Things to do in Reykjavík
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Reykjavík
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer into early August, peak and midnight sun. Puffins, peak whale watching, highland access and festivals, 10 to 15 degrees, highest prices and no northern lights.
Late August to October, the best all round window. Darkness and aurora return, roads still easy, crowds and prices fall, October is wettest and ice caves start.
Winter, about 4 hours daylight at the solstice. Northern lights, ice caves, hot pots in snow and cheapest hotels, but storms cancel tours so build buffer days.
Spring balance season. March pairs aurora with returning daylight, April is a shoulder bargain, May is near summer light without summer prices or crowds.
What's on
- Icelandic National Day 17 June
Parades and street celebrations downtown under near midnight sun.
- Culture Night August
The city's biggest festival, in August in summer season.
- Reykjavík Pride early August
A week of events with a huge Saturday parade, a city festival since 2017.
- Reykjavík Jazz Festival Usually late August
Late August festival centred on Harpa.
- RIFF, Reykjavík International Film Festival Usually late September to early October
Iceland's largest film festival, late September to early October.
- Winter Lights Festival (Vetrarhátíð) early February
Free Museum Night, Pool Night and a light trail across the capital area, the best reason to come in the darkest month.
- Reykjavík Arts Festival Late May to June in even years
Biennial arts festival across the city; the next edition is in 2028.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Reykjavík
Golden Circle
The essential loop pairing Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss in one day that orients the whole Iceland trip.
Silfra
Snorkel in glacial water between two tectonic plates with visibility past 100 metres, in a drysuit.
Sky Lagoon
Infinity edge geothermal lagoon on the coast with a seven step ritual, calmer and closer than Blue Lagoon.
Sundhöllin
Downtown 1937 municipal pool with hot pots and steam, where locals soak in any weather for very little.
Vesturbæjarlaug
West end neighbourhood pool loved for hot tub conversation with locals, plus cold tub and steam.
Perlan
Ice cave, volcano and glacier exhibits and a northern lights show under one dome, plus a 360 degree deck.
Hallgrímskirkja
Take the lift up Iceland's tallest church for the coloured rooftops panorama that defines the city.
Harpa Concert Hall
Free to wander glass concert hall that changes with the light, best paired with a concert and harbour walk.
Where to stay in Reykjavík
101 Downtown core
first trip, all-round base
Main shopping and restaurant streets, Harpa, the harbour and tour pickups all walkable, but bar streets are loud at weekends.
Old Harbour / Grandi
food, calm and character
Converted fish factory west end with food hall, galleries, whale boats and the city's best seafood, quieter at night.
Þingholt / Tjörninn (the lake district)
quiet-central compromise
Handsome residential streets around the City Hall lake, central to everything and residential at night.
Vesturbær (the West End)
local, longer stay
Real neighbourhood of corrugated iron houses by the university and Vesturbaejarlaug pool, 15 to 20 minutes walk to centre.
Hlíðar / Hlemmur
best value in 101/105
Around Hlemmur food hall and the top of Laugavegur, larger mid range hotels at lower prices and still walkable.
Think twice about
- Directly on the Laugavegur bar strip
Ground floor rooms over the bars mean drunk crowds and 5am kick out noise on Friday and Saturday. Two blocks east or one street south is fine.
- Keflavik town and the airport corridor as a Reykjavik base
About 45 minutes away in another town by the airport. Fine for a first or last flight night, a false economy as a city base.
- Suburban commercial strips without a car
Hotel clusters by Smaralind mall, Borgartun offices or the Ring Road are dull and bus or taxi dependent for every dinner.
Best restaurants in Reykjavík
Dill
Iceland's defining starred tasting menu built only from island ingredients, dried, smoked and fermented.
ÓX
Tiny chef's counter behind a cocktail bar, one seating a night and about 20 courses cooked in front of you.
Skál!
Great-value Icelandic small plates in its own downtown dining room, the best value serious dinner in town.
Matur og Drykkur
Old Icelandic recipes from old cookbooks made modern in a salt cod factory, with cod's head the signature.
Sumac Grill + Drinks
Charcoal grilled Middle Eastern sharing plates and flatbreads, the lively counterweight to Nordic restraint.
Austur-Indíafélagið
Regional Indian technique applied to Icelandic produce, with tandoor grilled salmon the singled out dish.
Messinn
The day's fish fried and served sizzling in its pan with buttered potatoes, generous and fast, no ceremony.
Hlemmur Mathöll
First food hall in the old bus station, serious stalls at the closest thing the city has to moderate prices.
