Reykjavik is often the first, but sometimes also the last, stop on a trip to Iceland. What to visit and see in it I described in the article What to see in Reykjavik On the other hand, in this article I will focus on how to organize your stay in this city.
It is certainly best to visit Reykjavik on foot, and the walk itself can also be the highlight of the tour. However, the comfort and attractiveness of the walk is tremendously affected by the weather.
In general, although we often pay the most attention to the temperature, the most striking weather factors in Iceland and in Reykjavik itself are the strong wind and the amount of sunshine (sunshine hours) and, naturally, precipitation.
We describe in detail the weather for the whole year and for all of Iceland in a separate article: Iceland weather – temperature, wind, precipitation.
Icelanders say “nice weather” not even when it’s sunny and warm, but when it’s precisely when there’s no wind (although in the center of the city you don’t feel it as much as in the highlands, for example, anyway). And although Icelanders are accustomed to it, for example, for tourists from Europe the almost never-setting sun in summer and almost never rising above the horizon in winter can be a big surprise.
On the other hand, temperatures – however not high – are not annoying here. Iceland, despite its name that may bring to mind a perpetually cold, hostile land (after all, the English ‘ice land’ would mean country of ice), is characterized by a cool but fairly mild climate.
An important element of Iceland’s weather is its variability. Typical temperatures change relatively little between different seasons, but there are often abnormal conditions that already vary considerably.
As you’ll see in the charts below, the air temperature in each season and month can be described as follows:
You’ll see detailed data regarding typical temperatures in selected months in the charts below (the source of the data is Veðurstofa Íslands (the Icelandic Met Office); data for Reykjavik for the years 2000 – 2022):
GALLERY
Our perception of air temperature is greatly influenced by wind, rain and cloud cover. In Reykjavik, as in whole Iceland, these factors change significantly between summer and winter. And that is why our thermal comfort will be quite different here in summer then in winter.
The wind in Reykjavik itself – as it usually is in cities – is usually not annoying. July’s average – 11 km/h (7 mph) – is the wind we feel when running not too fast. However, it is the gusts of wind that are troublesome, and these, even in the center and on a not overly windy day, can be really strong. That’s why thermal comfort in Reykjavik depends fundamentally on protecting yourself from the wind.
Veðurstofa Íslands, or the Icelandic Meteorological Office, collects weather statistics and publishes official state forecasts on Vedur.is (veður means ‘weather’). This service not only publishes the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts for the entire country and its individual parts. It also deals with tracking and, if necessary, warning of weather hazards. These could be severe storms or snowfall, but in Iceland earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and other effects of volcanic activity also fall into this category. All data for the charts above are just from statistics published on vedur.is.
If you’re going to spend some time in Reykjavik – visit museums, go to the pool and ride the buses around town (they’re great!), it’s a good idea to buy yourself a City Card (Reykjavik City Card) for the duration of your stay. It entitles you to free bus rides, free admission to all city pools, and free admission (or discounts) to many museums and exhibitions. You can buy such a card in many museums and hotels – while walking around the city just look around for places selling them – there are really quite a few.
Reykjavik City Card prices (2023)
Reykjavik City Card (24 hours)
Unlike in years past, now (2023) people under the age of 18 do not need this card. They are entitled to free admission to most museums, but they must make any (small) fare payments using the Klapp app (download it from: App Store or Google Play).
If you’re only interested in bus rides, and don’t want to install the Klapp app, you can also buy a 1-day or 3-day Klapp card at major bus stops for 2200 ISK (about $16) and 5000 ISK (about $35), respectively.
The card can be ordered and paid for online, but to use it you have to pick up a physical version at one of the museums anyway. So it’s probably easier by the way to also buy it at such a museum 🙂
Reykjavik is best explored on foot. Except for a few places, everywhere can be reached within a really short walk (see What to visit in Reykjavik). However, for example, the Arbaer open-air museum, the Perlan exhibition or the Nautsholvik and Laugardalslaug swimming pools are a bit too far for a walk from the city center. And if you choose to stay outside the center, you’ll take a bus to anywhere – they are comfortable, reliable and inexpensive.
In my opinion, the best solution for getting around Reykjavik is city buses. The basic lines are a fairly dense network of routes throughout the city. Individual lines also go quite far out into the suburbs, and long-distance lines basically run all over Iceland (the City Card is not valid for these rides, however – you have to buy a corresponding ticket for long-distance connections).
In the center, all lines meet at the Hlemmur stop. Here you can conveniently change to another line or walk from here to the city center. Hallgrimskirkja lies about 700 meters to the west, and Harpa only a little over 1 km. So these are distances that can be covered on foot as much as possible. Of course, if the weather is not conducive to walking or you have hiked enough, you can comfortably get from Hlemmur to almost any point in the city.
As I wrote earlier – the best way to purchase tickets is to buy a City Card. Within Reykjavik, it allows you to travel on buses at no extra charge. Alternatively, you can always buy a ticket from the driver. When buying a ticket from the driver, rather be prepared to pay by card – the driver does not give change. A single ride ticket for an adult costs 480 ISK (about $3.50), while children aged 6-17 and those aged 67 or older pay half that price. Children 5 years old and younger ride for free.
