgata 7 (on the corner with Mjóstræti).
You can also park just outside downtown in a neighborhood with free on-street parking, such as behind Hallgrímskirkja church or near the BSÍ bus terminal. A free parking lot is along Eiríksgata at the top of the hill by Hallgrímskirkja church, but it’s often full. Or look for metered on-street parking closer in (along Garðastræti and its side-streets, just a couple of blocks above Ingólfstorg). There’s also plenty of free parking in the Grandi box-store zone to the far side of the Old Harbor.
Greater Reykjavík has a decent bus (strætó) system. In this late-rising city, buses run from about 6:30 on weekdays, 8:00 on Saturdays, and 10:00 on Sundays, with last departures between 23:00 and 24:00. Service is sparse on evenings and weekends, when most buses only run every half-hour.
Bus routes intersect at several key points, notably Hlemmur, at the eastern end of Laugavegur, Reykjavík’s downtown shopping street; Lækjartorg, at the western end of Laugavegur; Mjódd, in the eastern Reykjavík suburbs; and Fjörður, in the town of Hafnarfjörður. The English journey planner at Straeto.is makes using the system easy, and recognizes addresses without Icelandic characters (you can omit all the accent marks and use th, d, and ae instead of þ, ð, and æ). To get help from a real person, call 540-2700.
You can pay for the bus in cash (440 ISK), but few do this, and drivers don’t give change. Instead, buy a pass, a shareable perforated strip of paper tickets, or use the Strætó app (app described in “Helpful Hints,” earlier; one-day pass-1,560 ISK; three-day pass-3,650 ISK; 20 tickets-8,300 ISK and more than most visitors will need). Buses are also covered by the Reykjavík City Card (described earlier).
Tickets and passes are sold at 10-11 convenience stores, most swimming pools, information desks at the Kringlan and Smáralind shopping malls, and at the Mjódd bus junction (but not from bus drivers). Without a pass, ask the driver for a free transfer slip if you need to change buses.
While you’ll see bus tours advertised in Reykjavík, I wouldn’t take one. The city is easy and enjoyable by foot.
I Heart Reykjavík, run by local blogger Auður and her associates, offers excellent two-hour small-group walking tours that start at Hallgrímskirkja church and end in front of the parliament building. While you’ll get a good historical overview of the city, this tour’s strength is its personal approach and insights on daily life in Reykjavík (5,500 ISK/person, at least one morning tour per day, more in summer, book on website, tel. 511-5522, www.iheartreykjavik.net, hello@iheartreykjavik.net).
CityWalk, more conventional and typically with bigger groups, has two-hour tours starting in front of the parliament building several times a day year-round. While advertised as “free,” you pay whatever you feel the tour is worth; book in advance on their website. They also run a pub crawl (2,500 ISK/person, Fri-Sat at 22:00) and a running tour (mobile tel. 787-7779, www.citywalk.is, citywalk@citywalk.is).
For something a little different, take the 2.5-hour “Walk the Crash” tour with Magnús Sveinn Helgason, a journalist and historian. Starting at the parliament building, he’ll walk you around downtown and relay a lively inside story of Iceland’s 2008 financial crash—one of the largest in world history—and how the country has recovered since. Magnús worked for the government commission that investigated the crash, so he knows his stuff (3,500 ISK/person, 1-2 tours a week, usually Mon and/or Fri—email or check website for times, www.citywalk.is, magnus@citywalk.is).
Food Tours: To learn more about Icelandic cuisine and cooking—from traditional dishes to modern interpretations—you can take a three- to four-hour guided walk with stops at a half-dozen local eateries. Two companies offer the tours (each one around 15,000 ISK): Wake Up Reykjavík Food Tour (www.wakeupreykjavik.com) and Your Friend in Reykjavík (www.yourfriendinreykjavik.com).
Reykjavík Bike Tours takes you on a 2.5-hour, fairly flat guided bike tour that starts on the Old Harbor pier and does a circuit through downtown and all the way over to the university and residential areas on the other side of the peninsula. This is a nice way to get to know more of the city than the downtown core (7,500 ISK, mid-May-Sept daily at 10:00, off-season Fri-Sat only at 10:00 or 11:00, confirm times by phone or on website; Ægisgarður 7, mobile 694-8956, www.icelandbike.com).
This self-guided walk, rated ▲▲▲, introduces the highlights of downtown Reykjavík, as well as some slices of local life, in about two hours. While a few indoor sights may be closed early or late, the walk can be done at any time—allowing you to fit it in before or after your day-trips. The walk starts at Reykjavík’s central square, Ingólfstorg, and finishes at Hallgrímskirkja, the big, landmark church on the hill. As Reykjavík is likely your first stop in Iceland, I’ve designed this walk as a crash course not only for the city, but for the whole country—introducing you to names, customs, stories, and themes that will come in handy from here to the Eastfjords.
Getting There: By bus, the Ráðhúsið, MR, and Lækjartorg stops are each a five-minute jaunt from the beginning of this walk (it’s easy to find Ingólfstorg; the main street, Austurstræti, runs right into it). If coming by car, see “Getting Around,” earlier, for parking options.
• Begin on the modern, sunken square called...
While this somewhat dreary square isn’t much to look at, it packs a lot of history and myth. Ingólfstorg is named for Ingólfur Árnason, the early Scandinavian explorer who—according to the Icelandic sagas—settled at Reykjavík in A.D. 874.
In the middle of the square, look for the two nondescript stone pillars (one of them marked 874). These recall the much-told legend about Ingólfur: As he sighted the southeast coast of Iceland, he followed an old Scandinavian custom and threw the two carved wooden pillars from his best chair overboard—vowing to establish his farm wherever they washed ashore. In the meantime, he set up a temporary settlement on the South Coast and sent two of his slaves on a scavenger hunt all over the island. Three years later (in 874), they discovered the pillars here. Ingólfur called this place Reykjavík, meaning “Smoky Bay”—likely for the thermal vapor he saw venting nearby.
While the details of this story are a mix of fact and legend (see the “Sagas of the Icelanders 101” sidebar in this chapter), archaeologists confirm that the original Reykjavík farm was just a few steps from where you’re standing. And for most of its history, Reykjavík remained nothing more than a farm—set between the sea and a pond a few hundred yards inland (we’ll go there in a few minutes). But in the 18th century, Reykjavík gradually emerged as the logical seat of Iceland’s government.
Ingólfstorg was not an open space until 1944, when a big hotel that used to stand here burned down. The lot was left vacant and became a seedy hangout where Reykjavík teens would drink, smoke, and do other things they didn’t want their parents to know about. Locals called it Hallærisplan (which means, roughly, “Messed-Up Square”). Only in 1993 was it cleaned up, redesigned, and respectably renamed. Today, this square is designed for skateboarders, and hosts outdoor concerts and performances in summer. Lining the square are cafés and fast-food joints where you can pick up a hot dog, a slice of pizza, a toasted sub sandwich, or an ice-cream cone (or even a decadent bragðarefur—a giant cup of soft serve with mix-ins, like a supersized McFlurry).
The big, glass-fronted, eight-story building that dominates the square represents the latest chapter in Reykjavík’s story: its recent tourism boom. Long the headquarters of Iceland’s biggest newspaper, those offices recently moved out to the suburbs, and the building is now a hotel. A generation ago, downtown Reykjavík was mostly offices, government institutions, cheap housing, and lots of students. But with the flood of tourism over the last decade, most of these have been replaced by hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, and tour operators; the number of Icelanders who actually live downtown has dropped sharply.
• Let’s take a little back-streets detour. Facing that big building, turn right, then walk to the end of the square. The street leaving the square is...
This lovely lane (literally “West Street”) is lined by colorful buildings from the early 20th century. The yellow building (today the Restaurant Reykjavík) was once the base of the town pier, back when the waterfront came all the way up to this point. The entry to the pier ran under the building’s tower (beneath the round window). In 1874, when the king of Denmark visited Iceland, his fleet anchored in the harbor, and he came ashore on little boats right here. Around 1910, land reclamation created the modern harborfront zone, just beyond the taller modern buildings. Today, this so-called Old Harbor area has some appealing sights (see here).
In the sidewalk immediately in front of the yellow building, notice the brass plaque marking the “hub of Reykjavík”—both the symbolic gateway to the city, and the spot from where the city’s address numbers radiate.
Around the left side of the yellow building, you can spot faint remains of the original wharf, and a little tidal pool that’s still connected, underground, to the harbor. Several recommended restaurants are on or near this square (see “Eating in Reykjavík,” later).
• Now continue along Vesturgata. Just past the bright red building on the left corner, turn left onto...
Even in the bustling downtown of Iceland’s capital, you’re never more than a block or two away from a sleepy residential area. Stroll a couple of blocks along Mjóstræti (“Little Street”), appreciating some slices of Reykjavík life.
A block up Mjóstræti, look right up the hill to see a humble cottage called Hákot. Built in the 1890s, and beautifully renovated in the 1980s, this is one of a few old houses that survive in the neighborhood. In the 1970s, many houses were knocked down after an expressway was slated to cut through here. Locals protested, and the plans were abandoned.
Continue straight along Mjóstræti, and notice one of Reykjavík’s distinctive fire hydrants—painted in garish, McDonald’s-esque red and yellow. Residents embrace these cheery hydrants, some embellished with faces, as a sort of local symbol.
You’ll see many houses sided with vertical corrugated iron (despite the name, it’s usually steel, galvanized with zinc). Since the late 19th century, corrugated metal sheets have been widely used for siding and roofing in Iceland. It stands up well to the punishing wind and sideways rain, it doesn’t burn, it’s easy to maintain, it’s cheap and easy to transport to Iceland, and can dress up renovated old houses as well as new ones. Many locals prefer to use brightly saturated hues, perhaps to help cheer them through the gloomy winters. Around town, you may also notice a few houses with boring gray metal: Newer siding needs to weather for a few years to get rough enough for primer and paint to adhere.
As you stroll, notice lots of propped-open windows (often one smaller pane built into a bigger window). Icelanders mostly heat their homes with geothermal hot water—harnessing the substantial natural power of their volcanic island. There are radiators in every room, but typically no central thermostat. Heating costs are low, so when things get too warm or stuffy indoors, Icelanders just open the window to create a cross-breeze. For tourists, opening a window also helps vent the sulfur smell that accompanies the city’s scalding-hot tap water, which is piped directly into the city from boreholes in the countryside. (Residents are used to the smell and don’t even notice it.)
Another way Icelanders use all that hot water is to heat swimming pools. Every Iceland town has a municipal thermal pool complex where locals swim laps, relax, and socialize—particularly appealing in the cold and dreary winter months. These basically feel like your hometown swimming pool...except that the water is delightfully warm-to-hot, year-round. Tourists are welcome to join in the fun, and many find it the most local-feeling experience they have in Iceland. (For more about visiting pools, see “Experiences in and near Reykjavík,” later.)
Any cats roaming? Reykjavík has a relaxed, small-town vibe, and people tend to let their cats wander free by day. Watch for clever little cat doors built into windows and doors. You won’t see many dogs, though; until 1984 they were banned in the city for health reasons, and condo owners still need permission from their neighbors to keep a dog.
• After another block, Mjóstræti dead-ends into someone’s driveway. Turn left on Brattagata and head downhill. You’ll pop out back at the bottom of Ingólfstorg square, on...
While today it feels more like an alley, this “Main Street” (as its name means) was Reykjavík’s first thoroughfare.
The one-story, black house on your right (at Aðalstræti 10) was originally built around 1760 for the textile industry. The current version is a complete rebuild (only the location of the walls is original), but faithful to the original style. The hand pump across the street (under the arcade) is a reminder that, until 1910, locals used pumps like this one as their sole source of drinking water.
Turn right down Aðalstræti. A few doors down on the right is the Hótel Reykjavík Centrum. When this hotel was built in 2001, workers unearthed the ruins of a 10th-century Scandinavian longhouse—part of the original Reykjavík farm. Today it’s the excellent Settlement Exhibition, where you can step down into the cellar and walk around the ancient structure (enter at the corner; museum described later, under “Sights in Reykjavík”). The museum’s other name—Reykjavík 871±2—refers to a volcanic eruption in A.D. 871, plus or minus a few years, evidence of which was found in the house.
Opposite the hotel, a statue of Skúli Magnússon stands in a small square with a few trees. Skúli was an Enlightenment-era entrepreneur whose enterprises seeded settlement at Reykjavík in the mid-1700s—finally transforming it from a farm into a real town, and setting the stage for its eventual capital status. While Ingólfur may have settled in Reykjavík, Skúli put it on the map. The little square was the village cemetery until 1838.
• Ahead of you, the big yellow building is the local branch of the Salvation Army. Loop around it to the left, following Tjarnargata for a block to Vonarstræti, where you’ll see, on your left, a large, modern concrete building with a curved roof and a mossy pond in front. This is the...
Enter the blocky, curved-roofed, concrete-and-glass building (daily 8:00-20:00, free WCs; use the door at the inner corner of the fountain). The city council meets upstairs, but most city offices are outside the center, and this “City Hall” is more of a ceremonial hall for the city’s residents. Its ground-floor space, normally open to the public, is rented out for concerts, exhibitions, and other cultural events.
A huge wooden relief map of Iceland is sometimes displayed in front of the large windows overlooking the little lake known as the Pond. The towns on the map are not labeled, but it’s easy to find Reykjavík and the Reykjanes Peninsula: Look for the airport. Pick out the island’s major landforms: Fjords ruffle the coastline in the northwest (the Westfjords), the east coast (the Eastfjords), and the far-north (Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður, flanking the mountainous Tröllaskagi—“Troll Peninsula”). Glacier-covered volcanic peaks loom ominously above the South Coast, while the desolate Highlands cover the middle of the country. Trace your own route through Iceland; spotting the roads and towns around the country is absorbing. Notebooks with topographic maps help you identify fjords, mountains, and rivers. Nearby you may see a second model, with a street map of Reykjavík and elevated models of major architectural landmarks.
Stop by the official Reykjavík TI here for help with your sightseeing plans, or to purchase a sightseeing or bus pass.
• Exit the City Hall next to the TI, and walk across the pedestrian bridge that runs along...
This miniature lake feels just right for this small capital of a small country. On sunny days, parents bring small children to feed the ducks and swans that live in the Pond. In the winter, if the temperatures drop to a safe range, snow on the Pond is cleared away to make a skating rink. It’s a pleasant one-mile walk all the way around.
At the far end of the pedestrian bridge, you’re greeted by a statue of a faceless bureaucrat (see photo next page). The period building next to him is Iðnó, Reykjavík’s old theater.
Gaze out to the far end of the Pond, where you’ll see some of the University of Iceland buildings (that’s the science center with the curved glass roof). The country’s oldest and largest university, with a total enrollment of around 13,000, was founded in 1911. Before that, students had to go abroad for college (mostly to Denmark)...a reminder of just how recently this country came into its own.
Farther right, rising a couple of stories above the rooftops, is the brown tower of the recommended National Museum, where a thoughtfully explained collection of artifacts tells the story of Iceland (described under “Sights in Reykjavík”). Along the right side of the Pond are fine homes built by wealthy families a century ago.
• Standing next to the bureaucrat, turn your back to the Pond, cross the street, and walk straight up Templarasund. You’ll arrive at a lovely little park with a big statue in the middle. Stand by the statue and get oriented to...
Translated roughly as “Eastern Field,” Austurvöllur is the political center of this small country. With your back to the statue, the big, stone building facing the square is Iceland’s parliament, the Alþingi (pronounced, roughly, “all-thingy”). While Icelanders like to call the Alþingi the “world’s oldest parliament,” this is an exaggeration. The Alþingi that met at Þingvellir in the centuries after settlement was very different from a modern democratic parliament. From about 1400 to 1800, it was an appeals court, not a legislature. Then there were 45 years when the Alþingi didn’t meet at all. It was reestablished in Reykjavík, in a totally new and different form, in 1845. Finally, in 1874, Iceland received a constitution that gave the Alþingi its first real decision-making power—even though Iceland remained fully part of Denmark.
On the building’s gable, notice the crowned 9, which represents King Christian IX (the Danish ruler in 1881, when the building was erected). Engraved over four of the upstairs windows of the Alþingi, notice the mythical “four protectors of Iceland”—dragon, eagle, giant, and bull—which also appear on Iceland’s coat of arms and many Icelandic coins. (As if to drive home Iceland’s closeness to the sea, the flipsides of the coins feature cod, dolphins, crab, and lumpfish.)
The Alþingi’s 63 members are a lot for a country of less than 350,000 people. Icelanders vote for a party, not for a person; each party submits an ordered list of candidates, and the top names on the list get seats. There are no public tours of the Alþingi, but if parliament is in session visitors are welcome to sit in the gallery (parliament is on vacation June-mid-Sept; otherwise confirm session times at www.althingi.is—typically Mon 15:00, Tue 13:30, Wed 15:00, Thu and sometimes Fri 10:30). The gallery entrance is around the back of the building, by a fine little walled garden that’s open to the public.
Now turn your attention to the statue on the pillar: Jón Sigurðsson (1811-1879) was the 19th-century scholar and politician who successfully advocated for Iceland’s increased autonomy under the Danish crown. Jón spent most of his life in Denmark, where he politely but forcefully pressed the case for freer trade and a constitution that would reduce the king’s power. At the time, many other Europeans were agitating for the same kinds of things, and often took up arms. But Icelanders achieved their goals without firing a shot—thanks largely to the articulate persistence of this one man. The parliament building was finished just a couple of years after Jón’s death. In Jón’s honor, his birthday—June 17—became Iceland’s National Day.
Look around the square. Early each summer new turf is laid and flower beds are filled in preparation for National Day ceremonies and speeches. But it was quite a different scene in the winter of 2008-2009: Thousands of Icelanders gathered here to demand the government’s resignation in the wake of the country’s financial collapse. Protesters banged pots and pans, and pelted politicians with eggs and tomatoes (hence the protest’s nickname, the “Kitchenware Revolution”). New elections were called, and the prime minister was censured for failing in his responsibilities. Ólafur Þór Hauksson—a small-town cop who became the unyielding special prosecutor for financial crimes—emerged as something of an international folk hero. A good number of bankers were tried, convicted, and in many cases jailed for their role in the crisis.
Then, in spring 2016, thousands came to this square again after it was revealed that Iceland’s then-prime minister had kept some of his considerable family wealth in an offshore account in Panama. Again, new elections were called.
To the left of the Alþingi is Reykjavík’s Lutheran Cathedral (Dómkirkjan; generally open Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00, closed Sat-Sun except for services, occasional concerts—look for posters, www.domkirkjan.is). Surprisingly small, it was built in the 1790s and expanded in the 1840s. The city now has larger churches, but the cathedral is still regularly used for weddings, funerals, and the opening of parliament. If you go inside, you’ll find a beautifully tranquil interior, with an upstairs gallery and finely painted ceiling. The centerpiece—directly in front of the main altar—is a marble baptismal font by renowned 19th-century Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, whose father was Icelandic.
At the right end of the Alþingi, notice the statue of a strong woman on a pillar: Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason (1867-1941), who was elected Iceland’s first female member of parliament in 1922. Iceland has an impressive tradition of honoring women’s rights. On October 24, 1975, 90 percent of Icelandic women went on strike to drive home their importance to society. The country ground to a halt. (Icelandic men—who very quickly learned their lesson—gave the protest the tongue-in-cheek nickname “The Long Friday,” which is also what Icelanders call Good Friday.) In 1980, Iceland became the first modern, democratic nation to elect a female head of state, when single mother Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became president. She served for four terms (16 years) and remains a beloved figure today.
