In a rustic famend for its rural geographic wizardry, Reykjavík is a buzzing city core. Roughly 350,000 people reside in Iceland, with practically two-thirds of them calling the Larger Reykjavík area house.
Positive, the “Bay of Smokes” might not be the sprawling, high-rise-clad capital that so a lot of its metropolitan European counterparts are – there are solely ten formal districts in Reykjavík in any case. However every of its distinct districts, neighborhoods and surrounding cities carry a novel punch, with a handful value penning into any Icelandic itinerary.
Among the many standouts are its museum and shopping-filled middle, a recreation-infused utopia and quiet retreat with an open-air museum.
With a contemporary bus system, rentable scooters in all places and pedestrian-friendly streets, it’s straightforward to expertise one of the best Reykjavík neighborhoods in a two-day span.
With that, listed below are the Reykjavík neighborhoods and districts to set your sights on.
Miðborg
Finest for nights out and cultural happenings
In case you’re going to expertise a crowd wherever in Iceland – moreover selecting up your baggage at Keflavík Worldwide Airport – will probably be in Reykjavík’s downtown, often called Miðborg. Inside its confines – that are dotted with mom-and-pop outlets, high-end boutiques with parkas and snow gear and two- to three-story residences with colourful rooftops – you’ll discover Iceland’s largest shopper thoroughfare, Laugavegur. In case you’re searching for a night in town, that is the spot, with time-tested staples just like the hostel bar-restaurant KEX Bar, saloon-esque Prikið and the laid-back Kaffibarinn providing nice alternatives to bask in native nightlife.
Miðborg can be the epicenter for cultural happenings – the Nationwide Museum of Iceland, Nationwide Gallery of Iceland and the very grownup and quirky Icelandic Phallological Museum can all be discovered right here. And on the northern fringe of the neighborhood overlooking the Previous Harbour sits the all-glass Harpa Live performance Corridor – it’s the place on the town to catch symphony and opera performances.
Amid all of the exercise in Miðborg, there are many quiet locations to flee, too. To dip your toes in some geothermal water with out leaving metropolis limits, head to the Nauthólsvík Geothermal Seaside tucked simply south of Reykjavík Metropolis Airport. Miðborg has all of it and if comfort and choices are what you search, this needs to be your own home base.
Laugardalur
Finest for out of doors actions
That is the district the place Reykjavík residents get their sweat on. Within the coronary heart of Laugardalur is a large inexperienced area that features the huge Laugardalslaug out of doors pool advanced, the Iceland nationwide soccer workforce’s stadium, an ice rink and – for when temperatures aren’t too frigid – operating tracks. Proper there as effectively are the Zoo & Household Park, a botanical backyard and, on the neighborhood’s southwestern edge, the Reykjavík Artwork Museum Ásmundarsafn and sculpture backyard.
A bit quieter and extra residential than its Miðbor neighbor, there are just a few big-name motels alongside the Suðurlandsbraut road. Choices embody the Hilton Reykjavík Nordica and Reykjavík Lights by Keahotels, every with panoramic mountain and park vistas.
Vesturbær
Finest for native life
This district strikes a wild steadiness of commercial, fashionable, and conventional Icelandic allure. Alongside and across the warehouse-studded Fiskislóð street within the northern a part of the district, you’ll discover a few of Reykjavík largest attracts and trendiest eats, together with the highly-publicized FlyOver Iceland simulating flight expertise, Omnom Chocolate Ice Cream Store and manufacturing facility and the Grandi Mathöll meals corridor.
South of this space in a area often called the “Previous West Facet,” Vesturbær emits a super-residential vibe. A couple of enjoyable info: This was the primary district to be developed in Reykjavík, courting again to the late 1800s. And, as we speak, it’s among the many metropolis’s most refined and in-demand areas for actual property. So, this space is a best choice for the Airbnb crowd searching for a quiet choice with quick access to town’s middle.
Árbær
Finest for city retreats
Positioned roughly 6 miles (10km) southeast of Reykjavík’s middle, the Árbær district nonetheless sits inside metropolis limits, and for these in search of an city retreat with a small-town really feel, it doesn’t get any higher. Outside lovers rejoice within the neighborhood’s Elliðaárdalur recreation space, which options the Elliðaá River and the Kermóafoss waterfall. And for the quintessential Icelandic swimming pool journey, head to the Árbæjarlaug.
On the cultural entrance, the Árbær Open Air Museum is a favourite for locals and vacationers alike. The area contains greater than 20 buildings – a lot of which have been moved from round Reykjavík – to create a mannequin village, city sq. and farm. For as charming as Árbær is, the resort scene is non-existent and B&B choices are very restricted. So, plan for a day-trip – and certain not a keep – right here.
Seltjarnarnes
Finest for getting off the overwhelmed path
Whereas not technically inside the metropolis of Reykjavík’s borders, it geographically feels prefer it needs to be. Whereas Árbær emits a countryside vibe, the Seltjarnarnes peninsula – positioned simply west of Vesturbær – is as dreamy as a shore-landscaped space will get. Right here you’ll discover a nine-hole golf course on the water, the Sundlaug Seltjarnarness pool advanced and the world’s finest spot for catching the Northern Lights, the Grótta lighthouse.
This neighborhood is super-residential with minimal B&B choices, so should you’re fortunate sufficient to snag a room on the Blue House B&B, do it. If not, Seltjarnarnes is only a 10-minute bus or automotive experience west of Reykjavík’s coronary heart.
