Reykjavík is the capital city of Iceland, the world’s northernmost capital. The city has a vibrant cultural and design scene, with plenty of exciting adventure tours, vivid nightlife, modern museums, world-class restaurants, galleries, shops, bars and clubs for you to explore throughout your stay.
Iceland’s capital city is also a terrific base from which to experience some of the island’s breathtakingly beautiful natural wonders, such as the famous Blue Lagoon geothermic spa, The Northern Lights or The Golden Circle; where you’ll witness spouting geysers, waterfalls, rift valleys and more. Whatever way you choose to spend your time in Reykjavík, this is one city break that is truly unique.
Reykjavík’s town center is relatively small, which makes it easy to explore on foot in 2-3 hours. Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur are the city’s main shopping areas, with the latter being ultra-trendy and increasingly popular. This area is decorated with very cool and alternative street art and leads up to Hallgrimskirkja Church. The church itself is one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable buildings in Iceland and reminiscent of something you might see in Lord of the Rings. Inside, modern art furbishes the foyer, iPads offer a wealth of additional information and an elevator takes visitors to the top of the building, where they can enjoy awe-inspiring panoramic views of the city.
The Sun Voyager is a metal statue resembling a Viking longboat which sits on the seashore in Reykjavík. This piece of artwork by Jón Gunnar Árnaso is one of the most visited sights in Reykjavík and makes a great photo location with its view of Mount Esja on the other side of the bay.
The Flea Market is open every weekend and offers an amazing variety of handmade artifacts, jewelry, and knitted wares among the many interesting antiquities and secondhand items.
The Old Harbor area offers a stunning selection of fish and steak restaurants, cafés, and a lovely atmosphere which resembles the city’s close relationship with the sea. All of the whale watching, fishing, puffin watching, and Northern Lights boat tours depart from here.
The Parliament Building hosts the meetings of the Icelandic parliament (Alþingi). It was built in 1880-1881 and has the oldest public garden in Iceland. The modest parliament building is also home to the National Library, the Antiquities Collection (a precursor of the National Museum), and the National Gallery.
The City Hall and the Pond, called Tjörnin, and the nice park that surrounds them is another of the most commonly recommended places in Reykjavík to explore. The prominent lake is home to 40-50 bird species and the park is one of the locals’ favourite recreation areas.
The Cabinet House was originally built to accommodate vagabonds in the 18th century but then the Danish government decided that the house should serve as a prison, which it did until 1816. In 1904, when Iceland was granted home rule, this announcement was read publicly on the steps of the Cabinet House and then the official flag of the country was hoisted for the first time in front of this building. Consequently, the house was occupied by the ministers of the Icelandic government and got its present role.
Laugavegur is the main shopping street in Reykjavík. It is famed for its boutiques, souvenir stores, restaurants, and bars. It is one of the oldest streets in Reykjavík and is considered to be the heart of the downtown area.
Hallgrímskirkja church, with its height of 74.5 meters (244 feet), is the largest church in Iceland and one of its tallest structures. It is visible from everywhere in the city as it sits at the top of a small hill. Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran parish church designed to resemble the trap rocks, mountains, and glaciers of Iceland.
Perlan, a distinctive glass dome resting on five water tanks on the top of a hill, now serves as a museum, café, and restaurant. It offers one of the best views over Reykjavík and is surrounded by a beautiful, small, forested park.
Harpa Concert Hall. For all the culture vultures out there, Reykjavík’s Harpa Concert Hall is a nailed on must-see experience. The impressive contemporary structure cost $164 million to build over a four-year period. The glass and steel work is nothing short of breathtaking, and the designs’ impressive detailing will keep those that way inclined entertained for hours. The Harpa Concert Hall offer year-round cultural events as well as daily exhibitions during the summer months. The award-winning architecture of the Harpa plays host to everything from classical concerts and local poetry readings to traditional Icelandic folk songs and hymns sang and performed by talented local singers and pianists. There are even regular stand-up comedy shows on offer which give a great insight into the funny side of Icelandic culture and at the nation’s unique sense of humor. If exploring the history of the building and fully experiencing its award-winning architecture is your thing, the Harpa Centre provides tours that grant access to areas that are not generally open to the public. Your guide will share some of Harpa’s secrets, stories of odd incidents and the struggles they faced during the economic crisis.
Reykjavík is famous for having a thriving nightlife scene and for hosting some of the best music festivals in Northern Europe such as Iceland Airwaves. Thanks to its size, the downtown area is ideal for bar crawls. Breweries can be found everywhere and the craft beer selection is just stunning.
