Three Must-Do Activities In and Around Reykjavik, Iceland
Written by Jordan Lesmeister
Back in January 2020, I planned the trip of a lifetime – I was finally going to visit the land of fire and ice. Iceland is a dream destination for many that seems practically unearthly. How can one island be home to both active volcanoes and vast glacier expanses? I was so excited to finally be checking this exquisite destination off my bucket list – then came the pandemic and you know how that story ends. After three long years of laying in wait, we finally dusted off our passports and decided it was time to get back to European travel, and we had no doubts what country would be first on our list.
View of Reykjavik from the Hallgrimskirkja Church.
I’ve found that most people I’ve talked with about European travel don’t really have Reykjavik on their radar as a potential place to visit – it is often eclipsed by the grandeur of other European capitals like London, Paris, and Rome, but I am here to tell you that an extended stay in the world’s northern-most capital city will not disappoint. While there are so many ways to fill your days in this gorgeous (and very walkable) city, here are a few of my favorite things we did during our trip:
A hot dog unlike any other you’ve ever had!
Take a Food Tour
I’m not exaggerating when I say, this is the best food tour I’ve ever done – and I make a point to take food tours pretty much everywhere I go. Before my trip, I had no idea what was considered Icelandic cuisine, but there were so many unique items we were able to try, and the tour company we used did a great job curating the perfect list of Icelandic delicacies for the tour.
A major highlight for me was the Icelandic hot dog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, which features a lamb frank topped with raw white onion, crispy fried onions, ketchup, sweet brown mustard, and a curry remoulade. I’m telling you, it’s unlike any other hot dog you’ve had in your life.
Another surprise favorite was the rye bread ice cream sold at Café Loki. This ice cream was deceptively sweet with a malty, caramelized flavor that washed down perfectly with a steaming cup of coffee. An unexpected bonus was the beautiful view of the Hallgrímskirkja from the café window.
We took our food tour the first full day of our trip and I am not ashamed to say these were the two food items that we went back to enjoy a second time during our stay.
The thermal pool at Sky Lagoon.
Visit a Geothermal Pool
I mean, this is why people visit Iceland, right? The island is a natural wonder with its production of geothermal energy. Not only is it one of the cleanest countries in the world in terms of energy usage, locals and tourists alike massively benefit from this phenomenon in the form of geothermal pools.
These can be found across the country in both man-made and naturally occurring versions, but for our trip, we opted to take a visit to both the famous Blue Lagoon as well as the newer Sky Lagoon.
Truly, I could write an entire blog post dissecting the pros and cons of visiting both pools, and while I supremely enjoyed my time at both, the short answer is that I overall preferred Sky Lagoon to Blue Lagoon. However, both were wonderful experiences that left me feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Take a Day Trip to Iceland’s Golden Circle
Thingvellir National Park on the Golden Circle Tour.
Okay I know I just said travelers come to Iceland for the geothermal pools, but if that’s not it, then they definitely come for the expansive opportunity to explore nature.
Many people want to circumnavigate Iceland’s famous Ring Road which loops all the way around the island and features an abundance of breathtaking landscapes, however, not everyone has the amount of time needed to complete the full loop around the island, so I’ve found that a great way to dip your toe into the natural beauty of Iceland is by exploring their Golden Circle, which is another much smaller loop located just an hour east of Reykjavik.
We opted to take a Golden Circle guided tour where we boarded a bus and were led around with the help of a very knowledgeable tour guide.
You can easily navigate the Golden Circle by rental car as well if you are more into exploring on your own, but we found it to be very helpful having a guide explaining the history of the land and also properly pronouncing all the Icelandic words we encountered, many of which were very long and intimidating.
A landscape unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
The highlights of our tour included stops at Thingvellir National Park where tectonic plates are literally separating the land and deepening an already existing rift by one full inch each year, Gulfoss Waterfall (literally translates to Golden Falls; side note the beef goulash at the rest stop here was out of this world – we went back for seconds), and Geysir Geothermal Area which is home to Strokkur geyser and features eruptions about 50 feet tall every five minutes or so.
We also opted for an additional side tour where we drove snowmobiles on Langjökull glacier. I am not exaggerating when I say this is the stuff of dreams – one minute we were gliding through the clouds on our snowmobiles and the next, the clouds rolled away to reveal exquisite snow-capped peaks as far as the eye could see.
Core memories were made this day, and I would encourage everyone to do a glacier snowmobiling experience at least once in your life. You won’t regret it.
While this is by no means a comprehensive list of ways to spend your time in and around Reykjavik, these are definitively my top three recommendations for anyone planning a trip to this incredible city. Reykjavik proved to be a wonderful destination that really had it all – delicious cuisine, striking architecture, abundant shopping, ample variety of museums and historical sites, and of course a natural beauty that was a pleasure to be surrounded by. And to top it off, the city is teeming with locals who have a deep-rooted love for their country and treat tourists like family. This trip was a perfect first exposure to the beauty of Iceland, and I know it won’t be long before I come back for more.
Jordan is a life-long lover of all things travel and Disney-related. After graduating from the University of Kentucky with dual degrees in English Literature and Spanish, she began her career as a travel agent in 2017. You can count on her visiting Disney World at least once a year (usually more) and frequenting trips to Europe, the Caribbean, and all the unique cities across the country that the U.S. has to offer. She is a self-proclaimed foodie and loves to push herself out of her comfort zone, especially when traveling. When she’s not off galivanting the world, Jordan enjoys life at home in Fishers, Indiana, with her husband, baby girl, and two fur babies.