Reykjavík City Card

Reykjavík loves its city card

Reykjavík is a cosmopolitan city bustling with energy. There are plenty of things to see and do and the the city card is the easiest and most inexpensive way to experience the Icelanders favorite city. The Reykjavík city card offers free entry to a great selection of museums and galleries as well as the thermal pools in Reykjavík. It also provides free unlimited travel by bus within the Reykjavík Capital area. In addition, the card gets you a free ferry trip to Videy island and discounts on various tours, in shops and on services. The card is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours. So you can choose the card that suits your stay!

Get to know the city the easy way and save money.

Included in the Reykjavík City Card is admission to :

Reykjavík City Buses: Unlimited travel by bus within the Reykjavík Capital Area. For schedule, visit the site bus.is or download the Straeto mobile app.

Reykjavík city thermal pools: For information about the pools, visit swimminginiceland,com or check out the page on them.

Museums: For a list of museums included in the City Card, head to citycard.is (Tourist Information Center). You check out the same site for information on where to get the City Card.

Children’s City Card: Admission to the city museums is free for those under 18 years of age. However, there are fees for children on city bus services, swimming pools, the Reykjavík Park & Zoo and on the ferry to Videy Island. To accomodate families, the city offers a special Children’s City Card for a significantly reduced fee. Cards are valid for the same duration 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours. For more information check out the official Tourist Information Center.

A day with the Reykjavík City Card

Family Day out

Start the day by watching the reinders of the Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo eat their breakfast. The Reykjavík zoo doesn’t have lions or elephants, but rather common Icelandic barnyard animals and Icelandic animals, such as arctic foxes, seals and reindeer.

If the weather is nice, take the ferry out to Videy Island where you’ll find many attractions.

Head over to the Arbaer Open air Museum. The old buildings, the costumed staff and the toy exhibition are sure to keep the whole family entertained.

After a day of entertainment, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the hot tube while the kids splash in the pool and play in the water slide. If you are in the Arbaer Open Air Museum, hop on bus number 5 and head to Arbaejarlaug swimming pool.

If you have an extra day… Head to the Reykjavík Maritime Museum for a chance to board Odinn, the former coast guard vessel used during the cod wars. The National Museum is another great option, with interactive exhibitions and areas dedicated specially to kids.

Reykjavík City Card helps you see the city. Photo by Olga

The History Bluff

If you want to get to know Icelandic history and culture, start at the beginning. Excavations have revealed ruins from the 10th century, which you can visit at the Settlement Exhibition.

From there, it’s a short walk to the National Museum. This collection of historical buildings will give you a sense of what life was like in the farming community of days gone by.

Finish up a day of immersing yourself in Icelandic history by immersing yourself in a hot tub. They’re usually populated by several generations of Icelanders discussing politics, culture, their cats and whatever else they can think of.

… Check out the Reykjavík Maritime Museum or the Culture House, where historical artifacts and works of art are exhibited together, for a new perspective on what it is to be an Icelander.

The Art Lover

Start the day off by getting to the National Gallery, down by lake Tjornin. The focus is on 19th and 20th century artists and with no permanent exhibition, there’s always something new to see!

The Reykjavík Art Museum is in three separate building. Do you want to see modern art at Hafnarhus, paintings at Kjarvalsstadir, or sculptures at Asmundarsafn?

If you chose Hafnarhus, the Reykjavík Museum of Photography is right next door. The exhibitions at the museum of photography are diverse – artistic, historic, as well as journalistic photography.

Check out the locations of the Reykjavík Art Museum you missed, or head down to the Culture House, where historical artifacts and works of art are exhibited side by side, for a new perspective on what it is to be an Icelander.

Don’t forget that included in the City Card is unlimited travel on the city buses while the card is valid. Taking the bus between attractions is a convenient way to get around