We had originally planned two nights in Reykjavik but a cancelled and rebooked flight later we ended up with three nights. Whilst I was very grateful for this for a combination of personal reasons you’re fine with two nights in Reykjavik to kick off your Iceland adventure. There are multiple direct flights from London to Reykjavik at a variety of different prices and times. Interestingly the British Airways flight from London to Reykjavik is at 7:25am which is practically just not feasible unless you’re prepared to pay for a taxi. And then the British Airways return flight is a reasonable mid morning flight which we opted for. Very odd! So spend your time looking at flight options and don’t be scared to book each leg with a different airline based on your budget and time preferences.
Reykjavik is a super walkable city but you’ll need the bus if you’re heading over to the Perlan museum. You can also use the bus system to get from one side of the city to the other if you’re short on time. Bus routes are on the Citymapper App which makes things easier and you just tap on and off the bus as you go (ie no tickets needed!).
Restaurants we loved in Reykjavik
– ÓX Restaurant
17 seater fine dining restaurant mocked up to look like the chef and owner’s grandma’s kitchen? Say no more, I am IN! ÓX Restaurant has one Michelin star but without a doubt should have a second if not a third star. They rocketed themselves into our top five favourite restaurant experiences. Brilliant, clever, hyper local delicious cooking. Warm service. Wonderful setting. Exciting and new and old and charming and just brilliant. I could not more highly recommend booking a table at ÓX. I would fly back to Reykjavik for a meal at ÓX alone. It is worth the flight – but fair warning – it will cost more than the flight….
– Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Local Icelandic hot dogs from a food cart that has been in operation since 1937. Is this the best hot dog of your life as they claim – I don’t think so, no! But it’s tasty and affordable and an Icelandic institution. Go will all the topping choices as the locals recommend. I particularly love the combination of the crispy fried onions and the raw onions together.
(If you do the food tour I recommend, this will be covered on your tour)
– Baka Baka
We were told THIS is the bakery for the best cinnamon roll. I think now, having eaten a fair amount of cinnamon rolls – I maybe just don’t really like them. This one was tasty but it just isn’t a top pastry for me. HOWEVER, the vínarbrauð was fantastic. This is a flaky pastry with custard and nuts. So delicious and this alone is worth a visit to Baka Baka!
– Reykjavik Roasters
Jono’s favourite coffee in Reykjavik and actually of our full 2.5 week trip. That’s high praise from a guy who’s response to “How’s the coffee?” is almost always “It’s okay”.
– Skál!
This restaurant came highly recommended and whilst we did enjoy it – not every dish was a knock out. They offer a set chefs selection of their dishes which you can share. Personally we felt not all those dishes were the best and I think it is too much food. Much too much food – we felt pretty unwell afterwards with how rich everything was. The menu is likely to change but just in case it’s helpful here’s my overview.
Great dishes you should order: Battered cod cheeks, butter lettuce with cream, apple and pistachio and lemon sole on the bone (KNOCK OUT!). Dishes which I’d skip as they were okay not great: The scallops, radishes with sour cream, the beef tartare and the rhubarb crumble. We did have the lamb prime which was delicious too but of the bigger dishes the lemon sole was the winner in my books. Both the lamb and the sole between two people will be very rich – you have been warned!
– Messin
This is where we first learnt about Plokkfiskur, a very traditional Icelandic dish made by everyone’s grandma to a top secret recipe. It’s essential a mix up of mashed cod, béchamel sauce, and potatoes. This sounds a bit like baby food but it is this rich, creamy, oh so comforting dish that I would highly recommend. Peak Icelandic behaviour is to eat this with a side of buttered rye bread. The other winning fish dish from Messin was the artic char served with cherry tomatoes, almonds, honey and lots of butter. Both were brilliant and a must try in my books.
(If you do the food tour I recommend, this will be covered on your tour)
– Deig Workshop
This is at the bottom end of Reykjavik and if you’re picking up a rental car from Blue Car Rentals then it’s a perfect pre-road trip stop on the way to pick up your car. We grabbed doughnuts and coffee for the morning and bagels for our road trip lunch. Having lunch sorted on day one in peak “golden circle” touristy Iceland was a great idea. This meant we enjoyed our bagels in the car overlooking a great view. Of the doughnuts – the more traditional options were our favourites. The bagels were both fantastic and we went for the salmon on a sesame bagel and the Costanza (which is corned beef) on an everything bagel.
Places we visited but weren’t our favourites
– Le Kock for burgers – has a cult following and a darling of the reddit forums. The burger patty itself tasted like nothing so you’re dealing with a pretty dry bun and a lot of sauce. A skip for us. The crispy chicken burger was better but not worth a special trip.
Things we did when not eating
– Explore Reykjavik on foot
Reykjavik is super small and really easy to explore. With our extra time in Reykjavik we walked this city flat! I would recommend setting time aside for a slow stroll around. Reykjavik is full of amazing shops selling art, local crafts and design goods. I loved popping into every shop that took my fancy for a little window shopping.
