Things to do in Reykjavík
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Indian Mango
Indian Mango specialises in Goan food, serving beef, duck, fish and some vegie mains. Its chef – poached from a five-star restaurant – makes up light, spicy, delicious dishes. Its bestselling (seasonal) creation is an Icelandic-Indian hybrid completely unique to this restaurant – svartfugl (guillemot) marinaded in Indian spices.
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Babalú
More inviting than your own living room, this first-floor cafe is ubercute. It only sells tea, coffee, hot chocolate and the odd crêpe, but once you’ve settled into one of its snug corners you won’t want to move. A teeny wooden balcony gives you a great vantage point over Skólavörðustígur, and in summer there’s occasional live music.
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Kolaportið Flea Market
Held in a huge industrial building by the harbour, this weekend market is a Reykjavík institution and definitely worth a visit, particularly in these economically challenged times. Browse through piles of secondhand clothes, music, antiques and children’s toys, or pick up Icelandic fish delicacies including cubes of hákarl.
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Við Tjörnina
People return again and again to this famed seafood establishment, tucked away near Tjörnin. It serves up beautifully presented Icelandic feasts such as guillemot with port, garlic langoustine, or the house speciality marinated cod chins (far more delicious than they sound!). The restaurant itself is wonderfully distinctive – it feels like a quirky upperclass 1950s drawing room.
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Arctic Adventures
With young and enthusiastic staff, this company specialises in action-filled tours – rafting, horse riding, quad bike tours, glacier walks etc.
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Laugardalslaug Geothermal Pool
Laugardalslaug Geothermal Pool is the largest pool in Iceland, with the best facilities: an Olympic-size indoor pool, an outdoor pool, four hot pots and a whirlpool, a steam bath, and a curling 86m water slide. Take bus 14.
Reykjavík's heavenly pools (and beach) are the heart of the city's social life: children play, teenagers flirt, business deals are made, and everyone catches up with the latest gossip. Volcanic water keeps the temperature at a mellow 29°C, and most of the baths have heitir pottar (hot pots), Jacuzzi-like pools kept at a toasting 37°C to 42°C. Admission usually costs around Ikr280/around Ikr120 for adults/children aged 6 to 15, and towels and swimming…
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Bæjarins Beztu
Icelanders are utterly addicted to hot dogs, and they swear the best are those from Bæjarins Beztu, a van situated near the harbour that’s patronised by Bill Clinton! Use the vital sentence Eina með öllu (‘One with everything’) to get one with mustard, tomato sauce (ketchup), rémoulade and crunchy onions.
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Icelandic Fish & Chips
A reader-recommended restaurant serving hearty portions of…well, have a guess! It’s good-value fare (for Iceland, at least), and the owners have put their own singular slant on it with a range of ‘Skyronnaises’ – skyr-based sauces (eg rosemary and green apple) that add an unusual zing to this most traditional of dishes.
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12 Tónar
A very cool place to hang out is 12 Tónar, responsible for launching some of Iceland’s favourite new bands. In the three-floor shop you can listen to CDs, drink coffee and maybe catch a live performance on Friday afternoons.
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Tjörnin
Tjörnin is the placid lake at the centre of the city. It echoes with the honks, squawks and screeches of over 40 species of visiting birds, including swans, geese and artic terns; feeding the ducks is a popular pastime for the under fives. Pretty sculpture-dotted parks line the southern shores, and their lacing paths are much used by cyclists and joggers. In winter, hardy souls strap on ice skates and turn the lake into an outdoor rink.
For a self-guided art tour round Tjörnin, buy the brochure 'The City Statues' (around Ikr200) from the tourist office.
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Tapas Barinn
Indecisive types will have a tough time at this outstanding tapas bar, with over 50 different dishes on the menu – a thousand possible combinations! Alongside familiar Spanish nibbles such as mixed olives and patatas bravas, you’ll find Icelandic ingredients turned into tasty titbits – puffin with blueberries, saltfish, and pan-fried lobster tails. Expect to spend around Ikr3900 per person for a full meal.
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Reykjavík 871 +/-2
The city’s newest exhibition, Reykjavík 871 +/-2, is based around a single 10th-century Viking house but shows what miracles can be achieved when technology, archaeology and imagination meet. Through 21st-century wizardry, a fire leaps from the hearth, while around the walls ghostly settlers materialise to tend crops, hunt, launch a boat, and bury their dead. Go and marvel!
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Whale Safari and Puffin Island Tour from Reykjavik
2.5 - 3 Hours (Departs Reykjavik, Iceland)
by Viator
If you're in Reykjavik, you're in exactly the right place to spot whales and seabirds! Sail on Faxafloi bay - home to a unique variety of the Minke whale, the H…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$71.47 -
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Sægreifinn
Eccentric Sægreifinn serves up fresh seafood in what looks almost like a 1950s English chip shop…except for the stuffed seal. The owner is a sprightly old gent who buys and cooks all the fish himself – lobster soup and fish kebabs are specialities. He only speaks Icelandic, so make sure you know what you’re asking for!
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Á Næstu Grösum
This first-rate vegie restaurant, in a cheerful orange room overlooking Laugavegur, offers several daily specials. It uses seasonal organic veg, and inventive dressings guaranteed to give even lettuce new appeal. Things get extra spicy on Indian nights (Friday and Saturday), and organic wine and beer are available.
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Hereford Steakhouse
This modern 1st-floor steakhouse grills up top-class steaks (of beef, lamb, turkey, veal and whale), priced by weight and cut. You can pick from fillets, T-bones, rib eyes and entrecôtes, and watch as they’re cooked at the grilling station in the centre of the dining room. There’s a good red-wine list.
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Santa Maria
A genuine Mexican restaurant in the heart of town, Santa Maria is run by Ernesto, originally from Mexico City, who brought his mum to Iceland to train his chefs in cooking up authentic enchiladas, mole, chicken tortillas and the rest. Relaxed, and extraordinarily good value.
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Eldsmiðjan
Reykjavík residents are devoted to the pizzeria Eldsmiðjan, tucked away on a quiet residential street. Its fiercely busy takeaway serves the best pizzas in the city, baked in a brick oven fired by Icelandic birch – or you can sit down to devour.
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Café Haiti
If you’re a coffee fan, this tiny cafe near the harbour is the place for you. Owner Elda buys her beans from her home country of Haiti, and roasts and grinds them on-site, producing what regulars swear are the best cups of coffee in the country.
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Kaffi Sólon
Decked out with white-leather seats and oversized artwork, this ultracool bistro (and nightspot) offers tasty international dishes at reasonable prices. Vegetarians should head here for the best quiche in town.
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Perlan
Looking like half of Barbarella’s bra, Perlan is a complex based around the huge hot-water tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill. It’s about 2km from the city centre (take bus 18 from Hlemmur).
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Celtic Cross
If Víking beer isn’t doing it for you, head for a pint of Guinness at Celtic Cross. It is done up like a funeral parlour and features bands in the basement at weekends.
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Barbara
Barbara is a gay bar/club in theory, although in practice it attracts everyone in town who likes wild dancing.
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Laxnes
This farm, based near the eastern suburb of Mosfellsbær, offers rides in the area round Halldór Laxness' former home
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Reykjavík Art Museum
The excellent Reykjavík Art Museum is split over three sites: Ásmundarsafn, Hafnarhúsið and Kjarvalsstaðir.
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