How I Recommend Spending 1 or 2 Days in Reykjavík: A Complete Itinerary
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I have visited Reykjavík no fewer than eight times, and I’ve done so in multiple ways. The Icelandic capital has been a nice layover for me in the past, along with being a base for trips in Iceland. On other occasions, I have spent a bit of time in the city at the start and/or end of exploring the rest of the country, too.
During my trips to Reykjavík, I have explored pretty much every corner of the city. While you will probably be in Iceland mainly to see the country’s beautiful nature, I do think that its capital (and only real city of size, to be honest) is worth some of your time. Besides being a nice place to hang out in general, Reykjavík has some of the best restaurants, bakeries, and bars in Iceland.
Based on my own experiences in the Icelandic capital, I’ve put together this complete Reykjavík itinerary. I’ve designed it to be helpful for spending 1 or 2 days in the city when you travel. Whether you’re here on a layover or a longer trip, it’s got the information you need to enjoy a memorable trip.
Some Quick Tips Before We Start…
Before I get into my itinerary, I figured it’d be helpful to give you some useful tips for when you visit Reykjavík.
Recommended Tours: If you’re into food, I can recommend the Reykjavík Food Walk. I did this on a previous trip to the city, and I’ve been back to some of the spots we were shown multiple times since. Another tour I strongly recommend is the Whale-Watching Experience, which departs from the Old Harbor throughout the year.
Accommodation in Reykjavík: Hotels, hostels, and rentals in Reykjavík fill up fast and are pretty expensive. So, I recommend booking in advance. My top recommendation is Alda Hotel Reykjavík, which is right in the center of town. For budget travelers, KEX Hostel & Hotel is a good choice. I also wrote a full guide on where to stay in Reykjavík if you want to do further research.
If You Want Someone Else to Plan Your Iceland Itinerary: I’ve done both Travelbase’s 10-day Iceland Nomads Extended camping trip and The Iceland Trail, which is a hiking trip along the stunning Laugavegur Trail. For both of them, we got to spend some time in Reykjavík at the end of the trip. Both run through the summer months.
Parking in Reykjavík: I have to say that parking your car in Downtown Reykjavík is a pain, as I can attest to from IRL experiences. In my opinion, your best option is to either park at your hotel if possible, or to use the Harpa Concert Hall’s parking lot. Things are easier if you’re not staying right in the downtown area. As a side note… if you need a rental car for your Iceland trip, you can check availability and compare prices here.
Useful to Know: I’ve Designed This Itinerary to be Flexible
Reykjavík is a city that people live in throughout the year, even though it’s sometimes hard to think when you see the crowds of tourists in hiking gear in the city center. Not me, though, I swear I don’t do that. 🤭
What this means for you is that Reykjavík is worth visiting throughout the year. For this reason, I designed this itinerary to be flexible. The main difference will be the daylight hours, which are significantly shorter in the winter. In those cases, you’ll want to add most of your sightseeing around the middle of the day when you have daylight. If you are visiting in the winter, you can check out my guide on visiting Iceland’s capital at this time of the year.
You can also customize the days to fit within your overall Iceland itinerary. For example, if you have one day in Reykjavík at the start of your trip—and another at the end—feel free to divide what you do based on that. It doesn’t really matter, and you can also take and leave my suggestions based on your own interests.
I also have included quite a few paid attractions and places to eat. If you’re visiting on a budget, you can always skip the restaurants or perhaps have one “indulgence” meal. I won’t sugarcoat that Reykjavík is incredibly expensive, and I say this as someone who lives in Copenhagen—hardly a city known for being budget-friendly. If you are visiting on a budget, as a side note, I would also recommend self-catering.
1 or 2 Days Is a Good Amount of Time to Enjoy Reykjavík, but You Can Always Spend Longer
The reason I’ve limited this specific itinerary to 1-2 days is that most people visit Iceland to see its nature. That is completely fair, because it really is as beautiful as the photos suggest. Reykjavík is quite small, and if you’re on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Iceland, I would spend some time here but more of your trip elsewhere.
At the same time, you can—if you’ve got more time—spend as long as you want in Reykjavík. For example, I recommend that everyone who’s visiting Iceland without a car bases themselves in the capital and does day trips. In those cases, you’ve got some more flexibility to do whatever you want when you arrive back in Reykjavík during the evenings.
My Complete Reykjavík Itinerary for 1-2 Days
Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, I’ll go through my full Reykjavík itinerary for a short trip. I’ve split each day into morning, afternoon, and evening.
Day 1: Reykjavík’s Highlights & Sampling the City’s Food
On your first day in Reykjavík, my itinerary will take you to many of the city’s biggest highlights. I’ll also share some of my tried-and-tested favorite places to eat, along with some other tips that I think you’ll find useful.
Morning
I mentioned earlier that Downtown Reykjavík can sometimes feel like a sea of tourists in hiking gear, which is very much true. For this reason, I recommend strolling around the city center before everyone else wakes up.