Facing the Bjarnason statue, at the corner of the park, notice the chunk of rock split in half by “The Black Cone.” This monument to civil disobedience was placed here (somewhat controversially) in 2012—when memories of those 2009 protests were still fresh and, for some, painful.
• Exit the square behind Jón Sigurðsson’s left shoulder, and go one short block up the street called Pósthússtræti (“Post Office Street”). Pause at the intersection with Austurstræti (“Eastern Street”), in front of Apotek Hótel.
Reykjavík’s main drag begins about a block to your left (at Ingólfstorg, where we started our walk) and continues about a mile to your right, changing names as it runs through town.
Looking straight ahead, on your right is the red post office building. Across the street on the left, the old-meets-new building is Landsbankinn, founded as Iceland’s national bank in 1886. It was privatized around 2000, failed spectacularly in 2008, and then continued operations under a slightly altered name. Past that, at the end of the block, you’ll see a white, boxy building that houses the Kolaportið flea market on weekends—a fun browse, even for nonshoppers (see here).
Tucked away kitty-corner from the flea market (just down this street and on the right, but not quite visible from here) is Reykjavík’s most-famous hot dog stand. In 2004, Bill Clinton was in Reykjavík to speak at a UNICEF event. When the proprietor of this stand offered him a free frankfurter, Clinton—a notorious connoisseur of junk food—just couldn’t say no. Camera shutters clicked...and suddenly, eating at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (“The City’s Best Sausages”) became the thing to do when visiting Reykjavík. Now people stand in long lines to shell out 600 ISK for what is, by any honest assessment, a fairly average weenie.
Now look up, behind you, at the Art Deco-style facade of the Apotek Hótel. This was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, Iceland’s best-known 20th-century architect, who’s responsible for many of the major landmarks around town—including his masterpiece church, Hallgrímskirkja.
Facing the hotel, across the street, is Café Paris, an old standby. Look up at the relief on the pediment-like gable, from the 1920s, which shows an imagined scene from the settlement of the country: An established settler—standing in front of his pack animals—shakes hands with a new arrival, whose crew is taking down the mast of his longship. While you may sometimes hear the word “Viking” used to describe those early Icelandic settlers, that’s not quite right. They were contemporaries (and actually relatives) of the Vikings, but had a different modus operandi: Rather than pillage, plunder, and rape, the first Icelanders were mostly farmers in search of good grazing land.
Traditionally, Icelanders’ last names were patronymics, formed from the father’s name plus “son” or “dóttir.” So if you meet a man named Gunnar Magnússon, you know his father’s name was Magnús. If Gunnar has a son Jón, he’ll be named Jón Gunnarsson. A daughter María will be María Gunnarsdóttir. Get it? (This system was the norm all over Scandinavia until just a few hundred years ago.) Women keep their name at marriage.
Around 1900, fashions changed, and Icelanders started to assume family names and pass them down from generation to generation, like we do in the US. Then the pendulum swung back: In 1925, family names were banned as un-Icelandic, but people who had already taken one were allowed to keep it. (You may run into a few of these today.) Things went so far that for a few decades, immigrants who wanted to take up Icelandic citizenship had to abandon their foreign surname and choose an Icelandic patronymic (this requirement was abolished only in the 1980s). Today, with immigration rising, and many marriages between Icelandic women and immigrant men, family names are on the increase in Iceland again.
These days, Icelanders can choose to form their children’s last name from either parent’s first name. So, if Gunnar and Katrín have a son, they could give him the last name Katrínarson. But the country’s Personal Names Committee still controls what first names parents can give their children (from a list of 3,500 authorized names). While this seems oppressive, it’s largely a grammatical concern—to ensure that names will work within the structure of the Icelandic language. Recently, politicians have moved to abolish the committee. Stay tuned.
All Icelanders address each other by first names, which may seem strangely informal. But in Icelandic, using a person’s full first name actually has a ceremonial ring to it. Most Icelanders go by a nickname among family and friends, so Magnús’s old schoolmates probably call him “Maggi.” But strangers wouldn’t dare call him anything less than Magnús. There’s no real equivalent of “Mr.” or “Ms.” in Icelandic.
It’s traditional for Icelandic parents to reveal their children’s names only when the child is christened (usually a few weeks after birth, but the law lets them wait for up to six months). Many parents choose the name before the birth, but still follow custom and keep it a secret. Others appreciate the chance to get to know their child before deciding. In the meantime, parents use nicknames for their baby, like “The Short One.”
What children do get within minutes of birth is a 10-digit identification number, based on their birth date, which follows them through life. This number, called the kennitala, is almost like an alternative name, and Icelanders use it very openly and casually to identify themselves to schools, banks, or the power company. Anyone can look up anyone else’s ID number and address. This shocks Americans, who are used to keeping their social security number secret. Despite—or perhaps because of—this openness, identity theft in Iceland is practically unknown.
Now look up the street past Café Paris (back toward Ingólfstorg). On the left side of the street, notice Vínbúðin—one of the unobtrusive state-run liquor stores. Only weak beer can be bought at regular stores; every other kind of alcohol can be purchased only here. While nationalized liquor stores are fairly standard in Nordic countries, Iceland has at times taken a particularly hard line against alcohol. From 1915 all the way until 1989—in an attempt to curtail everyone’s favorite, cheap “gateway drug”—beer with an alcohol content over 2.25 percent was illegal. Icelanders compensated by mixing spirits—which were, oddly, perfectly legal—with light beer, creating a super-alcoholic faux-brew. Today, as if making up for lost time, Iceland has a burgeoning microbrew culture (see recommendations, including many within a few steps of this walk, on here). Also look for the Icelandic firewater called brennivín. In another anti-alcohol crusade, originally the brennivín bottle came with a health warning in the form of a black skull. While that’s long gone, today the drink still carries the tongue-in-cheek nickname “Black Death” (svartidauði).
Turn right and walk up Austurstræti. After a few steps, on your right, look for one of the city center’s three main bookstores (this one is run by Eymundsson—Iceland’s answer to Barnes & Noble). Books are clearly valued here: A high percentage of Icelanders are published authors, and every Icelandic living room has shelves of books on display. Books also play a key role in Christmas gift exchanges: The Iceland publishers’ association mails a catalog of the year’s new releases each fall, just in time for holiday shopping lists.
Just past the bookstore, notice “The Hot Dog Stand”...taking full advantage of its prime location to hijack hungry tourists looking for the famous place around the corner.
• Across the street from the bookstore is a 10-11 convenience store, useful for bus tickets or a bus pass. At the end of the street, you’ll emerge into a square called...
This square and the adjacent, busy street (Lækjargata) are named for a creek (lækur) that ran from the Pond (to your right) down to the sea (to your left) in Reykjavík’s early days. It still flows, but was buried in an underground culvert more than a century ago.
As Reykjavík grew in the mid-1700s, the first building constructed of materials more permanent than turf or timber was not a church or palace but a prison, built across the creek from the village center. (Look across Lækjargata to find the white stone building with five windows on the second story.) Today it’s the office of Iceland’s prime minister. The “no parking” sign out front indicates the spot reserved for the prime minister.
But no matter how high you rise in Icelandic society, you’re called by your first name—so President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is known to Icelanders simply as “Guðni.” That’s why, in this book, I’m on a first-name basis even with big-name historic Icelanders. This isn’t necessarily because Icelanders are more casual than the norm—it’s because of the unique way they form their last names. (For more on this tradition, see the “Icelandic Names” sidebar, earlier.)
Flanking the prime minister’s office are two streets: Bankastræti (on the right) runs uphill for a couple blocks, and then changes its name to Laugavegur. This has long been the main downtown shopping street; we’ll head up this way soon. Hverfisgata (on the left), a more heavily trafficked commercial street, is where city buses run on their way between the two main bus stops downtown: Lækjartorg (where you’re standing) and Hlemmur (just under a mile to the east).
On the hill to the left of Hverfisgata are many government offices, including Iceland’s supreme court, ministry of finance, and central bank. The large white building with multiple chimneys is the former city library; today it’s the Culture House, with a modest exhibit (including a precious 14th-century illuminated manuscript; see here). Behind it rises the flyspace of the dark-gray National Theater, whose color comes from crushed obsidian mixed into its roughcast coating—a popular look in Icelandic architecture.
Out by the water, you may just be able to see the corner of the dark, glassy, boxy building called Harpa—Reykjavík’s concert hall and conference center. Don’t trek out to Harpa now; at the end of this walk, you can head to Harpa to enter the hall’s futuristic lobby for a good look at its multicolored windows.
• Cross the busy street and walk uphill on Bankastræti (with the prime minister’s office on your left).
By the end of the 19th century, Reykjavík had expanded, and most people lived on this side of the town’s little creek. This stretch became the city’s main shopping and business street. Today, most locals shop at malls and in the suburbs, and services along Laugavegur are geared toward tourists.
A half-block up on your left (just past the PM’s backyard), notice another old stone building (marked with the Stella sign). This was Iceland’s first bank building, built in 1882, which gave Bankastræti its name.
Huff uphill along Bankastræti, noticing the moveable, blue traffic barriers (including some shaped like bicycles). In the summer, some stretches of this street are closed to cars to promote strolling—but be careful at intersections, as cross-streets still carry traffic.
As you walk along here, keep a very close eye on street signs; you’ll spot tiny plastic action figures glued to some of them. This is the work of a mysterious street artist (dubbed Dótadreifarinn—“The Toy Spreader”) who sneaks around the city center and glues figurines to signs and ledges, always just out of arm’s reach. Spotting these as you stroll can be a fun scavenger hunt.
Also keep your eye out—both along this main strip, and in the residential side streets—for big street-art murals. This isn’t eyesore graffiti, but quite the opposite: Locals have found that if you supply a blank canvas, it’ll be tagged. But if you decorate it yourself, taggers leave it alone. So government and private property owners commission murals like these. Many of the most renowned Icelandic street artists are women. The back lanes are even more highly decorated than the main streets we’re seeing on this walk—be sure to explore later.
After two short blocks, pause at the lively intersection where Skólavörðustígur splits off to the right. This is also where the street changes names to Laugavegur (roughly LOY-ga-VEH-grr, “Hot Springs Road”)—once the walking route for those going to do their laundry in the Laugardalur hot springs east of downtown. We won’t walk the entire length of Laugavegur right now, but you’ll certainly find plenty of excuses to explore it while you’re in town—many of the city’s best restaurants, shops, and bars are on or within a few steps of this street. About 10 minutes’ walk away, at Laugavegur’s far end, is Hlemmur, the main city bus junction. While the entire drag is commercialized, the farther you go up Laugavegur, the less it feels like a tourist circus.
• From here, head toward the distant church steeple on the angled, uphill street called...
This street (SKO-la-vur-thu-STEE-grr, “School Cairn Lane”) leads up to Hallgrímskirkja church. The street got its name from a pile of rocks that Reykjavík schoolchildren set up long ago atop the hill, near where the church is now. A bit broader and brighter than Laugavegur, it’s lined with cafés, restaurants, and bookstores. As it’s also a bit less congested, and capped with a lovely church steeple, this street is many visitors’ (and shoppers’) favorite place to stroll in Reykjavík.
Just a few steps up Skólavörðustígur at #4 (on the right), notice the tiny gap between the buildings. If the gate is open, step discreetly into an adorable, private little garden facing a bright red house—a tranquil parallel world to the bustle just a few steps away. Many downtown blocks have an interior garden, shared among the surrounding houses. Sometimes, like here, little houses are tucked behind other houses. This was a good way to increase the capacity of your lot in this city of chronic housing shortages (and loosely enforced building regulations).
Back on Skólavörðustígur, continue a block uphill. On the left, you’ll see another old stone building. It looks a bit like the historic jail we saw earlier—and yes, it’s another former jail, built in 1874 (after the city had expanded, and this area was just outside town). This remained in use until summer 2016. Run your fingers over the chunky, volcanic rock in the building’s facade.
Just past the jail, also on the left, the boxy three-story building at #11 was a bank, until the financial crisis, and now houses a branch of the Eymundsson bookstore chain.
While the lower end of the street is dominated by big, glitzy shops (like Geysir, with modern Icelandic fashion, or the venerable Rammagerðin handicraft shop), as you continue uphill the shops become smaller, more characteristic boutiques. Ceramic and jewelry shops—often with a small workshop in the back—are popular along here. At #15 (on the left), 12 Tónar is Reykjavík’s most beloved music store, specializing in Icelandic tunes. A few doors up at #19 (with the metal balcony) is the Handknitting Association of Iceland’s shop, where you can browse expensive but top-quality handmade Icelandic sweaters and other woolens. For more recommendations, see “Shopping in Reykjavík,” later.
• The last couple of blocks of the street are increasingly residential. It’s fun to explore the side-streets in this neighborhood, where you’ll find more corrugated metal siding, propped-open windows, street art, hidden gardens, and cats. But for now, continue straight uphill until you run right into...
After Reykjavík’s Catholic minority built their church atop the hill west of downtown in 1929, Lutheran state church leaders felt they needed to keep up. They hired the same well-known architect, Guðjón Samúelsson, and commissioned him to build a taller, bigger response on the higher hill to the east of downtown. His distinctive Hallgrímskirkja (HAHTL-greems-KEER-kyah) was designed in the 1930s, with construction beginning in 1945, but was not completed until the 1980s. On New Year’s Eve, this square is one of the best spots in town to watch fireworks.
Exterior: The basalt-column motif soaring skyward on the facade recalls Iceland’s volcanic origins. In the winter, as you look up from Skólavörðustígur, light shining out through the windows makes the top of the 250-foot tower glow like a giant jack-o’-lantern.
Guðjón Samúelsson (1887-1950)—an Icelander who trained in Denmark—was Iceland’s most influential architect. Arriving back home after finishing his studies in 1919, he was hired as the government’s in-house building designer—a plum post that he kept until his death. These were good years for architects, as Iceland urbanized and the availability of concrete opened up new design possibilities. Guðjón’s favored aesthetic was the functionalist style typical of the 1920s and 1930s. He attempted to forge a distinctly Icelandic architectural style...and, because he designed so many buildings here, you might say he succeeded. In Reykjavík alone, he designed this church, the main university building, the original National Hospital building, the National Theater, the Sundhöllin swimming pool, the Apotek Hótel we saw earlier, and the Hótel Borg across the square from the parliament building.
Hallgrímskirkja is named for the 17th-century Icelandic poet Hallgrímur Pétursson, who wrote a well-known series of 50 hymns retelling the story of the Passion of Christ.
Interior: Step inside (free, daily 9:00-21:00, Oct-April until 17:00). Temporary art installations fill the entry foyer. The church’s dramatically austere nave is a sleek space culminating in classically Gothic pointed arches—but with virtually no adornments. The glass is clear, not stained, and the main altar is a simple table. Notice how the ends of the pews echo the stairstep steeple outside.
Turn around and face the massive organ, which was “crowdfunded” in 1991; people paid to sponsor individual pipes. (To the right of the door you came in, notice the collection box shaped like an organ pipe—donations for the instrument’s upkeep.) The church is a popular venue for organ and choral concerts (look for posters, and see here).
Notice that the pews are reversible—the seat backs can be flipped over to face the organ. Not only is this in keeping with Lutheranism—where the most important aspects of worship are the sermon (pulpit) and the music (organ)—but it’s very practical. In smaller towns, you can’t have both a church and a concert hall—so one building has to do double-duty.
Before leaving, consider riding the elevator (plus 33 steps) to the top of the tower, with a fine view over the rooftops. If there’s a long line for the small elevator, consider coming back in the evening.
• Head back outside. Prominently displayed in front of the church is a...
Known as Leif Erikson (c. 970-1020) to Americans, this Viking Age explorer was—if we can trust the sagas—the first European to set foot on the American continent. The sagas weave a colorful tale of Leifur’s outlaw-family lineage and his clan’s explorations. His grandfather, Þorvaldur Ásvaldsson, was exiled from Norway to Iceland, and his father, Eiríkur Þorvaldsson (Erik the Red), was in turn exiled from Iceland—establishing the first settlements on Greenland. Leifur carried on farther west, seeking a mysterious land that had been spotted by another Nordic sailor when he was blown off course.
Around five centuries before Christopher Columbus, Leifur and his crew landed in the New World, very possibly at L’Anse aux Meadows, in today’s Newfoundland, where there are ruins of a Viking Age complex. Norsemen may have established more settlements in this area—which they called Vínland (meaning either “Land of Wine” or “Land of Meadows”) for its relatively lush climate—but if so, they did not last. On his way home, according to the sagas, Leifur rescued the crew of another ship that had been stranded on a small island, and after that he was dubbed “Leifur heppni” (Leif the Lucky). The statue was donated by the US government to mark the Alþingi’s 1,000th anniversary in 1930. The inscription delicately acknowledges Leifur as the “discoverer of Vínland”—but not of America.
If it’s summertime, in the park flanking Leif the Lucky, look for three types of flowers that grow abundantly in this otherwise inhospitable land: the vivid purple Nootka lupine (from Alaska, introduced to Iceland in the mid-20th century to combat erosion); bright yellow European gorse, an alpine shrub with a pungent herbal fragrance in the early summer; and...dandelions. All three are considered weeds in much of the world, but most Icelanders don’t remove them. As one local explained, “We’re just happy when anything grows here.”
• We’ll finish our walk with one more hidden sight. With the church at your back, turn left and head toward the bunker-like mansion. You’ll curl around the right side of this building, passing a fun little metal cutout that lines up perfectly with the jagged roofline of the church—turn around and try it. Watch for a gate on the left and enter the...
Iceland hasn’t produced many great artists—but Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) was one of the first and most significant. After studying in Copenhagen and Rome, Einar made his name working in big European capitals. But, like so many Icelanders, after half a lifetime of living abroad he felt drawn back to his homeland. Einar struck a deal with the Alþingi: If they built him a mansion and studio, he’d move back to Reykjavík and bequeath all that he produced to the city. He designed and built this house back when this was a naked, largely uninhabited hilltop (not even the church was built yet), seeding what has become a desirable neighborhood.
Linger over the 26 bronze works in the sculpture garden (free to enter). Einar’s statues—with universal human themes—are taut with tension and angst. Einar was a fearful man, yet also very spiritual; his work suggests glimmers of hope in frightening times. You’ll see motifs from Norse mythology and references to Iceland’s “hidden people” (elves and the like). The men are mighty warriors, and the women (whose faces are modeled after Einar’s wife, Anna) are protectors. Einar and Anna lived in a small, cozy, wood-paneled penthouse apartment at the top of the building’s tower. To learn more about Einar, see some plaster casts of his work, and walk through his apartment, you can pay to enter the building (today the Einar Jónsson Museum—described on here, entrance facing the church).
• Our walk is over. Both of the two downtown shopping streets—Skólavörðustígur and Laugavegur—are lined with eating options. To quickly get down to Laugavegur (and the Hlemmur bus junction), head down Frakkastígur, which runs to the left as you face the church from the top of Skólavörðustígur; on your way to the main drag, you’ll pass an excellent top-end coffee shop (Reykjavík Roasters) and a fine bakery (Brauð & Co). Dining options are described later, under “Eating in Reykjavík.”