Outdoor things to do in Reykjavík
South Coast
Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, a glacier view and Reynisfjara black beach in the best single day out of the city.
Sólheimajökull
Guided walk on ash streaked glacier ice with crampons and ice axe, beginner friendly and never unguided.
Katla Ice Cave
Blue ice streaked with black ash above Katla volcano, reached by super jeep and open all year round.
Crystal Ice Cave
Vivid blue winter only caves on Vatnajokull, each season different, visitable roughly October to April.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Icebergs drift across the lagoon and wash up on Diamond Beach, worth it despite the very long day.
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Kirkjufell, black churches and beaches, cliff walks and a glacier volcano compressed into one long loop.
Golden Circle
The classic loop graded honestly: Thingvellir and Gullfoss earn it, Strokkur is fun, Kerid is skippable.
Silfra
The activity people rank above the sights: floating between continents in clear glacial water.
Best hotels in Reykjavík
The Reykjavík EDITION
The city's only true international luxury flagship, by Harpa with TIDES restaurant, spa and rooftop bay views.
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre
Best all rounder on a quiet side street off Laugavegur, with strong breakfast and bikes to borrow.
Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel, Curio by Hilton
Former department store and consulate building with character and a small basement spa bath, near the lake.
101 Hotel
The original boutique design hotel, art filled with a much loved glass ceiling bar. Book courtyard facing.
Exeter Hotel by Keahotels
Industrial chic converted warehouse by the Old Harbour with an in house bakery locals queue at, plus sauna.
Miðgarður by Center Hotels
Sensible larger mid range hotel at Laugavegur's east end with spa and hot tub, 15 minutes walk to centre.
KEX Hostel
Social hostel in a former biscuit factory with dorms, private rooms, guest kitchens and a cafe bar locals use.
Loft HI Eco Hostel
Central hostel steps from Laugavegur with dorms, private rooms and a rooftop terrace and bar.
Is Reykjavík expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ISK 18,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ISK 37,426 a person |
| Splurge | ISK 70,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Golden Circle: weeks ahead
- Silfra: weeks ahead
- Sky Lagoon: a few days ahead
- Sundhöllin: a few days ahead
- Vesturbæjarlaug: a few days ahead
- Perlan: a few days ahead
- Hallgrímskirkja: a few days ahead
- Harpa Concert Hall: a few days ahead
- Dill and OX as early as reservations open, Dill about 3 months out.
- Sky Lagoon timed entry days ahead in summer, a week or more for sunset slots.
- Silfra, small group Golden Circle and South Coast tours and northern lights tours book early June to August.
- Book the aurora tour for your first night, most operators let you retry free on later nights.
- Hotels in June to August and around Iceland Airwaves squeeze the whole city, book cancellable rooms early.
Is Reykjavík safe?
- Reykjavik is ranked the safest city in the world for travellers and walking the centre at night is normal.
- Late night bar scene gets extremely drunk by 3am. Stay together and never leave a drink unattended or accept one you did not see poured.
- Pickpocketing in crowded central spots is rising with tourist numbers.
- Nature is the real risk: weather changes in an hour, storms close roads, and at Reynisfjara never turn your back on the sea.
- Check vedur.is and safetravel.is, and leave a trip plan there if self driving in winter.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Reykjavík travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Blue Lagoon as a city day trip: priciest lagoon, by the airport, bus load busy and in an active eruption zone with repeated closures. Do Sky Lagoon, Hvammsvik or a local pool instead.
- Big bus Golden Circle at midday, with photo queues at Gullfoss. Go small group, early, self drive or in summer evening light.
- Laugavegur puffin shops selling imported stock at markups. For a hand knitted sweater use the Handknitting Association of Iceland on Skolavordustigur.
- Novelty museums as a main event. The Phallological Museum is a funny 30 minutes and Perlan does indoor Iceland better.
- Hallgrimskirkja interior as the attraction. It is a spare working church, you are paying for the tower view.
- Fermented shark is a dare not a delicacy, and bringing whale products home to the US is illegal.
Getting around Reykjavík: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, the whole of 101 is 20 minutes end to end.
- There is no Uber or Lyft. Taxis are expensive, Hreyfill is the main firm, hailed by app, phone or ranks.
- City buses are Straeto, paid via the Straeto or Klapp app or card, not cash.
- Keflavik airport is 50km and 45 minutes away. Flybus and airport buses meeting every flight are the default transfer.
- Rent a car only for days beyond the standard tours, and check road.is and vedur.is every morning. Never take a small 2WD on F-roads.
Who Reykjavík suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Reykjavík your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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