While it has become way more touristy since my first trip in 2018, I still think that Reykjavík’s city center is lovely to have a walk around. I love seeing all the colorful houses each time I’m here, even though I’ve seen them multiple times. For that reason, I recommend that you do the same as a starting point.
Most stores in Reykjavík don’t open until 10:00, and before this time, the city center is relatively calm. When you’re ready to have some food, you can go for breakfast or brunch at Sandholt Bakery. You may need to stand outside in a queue, as it sometimes gets busy.
After eating at what I think is one of the best breakfast places in Iceland’s capital, you should have some energy to head to Hallgrímskirkja. The iconic church is *the* symbol of Reykjavík, and you can see it from almost everywhere in the city. The observation deck is worth going to, and I suggest doing so before the tourists arrive en masse.
You can buy your tickets at the ticket office in the church; an elevator will take you to the top. The bell rings every 15 minutes and is *very* loud, so you may want to bring some noise-canceling headphones. It doesn’t do much, but it has a bit of an effect.
Once you’ve taken in the amazing views of Reykjavík and its surroundings, you can head to the sculpture park near the church. I also recommend staying in the area to get some lunch at Café Loki, which is just across the street from Hallgrímskirkja. While you’re at it, be sure to try the rye bread ice cream 😋.
Afternoon
For the afternoon, I’m giving you two options. My first recommendation would be, if you enjoy food, to take a food tour. Doing so is a great way to find out how surprisingly good the food in Reykjavík is, and it’s also a nice choice if you want to learn more about the local food culture.
The food tour will take you a few hours, and it runs year-round. If this is your preferred choice, you can book it via the widget below.
Otherwise, I’d recommend going to see the Old Harbor and Reykjavík’s Old West Side. From the Old Harbor, you can get some great views toward the Harpa Concert Hall and also Mount Essa. You’ll find a number of restaurants here, too, if you want to eat a proper meal at any point.
From the Old Harbor, it’s very easy to walk to the Old West Side. The neighborhood is mainly residential, so the main thing to do is simply explore its streets and enjoy the beautiful houses and villas here. You’ll also find a handful of murals in this part of town, along with the Cathedral of Christ the King. It’s a small church but worth a quick stop.
Evening
In the evening, I’ve added one of my all-time favorite places to eat in Reykjavík. Sæta Svínið is a gastropub that I have been to several times; it’s a ritual to go here whenever I visit Iceland with my mom, and I’ve also been here with my girlfriend on previous trips. I recommend both the meat and veggie burgers. The lamb is also good.
Sæta Svínið gets very busy in the evenings, especially on weekends. Luckily, you can book a table on the website. And if you have some time a bit earlier in the day, they also have a Happy Hour from 15:00 to 18:00 each day. 🙂
If you want some dessert, I recommend the cakes at Sæta Svínið. Otherwise, Gæta Gelato is a short walk away and—in my opinion—the best place to get ice cream in Iceland’s capital.
I’m again keeping things somewhat flexible for the rest of the evening. If you fancy some drinks elsewhere, Skúli Craft Beer is a great bar close to the city’s main square. This is the bar where I’ve currently got my record for the most expensive beer I’ve ever paid for, but it’s worth it.
You can also go to Tjörnin, which is a nice pond that’s very close to both Sæta Svínið and Skúli Craft Beer. It’s a lovely place to go for an evening walk, and I even had the privilege of once seeing the Northern Lights here on a winter visit. I’m not saying that you will, but it is a faint possibility 🙂. If you’re visiting in the winter, and you want to see Tjörnin during the day, you can also go earlier than I’ve suggested here.
Day 2: A Chilled Day in the Icelandic Capital
If you have the time to spend a second day in Reykjavík, I can strongly recommend doing so. To help you have fun, I’ve structured what I think this should look like below. Like the first day, you can take what you want and leave the rest.
Morning
No worries if you’ve got breakfast included at your hotel; you can by all means eat there to begin with. But regardless, I really recommend getting one of the cinnamon buns at Brauð & Co. on Frakkastígur. Definitely go early, too; I went here on one trip in the afternoon, and they were sold out of everything so the bakery closed early 🥲. If you didn’t get breakfast at your hotel, you can—in addition to the cinnamon buns—get bread rolls and other nice baked goods. I had a really good ham and cheese roll from Brauð & Co., for example.
The bakery is very small, and you probably won’t get seating to eat inside. However, there are benches outside. Once you’ve eaten and you’re ready to burn off some of those calories, have a walk down to Sæbraut. Here, you’ll get some amazing views of Mount Esja and the Faxaflói Bay.
I recommend walking along the waterfront in the direction of the Harpa Concert Hall. Even if you don’t go to see a performance here, the building is very picturesque. Plus, if it’s super cold outside, it’s a good place to stay indoors for a while.