If you follow Frakkastígur down to Laugavegur, then cross it and continue straight downhill through an uninviting condo zone (passing by the recommended Kex Hostel café), you can cross a busy street to reach the city’s iconic Sun Voyager sculpture. From here, it’s an easy five-minute walk (with the water on your right) to the Harpa concert hall. The Old Harbor zone is just beyond.
In addition to its fine state- and city-run museums, Reykjavík has an assortment of pricey private museums (including Whales of Iceland, Saga Museum, Aurora Reykjavík, and the Phallological Museum). You might expect these to be tourist traps, but they’re thoughtfully presented.
These sights are all within a short walk of the city’s main artery. They’re listed roughly from west to east.
During downtown construction work in 2001, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 10th-century longhouse from the original Reykjavík farmstead. These ruins were carefully preserved, and a small, modern, well-presented museum was built around them. This is the most accessible (and most central) place in Reykjavík to learn about Iceland’s earliest history.
Some of the oldest building remains here were covered by tephra material from a volcanic eruption; carbon dating has narrowed the time of the eruption to A.D. 871...give or take a couple of years. That’s why this museum is also called “Reykjavík 871±2.” It’s worth paying admission to see what’s left of the old Viking Age house and the modern, well-presented exhibits that surround it.
Cost and Hours: 1,600 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, free for kids 17 and younger, daily 9:00-18:00, Aðalstræti 16, tel. 411-6370, www.settlementexhibition.is.
Tours: Admission includes a guided tour on weekday mornings in summer (June-Aug Mon-Fri at 11:00, no tours on weekends or off-season). Skip the free audioguide, which basically repeats posted information.
Visiting the Museum: You’ll descend to cellar level and walk around the stone-and-turf wall that survives from the 65-by-26-foot longhouse. The site is explained by a circle of high-tech exhibits on the surrounding walls. You’ll learn how Scandinavians first settled the Reykjavík area a little before a volcanic eruption that took place around A.D. 871. This house dates from later (around 930) and may have belonged to the grandson of Reykjavík’s semi-legendary founder, Ingólfur Árnason (famous for throwing carved pillars overboard to select a building site). The house of a fairly prosperous farmer, it held an extended family of about 10 people. It had a sod roof and a big hearth in the middle. The house was abandoned after only a few decades, around A.D. 1000, perhaps due to damage from a spring that still runs beneath it. Exhibits explain the landscape, flora, and fauna of this area in that era, suggesting why it was an attractive place to establish a farm. You’ll see actual items excavated here: a spindle whorl with runic inscriptions, and primitive tools such as keys, fish hooks, arrowheads, and ax heads. A model and a virtual, interactive reconstruction of the longhouse further illustrate the lifestyles of these earliest Icelanders.
Reykjavík’s flea market, open only on weekends, takes up the dingy ground floor of the old customs building.
Cost and Hours: Free entry, open Sat-Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Mon-Fri, closed or varying hours on major holiday weekends, Tryggvagata 19, tel. 562-5030, www.kolaportid.is.
Visiting the Market: While you’ll see plenty of tourists, the market is still aimed largely at locals. It’s fun to rummage through the stalls of used books and music, clothing (including knockoff Icelandic sweaters), and collectibles.
The food section serves as a crash course in Icelandic eats. Several stalls offer free samples. Look for the different kinds of smoked fish: silungur is trout, bleikja is arctic char, lax is salmon, and makríll is mackerel. If you’re a bit bolder, there’s harðfiskur (air-dried, skinless white fish that’s been pounded flat—eaten as a snack with butter), crunchy fish chips, or dried seaweed (which might be labeled hollustusnakk—“health snack”). And if you’re even more daring, you can buy a tiny 200-ISK tub containing cubes of the notorious fermented shark, hákarl (you’ll never eat more than this amount, and the rare restaurant that serves it charges much more).
Also look for other unusual Icelandic eats: horsemeat and horse sausage, and in summer, seabird eggs (typically from guillemots or other svartfuglar—birds in the auk family, which also includes puffins and murres). Look in the freezers for cod (þorskur), haddock (ýsa), and plaice (rauðspretta), which are all Icelandic, as well as Asian imports such as pangasius (catfish), mussels, and squid. To cleanse your palate, grab some samples at the bakery counter (they might have a layer cake with frosting or jam), or taste-test the many different varieties of chocolate-covered licorice.
Filling the stately former National Library building, this downtown branch of the National Museum features a semipermanent, highly conceptual exhibit with objects from six national institutions. The audioguide (which you can rent, or browse on your phone using the free Wi-Fi) works hard to weave the exhibits together, but ultimately there are few highlights. Come here only if you have a National Museum ticket or Reykjavík City Card, and are curious to explore a fine old building.
Cost and Hours: 2,000 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, includes admission to National Museum; Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon; Hverfisgata 15, tel. 530-2210, www.culturehouse.is.
Visiting the Museum: The exhibit begins with a display of 14 manuscripts of the Jónsbók—the law code imposed on Iceland by Norway in the late 1200s, and named “Jón’s Book” after the man who compiled it. The earliest one is the priceless Skarðsbók from 1363, an illuminated manuscript painstakingly written on vellum (calfskin). As the original Icelandic saga manuscripts are not on public view, this is as close as you’ll get to seeing pages from that era...and a very big deal to Icelanders. Other highlights include the elegant old reading room on the second floor; some eye-catching illustrations of Icelandic mountains and rivers by Samúel Eggertsson; and, on the top floor, an exhibit on the great auk—a large, flightless, penguin-like bird that was once abundant in Iceland, but hunted to extinction in the mid-19th century.
The city’s main walking street is a delight to stroll—particularly its eastern stretch, Laugavegur. While far from “local” (you’ll rarely spot an Icelander here who doesn’t work in the tourist trade), it’s enjoyable to wander and browse, with characteristic old houses, vivid street art, tempting cafés and bars, and—yes—plenty of touristy puffin shops. Many visitors wind up doing several laps up and down Laugavegur, picking out new details with each pass. I’ve described a short stretch of Laugavegur on my self-guided “Reykjavík Walk,” and listed several businesses along here in the Eating, Shopping, and Nightlife sections.
This gimmicky museum near the Hlemmur bus junction (at the far end of Laugavegur) is a one-room collection of preserved animal penises that can be seen in 15 minutes, plus various depictions of phalluses in folk art. It’s impossible to describe (or visit) this place without juvenile jokes, so here goes: You’ll see more wieners than you can shake a stick at—preserved, pickled peckers floating in jars of yellow liquid. You’ll see a seal’s schlong, a wolf’s wang, a zebra’s zipper trout, a fox’s frankfurter, a giraffe’s gherkin, a dog’s dong, a badger’s baloney pony, a squirrel’s schwanz, a coyote’s crankshaft, a horse’s hardware, a reindeer’s rod, an elephant’s equipment, and lots of whale willies. If you can’t get through this description without giggling, maybe you should visit. If you’re about to set down this book and write me an angry letter...don’t.
Cost and Hours: 1,500 ISK, daily 9:00-18:00, Oct-April from 10:00, Laugavegur 116, tel. 561-6663, www.phallus.is.
This hilltop zone is marked by the prominent tower of Reykjavík’s landmark church.
Reykjavík’s most recognizable icon is the stairstep gable of this fine, modern church, designed in the 1930s by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson. It boasts a sleek interior and a tower with grand views. For more on the church and its interior, see my “Reykjavík Walk,” earlier. In the summer, there are regular performances on its booming organ (see “Entertainment in Reykjavík,” later).
Cost and Hours: Church—free; tower—900 ISK, 100 ISK for kids under 15. Church and tower open 9:00-21:00, Oct-April until 17:00. The church sometimes closes for special events. Tel. 510-1000, www.hallgrimskirkja.is.
Tower: The 250-foot-tall tower offers a commanding view of the city. A six-person elevator takes you up to the belfry, where you can look down on the city’s colorful roofs amidst the clang of the church bells (cover your ears at :00 and :30 past the hour). Straight ahead, look down over the colorful roofs lining Skólavörðustígur street, which stretches toward the harbor. In the distance, if it’s clear, you may see the snow-capped volcanic peak at the end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, 50 miles away. The closer mountain, looming to the right, is the 3,000-foot Mount Esja, a popular destination for local hikers. And to the right, the island you see is Viðey, reachable on an easy cruise (see here). Ponder the fact that well over half of Iceland’s population lives in view of this church. Lines for the elevator can be long—if there’s a crowd, swing back later in the day.
The former home of gifted sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874-1954)—facing Hallgrímskirkja church—has a free sculpture garden out back (described in “Reykjavík Walk,” earlier). For a more intimate look at the artist, tour the museum (entrance at the front, facing the church). Inside, you’ll see his home, and several large- and small-scale plaster casts for Einar bronzes that decorate the city.
Cost and Hours: 1,000 ISK, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, Eiríksgata 3, tel. 551-3797, www.lej.is.
Visiting the Museum: Stepping into the grand entry hall, immediately on your right is Outlaws (Útlagar, 1901). This breakthrough work, completed while Einar was a student in Denmark, is one of his trademark pieces. It depicts a convicted man who takes his wife’s lifeless body to a cemetery before escaping with his child to live in the Highlands. (As many original Icelandic settlers were themselves outlaws—exiled from Norway—this theme is particularly poignant.) Just beyond that, Dawn (Dögun, 1906) illustrates a scene from an Icelandic folk tale, in which a girl tricks a troll by keeping him talking until the sun rises. He sweeps her up in his arm at the very moment the sun freezes him in stone, and he shakes his fist defiantly.
Then climb the tight spiral staircase to see the intimate apartment that Einar and his wife Anna shared—a cozy, human-scale contrast to the beefy building and Einar’s dynamic works.
Yet more of Einar’s sculptures are downstairs. In the red room, the striking Rest (Hvíld, completed in 1935) is an eerie, oversized bust of a young man whose face is half-covered by reptilian basalt columns. Beneath his chin stands a sculptor leaning against a giant hammer, taking a break. This recalls the notion (dating back to Michelangelo) that the sculpture already exists within the stone; it’s the artist’s job to chip away and reveal it. In The Spell Broken (Úr Álögum, completed 1927), a St. George-like knight—protectively cradling a woman—slays a dragon by driving his sword through its head. In the green room, the evocative Remorse (Samviskubit, completed 1947) shows a man tormented by tiny, conscience-like beings. One holds his eyes open, the other recites a litany of wrongdoings in his ear, and both ensure he can’t escape whatever’s wracking him with guilt.
The National Museum presents a thoughtful and manageable look at the history of this island nation, making excellent use of artifacts and a top-notch audioguide that brings meaning to the exhibits. The collection is a bit dry, but rewards those with a serious interest and attention span. There’s also a pleasant café and a classy gift shop.
Cost and Hours: 2,000 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, includes admission to Culture House; daily 10:00-17:00, mid-Sept-April closed Mon; Suðurgata 41, tel. 530-2200, www.thjodminjasafn.is.
Tours: Rent the essential audioguide for 300 ISK—or download it for free via the museum’s Wi-Fi.
Getting There: The museum is near the far end of the Pond, a pleasant 10-minute walk from City Hall along Tjarnargata; you can also take bus #1, #3, #6, or #14 to the Háskóli Íslands stop. If walking between the harbor area and the museum, you can shortcut along Garðastræti and through Hólavallakirkjugarður, the city’s oldest cemetery.
Visiting the Museum: The permanent exhibit fills the two long floors upstairs, telling the story of Iceland. The exhibit is high-tech, loosely chronological, and well-explained in English.
From the ticket desk, head upstairs to begin. You’ll see a few objects from the Settlement Age, including candle holders and gorgeous, oversized brass “dome brooches.” Much of this floor is dominated by medieval church art, dating from after the island’s conversion around A.D. 1000. The darkened room in the center displays vestments, statues, altar tapestries, and bells that were all imported from Europe—a reminder that early Icelanders were hardworking frontier farmers who had to order their luxury goods from “back east.” Two locally made exceptions are wooden panels from a c. 1100 Judgment Day painting, and a carved crucifix from c. 1200. Nearby, examine the exquisite wood-carved door from the church in Valþjófsstaður (in eastern Iceland), illustrating the story of a knight who slew a dragon to save a lion. Like many precious Icelandic objects, this door was taken to Denmark for safekeeping; the Danish government returned it in the 1930s, as part of a gift to Iceland in honor of the millennial celebration of the Alþingi.
Near the end of this floor, look for Guðbrandur’s Bible—the first-ever Bible in Icelandic (1584). The Protestant Reformation, which began in Europe, also spread to Iceland, and to this day, the majority of Icelanders are Lutheran. The landing at the far end of the hall quickly covers the period of Danish rule, plus temporary exhibits.
The permanent exhibit continues upstairs, covering the 17th century through the present. Look for the drinking horn by Brynjólfur Jónsson, painstakingly carved with Bible scenes (1598). Following the Reformation, the Danish king also headed the Lutheran Church of Iceland, giving him tremendous power. While absolute rule by the king limited his subjects’ freedom, it spurred efficiency and economic progress. Exhibits explain how, in 1703, Iceland conducted the world’s first census that recorded every person’s name (allowing us to know with precision that, in that year, Iceland was home to 50,358 people—99 percent of them farmers and farm workers).
Other exhibits explain how Danes maintained a monopoly on trade in Iceland. Starting around 1750, first the Enlightenment and then the wave of nationalism and democracy that swept Europe also reached these shores—with diverse effects, from the reconstitution of the Alþingi in 1845, to the creation of an Icelandic national costume by a local artist in 1860 (Sigurður Guðmundsson’s skautbúningur). Meanwhile, the humble people of Iceland toiled along on chilly, smelly farms in the countryside—peer inside a typical farmhouse living room (called a baðstofa). Other Icelanders lived off the sea—fishing from basic, small, open rowing/sailing boats, like the one on display, all the way up to the advent of motorized vessels.
Soon Iceland was primed for self-rule, and you’ll see the desk of the man who worked hardest to make it happen: Jón Sigurðsson, who loudly agitated in Copenhagen for a national constitution and an end to the trade monopoly. Nearby, look for “The Blue and White”—an early, unofficial Icelandic flag (missing the current red cross). In 1913, a young Icelander flew the flag from his small boat in Reykjavík harbor, until a Danish coast guard ship seized the “unauthorized” colors. Furious Icelanders demanded that the issue be resolved, and it eventually caught the attention of the Danish king—who agreed that Iceland deserved its own banner. Viewing tests from a distance showed that the blue-and-white flag was too easy to confuse with Sweden’s, so the red cross was added. The flag was made official in 1915. Iceland became a sovereign state in 1918, and a fully independent republic in 1944.
The exhibit finishes with a look at modern Iceland. Look for the giant, white trawl wire cutters—a weapon used in the “Cod Wars” between Iceland and the UK (1958-1976), when the two countries squabbled over fishing rights. Finally, an airport conveyor belt displays various trappings of modern Icelandic life.
This small community has a busy arts scene, and the six local museums described next proudly show off Iceland’s 20th-century artists. Iceland’s artistic tradition goes back only a century or so; most Icelandic artists (even today) traveled abroad to get a solid education. Among the country’s impressive artists are the early-20th-century sculptor Einar Jónsson (whose former home and gallery, described earlier, faces Hallgrímskirkja church), several good painters and illustrators, and the contemporary mixed-media artist Ólafur Elíasson (based in Berlin, but with a studio along Reykjavík’s waterfront, described later). The Reykjavík City Card covers all six branches, but I wouldn’t dedicate much time here: These museums have a hard time competing with all the nearby natural beauty and interesting history.
The National Gallery has three branches, each with separate costs and hours. The main branch is near the Pond, with five gallery spaces showing off a continually changing selection of pieces from their permanent collection of mainly modern Icelandic artists. They also have a few international pieces—including works by Picasso and Munch—but these are not always on display (1,500 ISK; daily 10:00-17:00; off-season Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Mon; Fríkirkjuvegur 7, www.listasafn.is).
The Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection highlights a rotating selection of works by this early-20th-century painter who specialized in Impressionistic landscapes of his homeland, dynamic illustrations of the sagas, and some later, Expressionistic, Munch-like pieces (1,000 ISK; summer Tue, Thu, Sat-Sun 14:00-17:00; off-season open only Sat-Sun; in his former home at Bergstaðastræti 74—a few blocks southeast of the main branch and Pond).
The Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum showcases the heavily stylized, sometimes abstract works of this mid-20th-century sculptor, who studied under both Einar Jónsson and Ásgrímur Jónsson (1,000 ISK; summer Tue-Sun 14:00-17:00, closed Mon; off-season Sat-Sun only, closed Dec-Jan; northeast of downtown near the Skarfagarðar cruise terminal, at Laugarnestangi 17).
This institution has three branches, each with changing exhibits focusing on modern art (for the latest lineup, see www.artmuseum.is). The main branch, right downtown and near the Kolaportið flea market at Tryggvagata 17, has an eclectic range of temporary exhibits, but almost always highlights a few works by Pop artist Erró—Iceland’s answer to Roy Lichtenstein. The Kjarvalsstaðir branch exhibits some works by idiosyncratic modern painter Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, who blended Icelandic landscapes with abstract and surreal flourishes (it’s a 10-minute walk south of the Hlemmur bus junction, in the Klambratún park at Flókagata 24). And the Ásmundarsafn branch, in the eastern neighborhood of Laugardalur, highlights work by the mid-20th-century, mostly abstract, Miró-like sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson, displayed in his architecturally striking former home (on Sigtún, near the corner of Reykjavegur).
Cost and Hours: All three museums are covered by a 1,600-ISK ticket for 24 hours, covered by the Reykjavík City Card, and open daily 10:00-17:00. The main branch stays open until 22:00 on Thu, and Ásmundarsafn has shorter hours off-season (13:00-17:00, www.artmuseum.is).
This museum features Icelandic photography, both contemporary and historical. It’s near the Reykjavík Art Museum’s main branch, on the top floor of the downtown City Library (1,000 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, open Mon-Thu 10:00-18:00, Fri from 11:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-17:00, Tryggvagata 15, www.borgarsogusafn.is).
These sights are spread along a lengthy stretch of the city waterfront. I’ve listed them roughly from east to west.
These sights are just downhill from Bankastræti/Laugavegur streets.
This popular outdoor stainless-steel sculpture is shaped like an old Viking boat, pointing northwest in the direction of the setting sun in summer. This ode to the sun is a good place to watch the sea, take a selfie, and ponder the promise of undiscovered territory that brought Scandinavians to Iceland more than a thousand years ago—and the impulses that pushed them farther west, to Greenland and Canada. The sculpture, by Icelandic artist Jón Gunnar Árnason, is a few blocks along the shore past Harpa, at the base of Frakkastígur street, about a five-minute walk below Laugavegur; drivers on the westbound waterfront highway will find a handy pull-out right at the sculpture.
One of Reykjavík’s newest landmarks, this cutting-edge performing arts and conference center feels too big for such a small city. That’s because the ambitious building was conceived during Iceland’s banking mania. When the crash came in 2008, construction had already begun. Some cynics proposed that it be left half-built, as a monument to the greed and excess of unbridled capitalism. In the end, Harpa was finished, but plans for a new residential and commercial quarter around it (including a striking bank headquarters) were shelved. By the time it was completed and opened in 2011, Harpa was hemorrhaging money, kept alive thanks only to huge subsidies (which some Icelanders feel would be better spent elsewhere). Despite the woes, Reykjavík wound up with a fine performance space, and the city will grow into it. In 2013, the building (designed by the Danish Henning Larsen firm), won the EU’s prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award—achieving the goal of putting Iceland on the world architectural map.
