Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavik, the capital and largest city of Iceland, will most likely be your first port of entry into this fairly isolated island country. Scotland lies about 800 kilometres (500 miles) away. It takes roughly five hours to fly to Reykjavík from New York, and three hours from London. Home to about a third of Iceland’s population (and, with its neighbouring towns, nearly two-thirds), Reykjavik is a colourful capital city not much larger than a small town. Perched on the country’s rugged coastline, the city is proud of its natural setting and striking architecture and thrilling culture. Reykjavik is also where Odyssey’s Iceland cultural and wilderness small group tour begins and ends, with a day exploring the capital before the group sets out around the island.

Iceland was founded during the Viking age of exploration in the 9th century, the Vikings sailing from Norway and other Nordic settlements to stake claims to land on the island. Reykjavik, or “Bay of Smokes”, in southwestern Iceland was believed to have been founded in 874 by Ingólfur Arnarson.

Reykjavik, Iceland in winter

When Iceland came under Danish rule, Reykjavik was designated as the administrative centre in 1786, and in 1843 a royal decree made it the seat of the Althing, Iceland’s parliament, which first met there in 1845. When Iceland transitioned to self-rule (and later, to an independent republic), the city served as its capital.

The city is served by Keflavík International Airport, about 50 kilometres to the southwest, and is Iceland’s commercial, industrial, and cultural centre. Popular among tourists, Reykjavik, in addition to its art galleries and natural wonders, is also renowned for its nightlife, with its numerous restaurants, bars, and clubs.

Must-Visit Sites in Reykjavik

Visit the Old Harbour area, once a service harbour that is now a cosmopolitan tourist attraction, and experience a walking history tour of Old Reykjavik in the city centre. Its Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, with its striking honeycomb design, won the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award, the European Union’s prize for contemporary architecture, in 2013.

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland

Inside Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavik

The National Museum contains artefacts that tell the story of Iceland’s history. View the eye-catching Lutheran church, Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland; around half of Icelanders are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, the national church.

Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland

The city is also home to the National and University Library of Iceland and the University of Iceland. Alongside the university is the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, named after the Icelandic scholar Árni Magnússon (1663–1730), who built up the most important collection of early Icelandic literary manuscripts.

Reykjavik can also be your jump-off point to other parts of Iceland, including the famous Videy Island, which is only a short boat-ride away from the city shore. Videy Island can be explored on foot and is a great place for bird watching and to explore the spectacular views. For more information on key locations to be explored in Iceland, you can read our full day-by-day itinerary for a 17-day circumnavigation of the island.

Travelling to Reykjavik

Many travellers choose the “shoulder season” months in spring and autumn, between the high season of summer (June to August) and the off-season (November to March). This means you get to visit Iceland when it is not too busy with tourists trooping there for the warmer months, but also not when it’s too desolate or too cold that you miss out on certain activities. For current departures, see our Iceland cultural and wilderness small group tour.

Despite its high latitude and proximity to the Arctic Circle, Iceland has a temperate climate thanks to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. About 11 percent of the country is covered with permanent ice cap and Iceland has Europe’s largest glacier (Vatnajökull), but it enjoys verdant summers, with snow rarely staying on the ground for days.

In Reykjavík, located in the southwest of the country, the average temperature is around 12 degrees Celsius in midsummer and close to freezing in winter. Still cold–but not as cold as the winters you may experience in Canada or Russia. In 2018, the capital’s annual average temperature was 5.5 degrees. Iceland’s meteorological agency reports that “[t]he absolute maximum in Reykjavík was 23.5°C, recorded on 29 July and the absolute minimum was -9.0°C on 19 January.”

However, Iceland’s weather is fickle and may change frequently throughout the day. If you’re planning a trip, make sure to check weather forecasts before heading out, and wear (or bring) layers so you can adapt to the weather changes quickly.

Summer is also the time to experience the “midnight sun” in Iceland. Midnight sun is a phenomenon observed north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, where the sun stays above the horizon around the clock for part of the summer (for six months only at the poles themselves). In Reykjavík, just south of the Arctic Circle, the sun sets close to midnight in mid-June and rises again around 3 am, so the sky never gets fully dark. In winter, many visitors brave the cold to observe the Northern Lights.

Downtown Reykjavik, Iceland

In the city, you can purchase a city card to explore the capital. The Reykjavík City Card includes free entry to museums, pools, and other attractions, unlimited use of Strætó bus (public transport), and other discounts and special offers.

Seeing Reykjavik on our Iceland tour

Reykjavik is where our 17-day Iceland cultural and wilderness small group tour begins and ends. Day 1 ends with a welcome dinner and a briefing from a local guide. Day 2 starts with a lecture on contemporary Iceland, then a field trip around the city: the view from Perlan, Hallgrímskirkja, the old Parliament, the modern city hall and the National Museum of Iceland, before an afternoon at the Blue Lagoon. On Day 3 the group leaves for Thingvellir National Park, and on Day 16 it returns by way of Gullfoss and the Strokkur geyser, two of the sights of the Golden Circle, for a farewell dinner in Reykjavik. The tour is Level 2 – Moderate, with an Odyssey Program Leader.

Articles about Reykjavik and Iceland published by Odyssey Traveller

The following articles published by Odyssey Traveller for mature travellers will help you make the most of your visit to Iceland:

• Questions About Iceland
• Visiting Iceland for Mature Travellers
• Lunar Landscapes and Geology in Iceland
• The Golden Circle, Iceland
• Iceland Museum Collection
• Blue Lagoon, Iceland
• Egilsstadir, Iceland
• Isafjordur, Iceland
• Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Reykjavik and Iceland

• Weekend Itinerary for the Explorer in Reykjavik
• Reykjavik
• Harpa: official site
• Videy Island
• Reykjavik, a small city with a big soul
• Visit Iceland: The official tourism website
• Travel + Leisure: How to travel to Iceland
• Ice, Fire and Feuds: On the Trail of Iceland’s Sagas
• Lonely Planet: Things to do in Reykjavík