The city’s bus operator is Straeto. On their website: straeto.is provides not only schedules, but also an interactive trip planner and a map that shows the current position of each bus! So you can, for example, easily see at which stop it will be easiest to “catch” it…
The company also provides a very helpful free mobile application – Straeto – that allows us to find the nearest bus stop, plan a trip or buy a ticket for a ride. The app can be downloaded on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Reykjavik is not a multi-day theme, so it’s reasonable to rent a car right away at the airport and drive it into the city (although we do recommend to leave the sightseeing for the last day). Just exploring the center is best done on foot anyway, but driving to further attractions or to an overnight stay on the outskirts of the city will be the quickest and most convenient in a car.
We describe this in more detail in the article Keflavik Airport, but in a nutshell: for a group of 4-5 people or a family, renting a car for 1 day should be cheaper than getting from the airport to the city by bus or cab. The cheapest way to do it, of course, is by city bus, but they, in turn, are the least flexible and convenient. You can find all the details in the article mentioned.
Also, having arrived in Reykjavik, it is best to park the car in a convenient place and explore the center on foot. You just have to watch out for paid parking zones, but if you park on the street then you only pay for it during the day.
There are 4 designated paid parking zones in Reykjavik. They are not large, but cover most of the inner city. Nevertheless, inside those zones the key challenge is to find a free spot for your car, anyway. Fees were raised in February 2019 and now range from 190 to 370 ISK (so about $1.50 to $2) per hour. There are also 6 multi-level city parking lots, but they are not much cheaper and I think they are not worth bothering with (you can find the exact locations here: https://bilastaedasjodur.is/#bilahusin; unfortunately, the English-language part of the site doesn’t cover it).
Parking zones in Reykjavik
In the area around the Hlemmur bus terminal, some streets are included in the paid parking zone, while others are not. So when parking there, you need to make sure whether and if so, how much you have to pay for parking. It is best to leave the car a little further east, in the parking lot near the small shopping center and supermarket Kronan (corner of Noatun and Hatun streets).
You can also park conveniently and for free near attractions a little further out – the Perlan exhibition, the Arbaer open-air museum, the Laugardalslaug swimming pools or the Húsdýragarðurinn Zoo.
Reykjavik, as the country’s capital, has a wide range of accommodations. Depending on your budget, you can choose to stay in a posh hotel, hostel or guesthouse, or at a campground. In the city center or in the ‘suburbs’.
There is plenty of any type of accommodation in the city itself: hotels, hostels, guesthouses and airbnb apartments. If you want to have all the major attractions, bars and restaurants at your fingertips, staying in the city center will obviously be the best choice. Be careful, though – there are quite a few bars in the lower part of Laugavegur, Bankastræti and Austurstræti, open until late at night, especially on weekends. And that means it can be really noisy there.
Of the less expensive end, we’d recommend Central Guesthouse, Apartments Reykjavik, 101 Guesthouse and Bus Hostel. The latter is doubly interesting because it has the same owners as one of the companies organizing coach transfers to and from Keflavik Airport: Airport Direct. Therefore, these coaches come straight from the airport to the parking lot at this very hostel. It’s not the very center of Reykjavik, rather the area around the BSI terminal, but it’s not far to the center either.
If you’re on a budget – look for guesthouses in farther-flung neighborhoods or on the outskirts of the city. You’ll get to the center very quickly by car or bus, and the money you save on lodging will definitely come in handy for various other expenses. See on straeto.is how far you will have to the nearest bus stop, or immediately set yourself up to rent a car as well for the day(s) of sightseeing in Reykjavik.
If you’re backpacking or staying in an RV or campervan, then Reykjavik Camping is likely your place of choice. The camping is inexpensive (compared to hostels) and located right next to the Laugardalslaug pool complex. Although it’s about 3 km / 2 miles to Hallgrimskirkja or Harpa from here, line 14 bus stops right at the entrance to the campground so it’s easy to get to the city center in a whizz.
Of the places that are slightly more expensive but also of a higher standard, Reykjavik Marina and Rey Apartments stand out as great value-for-money.
Finally if you’re not ready to compromise a slightest bit of quality and/or want to pamper yourself, have a look at The Black Pearl Apartment Hotel and The Reykjavik Edition. These two should satisfy even the highest standards.
Reykjavik’s history began in 874, when the first permanent settler, Ingólf Arnarson, arrived here. For years his farm was the only one in the area, but by the 16th century Reykjavik was already an important port and trading center. Residents also engaged in fishing, farming and animal husbandry.
In 1786, the settlement was granted a city charter and designated as the administrative center of the Danish-ruled island. In 1874, Iceland received its own constitution and took control of the economy. From then on it began to develop rapidly, and science, commerce, culture and industry flourished in Reykjavik.
Modern Reykjavik is the commercial, industrial and cultural center of the island. It has a rich, vibrant cultural and art scene, modern museums, world-class restaurants, galleries, stores, bars and clubs. It is a major fishing port and home to nearly half of the country’s industry. Among other things, Reykjavik produces processed fish and food products, machinery and metal products.
It attracts attention with its modern architecture and unique… neatness. Not everyone knows that it is heated by water from nearby hot wells and is one of the cleanest, greenest and safest cities in the world.
Iceland is full of souvenir stores. Especially the center of Reykjavik is saturated (or even oversaturated) with them. Walk around Laugavegur and you’ll find countless stores selling mascots in the shape of puffins, Viking hats or Icelandic sweaters. Keep in mind, however, that most of these items are mass-produced in other countries and imported to Iceland.
If you’re looking to buy locally made souvenirs with Icelandic soul, perhaps try buying one of the following items:
