Reykjavík Experience

Reykjavík Experience

Wining & Dining

Visitors will be pleased to learn that Reykjavík is fast becoming one of the best locations to sample quality new Nordic cuisine. The talented local chefs spend all their waking days conjuring up new ways to showcase the fresh, seasonal ingredients that Iceland is so famous for, such as fresh seafood, organic lamb and wild game. In fact, Iceland has recently got its first Michelin star, awarded to Dill restaurant. While the fine dining is great, be sure to try the fabulous Icelandic hotdog and ice cream too.

Apart from the great food available in Reykjavík, the city also boasts a remarkable cafe culture, where trained baristas serving quality coffee are the rule rather than the exception. Iceland also encourages guests to give their taste buds a treat by sampling some various award-winning local beers available. If you can’t decide which one to try, many local breweries offer tasting sessions.

Shopping & Design

For the best shopping experience in Reykjavík, go downtown. Most of the shops and boutiques are concentrated on Laugavegur and Skolavördustigur. Whether you are looking to get a souvenir of your time in Iceland, a gift for someone back home or something unique from one of many local talented designers, the city center is well supplied with brand names, obscure fashion shops, and quality art studios.

If you prefer the mall experience and the international brands, you can take a trip to Kringlan – home to around 150 shops, restaurants and services under one roof.

Shopping hours in Reykjavík can vary but most places are open between the hours of 10 and 18 during the week with shorter opening hours on Saturdays. Remember to reclaim your 15% VAT (value added tax) refund from your purchases.

Streets of the city. Photo by Olga

Art & Culture

Reykjavík is home to the most prestigious cultural institutions and most talented performers and artists. The National Gallery and the Reykjavík Art Museum have exiting exhibitions ranging from the traditional to the contemporary and the Marshall building by the old harbour, and you’ll have a chance to visit inspiring exhibitions in the Living Art Museum, the Kling & Bang gallery, and artist Olafur Eliasson’s studio.

Designated as a UNESCO city of literature, Reykjavík is the core of Iceland’s literary heritage, home to a wealth of talented poets and authors. The most celebrated of Icelandic litterary offerings are of course the Sagas of the Icelanders, but in the past few years, crime fiction in the vein of the Nordic Noir has also become popular.

Reykjavík is also well-known for its prolific music and performing art scene – the city is a breeding ground for musical talent. A number of well-established musicians played their first gigs in Reykjavík, such as the legendary Björk, the indefinable Sigur Ros, as well as indie darlings of Monsters and Men and Soley, to name but a few.

Health & Wellness

Reykjavík’s clean energy and proximity to nature ensure a vacation guaranteed to replenish your well-being and give you a boost of energy that will last long after you return home.

The city’s green spaces and recreational areas offer plenty of opportunities for walking, running or cycling. Indulge in anything, from sea-swimming in Nautholsvik thermal beach to horseback-riding in the red hills of Heidmörk. Visitors are also thoroughly encouraged to experience Iceland’s greatest source of well-being by trying out one of the numerous thermal pools and spas – not only an important part of the local culture, but also a wonderful tonic for the body and mind.

Nightlife

You could blame it on those long winter nights, the endless summer days, or maybe exceptional quality of the locally produced beer and Icelandic shnapps; whatever the reason, Reykjavík’s legendary nightlife (djammid, as the locals refer to it) has a reputation as one of the hottest places in the world to party!

If you’ve spent the day absorbing all that green energy in the great outdoors and you need to spend it somewhere, than it’s time to trade those waterproofs and walking boots for your glad-rags and party shoes and see if you have enough stamina to stay up as long as a local! Iceland got pubs, clubs and lots of live venues to suit a multitude of different party moods. On weekdays most bars are open utntil 1 am, but on weekends, the bars can stay open until 4.30 am. Bars and clubs do not charge an entrance fee, however, expect to pay a small charge for entrance to some live music venues. If you look younger than the minimum drinking age which is twenty, then make sure you bring your ID with you.

Free Shuttle Bus – departures from the Tourist information Center, Adalstraeti, 2, and Harpa to Kringlan.