One Day Reykjavík Itinerary: Perfect for First Timers
Reykjavík is a small and very walkable city, so one day is enough time to see the main sights.
I spent four nights in Reykjavík on my trip to Iceland with my boyfriend and I was surprised by just how much there is to do in the city. There’s loads of museums and art galleries, brilliant restaurants, and some very interesting landmarks.
So I’ve designed this itinerary to help you plan the perfect day in Reykjavík, with time stamps so you have a rough schedule.
Before your trip, get this:
A Reykjavík City Card gives you free entry to a selection of the city’s museums and art galleries, the 8 geothermal swimming pools, and unlimited use of the buses. It’s £29 for a 24 hour card, which you’ll very quickly make back.
One day Reykjavik itinerary overview
09:30am – 10:00am: Breakfast
10:00am – 12:30pm: Walking tour
12:30pm – 13:00pm: Hallgrímskirkja church
13:00pm – 13:30pm: Rainbow street
13:30pm – 14:00pm: Sun Voyager
14:00pm – 15:00pm: Lunch at Le Kock
15:00pm – 15:30pm: Harpa concert hall
15:30pm – 16:30pm: Whales of Iceland museum
16:00pm – 19:30pm: Sky Lagoon for sunset
20:30pm – 22:00pm: Dinner at Skal!
Morning
Breakfast
If you’ve only got one day in Reykjavík, starting with a good breakfast makes a big difference. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, so you need to eat well!
I loved Brauð & Co, a popular bakery that’s developed a reputation for its cinnamon rolls. Everything is made fresh on site, so whatever you order, it’ll be delicious.
They have five shops in Reykjavík, so there will most likely be one near to where you’re staying.
I also tried the bagels at DEIG which is perfect if you’re after something more substantial.
Walking tour
A walking tour is one of the best ways to get your bearings in Reykjavík, especially if it’s your first visit.
I booked this 2.5 hour tour which hit all of the main sights, whilst our guide told us the history of each place, and interesting facts about Icelandic culture.
There’s two time slots each day – 10:00am and 14:00pm. I booked the 10:00am slot, straight after breakfast, and I’d recommend doing the same.
That way, if there’s anything you learn about on the tour that you want to add into your itinerary, you have the time to do it.
Afternoon
Hallgrímskirkja Church
No trip to Reykjavik is complete without a visit to Hallgrímskirkja church, the country’s largest church and one of its tallest buildings.
You’ll pass by it on your walking tour, but you won’t have loads of time there, so I’d recommend heading back afterwards so you can go inside.
Entrance to the church is free, but you can pay to go to the top, where you’ll get panoramic views over the city. A ticket is 1,400 ISK/£8.
Rainbow Street
Your next stop is Rainbow Street, which runs downhill from Hallgrímskirkja church. It was originally created for Reykjavík Pride and is now a permanent feature of the city, located right in the centre of Reykjavík.
The street is lined with shops and restaurants and is a great place to explore, but most importantly, it’s a symbol of Reykjavík’s diverse and open culture.
Sun Voyager
Head to the Sun Voyager statue next, a ten minute walk from Rainbow Street.
It’s located on Reykjavík’s waterfront and was designed by Icelandic artist Jón Gunnar Árnason as a symbol of light, hope, and discovery.
If you’re following this itinerary strictly, it’ll be early afternoon when you visit, but the statue looks even more beautiful at sunrise and sunset, so if you have time to pop back, it’s well worth it!
Lunch at Le Kock
For lunch, you can’t beat Le Kock, which is a fifteen minute walk from the Sun Voyager. I actually ate here twice during my trip to Reykjavík because I loved it so much.
They serve delicious burgers, wings and sides and honestly I cannot stop thinking about the chicken burger I had from here, it was absolutely delicious.
They use local Icelandic ingredients, and it’s run by the same people as DEIG, which is located next door, and where all the burger buns are made fresh each day.
It actually makes the most sense to do Rainbow Street, Sun Voyager, Harpa and then lunch, as you can walk along the waterfront between Sun Voyager to Harpa, and then round the corner to Le Kock, but that means you’d be eating lunch pretty late, so I switched them round. Feel free to move them about though!
Harpa Concert Hall
Just round the corner from Le Kock is the Harpa Concert Hall, home of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera.
There’s a regular programme of shows and events here, but if you don’t have time to see one, you can still go inside and see the building. It’s made entirely of glass and is really beautiful, especially on a sunny day.
Whales of Iceland museum
Reykjavík has so many museums and art galleries to choose from, and you won’t be able to see them all in one day, so I’d recommend picking one.
I visited Whales of Iceland, which is a twenty-minute walk from Harpa.
It contains life-size models of the whales seen in the waters around Iceland, as well as interactive displays and documentaries, and entry costs £25.
Evening
Sky Lagoon
The Sky Lagoon is a hot spring located a short drive from the centre of Reykjavík.
You can get there by public bus but you’ll need to change, so I’d recommend booking the ticket that includes transport, so you get dropped at the door.
It’s based around a seven-step ritual called Skjól, which includes a warm lagoon, cold plunge, sauna, cold mist, body scrub, steam and shower.
I spent most of the time in the lagoon, which has a swim up bar and amazing views over the Atlantic ocean.
