Reykjavík

It's Saturday night on Laugavegur and the sun is still up. A queue has formed at a hot dog stand by the harbour, the pool in Vesturbær is full of people arguing about politics in a hot tub, and somebody is walking a dog past a church shaped like a basalt cliff. This is Reykjavík. It takes a little getting used to.

Iceland's capital is small. About 140,000 people live in the city, and around 250,000 in the wider capital area, which is most of the country's population. You can walk across downtown Reykjavík in half an hour. That's partly the charm, and it's also why most visitors use the city as a base: nearly everything you've heard about in Iceland can be reached on a day trip from here.

Tours that visit Reykjavík

top pick

Lava Show Reykjavík

55 minutes · From Reykjavík

4.9(3,082)

From 6.590 ISK

popular

Reykjavík Classic Whale Watching

3 hours · From Reykjavík

4.7(2,980)

From 14.500 ISK

top pick

The Reykjavík Food Walk

3 hours · From Reykjavík

5(19,386)

From 17.900 ISK

popular

Northern Lights Bus Tour From Reykjavík

4 hours · From Reykjavík

4.4(2,066)

From 9.990 ISK

Red Lava Horse Riding Tour - Reykjavík

2 hours and 30 minutes · From Reykjavík

4.7(420)

From 16.200 ISK

Katla Ice Cave & South Coast Tour from Reykjavík

12 hours · From Reykjavík

4.5(343)

From 35.990 ISK

Things to do in Reykjavík

Start at Hallgrímskirkja, the concrete church at the top of Skólavörðustígur. The tower has the best view in the city. Wander down the rainbow street to Laugavegur, the main shopping street, and on to the harbour, where Harpa concert hall sits right on the water and the Sun Voyager sculpture looks out across the bay to Mount Esja.

Go for a swim. Icelanders don't go to pubs to talk, they go to hot tubs. Sundhöllin, near Hallgrímskirkja, and Vesturbæjarlaug are both central and cheap compared to the lagoons, and you shower naked before you get in. Everyone does. The National Museum gives you the country's story in an afternoon, and the Old Harbour is where the whale-watching and puffin boats leave from.

Eat a hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu, order one with everything, then go and find some good fish. Hlemmur Mathöll, a food hall in an old bus station, is a reliable spot when everyone wants something different.

Pro tip: don't expect to see the northern lights from downtown. The streetlights wash them out. If the forecast is good, get out of the city, to Grótta at the tip of Seltjarnarnes if you're on foot, or on a northern lights tour or boat that takes you away from the lights.

Best day trips from Reykjavík

Reykjavík has more tours leaving from it than anywhere else in the country, so here's the shortlist. The Golden Circle, with Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, is the classic, and easy to combine with snorkelling in Silfra, a tomato farm lunch or a lagoon. The South Coast takes you past waterfalls like Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss to the black beach at Reynisfjara and Vík, where you'll find tours into the Katla ice cave. Snæfellsnes, with Kirkjufell and the glacier, is a long but rewarding day to the north-west. Reykjanes, with its lava fields and recent eruptions, is closer, and pairs well with the Blue Lagoon.

Closer to town, whale watching, puffin trips (roughly May to August), lava tunnel tours and the Lava Show all take half a day or less.

Best time to visit Reykjavík

Summer brings almost endless daylight, festivals and the longest list of tours. From about September to April, the nights are dark enough for northern lights tours, and the city is cosy with candles in every café window. Winter days are short, and the pavements get icy, so bring shoes with grip. Weather changes fast in any season. Always pack a waterproof.

Whatever you're after, whale watching, a food walk, a day on the Golden Circle or an ice cave on the South Coast, the tours leaving from Reykjavík are below.