Harpa’s honeycombed facade, designed by Danish-born Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson, is the most-loved part of the building: In summer the window panes reflect the light in patterns, and in winter they’re illuminated in pretty colors. The choice of location, parroting the harborside opera house cliché that started in Sydney, unfortunately separates Harpa from the rest of downtown across a busy four-lane road. But photographers drool over the building, and find lots of great angles to shoot. Don’t miss the view from the far end of the pier that extends to the right of the building, where the facade is reflected in the harbor along with sailboats.
Be sure to step inside, where you’re bathed in the light of those many windows. The dominant interior materials are black concrete and red wood, evoking the volcanic eruptions that have shaped Iceland. To enjoy the building’s full effect, catch a performance (see options under “Entertainment in Reykjavík,” later) or take a tour.
Cost and Hours: Lobby free to enter, daily 8:00-24:00; summer 30-minute tour—1,500 ISK, hourly 10:00-17:00; off-season 45-minute tour—2,200 ISK, 1-2/day; café and gift shop, tel. 528-5000, www.harpa.is.
Reykjavík’s Old Harbor—about a 10-minute walk west of Harpa—isn’t a creaky, shiplap time capsule, but an industrial-feeling port. Tucked around the busy berths and piers are a few seafood restaurants, kiosks selling boat trips, and (at the far end) a smattering of museums. To get here, walk out from downtown (10 minutes), or take bus #14 to the Mýrargata stop.
To get your bearings at the harbor, stand on the seaward side of the turquoise-colored sheds (which house some recommended restaurants) and face the bobbing boats. This “old” harbor was built only in the 1910s, on reclaimed land. (For much of its history—back when Reykjavík was a farm, then a small town—there was good anchorage, but no real harbor.) Today, heavy traffic has moved to the newer container terminal farther along the peninsula. The harbor serves a mixture of excursion boats, small craft, the coast guard (notice the hulking gray ships with red-and-blue trim), and a few fishing trawlers that bring their catch to processing plants. A single small cruise ship can also moor in the harbor (larger ones use the cruise terminal in a different part of town).
On your left is the Ægisgarður pier, lined with ticket offices for several whale-watching tours (described next), as well as bike tours. On your right, across the harbor, you can see the angular, glass facade of the Harpa concert hall. And the dramatic mountain rising up straight ahead is Esja—six miles away and 3,000 feet high.
Stroll out to the end of the Ægisgarður pier to comparison-shop excursion boats, and to get a good look at the hodgepodge of vessels that call this harbor home. At the beginning of the pier, an anti-whaling organization would love to talk you out of sampling whale meat. At the far end (on the left), you’ll see part of Iceland’s whale-hunting fleet moored (look for the black-and-white boats called Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9)—an odd juxtaposition with the whale watching industry all around you.
Back at the base of the pier, in front of Hótel Marina, is a slip where boats are hauled up to be painted (one of the remaining vestiges of the maritime industry here). To extend your visit to the nearby Grandi area—with several sightseeing attractions and eateries—simply follow the footpath between the harborfront and Hótel Marina. For more on this area, see “Grandi,” later.
Whale watching is a popular Reykjavík activity. While it can be enjoyable to get out on the water—and catching a glimpse of a whale is undoubtedly exciting—it’s a substantial investment of time and money, particularly given that you may see nothing at all. Before deciding to go on a whale-watching cruise, read the description on here. As an alternative to a pricey whale-focused trip, consider a faster and cheaper boat trip—such as to the island of Viðey (see later). And if you want to be assured of seeing “whales”—very up-close—you may prefer a visit to the Whales of Iceland exhibit, a short walk away (described under “Grandi,” later). If you’re traveling around Iceland, be aware there are also whale-watching opportunities in the north, in the Akureyri area and in Húsavík.
The many boat tour companies with ticket booths along the Old Harbor’s Ægisgarður pier are fiercely competitive, offering much the same experience. For the latest prices, schedules, and details, check each company’s website, look for brochures locally, or stop by the sales kiosks. The most established outfit is Elding (“Lightning,” described later); others include Whale Safari (www.whalesafari.is), Special Tours (www.specialtours.is), and Ambassador (www.ambassador.is). While Elding is typically the most all-around reliable choice, check the latest online reviews to survey the pros and cons of each one. For comparison’s sake, I’ve outlined Elding’s offerings here. Prices are typically a bit cheaper if you prebook directly online, where you’ll usually find special offers.
Whale Watching: The classic whale-watching trip is three hours and runs daily all year, weather permitting (from 6/day July-Aug to 1/day Dec-Jan; adults 11,000 ISK, children 7-15 pay half-price, children under 7 free; Ægisgarður 5, tel. 519-5000, www.elding.is). You’ll pay nearly double for an “express” option on a “RIB”—a rigid inflatable boat that also includes a high-speed zip across the waves. You’ll be issued a warm coverall and goggles for this two-hour thrill ride (20,000 ISK, mid-April-Oct only).
Other Boat Trips: Elding and their competitors also run other seasonal boat trips. The puffin-watching cruise (mid-May-mid-Aug only) is shorter (1 hour) and cheaper (6,500 ISK adults) than whale watching—so if you’re most interested in riding a boat, it’s a reasonable alternative. Cheaper still is Elding’s 20-minute ferry service to Viðey Island, which gets you out on the water while saving you the overland trip to the Skarfagarðar dock (1,500 ISK round-trip, 2/day, mid-May-Sept only; for more on what to do on the island, see here). In the early winter (early Oct-early Dec), when the Imagine Peace Tower on Viðey Island is illuminated, Elding offers a two-hour cruise for a closer look (8,500 ISK). Anglers enjoy the sea-angling trips (3 hours trying your luck catching cod, haddock, mackerel, and catfish, with an on-board grill party at the end, May-Aug only, 14,200 ISK). And in the dark months, you can take a two-hour, late-evening cruise in hopes of viewing the northern lights from the water (11,000 ISK, Sept-mid-April at 21:00 or 22:00).
This attraction, a block off the Old Harbor, features a modest exhibit and a screening room that alternates between two documentaries explaining Iceland’s most famous recent eruptions: the Westman Islands in 1973, which swallowed up part of the town of Heimaey (20 minutes); and Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, which halted European air traffic (25 minutes). The movies are interesting, particularly if you’re not getting beyond Reykjavík and are curious about Iceland’s famous volcanoes, but it’s pricey.
Cost and Hours: 2,000 ISK, daily 9:00-22:00, last film begins at 21:00, Tryggvagata 11, tel. 555-1900, www.volcanohouse.is.
The long, broad peninsula that juts out beyond the far end of the Old Harbor is an up-and-coming district called Grandi. This former sandbar, built up with landfill, is an odd assortment: A spread-out strip of old warehouses and new big-box stores, but with a lively little waterfront zone (along Grandagarður) where you’ll find some excellent eateries, and several sights (which I’ve listed in the order you’ll approach them, if walking from the Old Harbor). At the far tip of the peninsula—a 15-minute walk or short drive away—is a trendy little cultural zone, anchored by the Marshall-húsið arts center.
The Saga Museum is your best bet for an experience focused on the stories of the early Norsemen who turned Iceland’s wilderness into a European community (even the National Museum covers the sagas only tangentially). This place does a valiant job of telescoping the sagas into an educational 35 minutes. Though epensive, it’s far better than you’d expect for a walk-through of 17 Viking Age mannequin scenes depicting Iceland’s Settlement Age. Each scene is rooted in textual evidence from the sagas and well-described by the audioguide (which is academic enough that it might bore younger or less interested visitors). At the end, you can dress up in Viking garb for a photo.
Cost and Hours: 2,100 ISK, 800 ISK for kids 6-12, daily 10:00-18:00, Grandagarður 2, tel. 694-3096, www.sagamuseum.is.
If weather and daylight conditions are imperfect during your visit, this attraction may be more satisfying than trying to see the northern lights in person. You’ll walk through some sparse exhibits, including one on legends and superstitions that attempted to explain these once-mysterious dancing lights. Then you’ll learn a bit about the science of the phenomenon. But the main attraction is an extremely soothing 22-minute widescreen film featuring time-lapse footage of the aurora borealis at points around Iceland, photographed over eight years of cold nights. In the gift shop, you can slip on a pair of virtual reality goggles and spin around in a chair, tracking the lights as they flutter through the sky. (For more on the northern lights, and how to see them yourself, see the Icelandic Experiences chapter.)
Cost and Hours: 1,600 ISK, daily 9:00-21:00, Grandagarður 2, tel. 780-4500, www.aurorareykjavik.is.
This well-done but fairly dry exhibit considers Reykjavík’s connection to the sea. Upstairs is the permanent exhibit, which traces Reykjavík’s history from remote farm to bustling capital—partly thanks to its role as a fishing, shipping, and maritime center. Throughout you’ll see plenty of well-described artifacts (including full-size boats), and life-size dioramas re-creating various chapters in the city’s history. You’ll learn why stockfish (naturally dried in the cold Reykjavík wind) was so important on early voyages, how boats gradually evolved from rowing and sailing to industrial trawlers, and how radios and navigational technology improved over time.
Cost and Hours: 1,600 ISK, daily 10:00-17:00, Grandagarður 8, tel. 411-6300, www.borgarsogusafn.is.
Tucked unassumingly in a box-store zone just a five-minute walk beyond the museum strip, this attraction fills a cavernous warehouse with life-size models of the whales found in the waters around Iceland. The models are impressively detailed and bathed in a shimmering blue light, and you’re invited to wander under and among them, getting an up-close view of the graceful creatures. The essential audioguide (free to download via the exhibit’s Wi-Fi) is informative and engaging. Begin with the smaller marine mammals: dolphin, narwhal, orca. Then step into a vast space to ogle the majestic giants: pilot whale, humpback whale, sei whale, bowhead whale, minke whale (the one you’ll see on local menus—fittingly suspended above the museum café), Moby Dick-style sperm whale, and the largest specimen, the blue whale—which can grow up to 110 feet long. You’ll also get to see (and heft) a whale’s tooth and some baleen. While this is very expensive considering the brief amount of time most visitors spend here, it’s legitimately educational and scratches your Icelandic-whale itch.
As with tales of Beowulf, King Arthur, and Robin Hood, scholars don’t know how much of the Icelandic sagas is historically based and how much is fictionalized. But all agree that the sagas are an essential resource for understanding both Iceland’s history and the cultural heritage it shares with mainland Scandinavia.
Icelanders have strong narrative traditions. Before they had a written language, legends and laws were passed down orally. With Christianity around A.D. 1000 came the Latin alphabet, which Icelandic scribes used to document their history, writing mostly in their own language.
These historical narratives, known collectively as “the sagas,” were written on precious vellum (calfskin) mainly in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was the Icelanders who first wrote down the dynamic stories of the early Norsemen—from myths of Norse gods like Óðinn (Odin) and Þórr (Thor) to early histories of Scandinavian warriors and kings. Like the epic poems of the ancient Greeks, the sagas provide a cultural foundation for the Nordic people, stretching all the way through history to the present.
Here’s a simplified overview of some of the most famous or influential sagas and other early writings:
The Book of Settlements (Landnámabók)—not strictly a “saga”—documents the earliest ninth- and tenth-century settlers in Iceland. This chronicle tells the story of Hrafna-Flóki (the Raven) Vilgerðarson, who followed a bird to Iceland after he’d been blown off-course on his way to the Faroe Islands; and the story of Ingólfur Árnason, who threw two carved pillars overboard and built his settlement where they washed up, founding Reykjavík. Remarkably, the Book of Settlements lists more than 400 different families, where each one settled, their family tree, and vivid stories of what they encountered here. The much shorter Book of Icelanders (Íslendingabók), written by Ari fróði (“the Wise”) Þorgilsson in the early 12th century, gives a concise summary of the history of Iceland up to Ari’s own time, including the establishment of the Icelandic Commonwealth and the conversion to Christianity.
The Saga of Erik the Red (Eiríks saga rauða) and the Saga of the Greenlanders (Grænlendinga saga), known together as “the Vínland sagas,” tell of how Eiríkur rauði (“the Red”) Þorvaldsson (950–c. 1003), banished from Norway, then Iceland, founded a Norse settlement in Greenland; and how his son, Leifur heppni (“the Lucky”) Eiríksson, explored what we now know as North America.
Egill’s Saga (Egils saga Skallagrímssonar) tells the story of Egill Skallagrímsson (c. 904-c. 995). Egill is a fascinatingly complex figure: Swarthy and ugly, he was both a fearsome champion warrior and a tender-souled poet. When he was just seven years old, after losing a game, a furious Egill buried his ax in the head of his opponent—claiming his first of many victims. And yet, Egill composed his first poem at the tender age of three, and went on to author some of the loveliest verse in Icelandic literature (after two of his children died, Egill composed the heartbreaking “Lament for My Sons”). Egill’s Saga tells of his tortured relationship with his equally short-tempered father, Skalla-Grímur (“Grímur the Bald”); his friendship and rivalry with his dashing brother, Þórólfr; his relationship with his foster sister, turned-sister-in-law, turned wife, Ásgerður; his run-ins with the powerful witch Gunnhildur; and his clashes with his nemesis, King Harald Fairhair of Norway.
Njál’s Saga (Brennu-Njáls saga) tells the story of wise Njáll Þorgeirsson and his best friend, the gallant Gunnar Hámundarson. Things take a tragic turn—as they always do in the sagas—as early Iceland’s penchant for escalating blood feuds spirals out of control, culminating in several tragic deaths. (Spoiler: The protagonist is also known as Brennu-Njáll—“Burning Njáll.”)
The Saga of the People of Laxárdalr (Laxdæla saga) is a gripping love triangle. Childhood friends Kjartan Ólafsson and Bolli Þorleiksson fall in love with the same woman, the beautiful Guðrún Ósvífrsdóttir. Tragedy ensues.
Icelanders also recorded mythic histories much older than the settlement of Iceland. Völsunga Saga, which may have roots in the fifth-century conquests of Attila the Hun, is a sprawling, epic tale of the Völsung clan, including Sigurðr Fáfnisbani (“Slayer of the dragon Fáfnir”), which has inspired artists from Richard Wagner to J. R. R. Tolkien. The two Eddas—the anonymous Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda—contain ancient poetry that records the myths of the Germanic pagan religion.
Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241)—who also wrote Heimskringla, the history of the Norwegian kings—was himself a dynamic figure whose life is described in Sturlunga Saga.
For a hefty (and I mean hefty) sample of some of the better-known sagas, pick up The Sagas of the Icelanders, a good, brick-like English translation edited by Robert Kellogg.
Cost and Hours: 2,900 ISK, 1,500 ISK for kids ages 7-14, free for kids under 7, daily 10:00-18:00, off-season until 17:00, Fiskislóð 23, tel. 571-0077, www.whalesoficeland.is.
Getting There: The exhibit is a little tricky to find. From the Maritime Museum and recommended Grandi restaurants along Grandagarður, walk to the end of the first long, white-and-turquoise warehouse building with eateries and boutiques, then turn left on Grunnslóð and walk one long block. You can also take bus #14 to the Grunnslóð stop, or drive (free parking right in front).
Filling a converted fish factory at the far tip of the pier (and of interest mainly to art lovers with a car), this arts center hosts several galleries. The big draw is the gallery of Ólafur Elíasson, the renowned Icelandic artist who was born in Denmark and keeps a (private) studio upstairs here. Ólafur—who helped design Reykjavík’s Harpa concert hall—specializes in large-scale, multimedia pieces that combine technical precision with intangible elements like light, water, wind, temperature, and movement. The building also has two other artist-run gallery spaces (The Living Art Museum, www.nylo.is; and Kling & Bang, www.this.is/klingogbang) and Marshall, an appealing $$$ café/restaurant facing the harbor (same hours as galleries, tel. 519-7766).
Cost and Hours: All galleries are free, Tue-Sun 12:00-18:00, Thu until 21:00, closed Mon, Grandagarður 20, bus #14 to Fiskislóð stop.
Nearby: This far tip of Grandi has started to attract some trendy businesses. Across the street in a nondescript warehouse zone, you’ll find the flagship store of Farmers Market, with updated Icelandic fashion (closed Sun; city-center branch described under “Shopping in Reykjavík”) and Omnom, a boutique chocolate factory (closed Sun, www.omnomchocolate.com).
You’ll need a car, a bus, or a boat to reach the sights in this section.
This striking observation deck/restaurant/museum was created in the 1990s at the site of the city’s former water storage tanks. Come here for the free view of the city and surroundings from the circular fourth-floor viewing platform, which rings a glass dome above the old water tanks. While the Hallgrímskirkja tower puts Reykjavík’s rooftops at your feet, the Pearl’s sweeping views take in the full 360-degree panorama of the city and its backdrop of sea and mountains (and it’s free and less crowded).
Get your bearings by looking north to the rugged ridge of Mount Esja, then pan left, where you can’t miss the spire of Hallgrímskirkja. Farther to the left (if it’s clear) you’ll spot the snowy white triangle of Snæfellsjökull on the northwest horizon, 75 miles away as the puffin flies. The view to the west is dominated by the bay of Faxaflói, and beyond that is the Denmark Strait. Sail 460 miles due west, and you’ll be in Greenland. To the southwest you’ll see a few small peninsulas jutting into the bay, and, in the distance, volcanic cones that mark the Reykjanes Peninsula, where the Blue Lagoon and Keflavík Airport lie.
The old tanks below the dome have been converted into a Museum of Icelandic Natural Wonders, with informative displays about Iceland’s unique environment. Highlights include a short walk through an artificial 230-foot-long ice cave (chilled to 15°F, but don’t worry—they provide warm jackets), and a simulation of what it’s like to stand on top of Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest glacier. A planetarium and exhibits covering geology, sea life, birds, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the northern lights are also part of the line-up.
The Pearl is worth a quick stop for drivers, who will likely pass by on their way into and out of town. There’s a convenient but pricey café on the fourth floor, an expensive restaurant on the fifth (in the dome), and a branch of the Rammagerðin gift shop.
Cost and Hours: Observation deck—free, daily 8:00-20:00; exhibit—3,000 ISK, 1,500 ISK for kids 6-15, daily 8:00-19:00, last entry one hour before closing; www.perlanmuseum.is.
Getting There: It’s easiest to drive; there’s a big, free parking lot. By bus, take #18 from Hlemmur two stops to Perlan. You could also take bus #5 to Nauthólsvegur and walk up the hill along the paths.
Nearby: Around the Pearl is the forested Öskjuhlíð hill, with walking paths, World War II ruins (signboards explain them), many rabbits (descended from escaped pets), the temple for Iceland’s revived pagan religion (the “first Norse temple built here in a thousand years,” www.asatru.is), and a large cemetery, Fossvogskirkjugarður.
On a nice day, spend an afternoon enjoying the views of the sea and the mountains from this island a few hundred yards offshore. It’s a sleepy sight, and takes a little work to reach, but it gets you into the Icelandic outdoors inexpensively and without a trip out of town. And the island comes with an interesting history.
Getting There: You have two options for reaching Viðey (schedules below). From the Old Harbor in the city center, Elding runs a direct but infrequent ferry (2/day, summer only, 20 minutes). Or—for a more frequent and much shorter connection—go to the Skarfagarðar ferry dock, by Reykjavík’s cruise ship terminal, where small passenger ferries make the five-minute crossing to the island (take bus #16 from Hlemmur six stops to Skarfagarðar). Drivers park for free by the Skarfagarðar dock.
