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Travel guide
Reykjavík
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September; February to March and October for the northern lights
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Welcome
Reykjavík, in a few days
The world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state, home to about 140,000 people, lies between the concrete spire of Hallgrímskirkja, the old harbour where whale-watching boats leave and geothermal pools at 38°C that open early in the morning. The Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon are within an hour, and the northern lights are watched for from Grótta lighthouse.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hallgrímskirkja · about 45 minThe 74.5-metre Lutheran church on Skólavörðuholt hill, designed in 1937 by Guðjón Samúelsson after Iceland's basalt columns and built between 1945 and 1986.
- Afternoon · Harpa and the Sun Voyager free · about 1 h 30The harbourside concert hall of 2011, with a glass facade by Olafur Eliasson based on basalt columns, near the Sun Voyager sculpture.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Leifur Eiriksson€130 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Old Harbour and whale watching · 2 to 3 hYear-round three-hour trips into Faxaflói Bay: minke whales and white-beaked dolphins on most outings, humpbacks often from April to October.
- Afternoon · Laugardalslaug pool · about 1 h 30The city's largest pool, opened in 1968, with an outdoor 50-metre pool, hot pots, a seawater pool and slides, all fed by geothermal water.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Fosshotel Reykjavik€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sky Lagoon · 2 to 3 hA geothermal lagoon opened in 2021 at Kársnes, 15 minutes from the centre, with a 75-metre infinity edge and a seven-step bathing ritual.
- Afternoon · Grótta lighthouse and the northern lights free · an eveningThe darkest spot in the city, at the tip of Seltjarnarnes, with an open view north; the lighthouse islet is reached at low tide.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Center Hotels Plaza€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Blue Lagoon · 2 to 3 hMilky blue water from the Svartsengi geothermal plant, coloured by silica, in a lava field on the Reykjanes peninsula, 50 km south-west of the city.
- Afternoon · The Golden Circle free · a full dayA 230 km day loop east of the city; at Þingvellir, a UNESCO site, the American and Eurasian plates drift 2 cm apart each year.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Frón€150 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Skyr: thick fresh dairy, somewhere between yoghurt and soft cheese, and full of protein.
- Lamb soup (kjötsúpa): what you want after a day outside.
- Hot dogs (pylsur): the local street food. Bæjarins Beztu in Reykjavik is the one with the queue.
- Fish straight off the boat: cod, halibut, langoustine.
- Rye bread baked in the ground, by geothermal heat.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Never take the weather lightly. It turns in minutes, and the forecast is not decoration.
- Everything is expensive. Shop at Bónus or Krónan rather than eating out twice a day.
- Do not drive off-road and do not walk on the moss. It takes decades to grow back, and the fines are real.
- Book accommodation and the car far ahead in summer. Late means nothing left.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Icelandic
| English | Icelandic |
|---|---|
| Hello | Halló / Góðan dag |
| Thank you | Takk |
| Please | Gjörðu svo vel |
| Yes | Já |
| No | Nei |
| Excuse me | Afsakið |
| Goodbye | Bless |
| Do you speak English? | Talar þú ensku? |
| I don't understand | Ég skil ekki |
| How much is it? | Hvað kostar þetta? |
| Where are the toilets? | Hvar er klósettið? |
| The bill, please | Reikninginn, takk |
| Help! | Hjálp! |
| Cheers! | Skál! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyIcelandic króna (ISK)
BudgetAbout €200 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September; February to March and October for the northern lights
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink, and among the best anywhere
TippingIncluded, no need to add anything
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Make sure tetanus, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/reykjavik
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.