If you have some time, you can head back into Downtown Reykjavík and go souvenir-shopping when the stores open. I very rarely buy souvenirs elsewhere, but getting them from Iceland is very fun—as my three Icelandic sweaters can attest to. 🙂
For lunch, you’ll find a handful of restaurants by the Old Harbor. Otherwise, 2Guys is a great place for burgers; you’ll find two locations in the city. They do beef burgers, vegan burgers, and chicken burgers.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, you can go whale-watching in the bay near Reykjavík. Tours depart throughout the year, and you can book one that leaves at 13:00. Your chances of seeing whales are pretty good, though they aren’t guaranteed. But even if you don’t get to see them, the views are worth the tour alone, in my opinion. You can check availability for whale-watching tours here.
Your tour will depart from and return to the Old Harbor. If you choose not to go on a tour, I recommend spending some time in one or more of Reykjavík’s many great museums.
Late Afternoon / Evening
After returning from your whale-watching tour (or having a pleasant afternoon in Reykjavík itself), I recommend going to Íslenski Barinn for dinner. This is where you can try fermented shark if you *really* want to. I can confirm that I’ve done this, and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The Brennevín was worse. Still, I don’t need to do it again. 😅
Besides fermented shark, the rest of the menu is much more delicious. If you want my certified expert opinion™️, get the fish and chips. Oh, and eat the fermented shark first if you’re going to do it… It’s much easier to clean your palate with the fish and chips than the other way around.
Once you’ve eaten dinner, you can go for a bit more of a walk in Reykjavík before heading back to your accommodation.
What if I Have More Than 2 Days in Reykjavík?
You’ve got plenty of options if you have even more time in Reykjavík. I would recommend fitting in some more of the city’s great restaurants if your budget allows; for example, Tres Locos is a nice Mexican restaurant in the center of town.
Otherwise, I recommend taking a couple of day trips from the city. The Golden Circle is an absolute classic, and in my opinion, it’s worth seeing as a first-time visitor. I myself have been to Þingvellir National Park three times, including an overnight stay, and it’s one of my favorite places in Iceland. You can either drive to the Golden Circle or book a day tour if you don’t have a car.
The Snæfellsnes Peninsula is another option, though I would recommend staying there for at least one night if you have some more time. If not, the peninsula is close enough that you can do a day trip from Reykjavík—at least, you can in the summer. I think it would be a bit long for a winter day trip, unless you do a guided tour, and the road conditions there in the winter can be a bit dangerous. So, a guided tour is a better option in either circumstance (along with again being a choice if you don’t have a car).
I wouldn’t recommend doing the whole South Coast in a day—unless you join a day tour—but with your own car, you can at least see Seljalandsfoss (below), Skógafoss, and Kvernufoss. These waterfalls are around two hours from Reykjavík, and all three of them are worth seeing. If you want to see more of the South Coast, though, I recommend spending a few nights in the region. You can check out my guide to Iceland’s South Coast if you want more tips for your trip.
If You’re Planning to Stay in Reykjavík, Book Your Accommodation Well in Advance
Although a lot more hotels and the like have popped up since my first trip to Iceland almost a decade ago, Places to stay in Reykjavík still fill up quickly. This is particularly true during the summer, but regardless of when you visit, I recommend booking well in advance.
I already mentioned earlier that Alda Hotel Reykjavík is my top overall stay, and I really enjoyed staying at KEX Hostel & Hotel as a budget traveler. If you want to browse more of your options, you can do so via the map below.
Also, Do Whatever You Can to Avoid Parking in Downtown Reykjavík
While a car is worth having to see the rest of Iceland, you absolutely do not need one in Reykjavík. Still, it’s usually easier to pick up your car from Keflavík Airport when you arrive, so you might well need to park it somewhere.
Besides parking being hard to find in Downtown Reykjavík, the roads are quite narrow and very annoying to drive on. This is particularly true around the main streets close to Hallgrímskirkja, where you’ll have to be even more careful of people walking in the streets.
Rather than parking in the city center, I suggest going to Harpa Concert Hall and parking your car here. You will need to pay, which you can do via the Easypark app. Otherwise, it’s worth looking for parking spots outside the city center in any instance. Some hotels will include free parking, but this isn’t guaranteed. Moreover, you may not have so many spots to choose from.
A Nice Reykjavík Itinerary for You to Follow
Reykjavík has more than enough to keep you entertained for a day or two, and the city is small enough that you can see much of it within this timescale. You can’t eat at all of its restaurants, though I guess you can try, but 1-2 days is enough to at least see the main sights and sample some of its food scene.
I’ve aimed to keep this itinerary simple to follow and flexible, and you can always keep it handy for the entire trip-planning process. You’re also more than welcome to keep what you like and leave out what doesn’t interest you.
Now that you’ve read this guide, you should have a better idea of how to structure your trip to Reykjavík. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment. Otherwise, you can check out my guide on things to do in the Icelandic capital for further planning.
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