A Day from Reykjavík: Reykjanes Peninsula

A Day from Reykjavík: Reykjanes Peninsula

The Reykjanes peninsula is the first thing you see in your way from the airport into the city. There’s a lot more to the area than just the airport. The area contains a host of interesting attractions and beautiful nature that’s too often overlooked by travelers.

The peninsula landscape is dramatic, with endless lava fields and mountains in the distance, geothermal areas and cute little villages. Starting out from Reykjavík, you’ll drive through the town of Hafnarfjördur, the home of the Viking Village. After a stop in Hafnarfjördur, we recommend leaving the main road to Keflavik and heading through the lava fields towards Kleifavatn. The lake is very pretty and surrounded by a beautiful landscape, a perfect place for a walk if the weather is nice. Continuing on, this route leads you to Krysuvik, a geothermal hot spot where you’ll find numerous bubbling mud pools and steaming fumaroles, surrounded by multicolored hills, affected by the intense heat. From here, you might head east to Strandakirkja church, which, according to legend, was built by a sailor who stranded just off the coast but was rescued by an angel on the promise he would build a church where he washed ashore.

After this, traveling west along the peninsula and passing through the fishing village of Grindavik, you can stop by the Gunnahver fumarole, where legend has it the murderous ghost Gunna was trapped by a priest using only a ball of yarn. In the same area, you can visit Reykjanesviti lighthouse and walk along the dramatic rocky coastline, with a view over the unique island Eldey. Traveling north from here, you come to the bridge between the continents at Sandvik.

Island stands on the rift between the American and the Eurasian tectonic plate and there are a few places in the country where that rift is visible on the surface.

Next up is Keflavik, a town heavily influenced by its proximity to the US army base which is now vacant. Keflavik was known as the birthplace of Icelandic rock and roll, home to the legendary band Hljomar, the Icelandic Beatles.

Honoring the heritage is the Icelandic Rock’n’roll Museum, which showcases several artifacts from the musical history of Iceland. The highlight of a trip to the Reykjanes peninsula for many people is relaxing in the famous Blue Lagoon spa on your way back to the city.

Icelandic rural landscape. Photo by Olga

The Blue Lagoon

The luxurious Blue Lagoon spa is one of the most recognized landmarks in Iceland. The characteristic turquoise blue waters are the result of a happy accident. While drilling for hot water, way opened for naturally hot water from deep underground, to flow to the surface.

The underground water, naturally rich in minerals, mixed with cold seawater, created a pool of mily blue water of the perfect temperature for bathing. Since the water continuously streams from underneath the ground, the water is completely replenished every 40 hours, keeping the water naturally clean and making chemical cleaners unnecessary