Cost and Hours: The ferry is 1,500 ISK roundtrip from the Old Harbor, 1,200 ISK round-trip from Skarfagarðar, covered by Reykjavík City Card; sights on the island are free. Ferries from the Old Harbor leave daily mid-May-Sept at 11:50 and 14:50 (none off-season); last return from island at 17:30. Hourly ferries from Skarfagarðar leave mid-May-Sept daily 10:15-17:15, last return from island at 18:30; Oct-mid-May Sat-Sun only 13:15-15:15, last return from island at 16:30. Ferry info at tel. 519-5000, www.elding.is.
Visiting the Island: Above the island’s dock, the large, restored house from the 1750s is the oldest in the capital area. It was originally built for Iceland’s Danish governor, but he chose to live in Reykjavík instead. Inside is a modest café, a free exhibit about the island, and a free WC. Next door, look into the small, traditional church, which is almost as old (from the 1760s).
From where you land, you can stroll to either end of the island in about 15 minutes. To the left, the west part of the island is empty grassland except for a series of columnar basalt statues by American sculptor Richard Serra. To the right, the road through the east part of the island leads to an abandoned village that, in the 1920s, had a port almost as important as Reykjavík’s. You can enter the old village school, which has a photography exhibit on the island’s history.
Next to the café is the Imagine Peace Tower—a powerful vertical pillar of light, installed and paid for by Yoko Ono. Each year it shines from October 9, John Lennon’s birthday, until December 8, the day he died (www.imaginepeacetower.com).
Though modest by international standards, the Laugardalur (LOY-gar-DA-lurr) valley—just east of downtown—makes a pleasant outing on a nice day and lets you hang out with Icelandic families and their kids. You pay to enter the zoo and amusement area (the adjacent botanic garden is free). A lovely café in the gardens serves meals. There’s also an indoor ice rink, and the Reykjavík Art Museum’s Ásmundarsafn branch is nearby (see listing, earlier).
Getting There: By bus, take #2, #5, #15, or #17 to the Laugardalshöll stop and walk 10 minutes downhill to the parking lot and entrance.
The park and zoo combines animal exhibits, amusement park rides, and a giant playground area. You’ll see Icelandic farm animals—pigs, cows, horses, sheep—plus a seal pool, birds, reindeer, rabbits, and a small aquarium. The website lists feeding times (click on “Dagskrá”). The park is open all year, but in winter it’s a bit desolate, especially on weekdays, and most rides are closed. Quick Icelandic horse rides for little kids are offered year-round (Sat-Sun at 14:00). If you’re hungry, you can grab a meal at the nondescript café, or stop by one of the hot-dog or ice-cream stands and enjoy a picnic at the outdoor tables with grills.
Cost and Hours: 860 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, less for kids; rides cost about 250-750 ISK, or buy a day pass for 2,200 ISK; daily 10:00-18:00, mid-Aug-May until 17:00; Múlavegur 2, 411-5900, www.mu.is (yes, that’s the Icelandic word for “moo”).
Next to the Family Park and Zoo, the city-run botanic garden showcases local trees, herbs, flowers, and other plants. Buried in the garden is the excellent Flóran café (described later, under “Eating in Reykjavík”), which makes a visit worthwhile even on a rainy day (free, daily 10:00-22:00, Sept-April until 15:00, tel. 411-8650, www.grasagardur.is).
Nearby: Follow the parkland five minutes downhill from the gardens past the ponds and bridges to an open grassy area. Here you can see the remains of the washing troughs and channels where city folk used to do their laundry in hot spring water, all the way up to the 1970s. Outdoor posters tell the story, and give you a feel for how fast the country has modernized.
Next to the parking lot for the zoo and gardens is the city’s indoor ice rink with public skating most afternoons—a useful bad-weather option (entry including skate rental-1,500 ISK, less for kids; closes for a few weeks in summer, confirm current hours on website; Múlavegur 1, tel. 588-9705, www.skautaholl.is).
The first listing, for the open-air museum, is just on the outskirts of town. The other listings are farther east, roughly on the way to or from the Golden Circle loop. If you’re efficient, you may be able to squeeze one of these into your Golden Circle day trip, or see the Hellisheiði Power Plant on the way to the South Coast. Or you can consider these as easy side-trips from the capital—each is about a 30-minute drive from downtown.
Reykjavík’s open-air museum is a modest collection of old buildings and farm animals—meant to help visitors envision Icelandic life in the 1800s. Homes hold period furnishings and reward those with the patience to poke around and ask questions; while everything is described in English, exhibits seem designed for Icelandic families. At the far edge of the property, the four attached houses (one with a sod roof) are the only ones that were originally located here; walking through them, you can see how each successive generation added their own wing. The grounds—tucked next to a subdivision, with a highway rumbling along the horizon—are underwhelming, especially if you’ve visited the lush open-air museums elsewhere in northern Europe. But the exhibits compensate.
Make an effort to time your visit to coincide with the 13:00 hour-long guided tour (included in admission). Note that off-season (Sept-May), this tour is the only time you can enter the museum. In December, in the weeks before Christmas, the museum opens with a holiday spirit on Sundays from 13:00 to 17:00.
Cost and Hours: 1,600 ISK, covered by Reykjavík City Card, free for kids under 17. Museum open daily 10:00-17:00, Sept-May by guided tour only—daily at 13:00. Café (waffles and snacks) open June-Aug daily 11:00-17:00 and on the Sundays before Christmas. Kistuhylur 4, tel. 411-6300, www.borgarsogusafn.is.
Getting There: The museum is at the end of the street called Kistuhylur, just off the busy highway 49. The easiest bus connection from downtown is #16 from Hlemmur to the Strengur/Laxakvísl stop.
Iceland’s most famous author, Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness (1902-1998), lived in a house called Gljúfrasteinn (“Canyonstone”). The house has been preserved as a museum; an audioguide explains each room. The backyard borders on a rushing stream.
Cost and Hours: 900 ISK, daily 9:00-17:00; Sept-Oct and March-May Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon; Nov-Feb Tue-Fri 10:00-16:00, closed Sat-Mon; tel. 586-8066, www.gljufrasteinn.is.
Getting There: It’s one of the last houses on the right as you drive up the Mosfellsdalur valley on highway 36, about 25 minutes from downtown Reykjavík. You can easily combine Laxness’s house with a visit to Þingvellir, but doing the house plus the whole Golden Circle in a day is too much.
Background: Born in Reykjavík, Halldór Guðjónsson was the eldest son of parents who started life poor. His father worked in road construction, and bought a farm at Laxnes in Mosfellsdalur when Halldór was three. Halldór grew up in the valley and started to write as a teenager. Like many Icelanders of his time, he took a surname (based on the farm where he grew up) instead of using his traditional patronymic. In the 1920s and 1930s he traveled in Europe and America, and converted to Catholicism. In 1945, he settled at Gljúfrasteinn, close to where he grew up, with his second wife. Here he lived comfortably, but not lavishly.
Over his lifetime, Laxness wrote more than a dozen novels, some brilliant...and others barely readable. Independent People (in Icelandic, Sjálfstætt fólk) is the best known. He also wrote short stories, plays, poetry, travel books, memoirs, and other nonfiction. In his writing, Laxness concerned himself strongly with social justice and the struggles of working people. Icelanders on the political right forbid their children to read his books, and cringed when he received the Nobel Prize; those on the political left loved him and felt he told the truth. In the end, no one could deny that he was a gifted writer and a person of insight and compassion.
Less than a half-hour’s drive from Reykjavík on the way to Selfoss, this is the only one of Iceland’s seven geothermal energy plants where visitors can get a good look at some of the powerful turbine machinery at work. The hot water from the ground is piped to homes for heating, and it drives the turbines that generate electricity. (Most of Iceland’s electricity, though, is produced by dams rather than geothermal sources.) But the plant isn’t all good: It releases hydrogen sulfide—carrying the aroma of rotten eggs—that east winds blow into Reykjavík.
At the exhibit, you can see turbine rooms through big windows, read posters on how geothermal energy works, and see a couple of films. Free guided tours run several times a day if enough visitors gather (typically 5-person minimum).
Cost and Hours: 1,450 ISK, Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat-Sun from 9:00, confirm hours before heading out, tel. 591-2880, www.geothermalexhibition.com.
Getting There: The plant is on highway 1 about halfway across the Hellisheiði plateau that forms the pass between Reykjavík and the South Coast. Look for a turnoff marked Hellisheiðarvirkjun—you can’t miss the plant, with steam rising from its towers.
There are well over a dozen thermal swimming pools to choose from in the greater Reykjavík area, each one run by the local municipality. The more recently built pools in the suburbs are typically more spacious, with more elaborate waterslides and at least one weatherproof indoor pool, making them worth a short drive or bus ride. Any Icelander you ask will have a favorite pool and be able to rattle off its advantages and disadvantages. The recommended pools below are definite winners. (The famous Blue Lagoon is 45 minutes’ drive from downtown—and described in the Blue Lagoon & Reykjanes Peninsula chapter—but that’s quite a different experience...much more tourist-oriented, and much more expensive, than the pools described here.)
How to Visit: For essential tips on visiting Iceland’s thermal pools, read the “Pool Rules” sidebar on here. For background on thermal pools and helpful resources, see here.
Cost: Pools in Reykjavík charge 950 ISK. The pools in Seltjarnarnes and Hafnarfjörður provide the same experience but charge only 600 and 550 ISK. In Reykjavík, a shareable 10-entry ticket costs 4,400 ISK, which saves money with only five entries (for example, a couple visiting three times). These are adult rates—kids get in for less.
Hours: On weekdays, most swimming pools in the capital area open early in the morning (before 7:00) and stay open until at least 20:00, except on Fridays, when most close around 18:00. Weekend hours are a little shorter (at least 9:00-17:00 or 18:00). Note that most pools close on national holidays. Pools are most crowded after work and school, in the late afternoon.
Nondrivers staying downtown can walk to either of the first two listings. The website for all Reykjavík pools is Reykjavik.is.
Sundhöllin, Reykjavík’s oldest swimming pool, is the only one within the downtown zone and the only indoor pool within easy reach of the center. It was built in the 1930s, and parts of it have an antique feel, though it’s well-kept. An outdoor wing was added in 2017, with a lap pool, kiddie pool, and new women’s dressing room (Barónsstígur 45a, 5-minute walk from Hlemmur bus junction, limited free street parking in front, tel. 411-5350).
Vesturbæjarlaug, a 20-minute walk from downtown (or take bus #11, #13, or #15), is a compact 1960s-era pool in a residential area near the university, and a good all-around pool choice for those staying downtown. Though close enough to the center to catch tourists, it has a predominantly neighborhood feel. It’s outdoor-only, with a small lap pool, a wading area, hot pots, and a sauna (corner of Hofsvallagata and Melhagi, free parking in front or on the street nearby, tel. 411-5150). If you’re swimming here, grab a drink or meal at the recommended Kaffihús Vesturbæjar café across the street.
Árbæjarlaug, far from the center, wins the award for the nicest modern design (from the 1990s). A dome covers its small indoor section, the outdoor hot pools are especially comfortable, and there’s a good water slide. It’s near some pleasant-enough hiking trails, as well as the Árbær Open-Air Museum and the road from Reykjavík to Selfoss and the south. It’s better on weekends, as the indoor section is mostly reserved for children’s swim lessons on weekdays (Fylkisvegur 9, bus #5 or #16 to Fylkisvegur stop, tel. 411-5200).
Laugardalslaug, the country’s largest pool, is a bit industrial-feeling, with outdoor-only facilities. A bus ride from the center, it’s next to the official Reykjavík youth hostel and sports complex. It’s a good option if you’re staying nearby, if you want to go swimming late on a weekend evening, or on major holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Day, when it’s typically the only pool open (Sundlaugavegur 30, bus #14 to Laugardalslaug stop, tel. 411-5100).
In Seltjarnarnes: Sundlaug Seltjarnarness, a 10-minute drive or bus ride from the center on #11 (or a 40-minute walk), is a small, cozy, newly renovated residential pool frequented mostly by locals. It’s outdoor-only, and has easy parking, nice views, a modest water slide, and a cozy wading and lounging area (on Suðurströnd in Seltjarnarnes; bus #11 to Íþróttamiðstöð Seltjarnarness stop, tel. 561-1551, www.seltjarnarnes.is).
Indoor Bathing in Hafnarfjörður: The best indoor pool in the capital area, and overall the best family pool, is Ásvallalaug, on the outskirts of the town of Hafnarfjörður. From downtown Reykjavík, it’s a 20-minute drive by car (on the way to the airport), or a long 45 minutes by direct city bus. There’s a full-size lap pool, a large wading pool, a large and shallow family pool, a good water slide, and hot pools. It’s a great bad-weather destination with a big parking lot (Ásvellir 2, Hafnarfjörður, bus #1 to Ásvallalaug stop, tel. 512-4050, www.hafnarfjordur.is). You could stop in downtown Hafnarfjörður to eat afterward (see recommendations on here), or drive to the cheap cafeteria at IKEA, which is on the way back to Reykjavík.
Nauthólsvík, maintained by the city of Reykjavík, is an artificial beach (ylströnd) in a sheltered part of the shoreline, where you can bathe in an area heated with excess geothermal water from the city’s heating system. This can be fun on a nice summer day, although you’ll find better facilities and services at the regular pools (free, possible charge for changing facilities; daily 10:00-19:00, limited hours and 600 ISK charge mid-Aug-mid-May, off Nauthólsvegur, bus #5 to Nauthóll/HR stop, free parking, or walk from here to the Pearl, tel. 511-6630, www.nautholsvik.is).
Lágafellslaug, a large, new pool in the town of Mosfellsbær (about 9 miles northeast of downtown Reykjavík), has a small indoor section. It’s convenient if driving between Reykjavík and the Golden Circle (Þingvellir) or the north (toward Akureyri; Lækjarhlíð 1a, Mosfellsbær, tel. 617-6080, www.mosfellsbaer.is).
Álftaneslaug, with a high waterslide and the country’s only wave pool, is in the formerly separate town of Álftanes (on the peninsula due south of Reykjavík). This pool cost so much to build that the town went bankrupt and merged with neighboring Garðabær (Breiðmýri, Garðabær, tel. 550-2350, www.gardabaer.is).
Sundlaug Kópavogs, an older pool in the town of Kópavogur, is handy for those staying nearby (Borgarholtsbraut, Kópavogur, tel. 570-0740, www.kopavogur.is).
Several horse farms on the outskirts of Reykjavík run riding tours for tourists; see the Icelandic Experiences chapter for details.
Two pricey excursions inside a volcano cave are close to Reykjavík: At Þríhnjúkagígur (a.k.a. “Inside the Volcano”), 30 minutes from the capital, you’re lowered down into an extinct magma chamber (very expensive, at around $400 per person). More affordable (at $100) is Raufarhólshellir (a.k.a. “The Lava Tunnel”), where you can walk through a petrified lava tube (about 45 minutes from Reykjavík). A similar tour at Víðgelmir—a.k.a. “The Cave”—is more impressive, but much farther away from Reykjavík; consider taking it if you’ll be in the West Iceland region. For more on these options, see the Icelandic Experiences chapter.
While you’ll find plenty of shopping opportunities, don’t expect any bargains: Iceland has almost no manufacturing industry of its own, so many items are imported and quite expensive. My shopping advice emphasizes items that are produced or at least designed in Iceland.
Store Hours: Most shops are open at least Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00; on Saturdays, many close earlier. Sundays are unpredictable—larger or tourist-oriented shops remain open, while others close. In general, touristy shops on the main shopping streets downtown (Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur) have longer hours in the evening and on Sundays.
Downtown Reykjavík seems designed for shoppers—you’ll find plenty of temptations as you window-shop along the main drag, Laugavegur. Dozens of stores along here run the gamut from gaudy “puffin shops” to high-end craft and design boutiques; a few highlights are mentioned in the next section.
Don’t be so mesmerized by Laugavegur that you miss Skólavörðustígur, the charming street leading up from Langavegur to Hallgrímskirkja. It’s lined with more authentic-feeling small boutiques. I’ve listed some of my favorites in the next section, but here’s a quick rundown: Near the bottom are large branches of Geysir (fashion), Rammagerðin (top-end souvenirs), and Eymundsson (books). Farther up—especially around the intersection with Týsgata—you’ll find an enticing assortment of one-off boutiques, including the 12 Tónar record shop and the Handknitting Association of Iceland.
Jewelry is a popular item along here, including at Orrifin (with funky style, at #17B) and Fríða (#18). This street also specializes in ceramicists; look for Stígur (a collective showcasing the work of seven artists, at #17) and Kaolin (at #5). It also has some eclectic fashion boutiques, such as Yeoman (at #22). Nikulásarkot features delicate, handmade dolls and ornaments infused with Icelandic folk culture (at #22). Many of these stores have their own little workshops attached, where you can watch artisans at work.
At the top of many shopping lists is a handmade Icelandic wool sweater (lopapeysa). Knitting is a major pastime in this nation where sheep outnumber people, and where hobbies get you through the dreary winter months. Traditional Icelandic designs—often with classy one- or two-tone patterns radiating from the neck—are both timeless and stylish. A good, handmade sweater starts at around $200; they tend to be bulky, so you’ll need room in your luggage.
Classic Sweaters: The best place for a traditional sweater (as well as other knitwear and yarn) is the cozy little Handknitting Association of Iceland (Handprjónasambandið) shop; browse their website before you go (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun from 10:00, Skólavörðustígur 19, tel. 552-1890, http://handknit.is). They also have a more souvenir-y location on the main drag (Laugavegur 53, closed Sun).
Secondhand Sweaters: For a quality sweater at a lower price (closer to $100-120), consider buying secondhand. For a big, well-stocked vintage clothing shop, stop by Spúútnik on the main drag (Laugavegur 28) or their second location, Fatamarkaður (at the Hlemmur bus junction, Laugavegur 118). Or, to support a good cause while you shop, the Red Cross charity shop has three very central locations (at Laugavegur 12B, Laugavegur 116, and Skólavörðustígur 12). Note that these places line up conveniently—allowing you to comparison-shop easily in about a 10-minute stroll along Laugavegur. There’s also a Salvation Army branch at the corner of Garðastræti and Ránargata. You’ll find plenty of sweaters at the Kolaportið flea market—but don’t expect top quality there (Sat-Sun only, see listing on here).
Stylish Sweaters (and Other Fashion): Icelandic designers enjoy updating traditional sweater designs. Farmers Market has a full range of fashionable clothes, including sweaters (www.farmersmarket.is). Their downtown outpost is called Farmers & Friends (Laugavegur 37), while their flagship store is at the far end of the Old Harbor’s Grandi pier, near the Marshall-húsið arts center (Hólmaslóð 2). Geysir—another modern Icelandic fashion designer with several branches downtown (including at Skólavörðustígur 7 and Skólavörðustígur 16, www.geysirshops.is)—also has contemporary sweater styles, as do various one-off boutiques along Laugavegur.
Other Clothes: 66°North, Iceland’s best-known outerwear brand, is the place to buy waterproof shells and puffy vests. A big, convenient location is right on the main drag (Mon-Sat 9:00-21:00, Sun from 10:00, Laugavegur 17). For a better deal, drivers can head to their suburban outlet store with deep discounts (buried in the back of the Skeifan shopping zone, Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat from 10:00, Sun from 12:00, Faxafen 12, bus #5 to Fen stop, tel. 535-6676, www.66north.is).
