Reykjavík

Worth seeing in and around Reykjavík

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   University of Iceland

   The University of Iceland s]) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about 14,000 students in twenty-five faculties.

   700 m · public university in Reykjavik, Iceland · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Hallgrímskirkja

   Hallgrímskirkja is a Protestant Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and second tallest building in the country.

   900 m · church in Reykjavík, Iceland · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Icelandic Phallological Museum

   The Icelandic Phallological Museum, located in Reykjavík, Iceland, houses the world's largest display of penises and penile parts. It holds over 300 penises from more than 100 species of mammals.

   400 m · museum in Reykjavík, Iceland · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Laugardalsvöllur

   Laugardalsvöllur is Iceland's national football stadium and the home venue for the Iceland national football team located in Reykjavík. It has a seating capacity of 9,500 and about 28,321 for concerts.

   3.1 km · football stadium · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Tjörnin

   Tjörnin tnɪn] ) is a small, prominent lake in central Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Most visitors to the city pass along its shore, as it is situated in the city centre next to the Reykjavik City Hall and several museums.

   100 m · lake in Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Reykjavík University

   Reykjavík University is the largest private university in Iceland with approximately 3,300 students. It is chartered by the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Icelandic Industries, and the Confederation of Icelandic Employers.

   2.6 km · university · Wikipedia
7. 07
   National and University Library of Iceland

   Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn sˌpouːkaˌsapn ˈistlans – ˈhauːˌskouːlaˌpouːkaˌsapn̥]; English: The National and University Library of Iceland) is the national library of Iceland which also functions as the university library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on 1 December 1994 in Reykjavík, Iceland, with the merger of the former national library, Landsbókasafn Íslands (est.

   500 m · national library of Iceland · Wikipedia
8. 08
   National Museum of Iceland

   The National Museum of Iceland s]) is a museum in Reykjavík, Iceland. It was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums.

   500 m · museum in Reykjavik, Iceland · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Imagine Peace Tower

   The Imagine Peace Tower is a memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. Installed in 2007, it consists of a tall tower of light, projected from a white stone monument that has the words "Imagine Peace" carved into it in 24 languages.

   4.5 km · memorial to John Lennon near Reykjavík · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Alþingishúsið

    Alþingishúsið is a classical 19th-century structure which stands by Austurvöllur in central Reykjavík, Iceland. It houses Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament.

    100 m · building of parliament of Iceland · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Reykjavík's old town is small and easy to walk around. The houses have some very distinct features, most notably their brightly colored corrugated metal siding. Plan to spend at least a couple hours just wandering around, taking in the city. And for further feasts of the eyes, there are several museums and art galleries in the city, most of them within easy reach of the downtown area.

1. 01
   Tjörnin

   A small lake in the centre of the city where young and old often gather to feed the ducks.

2. 02
   Austurvöllur

   A small park (or square, depending on definitions) in the heart of Reykjavík.

3. 03
   Klambratún

   Klambratún is a park just east of the city centre on an area which remained farmland while the city was built up around it.

4. 04
   Reykjavík Botanical Gardens
5. 05
   Viðey

   Viðey is a large island in Kollafjörður, the fjord to the north of Reykjavík.

6. 06
   Grótta

   At the far western end of the peninsula on which Reykjavík sits there is a small island.

From Wikivoyage: Reykjavík, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

There is a lot to do in Reykjavík, despite being a small city. There is a vibrant music scene with concerts most evenings in the centre of the city. For theatre enthusiasts the city boasts two main theatres staging around 10 domestic and foreign plays a year each, and a number of smaller theatre groups specialising in different kinds of modern theatre.

1. 01
   Nordic House
2. 02
   Harpa

   Austurbakki 2 (just east of the old harbour), tickets).

3. 03
   National Theatre of Iceland
4. 04
   Reykjavík City Theatre
5. 05
   Vesturport

   Tjarnarbíó, Tjarnargata 12 (on the west bank of Tjörnin), vesturport@vesturport.com.

6. 06
   Whale

From Wikivoyage: Reykjavík, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Food in Iceland can be expensive. In order not to break the bank, you'll need to be smart when eating. On the budget side, you're mostly looking at international-type fast food options common to what you'd find in Europe and America. Alcohol in particular is expensive in restaurants: a pint of beer is typically 1000-1300 kr.

1. 01
   Bæjarins

   The name of this popular hot dog stand literally means "Town's Best Hotdogs" and, based on the queues, it seems to deserve the name.

2. 02
   Hamborgarabúllan

   Small hamburger cafe next to the old harbour designed in the traditional American diner style.

3. 03
   Múlakaffi

   A bit away from the city centre, this place is very like an office cafeteria.

4. 04
   Perlan

   In addition to its famous restaurant, Perlan also has a café offering food.

5. 05
   Sægreifinn

From Wikivoyage: Reykjavík, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Reykjavík

Airports

Keflavik (KEF), 37 km · Akureyri (AEY), 248 km

Stations

Reykjavík Airport, 1.8 km

• Akureyri → Reykjavík

  249 km · quickest by road, 6h 56m · kr6,100–8,150
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• Vágar → Reykjavík

  770 km · quickest by road, 33 min · $1–1.5
  GuideToday
• Aberdeen → Reykjavík

  1321 km · quickest by air, 9h 36m · £5,570–8,390
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Reykjavík

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Reykjavík. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Reykjavík – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.