The nightlife in Reykjavík centers around the main shopping street; Laugavegur. There is plenty of life on neighboring Hverfisgata and Laugavegur as well. Adjacent to Austurstræti is Hafnarstræti, with a few bars located on Naustin also. Walking from bar to bar, you’re not going to break into much of a sweat as they are less than 20 paces from one another, which means the streets are as lively and entertaining as the bars themselves, weather permitting of course. Bar hopping is the norm in Reykjavík, and it’s rare for locals to stay in one place for the full night. All of this makes for a hugely entertaining evening of delicious bite-size samples of varying vibes and multiple music genres. Very few of these bars charge entry fees (unless there is a live band playing or something very special going on), meaning you can hop from one bar to another, changing your location if you don’t like the music or surroundings (or if you’re looking for love!).
Cocktail bars and dance clubs are numerous and one can find a good place to enjoy any party style in the downtown area, for sure. To the joy of bar crawlers, some hot dog stands are open around the clock downtown.
Gastronomy
Iceland is surrounded by ocean, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that fish and seafood is a big part of the Icelandic cuisine. Most of the traditional Icelandic food revolves around fish, dairy, bread, potatoes, and lamb.
The roots of Iceland’s cuisine comes from the Scandinavian cuisine after Norse Vikings settled here during the 9th century and onwards.
Today, food from all over the world is widely available at the restaurants in Reykjavik and other cities. A lot of the restaurants specialize in seafood with an emphasis on quality of products, rather than the traditional ways of cooking.
Kjötsupa – Traditional Lamb meat soup
This soup is made from the tougher bits of the lamb and a variety of Icelandic herbs and vegetables. Most Icelanders eat this during the colder months.
Plokkfiskur
Another traditional dish in Iceland is this fish stew, known locally as “Plokkfiskur”. It consists of boiled cod or haddock filets with potatoes, either mashed and scrambled. It’s probably the most appealing Icelandic dish for most visitors. For the locals, it used to be a way of preserving leftovers, but today it’s a common dish that the families usually have their own version of.
Harðfiskur – Dried Fish Jerky
Hardfiskur is considered a delicacy in Iceland, and you can find it everywhere. If you like beef jerky, chances are you will also like the Icelandic version and find this unusual snack quite tasty. It’s best served with some Icelandic butter.
Hákarl – Fermented Shark
Another traditional dish from Iceland is the Hakarl, which basically is fermented shark, consisting of Greenland shark or other sleeper sharks. Back in the days, the shark meat was buried underground in the sand for 3 months and later hung up for another 3-4 months to dry. Nowadays, 5-10 kg of meat is being cut and put into boxes for 6-9 weeks in order to ferment, and later on, hung up for 3-4 months.
This is being eaten year round in Iceland, but a lot of tourists say it’s one of the worst things they have ever eaten. The shark meat has a certain ammonia taste over it.
Icelandic Fish
As you might have noticed, fish and seafood, in general, make up a great portion of Icelandic food due to the country’s location in the middle of the ocean. Fishing has been an important way to feed the population throughout history and there are at least 340 species of saltwater fish recorded.
- Catfish
- Capelin
- Cod
- Dealfish
- Greenland shark
- Haddock
- Halibut
- Lumpsucker or lumpfish
- Lycodes
- Mackerel
- Monkfish
- Saithe/Pollock
In addition to that, three species of Salmon can be found in rivers and lakes. The fish that’s being served in Iceland’s restaurants are often very fresh, and could even be the catch of the day.
Hrútspungar – Sour Ram’s Testicles
If you thought the sheep’s head was strange, there’s another Icelandic dish you can taste, which is called Hrútspungar. The English translation for the dish’s name is Sour Ram’s Testicles, which is exactly what you will be served. Yes, you read that right, testicles, balls or whatever you want to call it. The locals seem to love it, and this dish can be prepared in several different ways.
Pylsur – Hot Dog
Hot dogs are pretty common as fast food in Iceland but don’t expect it to be cheap by international standards though. An Icelandic Pylsur could easily go for 7 USD. Compare this to Sweden, where you can buy hot dogs in IKEA for 50 cents.
Brennivín
This is the national liquor of Iceland, and it’s basically a schnapps. It’s also known locally as svartidauði, which would translate into the black death in English. Brennivín is made from fermented grain or potato mash and flavored with caraway, and it resembles the Scandinavian Akvavit.
Skyr
The iconic yogurt of Iceland is called Skyr, and you can find it everywhere, in abundance. It has become so popular that it’s now even being exported to other countries.
Rúgbrauð – Dark Rye Bread from a Hot Spring
Rye Bread is popular to eat in Iceland, and it’s usually served as a side to fish dishes. One particular type of Rye bread that you should try while visiting Iceland is the one that’s been made from a hot spring!
Climate
The best time to visit Reykjavik is from May until September. Not only can you enjoy the balmy temps (for Iceland, at least), but you’ll also experience long days (think: up to 21 hours of sunlight … a phenomenon dubbed “midnight sun”).
The average temperature from May until September are between 8°C and 14°C.
