Last summer, when we ended our crazy road-trip through the Alps and Balkans, we had one more stop: Iceland. First, we wanted to check out Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik, so we booked two nights at a local Airbnb.
After the hot sun and 80 degree humidity of Croatia, we figured we would be in for a bit of a climate change– we had no clue, though, how much! Even in the summer, Reykjavik was cold and rainy. The weather wasn’t going to stop us, though! The first thing we did after parking our car was stop for some matching hats.
We arrived just as the 2018 World Cup game between Iceland and Nigeria was starting, so all of Reykjavik was outside watching the game together on big-screen TVs set up around town.
After the game (which, unfortunately, Iceland lost), we did some exploring. My pictures didn’t come out great since it was so rainy and cold. We were, however, still able to see some of Iceland’s most prominent and iconic landmarks, try some Icelandic food and drink, and take part in some favorite Icelandic pastimes.
Top Things to Do in Reykjavik
#5 Eat an Icelandic Hotdog
I’m not sure why, but Icelanders love their hot dogs. Icelandic hotdogs are not made with your typical beef, but instead are made with ground lamb. I actually hate lamb, but I liked these. There’s the most famous one right downtown called Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, but having sampled a few different hot dogs from different stands, we found them all to be very similar. In fact, our first meal in Iceland (and our last) was a hot dog from a stand near the car rental place, which was hotter, equally tasty, and let us skip the long lines!
#4 Explore the Local Beer Scene
If you love beer like Sean and I do, this is going to be on your bucket list. But beware, it is expensive! Check out my travel tips for Iceland for more information about buying liquor and beer.
Despite the fact that beer was outlawed in Iceland until as recently as 1989, there are plenty of places in Iceland to grab yourself a pint. We loved both Mikkeller & Friends and Skúli Craft Bar, both in downtown Reykjavik and both boasting a wide beer selection. We also treated ourselves to a flight from the aptly named Icelandic Craft Bar. Their warm wood-interior tap room was a great refuge from the cold rainy day outside. The flight included six different local beers by Viking and Einstök. Plus, the beer came in an adorable Iceland-shaped flight glass holder!
#3 Check out the Landmarks
Reykjavik is very small and walkable, so you’ll be able to see everything in just a few hours. There are free tours, but we didn’t find this to be necessary. The most prominent landmark in the city is a church called Hallgrímskirkja, made famous for its unique architecture.
My favorite landmark was Harpa, Reykjavik’s music hall. The glass window detailing is just stunning. You can go in for free, like we did. If you go on a tour, you can climb up the stairs towards the top of the building. Tours currently run about $10-12 USD per person.
Another one of Reykjavik’s most iconic landmarks is the sculpture by the bay called The Sun Voyager. Every time I tried to go down there, it was raining really hard and there were still tons of tourists doing the same thing I was doing (I guess I can’t fault them for that). Even with all the rain and fog, it was still very cool.
#2: Head to a Public Swimming Pool
Most people have heard of The Blue Lagoon (check out my review of the Blue Lagoon here), but there are a ton of other places to enjoy the geothermal waters in Iceland, both natural and man-made. Seeing how cold, wet, and rainy it was, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to check out a local place to swim. There are many options, such as the ever popular Vesturbaejarlaug, which is walking distance to downtown, or Sundhollin, the oldest public bath in Reykjavik.
Since we had a car, we opted for one a little further from downtown called Sundlaug Kopavogs, which boasts three pools, seven hot tubs, a steam room, and three water slides. And yes, Sean and I did check out the water slides! Also, the cost is much cheaper than that of The Blue Lagoon, at less than $7.50 usd.
Here are a few tips before you head to one of the local pools:
- Every single person we saw at the pool was a local– we were the only tourists.
- Being on your phone or having loud conversations is considered rude. However, everyone was extremely helpful and friendly. Strike up a conversation and get to know the people who live here!
- Soap and lockers are provided. I believe there is an extra charge if you need to rent a towel.
- Cleanliness is key! You will need to shower in an open area shower before putting on your bathing suit. There are separate shower rooms for women and men. A word of caution: Before coming, I read a few horror stories of tourists being chastised by locals for not cleaning “thoroughly” enough. I didn’t have any issues in this regard, but I was also very conscientious in my cleansing efforts.
#1 Try some Icelandic Cuisine!
We love food, so of course we had to try some of the local cuisine. Grillmarkaðurinn translates to “Grill Market” in English and is perhaps one of Reykjavik’s most fancy and expensive restaurants. Wanting to try something native to Iceland, Sean ordered the Minke Whale steaks.
In case anyone is concerned, Minke whales are not endangered. They are, in fact, delicious, and taste like a very tender steak. When I asked the waiter whether or not locals actually ate Minke, his response was “whenever they can.” This is the opposite of the local Atlantic puffin, which is endangered. According to our very informative and friendly waiter, locals usually only eat puffing once a year during Iceland’s Puffin Festival, which takes place on the island of Vestmannaeyjar. The puffin you can eat at restaurants like Grillmarkaðurinn and during the festival are not the endangered Atlantic Puffin, but rather a different species that has been smoked and then shipped from thousands of miles away.
Our favorite restaurant by far was Ostabúðin, right off of Reykjavik’s main street. Far less expensive or fancy, the food was some of the best we’d had on our entire 24 day trip! Part gourmet deli, part restaurant, Ostabúðin is a cozy place to have a heartening lunch or dinner. We tried both in our two days here! For lunch, we shared a delicious goose salad and their soup of the day, a white creamed asparagus soup that warmed me up despite the cool weather. We were so impressed by the food and the friendly service, we booked dinner reservations for the next evening. While I wouldn’t suggest eating out too much if you are on a budget, if you can afford it, this was well worth the money.
Bonus: Golfing in the Midnight Sun
Okay, this is probably not up everyone’s ally, but if you ask Sean, it was the best thing he did in Reykjavik, so I’m including it. For golf aficionados, this is one of the most beautiful golf courses in the planet. In the midnight sun, it is open 24 hours a day. Since we were there in June, we took advantage of the eternal sunshine as much as we could. In nice weather, Westman Islands Golf Club has stunning views of downtown Reykjavik across the bay. If you don’t have a car, there is a 30 minute ferry you can take from town, and they have golf clubs for rent.
I actually slept while he did this activity, but he was so impressed that we drove down to the course before exploring other things Iceland had to offer (like the Golden Circle, or, my favorite, Iceland’s South Shore).
The golf course is set on a volcano, and the midnight sun definitely makes it seem extra other-worldly.
Reykjavik was only the start to our trip, as the best Iceland has to offer is actually outside the cute town. However, we loved our time here and I hope to explore more during our 12 hour layover this summer!