REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
Reykjavik is about a 45 minute drive from the airport. Parking can be a challenge in the city as most hotels do not have their own parking so you are left with street parking or garage. We managed to park on the street so it is doable you just won’t end up right in front of your hotel so you may have a bit of a walk with your luggage.
FOOD/DINING
Sandholt Bakery
Everything they may is delicious and beautiful. We stopped in a few times. I couldn’t help myself. In the front they have fresh baked bread and pastries, hand crafted chocolates and mouth watering sandwiches. They are perfect for a quick bite as you stroll along the streets, to bring back to your hotel for later or to enjoy en route to your next destination.
Joylato
This was one of our daughter’s trip highlights. They make yummy ice creams and sweet treats all gluten-free with many dairy free and vegan options too. Our daughter is allergic to eggs to she was delighted to have so many options! Definitely worth a visit. In the same space (to the side) is a health supplement shop in case you forgot to pack any thing.
Jamie’s Italian
Our top pick for dinner out of the few places we tried in Reykjavik. Nice menu options for adults and amazing choices for kids. The kids menu is available on paper but also on a View Master!! It was really pretty cool. We all got a kick out of it. And the kid’s meals come with a little salad in a jar with a “Shake Me” label in top so kids can put salad dressing in (if they choose to), shake it and then eat it. My daughter loved it!
Sjavargrillid Seafood Grill
A good spot for dinner. The food was good and they even have a good kid’s menu. We all enjoyed our meal there. I had the Lobster Salad which was very tasty. They also do have a children’s menu.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Hallgrimskirkja
The most famous church in Reykjavik due to its striking architecture and the giant organ it houses . As one of the tallest structures there, it can be seen from many points. For a small fee, you can take an elevator up to the top of the steeple where you can get a birds eye view of the city. It’s it a fun first stop to get a lay of the land so to say. If you make it Reynisfjara Beach you will see where the architect got his inspiration from nature.
Harpa
With fantastic architecture, Harpa is one of the city’s cultural and social centers. It houses space for concerts, live theatre, movies and conferences, along with a few shops and a restaurant. It is worth a visit simply to admire the architecture and pop into the shops which have a great selection of Icelandic products.
Perlan
A science museum that is totally worth a visit whether you are traveling with kids or not. You will learn so much about Iceland’s history, geology and animal life in an easily digestible manner. There is even a man made ice cave, which it worth the add on price if you weren’t able to go into a real nature ice cave during your visit. We weren’t able to as you can only do so in the winter so this was a nice treat. There is also a quick service cafe and a full service restaurant high up in the dome where you can enjoy a spectacular 360 view of the city.
The Sun Voyager
A beautiful steel sculpture resembling a viking long-ship, in a beautiful setting, created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason. It is a short walk from Harpa.
Walk along Laugavegur and Skolavoroustigur Streets to take in the city and shop
Some recommendations:
Local brands of outdoor gear:
66 North (many locations across the country) - we ended up buying a bag here at the end of our trip because we needed the extra space to get all our new purchases home.
Icewear (many locations across the country) - I got a bunch of pairs of mittens and gloves, along with some hats for my family and as gifts. Great selections and the prices are reasonable. Plus, I like getting souvenirs and gifts that are a nice memento yet also useful.
Farmer’s Market - higher end local wool products with more modern designs
Tulipop (if you have young kids and want to check out the fun characters)
Souvenirs/Local finds:
Aurum - higher end items, we got a beautiful Farmer’s Market blanket here for my step-daughter and a local flora poster for us.
Rammagerdin (many locations across the country) - here we picked up an Icelandic vase as a gift for my husband’s parents.
Icelandic Horseback Riding
Just 20 minutes outside of Reykajavik is Viking Horses, who offer small group rides on these amazing horses. We had such an amazing time. Truly a must do if you can fit it in. They even offer pick up from various stops in the city. Read more about our experience with Viking horses here
WHERE TO STAY
We planned our entire trip only a week and a half before we went on it which meant many hotels were already full. Yet, things always seem to work out. The 2 we ended up staying at were both great and had the perfect locations, I think better than any other we might have considered.
Apotek Hotel
This was our very first hotel in Iceland. We left NYC in the evening and landed in Iceland around 6:55am local time, which was the middle of the night for us. So to make things a bit easier, we made our booking start the night before so we could go straight to the hotel, drop our bags off and freshen up before we embarked on any sightseeing.
The hotel is nice, clean and modern. Our room was very small but big enough. I think they have larger rooms but we had to take what we could get. It was a descent size room, especially if you are coming from NYC like we were. It was made tighter by the addition of a rollaway bed for our daughter but they made it work and we were grateful.
Breakfast was included with our rate which was handy. We were actually able to grab a bite there the morning we arrived. It is pretty basic but it worked.
Lovely hotel. Art deco in style. We managed to get a large room, with a large bathroom so we were very comfortable. They brought in a rollaway bed for our daughter and we still had plenty of room. I believe it was a Deluxe Room.
We did try to order room service tea that evening and it never arrived. I don’t think room service is a very common amenity at hotels in Iceland but they had a room service menu so we tried. I’ll warn you not to even bother.
We had breakfast included with our room rate, which was in Jamie’s Italian. The breakfast spread was amazing! Nice job Jamie!
Other hotel options
We were very happy with our hotels, especially their location. But to be thourough, some other hotels that seemed like they would be worth checking out were Hilton Canopy and Ion City Hotel.