Visit Sky Lagoon in the late afternoon so you can watch sunset from the pool!
Dinner at Skál!
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing where to eat in Reykjavík as the food scene is so good.
If you’ve only got one day in the city, you want to make the right choice, which is why I’d recommend Skál!
It’s won several awards, and has been voted “The best goddamn restaurant in Reykjavík” for four years running.
They describe their food as “modern Icelandic cuisine” and you can choose from a la carte dishes such as beef tartar, baked halibut and a marbled ribeye steak, or go for the Skál! tasting menu, which consists of 8-courses.
Best time to visit Reykjavík
The best time to visit Reykjavík depends on what you’re looking to do on your trip. During the winter months, when the daylight hours are really short, you’ll have the best chance of seeing the northern lights.
Although it’s harder to see the northern lights in Reykjavík due to the light pollution, it’s definitely still possible! We actually saw them as soon as we landed, as we were coming out of the airport, which was the best way to start the trip!
And there’s lots of northern lights tours that depart from Reykjavik and will take you to more remote areas to find them.
From late November to mid December, there’s Christmas markets in Reykjavík, but generally December has pretty volatile weather.
If you want to see whales, the best time to visit Reykjavík is during the summer months, but you can go on whale watching tours all year round. The summer months are also the busiest months in Iceland, so expect more crowds in Reykjavík.
How to get around Reykjavik
Aside from the Sky Lagoon, everything on this itinerary is located in downtown Reykjavík and is easy to reach on foot.
The Sky Lagoon is a fifteen minute drive from Reykjavík city centre, but if you don’t have a car, you can get the public bus, which is free with a Reykjavík City Card.
With the public bus, you will need to change and then walk at the end, so I’d recommend booking the Sky Lagoon tickets that include transport to be taken directly to the Sky Lagoon.
Where to stay in Reykjavik
Reykjavík is a great base for your trip to Iceland as lots of day trips that depart from it.
I stayed in Reykjavík for four nights, in two different hotels.
The first was Local 101, a cosy boutique hotel a short walk from the centre of Reykjavík. The room was small but well designed, and there’s a stunning bar and restaurant which was perfect for the evening.
The next hotel I stayed in is Grandi by Center hotels. This is a much bigger hotel with more facilities – there’s a spa, a large restaurant, bar, and luggage lockers if you need to leave your cases somewhere when you check out.
Both of these hotels are great options for your trip. They’re both centrally located, modern and clean, it just depends on whether you prefer a boutique feel or more amenities.
Do you need to hire a car in Reykjavik?
You don’t need a car to get around Reykjavík itself, but if you’re planning on hiring one for your trip anyway (which I’d really recommend), then there’s a few reasons why it makes sense to get it from the airport as soon as you arrive.
Firstly, if you don’t have a car, you’ll most likely be using Flybus to travel from the airport to Reykjavík city centre. It’s a great option if you don’t drive but there’s a couple of reasons I didn’t love it:
- It’s expensive (around £21pp/$27 each way) and that’s just to the main bus terminal in Reykjavík. You’ll need to pay extra and change to a different bus if you want to be dropped at your hotel.
- It takes a really long time. There’s no specific departure times from the airport, the buses time their arrival with the flight arrival times. They don’t leave until the bus is full, so if you’re out first, you can be waiting a really long time before the bus leaves. We were sat on the bus for 30 minutes before it left, followed by a 1 hour journey into Reykjavík, and another 30 minutes to change buses and be dropped at our hotel.
The other option is to take a taxi, but this is very expensive – around £90/$116 to downtown Reykjavík.
I hired a car from the airport when I arrived as I wanted to use it for the duration of my trip to Iceland. Having a car gives you so much more flexibility to visit more remote parts of the country, which is perfect for chasing the northern lights.
Read my full guide to hiring a car in Iceland in winter, where I compare day trips vs car rental, and run through my top tips
I did do a couple of days trips from Reykjavík but I much preferred driving myself, as the coach trips feel very rushed, you often only have around thirty minutes at each stop, and you’ll be arriving at the same time as other coaches, so it’s going to be very busy!
Having a car in Reykjavík also means you can drive yourself to the Sky Lagoon, saving money on the transport.
I used Discover Cars to book my hire car for Iceland. I always use this website when I travel as it compares loads of different providers to find the best price for my dates and destination.
Parking in Reykjavík
Parking in Reykjavík is divided into four zones, which increase in price the closer you get to the city centre.
Parking in the city centre is free overnight (from 9pm – 9am on weekdays, and 9pm – 10am on weekends), so you’ll only be paying during the day.
I’d recommend downloading the EasyPark app which allows you to pay for parking on your phone. If you’re out exploring and need to extend your parking, you can do that on the app too.
Is there Uber in Reykjavík?
No, Uber doesn’t operate in Reykjavík, but you can order taxis through the Hopp app. It works in exactly the same way as Uber, just enter your destination and you’ll be given a price. Once you accept the price it’ll match you with a driver.
Is Reykjavík expensive?
Yes, Reykjavík is expensive. You’ll pay around £10/$13 for a pint, and £60/$77 for lunch for 2 people in a casual restaurant. There’s lots of free things to do in Reykjavík if you’re on a budget though, and there’s a variety of accommodation options, from hostels to luxury 5* hotels.