If you’re looking to chart a course for your exploration:
- Laugavegur is the main shopping street and one of the oldest streets of Reykjavik
- Skólavörðustígur, aka the Rainbow Street, stretches all the way to Hallgrimskirkja
- Key shops to visit include:
- Iceland handknitting association – great for buying Iceland wool or their famous lopa-peysa (wool knit jumpers). Be warned a lopa-peysa is very expensive. You can find cheaper options at stores like The Icelandic Store or Icewear and whilst they’ll tell you they’re made in Iceland, only the wool is made in Iceland. The jumpers are actually made in China and don’t support the local Icelandic people or craft.
- The Christmas shop for what must be one thousand Christmas ornaments
- Feldur for the most gorgeous beanies. For me this was a look only option as the beanie pompoms are made with real fur. And as much as I love them, I don’t feel comfortable with killing animals for cute pom poms….
- Aurum jewellery
- Fischersund for their beautiful interactive perfume experience (kinda weird, kinda cool)
- Rammagerðin – the most beautiful gift shop. I was obsessed with their “Made by Grandma” viking beanies for babes.
- Kogga Ceramic Gallery & Studio – tiny shop full of ceramic treasures. I loved the little eggs.
- Kirsuberjatréð – local designers banded together to start this co-op to sell their local handcrafted art, jewellery and home decor. Special shout out to the fish skin leather handbags!
– Wake up Reykjavik food tour
This is a 3 hour food tour with an Icelandic local exploring five restaurants in Reykjavik. Our guide was lovely and it’s a great way to orientate yourself both with Icelandic culture and local food ahead of a road trip! We love a food tour so this was an easy “yes” for us. And I do think it was a great way to taste a good variety of options which wouldn’t be possible otherwise. I booked directly on their website and used the discount code “Summer” as found on their Travel Guide and local tips YouTube video. Give it a try in case it works for you too!
– Perlan Museum
We were SO impressed by the Perlan Museum. I was worried because the tickets are pretty expensive at roughly £40 per person. Yes, you read that right, per person. But honestly it was fantastic and we spent a good three hours here! I could go on but I am going to try and keep it short and snappy.
Reasons to visit:
1) Great overview / intro to the geology and geography of Iceland which is invaluable for understanding the sites on your bigger Icelandic road trip
2) Interesting and interactive exhibitions
3) The volcanic show which is a pretty basic video of a historical volcanic eruption BUT our group were lucky enough to try their new volcanic immersive experience they’re currently trialing. If you have a chance to do that – 100% go for it! It simulates being in a volcano – very cool!
4) Walk through a 100m man made ice tunnel
(reminder this is freeezing so make sure to have a warm layer with you)
5) Northern lights show in the planetarium packed with great information
6) Fantastic views from the observation deck
Hot tip: I was told the tickets are cheaper online than at the museum. We bought them on the morning of online but I did forget to confirm this fact at the museum. Do with this what you will!
– Hallgrimskirkja
Worth a quick visit as it’s the tallest church in Iceland and is inspired by (and does closely resemble) the basalt columns at Svartifoss waterfall.
We didn’t pay to go inside.
– Kolaportið (local flea market)
Open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm.
It’s full of a lot of weird and interesting things and definitely worth a little explore if you’re there over the weekend.
– Harpa Concert Hall – It’s very beautiful and the starting point of the Wake up Reykjavik food tour so potentially a kill two birds with one stone moment. I would recommend getting to your tour a little early because it’s worth having a look inside plus there is a gorgeous gift shop worth an explore.
– Sun Voyager – this is more of a stroll past sort of experience. Slightly outside of the main pocket but easy enough for a quick visit.
My suggestion for the perfect two days in Reykjavik (in the summer)
Day one
- Land in the early afternoon, catch a taxi to your hotel and check in
- Head out for the Wake up Reykjavik food tour (via the Sun Voyager and a little early so you can pop into the Harpa Concert Hall)
- Wake up Reykjavik food tour
- Hallgrimskirkja
Day two
- Head to Baka Baka for vínarbrauð and coffee
- Explore the city on foot (see list above for ideas)
- Head over to the Perlan Museum
- More strolling through the city
- Dinner at ÓX Restaurant (or another more affordable option above)
(If you’re not doing ÓX Restaurant, maybe do the food tour the evening of day two and one of the other more reasonable restaurants on day one.)
Day three
- Pick up your rental car and bagels from Deig Workshop and start your road trip!
Where we stayed in Reykjavik
We stayed at Center Hotels Laugavegur. We were happy with the rooms, the location and the price. Anywhere in the central pocket at a price point that suits you will work just fine!
Other great links for reading about Reykjavik
Handful of Reykjavik overview posts which really helped us plan out our time: Visit Reykjavik, Guide to Iceland and Full Suitcase. The best link for food was the 48 hours in Reykjavik video by the Top Jaw team – super informative and inspiring. I loved this article on the Perlan museum and it’s why I felt we should splurge on the £40 tickets.
Have the best time in Reykjavik
with all my love, Tahlia