For high-end local fashion—a notch dressier than Farmers Market and Geysir, described earlier—check out Kiosk, a co-op run by local designers (just off the main drag at Ingólfsstræti 6, www.kioskreykjavik.com).
Visitors enjoy browsing for keepsakes emblazoned with the Icelandic flag, or an outline of the country. Other popular items include stuffed puffins, whales, and polar bears (they don’t live in Iceland, but every now and then, a stray bear drifts across from Greenland on an iceberg). Laugavegur and adjoining streets seem to specialize in tacky souvenir outlets; most of what you’ll find is overpriced and made in China. Here are a few better options for more authentically Icelandic souvenirs.
Locally produced and inexpensive, edible souvenirs may be your best bet. Icelandic candy is unusual and hard to get outside of Iceland, but easily found at discount grocery stores (Bónus and Krónan), which are generally cheaper and have a better selection than the duty-free airport shops. Cooks on your shopping list might enjoy some of the wide variety of flavored Icelandic sea salts (including birch-smoked, seaweed, black lava, and arctic thyme).
Gift shops at the National Museum and the Harpa concert hall are a little more sophisticated than the norm (see listings in “Sights in Reykjavík”).
Rammagerðin, a venerable, high-end boutique, offers extremely expensive but good-quality Icelandic handcrafts and design (www.rammagerdin.is). The main branch—with a row of taxidermied puffins looking out the window—is in the heart of the main shopping zone at Skólavörðustígur 12; other branches are just up the street at Skólavörðustígur 20, at Bankastræti 9, at the Pearl, and at the airport (“Iceland Gift Store”).
Iceland, like other Scandinavian countries, has a knack for clean, eye-pleasing design; several shops along the main drag specialize in the works of local designers. The Kraum design shop shares a space with the “Around Iceland” booking center at Laugavegur 18; in the back is a small, free exhibit about Icelandic reindeer (www.kraum.is). Hrím Eldhús has a fun selection of upscale kitchen gadgets and housewares—a mix of Icelandic and international (Laugavegur 32); their sister shop just up the street, Hrím Hönnunarhús, has a more eclectic selection (Laugavegur 25, www.hrim.is).
Some English-language books on Iceland are available much more cheaply back home from Amazon or other online retailers; others are hard to find outside the country.
Mál og Menning, along Laugavegur, is Reykjavík’s most enjoyable-to-browse bookstore. In the big atrium, tables are piled with intriguing choices, including many English books and travel guides, and there’s a tiny café upstairs (Mon-Fri 9:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-22:00, Laugavegur 18, tel. 552-3740, www.bmm.is).
Two downtown branches of Eymundsson, Iceland’s answer to Barnes & Noble, are at Austurstræti 18 and Skólavörðustígur 11 (same hours as Mál og Menning, www.eymundsson.is).
Those with a car or bike can visit the publishers’ outlet store in the Grandi neighborhood beyond the Old Harbor, which has a large selection of books, maps, and posters offered at a 15 percent discount (Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-15:00, closed Sun, Fiskislóð 39, tel. 575-5636, www.forlagid.is).
12 Tónar, downtown at Skólavörðustígur 15, is a local institution. Their shop specializes in Icelandic music, and they run their own label—making this a beloved outpost for indie music lovers (Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun from 12:00, www.12tonar.is).
Greater Reykjavík’s two big shopping malls (Kringlan and Smáralind) are convenient for drivers and give you a nontouristy look at Icelandic commercial life.
Iceland’s cutting-edge arts center (described earlier, under “Sights in Reykjavík”) has several venues, big and small, that offer entertainment options every night of the year. Three serious musical ensembles are based at Harpa: the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands, http://en.sinfonia.is), the Icelandic Opera (Íslenska Óperan, http://opera.is), and the Reykjavík Big Band, a large jazz ensemble (Stórsveit Reykjavíkur, www.reykjavikbigband.com). All three regularly perform in the 1,800-seat main hall, called Eldborg. Harpa’s smaller halls (200-1,100 seats) host many types of performances. Check the schedule for a chance to combine a show with a visit to the most architecturally exciting building in Iceland (box office open Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun from 10:00, often later during performances, https://en.harpa.is).
Among the shows at Harpa are likely to be the following tourist-oriented options (all designed for an English-speaking audience). While these may change, each one has been running for several years (though sometimes only in summer). All are entertaining and (aside from the first and last) designed to give visitors insights into Icelandic culture.
Reykjavík Classics is a daytime concert offering a 30-minute presentation of some “greatest hits” of classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) performed by a smaller ensemble from the symphony. As it’s short and always in the main hall, it’s an affordable way to experience Harpa without investing too much time and money...but there’s very little Icelandic about it (3,000 ISK, usually at 12:30 or 15:30, www.reykjavikclassics.com).
Pearls of Icelandic Song presents a collection of traditional tunes sung by operatically trained soloists with piano accompaniment. The formal presentation of these informal songs may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s authentically Icelandic (3,900 ISK, usually at 18:00 in the main hall, www.pearls.is).
Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits is a frenetic two-person show that attempts to compress centuries of deep and complex Icelandic heritage into 75 minutes, with plenty of humor and costume changes. While designed to be more entertaining than educational, you’ll come away with a somewhat better appreciation for Iceland’s history (4,900 ISK, usually at 20:15 in the Northern Lights Hall, www.icelandicsagas.com).
How to Become Icelandic in 60 Minutes is a crowd-pleasing one-man comedy show designed to offer outsiders some humorous insights into the Icelandic psyche (4,500 ISK, usually at 19:00 in the smaller Kaldalón, www.h2become.com).
Múlinn Jazz Club hosts weekly jazz performances in an intimate setting (2,000 ISK, typically Wed at 21:00, www.facebook.com/mulinnjazzclub).
The Gamla Bíó theater—a classic old cinema in the heart of town—periodically presents Saga Music 101. A contemporary songwriter has written music designed to tell some of the saga stories with English lyrics (4,700 ISK, Wed at 20:00, www.sagamusic101.com). The theater hosts other performances, too (check www.gamlabio.is), and its recommended rooftop bar—Petersen Svítan—is a fine venue for a before- or after-show drink.
Various churches around Reykjavík present low-key concerts. The big, landmark Hallgrímskirkja offers concerts (mainly on their huge organ) about four times weekly in summer (late June-late Aug, as part of the “International Organ Summer”), and sporadically at other times of year (www.hallgrimskirkja.is). And the cathedral—the modest building next to the parliament, downtown—hosts occasional concerts in its intimate, lovely space (www.domkirkjan.is).
Movies: Bíó Paradís, a beloved art-house cinema just off the main drag downtown, shows international films in their original language with Icelandic subtitles, as well as Icelandic films with English subtitles. Locals kick off weekend revelry at their throwback film series every Friday night—camp classics, ’80s movies, interactive screenings (like the Rocky Horror Picture Show), and so on. Their bar/café is a popular hangout. The movie lets out just as things are getting rolling outside (Hverfisgata 54, tel. 412-7711, www.bioparadis.is).
Reykjavík is renowned for its crazy nightlife. It’s pretty simple: Just go downtown any Friday or Saturday night and hit your choice of bars and clubs. Typically, Icelanders come here only on weekends. Many young Icelanders drink at home first (less expensive) before heading downtown between 23:00 and midnight. Higher-end drinking places—hotel cocktail bars, craft-beer specialists, and the like—tend to close on the “early” side...which, in Reykjavík, means midnight on weeknights and 1:00 in the morning on weekends. Harder-partying places stay open until 3:00 or later.
I’ve recommended some well-established watering holes (see map on here)—but this scene changes quickly. For a more timely take, pick up the latest issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine (or read it online at www.grapevine.is) to find what’s in, what’s on, and which bands or DJs are playing where. The Grapevine also publishes a list of best happy hours—good to know about in this pricey city.
If you want company, go on a guided pub crawl such as the one offered by CityWalk (2,500 ISK, Fri-Sat at 22:00, mobile tel. 787-7779, www.citywalk.is).
These options are for those who’d prefer a more sophisticated scene, and don’t mind investing in a pricey (2,000-2,500 ISK) but well-crafted cocktail in a memorable setting.
Sophisticated Art Deco Vibe: Right in the heart of town, Apotek fills the ground floor of a landmark hotel by renowned architect Guðjón Samúelsson. This borderline-stuffy place loves to brag about their many “best cocktails” awards and generous happy-hour deals (half-price drinks 16:00-18:00). A bit more sedate than the rowdy party scene all around it, this is a nice choice for a genteel drink. They also serve a full menu of food—including a decent lunch special—but better restaurants are nearby; come for the drinks and the ambience (daily 7:00-late, Austurstræti 16).
Rooftop Bar: To reach Petersen Svítan (“The Petersen Suite”), you’ll slip through a side door next to the classic Gamla Bíó theater, then ride the elevator up to a rooftop deck. You can sit in the Old World interior, but the main draw is the large outdoor area, overlooking city rooftops—a delight on warm evenings. Don’t miss the spiral stairs up to an even higher deck (open daily from 16:00, happy hour until 20:00, Ingólfsstræti 2a).
By the Harbor: Slippbarinn (“Dry Dock Bar”) is one of the best places in town for quality, creative cocktails. The menu is vividly described and fun to peruse, with a few mainstays and lots of seasonal concoctions. A mellow hangout by day, at night it’s a big, boisterous, and colorful party. It sprawls through the spacious, creative, industrial-mod lobby of the Icelandair Hótel Marina, right along the harborfront, facing the namesake dry dock (daily 11:30-late, also serves food, occasional DJs or live music, Mýrargata 2).
Iceland has a burgeoning craft beer scene, including high-end bars where you can focus on sampling local brews. While some proudly feature Icelandic beer, most acknowledge the limits of local brewers and make a point to also offer a carefully curated range of imports. Most craft-beer bars have several taps and a chalkboard listing what’s on today. Figure on paying 1,000-1,800 ISK for a pint.
Skúli Craft Bar, named for the statue of the original Reykjavík developer on the downtown square it faces, has a great section of Icelandic craft beers. The prices are high, but the glassy, modern, aboveground space feels inviting and attracts a few locals along with the tourists. At the bar—in front of an illuminated wall displaying bottles like trophies—you can choose between Icelandic brews (marked with red-and-blue stripes) and imports. They also have pleasant outdoor tables (Mon-Thu from 15:00, Fri-Sat from 14:00, Sun from 16:00, happy hour until 19:00, Aðalstræti 9, tel. 519-6455).
MicroBar fills a straightforward cellar with happy drinkers (mostly tourists, thanks to its main-drag location) enjoying an even wider selection of microbrews. They specialize in Icelandic beers—with 14 on tap, and more than 100 in bottles—and is the only craft beer place I saw that offers 5- or 10-beer sampler boards; this being Iceland, you’ll pay dearly for each sip (daily from 16:00, happy hour 17:00-19:00, Vesturgata 2, tel. 865-8389).
Mikkeller & Friends, at the top floor of an old house, focuses on Scandinavian craft brews (Mikkeller is a Danish brewery), with a big chalkboard menu of 20 choices. They take their beer (and themselves) very seriously, but it’s an appealing setting—you’ll feel like you’re in a friend’s attic lounge—and a good place to get beyond Icelandic beers (Sun-Thu from 17:00, Fri-Sat from 14:00, Hverfisgata 12—head to the top floor, passing a good pizzeria partway up, tel. 437-0203).
Ölstofa Kormáks og Skjaldar (“Kormákur and Skjöldur’s Tavern”) is a nice hybrid of the beer-geek places mentioned earlier, and the lowbrow Laugavegur scene described next. Because it’s tucked away, it feels more local than most Laugavegur bars, with a Cheers vibe and a table often filled by regulars. While they do have taps and bottles from local brewers, their draft selection is limited (all from the same brewery, Borg Brugghús); visit for the atmosphere, not a deep dive into Icelandic brews (daily from 15:00, Laugavegur 59).
These places really get rolling late at night on weekends (though you’re welcome to stop by earlier in the evening, when they can already be quite crowded on weekends). Come for Reykjavík’s famous social weekend experience, not the drinks.
Kaffibarinn is a classic dive bar right in the center. It’s a local institution that still attracts a largely Icelandic clientele. Filling an old house, it can feel crowded and gets pretty wild on weekends; for a mellower visit, check it out on a weeknight (daily from 15:00, good happy-hour deals before 20:00, live DJ at prime times, Bergstaðastræti 1, tel. 551-1588).
Right along the busiest stretch of Laugavegur, you can’t miss Lebowski Bar, with neon lights, a Dude-Walter-and-Donny bowling theme, 16 versions of white Russians...and, one would assume, owners very nervous that the Coen Brothers’ legal team will catch on. It’s rollicking, rowdy, and popular with young Americans (open long hours daily and nightly, Laugavegur 20b, tel. 552-2300).
A block from Ingólfstorg toward the river is a cluster of rowdy, hole-in-the-wall bars for late-night revelry. Húrra is the all-around favorite, with a big dance floor and great DJs (Tryggvagata 22, tel. 571-7101). Paloma is a late-late-late night option with a basement dance floor and a vaguely nautical vibe; it’s bigger than most, so it feels less claustrophobic (Naustin 1). And The Dubliner is the city’s most central Irish pub (Hafnarstræti 1).
In addition, several of the places listed under “Eating in Reykjavík,” later, can be good places to grab a drink, including the hipster/vegetarian café Kaffi Vínyl, the lowbrow pub Íslenski Barinn, and Kex Hostel.
Reykjavík is an expensive place to spend the night. With its recent spike in tourism, the city is bursting at the seams, demand is soaring, and lots of new places are opening up (or old places expanding) each year—some of them great, others not.
I’ve focused my listings on relatively established hotels offering good value. Given how pricey Reykjavík’s hotels are (especially in the center), I’d also give guesthouses and private rentals (such as on Airbnb) a serious look; youth hostels are especially good for solo travelers. Real hotels are very expensive, especially in the center, and can easily cost $400 a night in summer. Guesthouses (figure $200 a night) and Airbnb (closer to $100 a night) give you more value for the money and a more local experience.
Whatever you do, book any accommodations well in advance, as the best places sell out early for the peak summer months, or if your trip coincides with a major holiday.
In Iceland, prices drop a lot if you are willing to share a bathroom. If a place has the option of a shared bathroom, I’ve noted that in the listing—a shared bath often knocks down the price considerably.
Without a car, stay downtown. It’s more convenient for restaurants, nightlife, much of the worthwhile sightseeing, and bus-excursion pickups. With a rental car, it can make better sense to stay outside the downtown core—where lodgings cost less and parking is easy. There are fewer hotels and guesthouses in the suburbs, but Airbnb and other rentals are abundant.
For car travelers, the outlying community of Hafnarfjörður is a nice compromise. It has its own downtown core and quaint old houses, but free parking and less noise and traffic than Reykjavík. It’s strategically situated for those driving to and from the airport, the Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon, and the South Coast.
City buses run to every corner of the metropolitan area, although some parts are a long ride (with a transfer) from downtown. When scoping out a place to stay, check bus access by plugging the address into the journey planner at www.straeto.is and seeing how long it takes to get to the main downtown stops (Lækjartorg and Hlemmur).
I rank accommodations from $ budget to $$$$ splurge. To get the best deal, contact small hotels and guesthouses directly by phone or email. If you go direct, the owner avoids a roughly 20 percent commission and may be able to offer you a discount. For more information and tips on hotel rates and deals, making reservations, and finding a short-term rental, see the Practicalities chapter.
I’ve intentionally listed fewer hotels and guesthouses than I normally would for a city of Reykjavík’s size. That’s because here, even more than elsewhere, I find Airbnb and other short-term rentals to be a much better value than hotels. The bottom line: Iceland is expensive, and staying in nontraditional accommodations can have the single biggest impact on your travel budget.
Airbnb lists plenty of options in the downtown core, and is handy for finding less-expensive suburban accommodations (easier for drivers), while providing a more authentic look at Icelandic life. A search for “Reykjavík” may turn up some of these, but for more options, search for the name of the separate town: Hafnarfjörður, Garðabær, Kópavogur, Mosfellsbær, or Seltjarnarnes.
If you’re going to spend a lot of money, you might as well do it with class. These hotels each offer something special.
$$$$ The Reykjavík Residence Suites, next to the National Theater, occupy a fine former private home that was built in 1912 by a local bigwig who later became prime minister. When the king of Denmark visited in 1926, this is where he stayed. It’s been converted into 10 top-end suites, each with a kitchenette (Hverfisgata 21, tel. 546-1200, www.rrsuites.is, info@rrsuites.is). The same outfit also rents regular hotel rooms in a less historic location a couple blocks away, at Hverfisgata 45.
$$$$ Hótel Kvosin, across the street from parliament and the cathedral in a building from 1900, has 24 big suites with full kitchenettes and fine art on the walls (Kirkjutorg 4, tel. 571-4460, www.kvosinhotel.is, desk@kvosinhotel.is).
$$$$ Hótel Óðinsvé, with 50 stylish rooms and 10 apartments in a blocky shell, sits in a pleasant residential area a short walk from the lively Skólavörðustígur shopping and dining street (Þórsgötu 1, recommended Snaps Bistro on-site, tel. 511-6200, www.hotelodinsve.is, odinsve@hotelodinsve.is).
$$$ Hótel Reykjavík Centrum boasts a great location, in view of the parliament, in a modernized building with a period facade and 89 rooms. The Settlement Exhibition on Reykjavík’s early history is in the basement, centered on archaeological ruins found when the hotel was built in 2001 (Aðalstræti 16, tel. 514-6000, www.hotelcentrum.is, info@hotelcentrum.is).
$$$ Icelandair Hótel Marina is at the Old Harbor in a long, skinny building that spent many years as the post office’s sorting facility. This hotel’s location is more interesting and convenient than the other Icelandair hotel, the Natura, and it’s also home to the recommended Slippbarinn cocktail bar (Mýrargata 2, tel. 560-8000, www.icehotels.is, marina@icehotels.is).
These smaller, less expensive properties are generally in converted residential buildings without elevators. Most of these listings give you the option of sharing a bathroom, which brings down the price substantially. When comparing prices, remember to factor in breakfast and parking costs.
$$$ Guesthouse Galtafell is on a quiet street in a handsome neighborhood a block above the Pond, a convenient five-minute walk from both downtown and the BSÍ bus terminal. One of Iceland’s richest merchants and fishing magnates built this attractive house with its crenellated roof in 1916. Breakfast is served in a cozy, art-filled dining room in the main house (free parking, Laufásvegur 46, mobile 699-2525, www.galtafell.com, info@galtafell.com).
$$$ Guesthouse Sunna, around the corner from the big Hallgrímskirkja church, is big and feels more like a hotel than a guesthouse. It offers a range of rooms with shared or private bath—some with kitchens—and some with lots of stairs. There’s limited free parking in their courtyard (Þórsgata 26 at the corner of Njarðargata, tel. 511-5570, www.sunna.is, sunna@sunna.is).
$$$ Hótel Hilda has 15 rooms, many quite small and tight, and all with private bath. It’s in a pleasant, fairly quiet residential neighborhood just a five-minute walk west of downtown. Parking in the immediate vicinity is scarce (Bárugata 11, tel. 552-3020, www.hotelhilda.is, info@hotelhilda.is).
