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Voykit pocket guide · Iceland
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is a small walkable base with weather that changes hourly: do the church and the harbour on foot, warm up in a café or pool, and use the city as the bed for day trips.
Reykjavík's centre is a few square kilometres and most of it is a walk. What breaks trips is the weather, the prices, and trying to fit the Golden Circle and the south coast into the city days. Wind and ice slow winter walks, and daylight is short from November to January. Four clusters cover a first visit: Hallgrímskirkja and its hill, the Laugavegur shopping street, Harpa and the Old Harbour, and the Sun Voyager shore.
- Country
- Iceland
- Best months
- May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
- Time zone
- Atlantic/Reykjavik
- Stay
- 2 days: Hallgrímskirkja, Laugavegur, Harpa and the harbour
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- ISK
- Money
- Cards and phone payments are used everywhere, including for small amounts; cash is rarely needed. PIN-less contactless is common.
- Daily spend
- Budget ISK 12,000–20,000 excl. bed · Mid ISK 20,000–35,000 excl. bed · High ISK 35,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a SIM at a shop in arrivals with your passport.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, rescue 112 · Non-urgent doctor / nurse 1700 · Road conditions 1777
- Plugs
- 230 V; type C and F sockets.
- Tipping
- Not expected; service is included in prices.
- Water
- Tap water is safe and among the cleanest; hot water smells of sulphur, which is harmless.
- Toilets
- Cafés, Harpa, pools and gas stations; some public toilets need a card.
Get in
By air
- Keflavík International Airport (KEF)
- KEF to downtown Reykjavík: a Flybus or a pre-booked transfer, about 45–60 minutes; there is no rail, and taxis are costly, so decide the coach before you land.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; taxi or bus between distant points, and a car or tour for anything outside the city.
- Passes
- No pass; a single bus ticket or app fare covers short rides, and most of the centre is on foot.
- Late at night
- There is no metro or rail. City buses run in the day and evening; taxis and ride-hailing are the late-night option and are costly.
See and do
01Hallgrímskirkja
The city's landmark church: the nave is free, the tower has its own ticket and a view over the city; go in the morning or evening light, and skip the tower in high wind.
02Harpa
Concert hall with a glass foyer: free to enter, warm, with toilets and a café; use it as the wet-day stop and check the concert schedule if you want a ticket.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) | Tour bus or car, about 1–1.5 h each way | Full day |
| Blue Lagoon | Bus or car, about 45–60 min | Half day |
| South coast (Seljalandsfoss, Vík) | Tour bus or car, about 2–2.5 h each way | Full day |
Eat
- Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
- Well-known hot-dog stand near the harbour: a fast, cheap bite; order 'with everything' and eat standing.
- Brauð & Co
- Bakery near Hallgrímskirkja: cinnamon buns and sourdough for a warm breakfast or coffee stop; go before 10:00 as the queue builds.
Sleep
- Downtown 101
- First-timers: a hotel near Laugavegur with a 24h desk; the church, the harbour and the shops are a walk in any weather.
- Old Harbour
- Quieter by the water: a hotel near the Old Harbour with a 24h desk; close to Harpa and the whale-watching piers, a 10-minute walk to Laugavegur.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HallóHAH-loh |
| Thank you | Takktahk |
| Please | Gjörðu svo velGYUR-thu svo vel |
| The bill, please | Reikninginn, takkRAYK-ning-in tahk |
| Please take me to this address | Vinsamlegast farðu með mig á þetta heimilisfangVIN-sam-leh-gast FAR-thu meth mayg ow THET-ta HAY-mi-lis-fang |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names; avoid: Using titles or surnames — there usually is no family name
- Pools: Shower naked first, keep the hot pot conversational; avoid: Swimwear in the showers
- Driving: Pull into lay-bys for photos, dip lights on single-lane bridges; avoid: Stopping on the road
- Nature: Stay on paths, carry litter out; avoid: Stone stacks, walking on moss
- Conversation: Ask about books, music, weather and the elves with good humour; avoid: Lecturing on whaling
Red lines
- Hot pools: shower without a swimsuit before you get in; staff enforce it.
- Do not drive off marked roads or on closed roads; fines are large.
- Do not stand close to waves at the shore or on the harbour piers in storms.
Scams and watch-outs
- Tour desks that sell Northern Lights or Blue Lagoon packages at inflated prices: compare with the operator's own site.
- Cheap transfer offers from touts at the airport: use the coach counters or a booked car.
- Pre-paid tours with no weather clause: ask what happens if the weather cancels the trip.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Hallgrímskirkja, a bakery stop, a 13:00 lunch table on Laugavegur
- 09:00Hallgrímskirkja
- Brauð & Co (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Laugavegur)
- Hotel or a warm café 14:00–17:00; a hot pool in the evening.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Hallgrímskirkja, a bakery stop, a 13:00 lunch table on Laugavegur
- 09:00Hallgrímskirkja
- Brauð & Co (optional)
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Laugavegur)
- Hotel or a warm café 14:00–17:00; a hot pool in the evening.
Day 2 — The Sun Voyager, Harpa and a hot dog
- 09:30solfar
- Harpa
- Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (optional)
- Evening: Laugavegur and Austurstræti; check the sky forecast for Northern Lights in season.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Iceland (official tourism site): www.visiticeland.com/
- Isavia — Keflavík Airport: www.isavia.is/en/keflavik-airport
- Wikivoyage — Reykjavík: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Reykjav%C3%ADk
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/reykjavik). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.