Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and the world's northernmost national capital (64°08'N) — a city of 135,000 people (half of Iceland's total population of 370,000) in a country that is simultaneously the most volcanic, the most geothermally active, the most populated Nordic nation per square kilometre of habitable land, and the nation that reads the most books per capita in the world (Iceland has the highest book publication rate per capita globally: one book per 10 inhabitants per year). Iceland was settled by Norse Vikings between 870-930 AD (the Settlement Exhibition museum in Reykjavik's city centre is built around the original Viking longhouse foundations discovered in 2001 beneath the city centre); the Alþing (Althing), the world's oldest existing parliament, was founded at Þingvellir (Thingvellir, 50 km east of Reykjavik) in 930 AD. The defining Reykjavik experiences are geological: the city is powered almost entirely by geothermal energy (with a negligible carbon footprint — 99% of electricity from hydropower and geothermal, and all hot water from geothermal springs); the Blue Lagoon (Bláa Lónið, the iconic geothermal spa 40 km south of the city, with its milky-blue silica-rich water at 37-40°C in the middle of a black lava field) is the most-visited attraction in Iceland (with 800,000 visitors per year before pre-booking was made mandatory); the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis, visible from Reykjavik and its surroundings from September to March when skies are clear); the Midnight Sun (June-July, when the sun does not set and the city is bathed in golden horizontal light from midnight to 2 am); and the Golden Circle day trip (Þingvellir National Park UNESCO, Geysir geothermal area with Strokkur erupting every 7 minutes, and Gullfoss waterfall).
Hallgrímskirkja (the Lutheran parish church of Reykjavik, 1945-1986, 73 m tower, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson to resemble the basalt lava column formations that occur naturally throughout Iceland — Svartifoss waterfall basalt columns were the primary inspiration) is the most recognisable building in Iceland — the tower lift (€10) gives a 360° view of Reykjavik, the harbour and the mountains; the Leif Eriksson statue in front (a gift from the United States in 1930 for the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþing) depicts the Viking who reached North America 500 years before Columbus.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Settlement Exhibition (Reykjavik 871±2, the year of the oldest found Viking longhouse, opened 2006) is built directly around and below the original Viking longhouse foundations (discovered in 2001 during hotel construction) — the museum puts a glass walkway over the actual 1,150-year-old Viking hall where the first Reykjavik settlers lived, cooked and slept; the 3D interactive displays reconstruct the 10th-century settlement and the Sagas that document the founding families.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Old Harbour (Gamli Höfn, the original fishing harbour of Reykjavik) is the departure point for whale watching tours (minke whales, humpbacks, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises in Faxaflói Bay — 98% sighting rate in summer; April-October is the peak season) and puffin watching tours (the Atlantic puffin colony on the Lundey and Akurey islands, with 10,000+ puffin pairs, May-August — Atlantic puffins with their distinctive orange beaks are the most beloved Icelandic animal); the harbour has the freshest fish and chips in Iceland (Sægreifinn, the Sea Baron).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLaugavegur (the main shopping and restaurant street of Reykjavik) runs from the Hlemmur bus station to the city centre — the street has the finest concentration of Icelandic design shops, wool sweater (lopapeysa) boutiques, second-hand vinyl shops and Icelandic wool sock stores; the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (Best Hot Dog in Town, the most famous hot dog stand in Iceland, on the harbour, open since 1937) serves the Icelandic pylsur: a lamb-pork-beef hot dog in a soft bun with sweet mustard, remoulade, raw and fried onion and ketchup — Bill Clinton ate here in 2004 (single, with mustard only).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideIn June and July (midnight sun period), the sun in Reykjavik grazes the horizon around midnight and rises again at 3 am — the golden horizontal light at 11 pm-1 am is unlike anything at lower latitudes; the Esja mountain (914 m, across the bay from Reykjavik, visible from the city) glows orange-gold; the Tjörnin lake (the city pond in the centre, with 40+ species of waterfowl including Arctic terns that aggressively dive-bomb humans who approach their nests) reflects the midnight sun; in winter (September-March) the Northern Lights replace the midnight sun.
