Reykjavik, Iceland is such a beautiful and artsy city with lots to see and do. It is easy to explore on foot – you can walk almost everywhere! Here is a suggestion for what to do, see and where to eat if you are spending one day in Reykjavik.
Visit Harpa
Harpa is a concert and conference centre located on the waterfront in Reykjavik. The architecture is stunning, so during your one day in Reykjavik it is worthwhile to walk around inside and admire the glass walls and views of the harbour. They also have lots of comfortable chairs you can sit on to relax or eat a snack. It’s a great place to go in the daytime and again in the evening when it is lit up with colourful lights.
Walk along the waterfront and see the Sun Voyager Sculpture
From Harpa, you can walk along the pathway along the waterfront to the Sun Voyager sculpture (Solfar). It’s a short walk (about 10 minutes at a leisurely pace), and there are nice views of the harbour. It can get quite busy at the statue since there are usually other tourists there taking pictures.
Walk along Laugavegur Street
From the statue, you are very close to the main shopping street, Laugavegur. It’s fun to wander around and take in the sites of this cool and trendy street, look around the shops, or grab a quick bite to eat. There is street art everywhere, which was really fun to look at!
Go to the top of Hallgrímskirkja church
It’s not hard miss this church since it’s located in the center of town and close to the shopping streets. Visiting the top of the church is the best place to see the incredible views of Reykjavik from up above, and take that iconic photo of the city below. We went at around sunset before dinner, and the city looked like it was glowing!
Going inside the church itself is free, but you will need to pay a small admission fee to take the elevator ride up to the top. It is 900 ISK (or about 8 CAD dollars).
Visit a museum during your one day in Reykjavik
If you plan to go to a museum, check their hours in advance since most close around 5pm. If you go in the morning, this will give you plenty of time to explore a museum and visit the rest of the sites around Reykjavik later in the day. Everything is within walking distance, so depending on which museum you start your day with you can easily walk to the next site.
A few museums to mention:
- Penis Museum (also called The Icelandic Phallological Museum) – located on Laugavegur shopping street. It’s filled with the world’s largest displays of -you guessed it – penises!
- Reykjavik Settlement Exhibition – An interactive exhibit about early Icelandic settlement. The area where this museum is located is quite central and about a 10 minute walk away from Harpa.
Walk around Tjornin pond next to the Reykjavik City Hall
This is a really scenic and relaxing area in the city. Our AirBnB was located around the corner from here, and it was such a nice to place to walk by! There are lots of ducks and geese there and it’s also very close to the Settlement Museum and central Reykjavik.
Where to eat if you have one day in Reykjavik
If you have one day in Reykjavik, there are so many amazing options for food that it can be hard to narrow it down. Here are a few:
- The Laundromat Cafe: Cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Located close to the Tjornin pond, the Settlement Museum, and Harpa. Check out their menu.
- Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur: This is a small, popular hotdog stand close to Harpa. Their hotdogs are amaaaazing (ask for it with everything on it!), and there are little picnic tables you can eat at. They accept credit cards too!
- The Noodle Station: Offering Thai soup with your choice of beef, chicken or vegetarian. Located on Laugavegur Street and close to the Penis museum. The price for a bowl of soup is about 1700 ISK (or about $20 CAD).
- Reykjavik Roasters – Also located close to the church. Stop in for an award-winning cup of coffee.
- Loki Restaurant – Relaxed, bright restaurant with nice artwork, and offers traditional Icelandic meals. You can even try fermented shark here if you are brave enough. Has amazing views of Hallgrímskirkja church! The café is downstairs and the restaurant is upstairs. The price for a meal (for one person) is on average 2500 ISK (about $30 CAD).
Walking route for one day in Reykjavik
Here is a map of where you can find the places that I have recommended. As you will see, everything is very close together and it is a very walk-able city! This is the general area where we walked, but of course one of the many joys in traveling is going off of the planned path and seeing what else is along the way!
Tips for one day in Reykjavik
- Look out for the amazing street art! It is everywhere!
- Drink the tap water – it is safe to drink and so clean.
- Reykjavik is very safe to walk around!
- The public washrooms are VERY private and clean.
- Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, we didn’t use cash at all when we went.
- We didn’t run into any language barriers while we were there – a lot of people were able to speak English very well.
- The food is EXPENSIVE! To save money, we bought cereal, milk, and snacks at the local grocery store called Bonus.
- It’s possible to see the Northern Lights from the city. They are not as vibrant because of the street lights and car lights everywhere, but when we were there, they were in the sky EVERY night! This is of course not guaranteed, since you know…weather…
Suggested Reading: 5 day in Iceland itinerary
Have you been to Iceland? What was your favourite thing to do (and eat!) during one day in Reykjavik?
