ONE DAY IN REYKJAVIK: THINGS TO DO IN REYKJAVIK ICELAND

You really only need one day in Reykjavik, Iceland if you do it right and pair it with a full Iceland trip. Reykjavik is a really great and cute little town to walk around on the water and on the main street (Laugaveger). There are some must-hit tourist attractions, and of course plenty of Northern Lights tours for nighttime which I highly suggest if visiting from September-March. In my 6 Day Iceland Road Trip Itinerary, you can see that I recommend ending your trip with Reykjavik for a day and a half. Keep reading to see the all of the best things to do in Reykjavik Iceland. 

Disclosure: This One Day in Reykjavik guide may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As always, all opinions are my own and I would never post about something I have not personally used/verified.

Reykjavik Travel Tips

• Looking for Iceland travel gear tips and other Iceland general tips? Head to my Iceland country travel guide by clicking here. Looking for a detailed itinerary around Iceland? Head to my 6 Day Iceland Itinerary by clicking here.
• TRAVEL INSURANCE: When visiting Reykjavik, I highly recommend getting travel insurance. You never know what may happen to your flights, a death/personal emergency in your family, or an accident happening while traveling (think: getting mugged, falling while hiking and spraining your ankle, literally any accident than can happen ANYWHERE!). World Nomads makes it super easy and I never leave for a trip without getting their insurance. Most importantly it’s extremely affordable: get your World Nomads travel insurance before your trip here!

ICELAND PACKING TIPS: Iceland is pretty cold year-round! Make sure you’re prepared with my favorite winter travel items and travel gear! You also NEED hiking boots – it is a necessity if you want to do any of the glacier hikes – they don’t let you go without them. Buy the ones I use here. For all of my travel/packing essentials I bring on any trip compiled together, head to my influencer page on Amazon here for a complete list or my descriptive carry-on packing guide here.

ONE DAY IN REYKJAVIK: TOP THINGS TO DO IN REYKJAVIK ICELAND

I visited Reykjavik in the fall so these mostly apply to the best things to do in Reykjavik in September, but I gave some other springtime options at the bottom of the list! Check out what to do in downtown Reykjavik in a day.

Hallgrimskirkja

Reykjavik’s famous church, Hallgrimskirkja is what you see in all of the pictures and postcards of Reykjavik. It is stunning architecture and the view from the top gives you panoramas of the entire city and ocean. Taking the elevator up to the top is an absolute must and this is the highlight of the best things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Harpa Concert Hall

Harpa Concert Hall is a famous concert hall built with interesting architecture right on the waterfront in downtown Reykjavik. Definitely go here to see a show if you have more than just one night in Reykjavik.

Sun Voyager

Another one of the best things to do see in Reykjavik is the famous Sun Voyager statue and walking around the Reykjavik waterfront; it is gorgeous.

Old Town District

Walk around the Reykjavik Old Town District, which is laid out around Lake Tjornin, a beautiful lake in the middle of the city. Downtown Reykjavik is the prettiest area and you should walk around for a while.

Kolaportio

Head to Reykjavik’s main buzzing flea market to shop around for some Icelandic goods! Opens at 11AM.

Laugavegar Street

This is the main street in downtown Reykjavik and stretches pretty long. It has all the best shopping on it for anything you may want or need. We basically spent at least 5 hours walking up and down this street a few times because there are so many places to go.

Reykjavik Helicopter Tour

 

I highly, highly suggest doing a helicopter tour while in Iceland. Reykjavik helicopters are one of the best things to do in Reykjavik, Iceland. The terrain is so drastic and gorgeous in Iceland that just walking around doesn’t do it justice. This helicopter tour was definitely a highlight of our trip to Reykjavik. The main helicopter tour company is Nordurflug and they provide a few different tour options. We opted for the Geothermal Tour and we loved it! You go to a secluded, inaccessible area and witness the geothermal activity and lava fields on top of volcanoes. I am positive that all the different options are great, just pick one that caters to your interests. This was our favorite activity and I highly suggest it during your day in Reykjavik!  The helicopter tours leave from the local Reykjavik airport.