Þingvellir (Thingvellir, 50 km east of Reykjavik, UNESCO World Heritage) is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are visibly splitting apart (4 cm per year — you can stand in the rift valley, the Almannagjá gorge, with the North American plate on one side and the Eurasian on the other); the Althing (world's oldest existing parliament, founded 930 AD) met here for 900 years; the crystal-clear glacial water of the Silfra fissure (between the plates, 2°C, 100+ m visibility — the clearest fresh water on Earth) is the world's most famous snorkelling/diving site.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Geysir geothermal area (Haukadalur, 115 km east of Reykjavik) has Strokkur (the active geyser, erupting every 5-7 minutes to 15-30 m height — the word "geyser" comes from Geysir, the original great geyser that now erupts rarely but gives the world its vocabulary) and the surrounding geothermal field with hot springs, fumaroles, boiling mud pots and silica terraces — the entire area smells of sulfur, the ground is warm underfoot and the steam rises constantly.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGullfoss (the Golden Falls, 125 km east of Reykjavik) is a double-cascade waterfall plunging into a 70 m deep canyon — the Hvítá glacial river falls first 11 m then 21 m into the canyon in a right-angle turn, creating enormous spray that forms rainbows on sunny days; in winter the falls partially freeze creating ice formations; the view platform above the falls is close enough to feel the spray; the story of Sigríður Tómasdóttir (the farmer's daughter who threatened to throw herself into the falls if developers built a hydropower dam) is the origin of Iceland's conservation tradition.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKerið (Kerith, 55 km south of Reykjavik, 3,000 years old) is a volcanic explosion crater with a vivid teal-green lake at its centre — the red-orange volcanic rock walls contrast with the green water; the crater rim walk takes 15 minutes; Björk performed a floating concert on a raft in the crater lake in 2004; the crater is small enough to be completely circumnavigated in 20 minutes, with the most photogenic combination of volcanic colours in Iceland outside the highlands.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Blue Lagoon (40 km south of Reykjavik, on the Reykjanes Peninsula between two active volcanic ridges, pre-booking mandatory) is the world's most famous geothermal spa — the milky-blue water (coloured by silica particles that reflect sunlight) at 37-40°C covering 8,700 m² of outdoor bathing area, surrounded by black lava fields; the water comes from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant and is rich in silica (a natural skin exfoliant), algae and minerals; the silica mud mask (free) and the mineral mask bar, the in-water bar serving sparkling wine.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Reykjanes Peninsula (the volcanic peninsula south of Reykjavik where the airport is located, 50 km of accessible lava fields, fumaroles and geothermal areas) has the Bridge Between Continents (a footbridge over the rift between the North American and Eurasian plates — smaller and less dramatic than Þingvellir but free and accessible), the Reykjanesviti lighthouse (Iceland's oldest, 1878, on a volcanic headland) and the Seltún geothermal area (boiling mud pots and sulfurous fumaroles in rainbow colours of yellow and orange).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideIcelandic cuisine is built on the extraordinary quality of its ingredients — Icelandic lamb (the free-ranging Highland sheep that spend summer in the mountains eating wild herbs and thyme, producing the most flavourful lamb in the world), Arctic char (the pink freshwater fish of Icelandic mountain lakes, delicate, mild, similar to salmon but fresher-tasting), skyr (the thick Icelandic cultured dairy product, higher protein than Greek yoghurt, eaten as a dessert with berries) and kleinur (the Icelandic twisted doughnut, deep-fried, cardamom-spiced); restaurant Matur og Drykkur (Food and Drink, the best Icelandic cuisine), Messinn and Sjávargrillið are the leading dining addresses.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis, visible from Reykjavik and surrounding areas September-March when the sky is clear and solar activity is sufficient) are best seen away from city lights — the classic hunting routes are Þingvellir National Park (50 km, minimal light pollution), the Reykjanes Peninsula lava fields, or the Grótta lighthouse spit (3 km west of Reykjavik centre, the minimum light-pollution escape); the Aurora Forecast (vedur.is/english/aurora-forecast) gives 1-9 scale predictions; on clear nights with KP-index 3+, the lights are visible from the city centre.
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