For locations, see the map on here.
$$ Guesthouse Anna is conveniently just a hundred yards from the BSÍ bus terminal, where many airport buses and day trips depart. Even so, it feels quiet and residential, and it’s about a 10-minute walk from the parliament building and Laugavegur. Of the 12 rooms, 7 have private bathrooms. There are bright, south-facing common spaces and a nice backyard. The modern building was built to house the Czechoslovak Embassy, which closed after the fall of communism (free on-street parking, Smáragata 16, tel. 562-1618, www.guesthouseanna.is, info@guesthouseanna.is).
$ Igdlo Guesthouse (the name is Greenlandic for “igloo”) is on the outskirts of downtown, about a 5- to 10-minute walk from the BSÍ bus terminal, in a converted small apartment building on a dead-end street near a busy road. It’s a bit hostel-like—all rooms share a bathroom, and most rooms have multiple beds. The exterior and location are ho-hum, but prices are low, downtown is a 15-minute walk away, and there’s usually plenty of free on-street parking (kitchen, laundry facilities, rental bikes, family rooms, Gunnarsbraut 46, tel. 511-4646, www.igdlo.com, booking@igdlo.com).
$ Heiða’s Home rents 14 tight double rooms (no sinks), with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities. It’s close to the Hlemmur bus junction, occupying an older building along a busy urban-feeling street at the east end of downtown (no breakfast, pay on-street parking, lots of stairs, Hverfisgata 102, tel. 553-6435, mobile 692-7654, www.heidashome.is, heida@heidashome.is).
These apartments are good for a longer stay, or if you want your own kitchen.
$$ Castle House Apartments at Skálholtsstígur 2a and Embassy Luxury Apartments at Garðastræti 40 offer a dozen well-appointed, mostly one-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes in two super downtown locations well-described on their shared website. They also have cheaper studio apartments dubbed Northern Comfort in a lesser location at Skipholt 15, a bit outside downtown (pay on-street parking, tel. 511-2166, http://4.is, 4@4.is).
$$ Nest Apartments rents four units in a three-story building in a quiet spot not far from Laugavegur. The basement is generously called the “ground” floor (2-night minimum, cheaper if you stay a week, pay on-street parking, Bergþórugata 15—see map on here, mobile 893-0280, www.nestapartments.is, nest@nestapartments.is).
¢ Kex Hostel (“Cookie”)—filling an old cookie factory—is a popular choice for backpackers. While a bit pricey, it’s big, close to downtown, and has a popular café that’s frequented even by nonguests (lots of stairs, pay on-street parking, Skúlagata 28, a 7-minute walk from the Hlemmur bus junction—see map on here, tel. 561-6060, www.kexhostel.is, info@kexhostel.is).
“Official” HI Hostels: These three ¢ listings belong to the Hostelling International network (website for all: www.hostel.is). Reykjavík City Hostel is a 45-minute walk or easy bus ride from downtown, conveniently next to the Laugardalslaug swimming pool and close to the Family Park and Zoo (private rooms available, bike rental, playground, free parking, Sundlaugavegur 34—see map on here, bus #14 to Laugarásvegur stop, tel. 553-8110, reykjavikcity@hostel.is). Downtown Hostel is better suited to travelers without a car (private rooms available, Vesturgata 17—see map on here, bus #14 to the Mýrargata stop, tel. 553-8120, reykjavikdowntown@hostel.is). Loft Hostel is even more urban, occupying the top floor of a downtown building just uphill from the prime minister’s office (elevator, Bankastræti 7—see map on here, near the Lækjartorg bus stop, tel. 553-8140, loft@hostel.is).
¢ The Galaxy Pod Hostel offers something different: Guests sleep in individual capsules, which give a little privacy and space to lock up valuables. The capsules are a good value for solo travelers, but two people traveling together will do better in a two-bed room at one of the HI hostels listed earlier. It’s in an uninteresting neighborhood, a half-hour’s walk or short drive from Parliament (elevator, breakfast optional, free parking, Laugavegur 172—see map on here; bus #2, #5, #14, #15, or #17 to Gamla sjónvarpshúsið; tel. 511-0505, www.galaxypodhostel.is, bookings@galaxypodhostel.is).
If you’re renting a car and using Reykjavík as a base for day trips to sights in the countryside, you may find it easier to stay outside downtown in the southern suburb of Hafnarfjörður (HAHP-nar-FYUR-thur). While calling this area “charming” is a stretch, it does get you into a car-friendly zone away from the crowds, and gives you a glimpse of an authentic Icelandic neighborhood, with restaurants and services in walking distance. And it’s strategically located between downtown Reykjavík and points south: the airport, the Blue Lagoon, and the Golden Circle and South Coast.
Hafnarfjörður Town: Tucked just behind Hafnarfjörður’s harborfront promenade is its little downtown core—a largely pedestrianized area with lots of big, modern buildings and a few historical ones. On its outskirts are rows of high-rise condos and some cozy cottage neighborhoods. Wherever you go, parking is easy.
Hafnarfjörður has good swimming pools (Ásvallalaug is one of the area’s best), about a dozen restaurants and cafés downtown (including some real gems—see my recommendations in “Eating in Reykjavík,” later), a big-box-store zone near the main road—handy for groceries and other shopping, and its own little TI (in the City Hall building, Mon-Fri 8:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-17:00, Vesturgata 8, www.visithafnarfjordur.is).
Hafnarfjörður doesn’t have much in the way of sights, but there are some nice places to stroll (such as Hellisgerði, a small park off Hellisgata), and a surprisingly good little town history museum (Vesturgata 6, http://museum.hafnarfjordur.is).
Route Tips for Drivers: Downtown Reykjavík is a 15-minute drive away, or a 25-minute ride on bus #1; airport buses stop in the center, but don’t offer door-to-door pickup.
If you stay here and drive the Golden Circle or South Coast day trips, Breiðholtsbraut (highway 413) is a useful shortcut from Reykjanesbraut (highway 41) over to highway 1 in the direction of Selfoss. Your GPS or map app will guide you; otherwise, from highway 41, follow the signs for highway 413 toward highway 1.
Sleeping in Hafnarfjörður: While I’ve listed a few traditional accommodations (hotel, B&B, and hostel), you’ll often get a better value via Airbnb. Before booking anything with a Hafnarfjörður address, check a map to make sure it’s near downtown, rather than in the industrial zone to the east.
$$ Viking Village Hótel, part of the cheesy Viking-themed Fjörukráin restaurant complex, has Viking-esque common areas, but most of its 41 rooms are straightforward, on the small side, and full of heavily varnished wooden furniture; some feel a bit dated. They also have bunk-bedded cabins that sleep up to six (with private baths)—potentially cost-effective for families or small groups. There’s a free sauna and hot pots, and the airport bus stops nearby (Strandgata 55, tel. 565-1213, www.fjorukrain.is, booking@vikingvillage.is). Their “Fishermen’s Village” annex, called $$$ Hlíð Hótel, is a little compound of woody, waterfront cabins on a rustic, sparsely populated point just north of Hafnarfjörður (a 15-minute drive from the main hotel; 20 minutes from downtown Reykjavík). It feels remote, yet is still close to the city (same contact information).
¢ Edda’s Farmhouse in Town, in a charming and historic residential zone a short walk from downtown, has three simple, tidy rooms with a shared bathroom, and includes homemade breakfast. It’s a “farmhouse” because Edda has cats, dogs, and rabbits (Vesturbraut 15, tel. 565-1480, mobile 897-1393, ekaritas@simnet.is).
¢ Lava Hostel, a 15-minute walk north of downtown Hafnarfjörður, is smaller and more intimate than the hostels in Reykjavík. This nonprofit hostel raises funds for the local Boy Scout troop; they also manage the adjacent campsite. As the name suggests, it’s in the midst of an old lava flow (free parking, Hjallabraut 51, tel. 565-0900, www.lavahostel.is, info@lavahostel.is).
It usually makes better sense to stay in Reykjavík (even when arriving or departing at odd hours). Still, given the 45-minute distance between the city and the airport, staying out here does make arrival and departure quicker: Late-night arrivals won’t have to blearily pick up a rental car, or wait for an airport bus to slowly fill and rumble into town. Hotels and Airbnb lodgings in Keflavík and Njarðvík, the towns near the airport, are also a bit cheaper than in Reykjavík. But basing yourself out here makes for a much longer drive to the sights on your full days in Iceland, and drastically reduces your choice of bus tours if you’re not using your own wheels. A taxi from the airport into Keflavík town can cost as much as 5,000 ISK, so figure that into your budget. For locations, see the map on here.
$$ Hótel Aurora Star, a hundred yards from the terminal, is the only hotel right at the airport, with 72 rooms. It’s undistinguished but gets the job done; has family rooms, free parking, and a restaurant; and starts serving breakfast at 5:00. Prices are less expensive than downtown Reykjavík hotels, but still pricey by international standards (Blikavöllur 2, Keflavík, tel. 595-1900, www.hotelairport.is, airport@hotelairport.is).
$ Hótel Keflavík, near the harbor in the center of the town of Keflavík, also offers breakfast from 5:00 and free transport to (but not from) the airport. If you arrive on an early-morning transatlantic flight and get a rental car, you could have breakfast here and watch the town wake up (Vatnsnesvegi 12, Keflavík, tel. 420-7000, www.kef.is, stay@kef.is).
¢ Alex Guesthouse, a large one-story structure on a semirural lot between the airport and Keflavík, has two types of rooms: hotel-style rooms with shared bath and kitchen, and in summer, wooden cabins with private bath. They offer limited free transport to the airport and start serving breakfast at 4:30 (Aðalgata 60, Keflavík, tel. 421-2800, www.alex.is, alex@alex.is).
Iceland’s tourist boom has equipped Reykjavík with a surprisingly good range of dining options. You’ll dine well here—and it’s easier than you might think to eat out without emptying your wallet. My best budget tip is to have your main meal at lunch: If you stick to drinking water, you can come away from a near-gourmet seafood lunch downtown only a little more than $25 poorer. Then, for dinner, save by picnicking, having a light meal at a café, grabbing a cheap takeout or fast-food meal, or finding a restaurant that doesn’t increase its prices in the evening—they do exist. For a few specific leads on cheap eats, see the “Budget Bites” sidebar, later.
I rank restaurants from $ budget to $$$$ splurge, based on average main-course dinner prices; many restaurants also offer a few cheaper items (like burgers or pizza). That said, you get what you pay for—in my experience, a $40 dinner is substantially better than a basic $25 dinner. For a memorable meal, consider splurging on a fixed-price, multicourse dinner (8,000-10,000 ISK). For details on restaurant pricing, see the Practicalities chapter.
Reykjavík’s restaurants—from mom-and-pops to swanky splurges—serve weekday lunch specials for about 2,000-3,000 ISK (this may be a fixed “fish of the day,” but sometimes you can choose among several options). Many places close for lunch on weekends—or, if open, have a pricier menu. Fancier restaurants become more expensive (sometimes much more expensive) at dinnertime.
Given the large tourist crowds, virtually any downtown restaurant (particularly in the $$$ or $$$$ price range) can book up during the busy summer months. In peak season, it’s always smart to book ahead.
I’ve organized my listings along Reykjavík’s main tourist spine, divided into three zones: to the east, along Laugavegur (the main shopping and nightlife drag) and the intersecting Skólavörðustígur (leading up to the big church); a 10-minute walk west, around Ingólfstorg and the parliament area; and a 10-minute walk farther west, near the Old Harbor area.
$$$$ Sjávargrillið (“The Seafood Grill”) is a respected seafood house with a corner location right along Skólavörðustígur. Chef Gústav Axel Gunnlaugsson grills up delicious fish, lobster, and lamb meals. In addition to reasonable lunch specials and blowout fixed-price dinners, they have a nice selection of lighter main courses for smaller appetites...and budgets. The cozy, tight interior is decorated with Icelandic driftwood gathered during Chef Gústav’s culinary travels (Mon-Sat 11:30-14:30 & 17:00-22:30, Sun 17:00-22:30, Skólavörðustígur 14, tel. 571-1000).
$$$ Snaps Bistro is more Parisian-posh than Icelandic-kitsch, with a menu of mostly French-inspired dishes. The lively, sophisticated, glassed-in setting is just far enough off the main drag to attract locals alongside the tourists—particularly at lunchtime on weekdays, when their filling and artfully prepared fish-of-the-day special may be the best deal in town (around 2,000 ISK). They accept reservations only until 18:30, and it’s busy at dinner—reserve to eat early, or plan to wait a bit (Sun-Thu 11:30-23:00, Fri-Sat until 24:00, Þórsgata 1, tel. 511-6677, www.snaps.is).
Hverfisgata 12: This classic old house, on a corner just a few steps from the main drag, hides several options for eating and drinking. From street level (along Hverfisgata), go up the stairs and let yourself inside. You’ll find a cocktail bar in the basement; in the middle of the building is the $$ Pizza Place with No Name (good 3,000-ISK pizzas, daily 11:30-23:00, tel. 437-0203); and upstairs is the recommended Mikkeller & Friends bar, focusing on Scandinavian microbrews. If you’re confused about which seating goes with which business...so is everyone else, so don’t be afraid to ask. All have tables in comfortable wood-paneled rooms.
Just around the corner in the same building, at street level, is $$$$ Dill—one of Iceland’s finest restaurants (and the recipient of its only Michelin star). In a clean, concrete-minimalist space, they serve up excellent, high-end, New Nordic-inspired dishes, at prices that aren’t drastically higher than many other “upper-midrange” places in this pricey town (five courses-12,000 ISK, seven courses-14,000 ISK). They often book up weeks or months ahead— reserve as early as possible (Wed-Sat 18:00-23:00, closed Sun-Tue, enter on Ingólfsstræti—look for shelves of preserve jars in the window, tel. 552-1522, www.dillrestaurant.is).
Ostabúðin (“The Cheese Shop”) is a popular choice right near the bottom of Skólavörðustígur. In the $$ deli, you can assemble a pricey gourmet picnic, with cheese and meat, olives, baguettes, pestos and spreads, and premade sandwiches (Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-16:00, closed Sun). Their $$$ restaurant next door has a full menu of artfully presented international dishes. It’s well-priced at lunch, but gets expensive at dinnertime (Mon-Fri 11:30-21:00, Sat from 12:00, Sun from 17:00; both are at Skólavörðustígur 8, tel. 562-2772).
$ Kaffi Vínyl, the only real vegan restaurant downtown, is worth considering even for carnivores. The hipster-chic ambience includes mismatched furniture, old record players, and an extensive record collection (live DJs spin mostly mellow tunes Wed-Sat after 20:00). The chalkboard menu lists an eclectic selection of flavorful hot sandwiches; for a heartier meal, pay extra to add some “Oumph” meat substitute. As they also have a full bar with beer and creative cocktails, this is also a cozy spot for an evening drink (Mon-Fri 9:00-23:00, Sat from 10:00, Sun from 11:00, Hverfisgata 76, tel. 537-1322).
Hipster Corner: For a pastry-and-coffee break downtown, head to Frakkastígur street—between Hallgrímskirkja church and Laugavegur—where two of Reykjavík’s most appealing little eateries are separated by a grungy but colorful square. The exterior of artisanal bakery $ Brauð & Co (“Bread & Co.”) is slathered with a wild graffiti mural, but inside the pastry chefs work like clockwork—churning out hot-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls (snúðar), danishes (vinarbrauð), croissants, sourdough loaves and rolls, and seasonal pastries. Get it to go and head for the little square just up the road (daily 6:00-18:00, Frakkastígur 16, tel. 776-0553). Conveniently, that’s also where you’ll find Reykjavík Roasters, the city’s best, top-end gourmet coffee shop, where each grind of beans is weighed to ensure a perfect pull. Flip through their vintage record collection while you wait, or just hang out in the bohemian-chic interior (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-17:00, at intersection of Frakkastígur and Kárastígur, tel. 517-5535). Reykjavík Roasters also has a larger, less crowded second location beyond the Hlemmur bus junction (same hours, Brautarholt 2).
$$ Sandholt, a refined, upscale-feeling bakery has great pastries (including homemade croissants and danishes), and serves breakfast and light lunches at tables in the back (daily 7:00-21:00, Laugavegur 36, tel. 551-3524).
$$ Íslenski Barinn (“The Icelandic Bar”), a small and casual tavern, attracts tourists looking to try very traditional, no-frills Icelandic fare—including some exotic items, such as fermented shark. You’ll pay dearly for a small vial, and eat only a nibble. More palatable pub grub (burgers) and a wide range of drinks make it a popular pub-crawl stop. This feels like a lowbrow alternative to some of the pricier, more pretentious places nearby (daily 11:30-late, Ingólfsstræti 1a, tel. 517-6767).
$ Gló, a local vegetarian chain, is a smart choice for a quick, inexpensive, healthy meal in the center. While it’s technically a cafeteria, the inviting space—filling the upstairs of a characteristic old Reykjavík house just steps off the main street—is classy and inviting (Mon-Fri 11:00-21:00, Sat-Sun 11:30-21:00, Laugavegur 20b).
$$ Kryddlegin Hjörtu (“Spiced Hearts”) serves Icelandic-Indian cuisine, with some vegetarian options, a cheap soup-and-salad lunch buffet, and prices that remain affordable at dinner (Mon-Sat 11:30-21:00, Sun 17:00-22:00, Hverfisgata 33, tel. 588-8818).
$$ Kex Hostel runs a big café open to nonguests, serving breakfast, burgers, lunch specials, and reasonably priced dinners in an ex-industrial space with lots of nooks and couches and a water view (daily 7:30-10:00 & 12:00-23:00, close to Hlemmur and the Sun Voyager sculpture at Skúlagata 28, tel. 561-6060).
