With a population just shy of 120,000 inhabitants, Reykjavik is a small rather compact city. Full of charm, it’s size makes exploring purely by foot completely possible. Be sure to factor in time to wander and soak up the atmosphere of the city.
Walk Reykjavik Waterfront
As you can see above, the city’s waterfront presents an incredible view across to Mount Esja. A footpath traces the course of the water’s edge that makes for a gorgeous morning’s walk that allows you to take in more of Reykjavik’s landmarks – from the Harpa Concert Hall, past the Sólfar (Sun Voyager) sculpture, and onwards.
Walk Reykjavik Harbour
Reykjavik’s harbour is where you can catch ferries out to go whale watching and home to a small selection of restaurants near the water. Starting at the Harpa building again, I took a long walk during the early evening of my last day right out past the harbour in the opposite direction which was definitely worth it for some of the huge murals we spotted.
Wander Laugavegur and Around
Laugavegur is the main shopping street through Reykjavik and, though compact, you could easily spend half a day or more wandering up and down, popping into shops and cafés, dipping in and out of side streets, eventually making it up the hill to Hallgrímskirkja Church.
Laugavegur is home to a couple of interesting vintage shops, market-style Spúútnik and boutique Spúútnik Fatamarkaður, both of which are worth checking out (though I resisted buying any clothes for once). Oh and there’s also a shop with a slide in it to get down to the basement.
Follow the ‘Appy Hour
Drinking in Iceland is notoriously expensive. Thank goodness then for ‘Appy Hour’ – a free smartphone app that tells you where in town has a happy hour going on at any given time. Downloadable through the app store on iTunes or the Google Play store, the app is perfect for planning a reasonable night out. Even better, the app works offline so you can easily refer to it when you’re out and find your nearest happy hour.
Not fooled by the sign below, we found a few good spots for enjoying some Icelandic beers and the odd glass of wine. Expect to pay around 450-600ISK during happy hour and maybe twice as much the rest of the time.
Hear it on the (Reykjavik) Grapevine
Silly puns aside, The Reykjavik Grapevine is a free English-language newspaper (readily available in many shops and cafés) with local listing for music, exhibitions and other local goings-on. Pick one up as soon as you arrive and scope out what is happening during your stay. I’d recommend getting one of these ‘Marsipan’ chocolate bars too…
What is your favourite way to explore a new city?
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Check out more by James Ward on the Jimbobart website here.