 

Other things to see in Reykjavik if you have more time and depending on the season: Whale Watching Boat Tour, National Museum of Iceland, Grotta Lighthouse and The Culture House Museum. 

Click on any of the activity titles above to learn more!

 

Best Reykjavik Restaurants

Iceland isn’t known for its food scene but it does have some good new culinary options popping up. Some of the foods that Iceland is known for that you should try: Puffin and Shark!

Breakfast in Reykjavik

• Eldur and Is: Crepes & coffee (also good for ice cream)
• Mokka – Oldest coffeehouse in Iceland
• Stofan – Cute and cozy cafe
• Baejarins Beztu Pylsur – Best hot dog in the world. It is a hot dog stand and is the most famous food in Iceland. Everyone famous has come here when they visited, must go

Dinner in Reykjavik

• Laundromat: Newly opened and very popular (American food; omelettes, burgers, salads, etc)
• Hamborgarabulla: Good burgers, casual
• Mar: Good dinner variety
• Grillmarkadurinn: Meats and fish. Fancy & best restaurant in Reykjavik
• Vitabarinn: Best burgers in Reykjavik. Get Forget-Me-Not burger
• Kruska: Good vegetarian options
• Snaps: Good bar food & drinks! Caesar salad, fries, fish, steaks
• Fishkmarkadurinn (The Fish Market): Fancy famous restaurant with amazing fish. Good pre-fix menu

BARS IN REYKJAVIK

• Lebowski Bar: Bowling and drinks. Super fun bar
• Slippbarinn: Cool cocktail bar located in Reykjavik Hotel Marinz
• Kaldi Bar: Fun bar for a night out

WHERE TO STAY IN REYKJAVIK

There are a range of luxury and regular Reykjavik hotels to stay at for all budgets. For mid to high-end, I suggest the Fosshotel Reykjavik; my family loved it and it is in the middle of the city. I also suggest the IcelandAir brand hotels around Reykjavik (IcelandAir Reykjavik Marina or IcelandAir Reykjavik Natura) and around the entire country are high-end and recommended. Click on the hotel names above to learn more and book quickly! Hotels in Iceland sell out fast. Check out reviews for any Reykjavik hotel on TripAdvisor here.

AIRBNB Reykjavik: There are also so many cute apartments in downtown Reykjavik with extra nice hosts that I highly recommend for a group or for mid-range places. They are generally cheaper than hotels so if you like the Airbnb route instead of hotels I definitely recommend it in Reykjavik, especially since you’ll likely be out of the accommodation the whole day anyway. Some of them even come with the rental car. Also, if you use my Airbnb link here you get $40 off your first stay!

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN REYKJAVIK: NORTHERN LIGHTS TOURS

If you are visiting Reykjavik during September-March, you are trying to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), and you should do anything in your power to do so. Clearly this is what everyone comes to see in Reykjavik. In the countryside hotels it is much easier to see them, but with the lights of Reykjavik, you need to go outside of the city. A bunch of different companies offer Northern Lights tours in Reykjavik where they take you driving for a few hours and stop at secluded dark locations to (hopefully) watch. The Auroras are never guaranteed, but all of the companies decide at 6PM the day of if they are going to proceed (depending on the forecast) and if they don’t, you can reschedule for another night for free.

You can also decide to do them the day of if you only have one day in Reykjavik and can’t reschedule. Any of these companies are reputable. Click the links to find out more and book!

• Northern Lights – Trips.Is
• Northern Lights Mystery Tour – Grayline.Is
• Northern Lights Bus Tour – Sterna Travel – We did this one; they provided hot chocolate and they were great!

TIP: Download the iPhone app called “NorthernLights”. I swear it will be the best .99 cents you ever spend. You cannot photograph the northern lights on your regular phone camera. Someone told me about the app when we were on the tour and the pictures were amazing. Read here for more tips to photograph the Northern Lights.

 

 

 

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Did I miss one of the best things to do in Reykjavik Iceland that you loved? Let me know in the comments for my next visit and check out my full Iceland Travel Blog here or my 6 Day Iceland Road Trip Itinerary here.