Hlemmur Food Market (Hlemmur Mathöll): Located at the Hlemmur bus junction at the far end of Laugavegur, this food hall gathers lots of great Reykjavík eating under one roof, with stalls from several respected local restaurants. Check the website for vendors; for foodies, it merits the 10-minute walk from the downtown core (Laugavegur 107, www.hlemmurmatholl.is).
$$$$ Grillmarkaðurinn (“The Grill Market”), tucked on a courtyard along Austurstræti, is a worthwhile splurge. It has a rustic-industrial, two-story setting, with big split-log counters and a lively energy. The whole place smells like rich smoke, and their charcoal grill imbues powerful flavor. Their creative dishes allow curious travelers to sample traditional Icelandic “novelty foods” in a way that feels modern and palatable rather than eating on a dare. Their trio of sliders feature a few bites each of puffin, minke whale, and Icelandic lobster, and their grilled minke whale steak comes on its own little hibachi. The service is helpful and without pretense. You can eat here more affordably at lunch on weekdays (reservations recommended, Mon-Fri 11:30-14:00 & 17:00-22:30, Sat-Sun 17:00-22:30, Lækjargata 2a, tel. 571-7777, www.grillmarkadurinn.is).
$$$ Fiskfélagið (“The Fish Company”) is in the quaint Vesturgata area just off Ingólfstorg square. It fills the dark, stony cellar of a historic house; in the summer, it has outdoor seating in a sunken courtyard by a gurgling pool. Their French-trained chefs meld a variety of cuisines—including Mediterranean and Asian—with a respect for Icelandic ingredients and traditions. They offer weekday lunch specials, a few sushi options, and eclectic fish and non-fish main dishes. Reserve ahead, especially on weekends (Mon-Sat 11:30-14:30 & 17:30-22:30, Sun 17:30-22:30, closed for lunch Sat off-season, Vesturgata 2a, tel. 552-5300, www.fiskfelagid.is).
$$$ Matarkjallarinn (“The Food Cellar”), also at Vesturgata, manages to be one of Reykjavík’s most popular restaurants despite being in a nearly windowless cellar. It’s nicely decorated and feels more contemporary and sleek than its neighbor Fiskfélagið. While pricey at dinner, it’s more affordable at lunch—with set-priced meals and a good-value daily fish combo (Mon-Fri 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-23:00, Sat-Sun 17:00-23:00, Aðalstræti 2, enter from Vesturgata, tel. 558-0000).
$$ Messinn, in a bright space on busy Lækjargata, features an appealing menu of fish and seafood, including “fish pans” served in sizzling skillets. Portions are large—even shareable. With a pleasant, woody Westfjords ambience, it’s a bit more casual and less expensive than some of the fancier places I list in this area. Reserve ahead (daily 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-22:00, Lækjargata 6b, tel. 546-0095, www.messinn.com).
$$ The Laundromat Café is more café than launderette, and a handy place to enjoy comfort food (burgers, sandwiches, and fish) whether or not your laundry is spinning downstairs. The open-feeling space—decorated with photographs of laundromats around the world, big maps, and a bookshelf bar—is understandably popular with travelers. There’s also a children’s play area in the basement (Mon-Fri 8:00-23:00, Sat-Sun from 9:00, Austurstræti 9).
$$ Stofan Café (“Living Room”) is straightforward, central, and popular. With a cozy living-room vibe overlooking a colorful (and touristy) slice of Reykjavík, it’s a tempting place to escape the drizzle for a soup or sandwich. While you’ll find better deals at lunch, prices are reasonable at dinnertime (daily 9:00-23:00, Vesturgata 3, tel. 546-1842).
$$$ Kopar (“Copper”), looking out over the harbor from one of the turquoise sheds, emphasizes fish and shellfish but also serves lamb and horse. They have competitively priced weekday lunches and more expensive dinners (Mon-Fri 11:30-14:00 & 17:00-22:30, Sat-Sun 17:00-22:30, Geirsgata 3, tel. 567-2700).
$ Sægreifinn (“The Seabaron”) is a local institution, beloved for its affordable lobster soup and its late, colorful owner (who lives on in the form of a creepy wax statue in the dining room). Now the old man’s daughter runs the place and keeps things simple: Line up at the register; order your soup and/or seafood skewers (including whale); then find a seat at a shared table in the sprawling interior. If you stop by on the first Saturday of the month in winter and notice a peculiar odor, they’re cooking up a batch of skötustappa—putrefied skate wings in a sheep-innards stew (daily 11:30-23:00, children’s play area, Geirsgata 8, tel. 553-1500).
Quick Meals at the Harbor: For a fast and affordable bite, try $ Hamborgarabúllan (look for “Burger Joint” signs; part of the local Tommi’s chain) for a good-sized burger (daily 11:30-21:00, Geirsgata 1, tel. 511-1888). $ Café Haiti, Icelandic with a Caribbean twist, has inexpensive lamb and fish soups, plus sandwiches and a big coffee selection (long hours, Geirsgata 7b, tel. 588-8484).
The peninsula called Grandi—which defines the far (western) end of the harbor area—has sprouted some trendy eateries, which are a notch less touristy and “ye olde” than choices closer to the whale-watching piers.
$$$ Matur og Drykkur (“Food and Drink”), inside the Saga Museum, prides itself on time-tested recipes that other restaurants might dismiss as old-fashioned. Here, chefs update those traditional dishes for modern tastes. Try the trademark “halibut” soup (not made with halibut—which is illegal, for complicated reasons), cod’s head (more delicious than you’d imagine), or arctic char smoked over burning sheep’s dung (ditto). You’ll also find lots of barley and seaweed on the menu. Despite the casual, rustic bistro ambience, the food is high-end and dinner can be spendy (when reservations are important); it’s much more affordable at lunch, and pairs well with daytime sightseeing nearby (daily 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-22:00, Grandagarður 2, tel. 571-8877, www.maturogdrykkur.is).
$$ Kaffivagninn (“The Coffee Cart”) perches on a pier overlooking bobbing boats. The understated nautical decor is charming, and the seaward glassed-in patio is tempting on a sunny day. The main dishes are Icelandic home-cooking classics like fish cakes, plokkfiskur (fish gratin or hash), and cod, plaice, and arctic char filets; on weekdays, soup and coffee are included (Mon-Fri 7:30-18:00, Sat-Sun from 9:30, Grandagarður 10, tel. 551-5932, http://www.kaffivagninn.is).
$ The Coocoo’s Nest is a somewhat trendier-feeling café just across the street from Kaffivaginn, and lacks its view. But it does have a cozy, split-level, stay-awhile interior and a tempting, brief menu—ideal for escaping the elements and enjoying soup, salad, or sandwiches. It serves a rotating menu—tacos one night, pizza the next, then Italian (Tue-Sat 11:00-22:00, Sun until 16:00, closed Mon, Grandagarður 23, tel. 552-5454).
Ice Cream: Valdís, a couple of doors down, offers creative flavors. The name is a pun—it’s a girl’s first name, but can also be read as “Power Ice Cream” (daily 11:30-23:00, Grandagarður 21).
These places are best for drivers (all have free parking) but can also be reached by bus.
$ Kaffihús Vesturbæjar, an inviting neighborhood café across the street from the Vesturbæjarlaug swimming pool, is the kind of place that makes you want to hang out and pretend you live here. They serve good lunches from a small menu chalked on the board. While I wouldn’t make a special trip, it’s definitely worth a visit if you happen to be nearby (Mon-Fri 8:00-23:00, Sat-Sun from 9:00, hot food served 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-21:00, at Melhaga 20 at corner of Hófsvallagata, walk or take bus #11 to Melaskóli or #15 to Vesturgarður, easy parking, tel. 551-0623, www.kaffihusvesturbaejar.is).
$ Mýrin Mathús, a grill restaurant set unatmospherically inside the BSÍ bus terminal, is worth a visit mostly if you want to eat svið (sheep’s head) served with mashed potatoes and turnips. You’ll get a half sheep’s head grinning at you on a plate (neatly sawed down the midline, brains not included), and a fork and a knife. You eat the cheek meat; those who dare can try the eyeball and tongue. They also dish up other classic Icelandic stick-to-your-ribs fare all day long, like fish cakes, salted lamb, and stuffed cabbage. These dishes come with soup and beverages (Mon-Fri 7:30-21:00, Sat-Sun 6:00-21:00, svið and other hot food served daily 10:30-20:30, small kids eat free with their parents, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, tel. 552-1288, see map on here).
For locations, see the map on here.
$$ Flóran, the relaxing café inside Reykjavík’s botanic garden, has an eclectic, inventive menu, with main dishes and meal-sized salads. Eat outdoors on a nice day, or in the warm, greenhouse-like interior. Befitting the location, they grow some of their own vegetables and herbs (daily 10:00-22:00, early May and Sept until 18:00, closed Oct-April; take bus #2, #5, #15, or #17 to the Laugardalshöll stop and walk 10 minutes downhill to the parking lot and garden entrance; tel. 553-8872).
$ Múlakaffi serves old-style Icelandic cuisine with all the polish of a 1970s school lunchroom. You can stuff yourself for about 2,000 ISK, even at dinnertime. Choose a main dish at the counter—it might be fish cakes, cod cheeks, or pasta with meat sauce—then help yourself to as much soup, salad, bread, butter, and coffee as you like (dishes are listed at www.mulakaffi.is). This place has been here—in a commercial zone amidst office blocks and strip malls—for decades. You’ll see tradespeople here on a midday break and older men who meet to chat and read the papers together (Mon-Fri 7:30-20:00, Sat 10:00-14:00, closed Sun, Hallarmúli 1, bus #2, #5, #15, or #17 to Nordica stop, tel. 553-7737).
This bedroom community, about 15 minutes’ drive south of Reykjavík, isn’t worth going out of your way to get a meal. However, if you’re sleeping in Hafnarfjörður—or passing through on your way back from side-trips to the Blue Lagoon, South Coast, or Golden Circle—it can be easier to grab a bite here than to look for parking downtown. See the “Hafnarfjörður” map, for locations.
$$ Von (“Hope”) is the top choice for foodies. This small, ambitious restaurant serves modern fish and meat dishes and is proud of their seafood and ox cheek. Local office workers come for good weekday lunch specials (reservations recommended for dinner, Tue-Sat 11:30-14:00 & 17:30-21:00, Sun 11:30-14:00, also open Sun evenings June-Aug, closed Mon year-round, Strandgata 75, along the water at the south end of downtown, past the fake stave church, tel. 583-6000, www.vonmathus.is).
$ Pallett, an inviting hangout café in the same complex as Von, is run by an Icelandic-British couple. They serve great coffee, affordable soup and sandwiches, and—on weekends—a full traditional English breakfast at midday (Mon-Fri 8:00-23:00, Sat-Sun from 10:00, Strandgata 75, tel. 571-4144).
$ Bike Cave is a casual hamburger restaurant tucked in the town center, with a spacious interior (including a glassy winter garden) and intriguing burgers (daily 9:00-22:00, Strandgata 34, tel. 571-3144).
$ Súfistinn Kaffihús is a simple, two-story café with soups, sandwiches, and quiches on the old main street, close to the town library (Mon-Fri 8:00-23:30, Sat from 10:00, Sun from 11:00, Strandgata 9, tel. 563-3740).
$$$ Fjörukráin (“The Waterside Tavern”) is a Viking-themed dinner-only restaurant, often busy with groups (you can’t miss it—look for the Norwegian stave church-like roof). It’s kitschy and the prices are high for what you get, but the interior is a work of art and a visit can be fun (daily 18:00-22:00, Strandgata 55, tel. 565-1213).
Keflavík Airport (pronounced KEPP-la-VEEK, code: KEF, tel. 425-6000, www.kefairport.is) is Iceland’s only real international airport and the center of Icelandair’s hub-and-spoke operation that carries thousands of passengers a day between North America and Europe. The airport’s status as a transfer point gives Icelanders a much broader range of flight options, all year long, than they would otherwise have in this small country. Budget carrier Wow Air and several other airlines also serve the airport. Extra flights are added each summer to carry European tourists to Iceland—during summer months, the airport can get very crowded.
Arrival and departure areas are both on the ground floor, on opposite sides of the main terminal building. You’ll find a couple cafés and a convenience store, car rental offices, a tax-refund desk, and ATMs, but no TI. A 24-hour bank is located inside (after security) where you can change any leftover Icelandic crowns when you leave the country—they’re hard to exchange outside Iceland. The airport has free Wi-Fi.
Nearby Gas Stations: When returning a rental car be aware that the airport itself has only a couple of teeny self-serve pumps hidden near the car-rental return. It’s smarter to fill up in downtown Keflavík or at the bigger gas stations a five-minute drive away along the main road from Reykjavík.
The Orkan gas station along the main road, next to the Bónus supermarket, can’t process US chip-and-signature credit cards at the pump but sells prepaid gas cards inside its 24-hour shop. The N1 station in downtown Keflavík takes signature cards, but has shorter hours.
Breakfast Near the Airport: Many flights from the US arrive early in the morning. Hótel Keflavík, near the harbor in the town of Keflavík, offers a buffet open to nonguests (no reservations needed, 2,800 ISK, daily 5:00-10:00, Vatnsnesvegi 12, tel. 420-7000). The Viking World museum on the Reykjanes Peninsula also does a breakfast buffet that includes admission (see here).
The airport is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Reykjavík (30 minutes from Hafnarfjörður). For details on renting a car, see here. Without a rental car, your options are private airport buses, shared door-to-door van service, taxis, or an infrequent public bus.
Don’t worry about making an early flight: The whole system is designed for people to get from Reykjavík with plenty of time to make a 7:00 or 8:00 departure. Buses, shuttles, and taxis are ready to go by 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.
By Airport Bus: Two companies—Reykjavík Excursions and Gray Line—run buses between Reykjavík and the airport. Buses run whenever there are flights, even at odd hours. From the airport, buses typically depart when full, which can mean a wait. From Reykjavík, buses depart according to a schedule that varies depending on the flight density.
Reykjavík Excursions runs the Flybus (tel. 580-5400, www.flybus.is) between the airport and the company’s terminal in Reykjavík (called BSÍ, at Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, about a 10- to 15-minute walk from downtown).
Gray Line runs Airport Express buses (tel. 540-1313, www.airportexpress.is) to and from their terminal at Holtavegur 10, next to a Bónus supermarket in a distant part of Reykjavík.
Taking these buses makes good financial sense for solo travelers and for families, as children ride free or at a sizable discount. But the buses can be slow, disorganized, and stressful. The companies try to fill every seat. At busy times, the aisle will be crowded with hand bags, the luggage compartment will be jammed full, and boarding may be a mob scene. Bring patience.
Both companies have desks in the airport arrivals hall where you can buy tickets; you can also book and pay in advance online. A round-trip ticket (about 4,000 ISK) saves over two one-ways (about 2,500 ISK).
Gray Line’s regular price is a tad cheaper, but Reykjavík Excursions tickets are discounted if you buy them from the flight attendant on board Icelandair. (Icelandair and Reykjavík Excursions have a longstanding business alliance, so you won’t hear or read a word about Gray Line on Icelandair flights.)
In Reykjavík, the buses stop primarily at each company’s main transfer point, but Gray Line also picks up and drops off downtown for no extra charge. En route between Reykjavík and the airport, both companies’ buses stop on request at the bus shelter across from the Viking Village Hótel in downtown Hafnarfjörður (at Strandgata 55). If you need to be picked up there, pay in advance and reconfirm with the company, as buses bypass this stop if there are no requests.
Door-to-Door Service: For an extra 500 ISK each way, each company will tack on the transportation between their transfer point and major hotels and hostels in central Reykjavík. This usually involves a separate minibus trip between the transfer point and the hotel, and takes about 30 extra minutes. It’s cheaper than a taxi, and easier than taking the city bus. The transfer procedures can be confusing (you’ll need to carry your luggage from one bus to the other). If you’re staying in an Airbnb, put in a nearby hotel as your pick-up and drop-off point, then walk from the hotel to your lodgings. If you’re staying way out in the suburbs, the transfer service may not serve any point near you.
By Shared Minibus Service: Door-to-door minibus service is midrange both in price and speed. One company offering this is Back To Iceland Travel, which charges 3,200 ISK per adult and 1,600 ISK per child for a one-way trip—barely more than the airport bus. You may have to wait at the airport for other passengers to arrive, and the minibus will pick up and drop off others on the way between Reykjavík and the airport, so it’s not as quick as a taxi. But you’ll get more personal attention than on the airport bus and door-to-door service. Book in advance on their website; they’ll be waiting for you with your name on a sign when you leave the baggage-claim area (mobile tel. 846-3837, www.btitravel.is).
By Taxi: Groups of at least four adults (who can split the cost) save time and pay only a little more to take a taxi to or from the airport. Anyone up for paying extra to avoid the craziness of the airport buses should also consider a taxi. Reykjavík’s two main taxi companies both offer fixed-price service to and from the airport for about 15,000-16,000 ISK (1-4 passengers) or 19,000-21,500 ISK (5-8 passengers). If you reserve in advance, they’ll wait for you at the airport with a sign. When reserving, tell them your destination and ask their advice; if your starting or ending point is in the southern part of the capital area (for example, in Hafnarfjörður), using the meter may be cheaper than these fixed rates. Contact Hreyfill (tel. 588-5522, www.hreyfill.is) and BSR (tel. 561-0000, www.taxireykjavik.is). Other smaller taxi and transfer companies may offer slightly lower rates.
By Public Bus: Strætó, the public bus company, runs buses (#55) between downtown Reykjavík and Keflavík Airport every 1-2 hours, taking about 70 minutes. At some times of the day and on weekends, they run only between the airport and the Fjörður stop in Hafnarfjörður, where you change to bus #1. The public bus is meant more for commuters than for international travelers and goes infrequently, but it’s the cheapest way into town and has space for luggage. As it’s considered a long-distance route, you can pay the bus driver with a credit card (1,760 ISK or four bus tickets; connecting city buses are free if you ask the drive for a transfer slip). For schedules, see www.straeto.is (enter the airport as “KEF” in the journey planner).
The Strætó bus stop is out in the open air along row A of the car rental lot. To find it, walk out from the arrivals side of the terminal under the roofed walkway, then hang a left and look for the tiny “S” sign (it’s not signposted from inside the arrivals hall).
Reykjavík’s domestic airport (code: RKV) is just south of downtown. Planes landing from the north fly directly over Parliament at a height of only a few hundred feet. While the runways are long enough to land an Icelandair 757, the airport is only used for smaller planes flying domestic routes and to the Faroe Islands and east Greenland. Check-in at the pint-sized terminals feels informal; arriving even an hour early feels like overkill, and there’s no security checkpoint for domestic flights.
It’s important to know that the airport has two terminals on opposite sides of the runway. If you go to the wrong terminal, you’ll have to take a taxi to get to the other (you can’t walk). Air Iceland Connect uses the larger main terminal on the west side of the runways (take bus #15 to the Reykjavíkurflugvöllur stop). If you’re flying on Eagle Air—for example, to the Westman Islands—you’ll go from a separate, smaller terminal on the east side of the runways (take bus #5 to the Nauthólsvegur stop; the terminal is behind the Icelandair Hótel Reykjavík Natura and the control tower). Parking is free at both terminals.
To make an early-morning domestic flight, before buses start running, call a taxi (reserve the night before; see the taxi recommendations earlier, under Keflavík Airport). Figure about 2,000 ISK for a taxi between downtown and either terminal (or between terminals). When you get in the taxi, remember to specify which airline/terminal you’re heading to.
Reykjavík has several bus stations. Buses run by Reykjavík Excursions, including all of their excursion buses and the scheduled FlyBus to the airport, use the old BSÍ bus terminal at Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, about a 15-minute walk from downtown (or take bus #1, #3, #5, #6, #14, or #15 to BSÍ). Two smaller companies, Sterna Travel and TREX, also use BSÍ for their scheduled and excursion buses.
Buses run by Gray Line use their terminal at Holtavegur 10, in the Reykjavík suburbs near the container-ship harbor. Gray Line runs minibuses to hotels around town to pick travelers up and shuttle them to the terminal. You can get within a five-minute walk of the terminal by public bus (#12 or #16 to the Sund or Holtagarðar stops), but it’s easier to use their shuttles.
Long-distance buses run by Strætó, Iceland’s public bus service, depart from the Mjódd bus terminal in the eastern Reykjavík suburbs. It’s next to a small indoor shopping mall, also called Mjódd (MEE-ohd). Many city bus routes stop at Mjódd, including #3, #4, #11, #12, #17, #24, and #28 (no extra charge for transfer ticket).
Strætó’s downtown city bus junction at Hlemmur doesn’t serve long-distance routes, but is a good place to catch a bus to the long-distance terminal at Mjódd.
There’s no scheduled boat service from Reykjavík, but cruise ships frequently stop here in summer. The cruise ship terminal is at Skarfagarðar, a five-minute drive east of downtown; by bus, take #16 to the Klettagarðar/Skarfagarðar stop. Smaller cruise ships occasionally use a berth in the Old Harbor, just steps from downtown. The weekly ferry from Iceland to Denmark leaves from Seyðisfjörður, in eastern Iceland.