Reykjavik: Your Destination Guide
Visiting for the first time?
Take a hike: Reykjavik is compact and really easy to get around, so you can see many of the sights on foot. Start by the sea and take a look at the unusualarchitecture, including colourful houses and the Alþingi parliament building.
Experience local culture:make sure you take in some of the city’s vibrant cultural scene, whether in the Nordic House exhibition space or the Harpa concert hall, worth a trip for the magnificent glass-fronted building alone.
Shop until you drop: sample the boutiques and independent stores around Laugavegur before dropping by the Kolaportið flea market. Once you’re spent up, relax by Tjörnin, the small lake in the city centre.
Sample the art scene: there are museums and galleries galore here. The pick of the bunch are the Art Museum and the informative National Museum of Iceland. Don’t miss the chance to see some of Iceland’s best modern art in i8, either.
Climb the church tower: towering over most other buildings is the Hallgrímskirkja, a beautiful white-concrete church with a lookout point in its spire giving incredible views over the city.
Looking for something different?
Relax in a thermal pool: a trip to one of the city’s outdoor pools is a great way to experience local life and enjoy a spot of pampering. Laugardalslaug, which has a steam bath, a seawater bath and a water slide, is one of the most popular.
Taste something new: with a feast of international flavours, finding somewhere to dine out is easy, but for something a little different why not try Icelandic delicacies like pickled herring or reindeer? Or perhaps a little fermented shark?
Go on the runtur: experience the city’s nightlife on a runtur – or round trip – of all the great bars. A staple of weekends all over Iceland, expect to be out until the small hours.
Discover Iceland’s past: from Vikings to volcanic eruptions, learn all about Iceland’s past at the Saga Museum, which uses mannequins based on casts of today’s Reykjavik residents to bring history to life.
Want to go further?
The Northern Lights can be seen from several spots around Reykjavik in the winter months and there are loads of tour companies in the city that will make sure you get the best views.
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The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is where thousands of travellers go each year to soak in mineral-rich waters that bubble up from below the earth’s surface.
Want to know a secret?
Cutting-edge gallery Kling & Bang is the place to go to see some of the city’s up-and-coming young artists and is also rumoured to be a hang-out of musician Björk.
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