Reykjavik short break recommendations

[CoffeeCakeAndALattePlease]

Hi all.
We’re looking at 4-5 days in Reykjavik in January or February next year.
I think I’ve googled too much and would prefer some first-hand recommendations or avoids from those that have been.
Great hotels, or awful ones to avoid?
Must see attractions while there?
thanks 😊

We stayed in Reykjavik lights . It was 2019 though .. reasons for stay amazing breakfast - very important as food is so expensive , the comfiest of beds .

From location point of view all trips pick up from all hotels then go to terminus where you get on allocated bus

Thank you - I’ll take a look at that one.

I went last new year and didn't really enjoy it. I booked a harbourside hotel with a view which was great, but the compacted snow and ice on the pavements from our hotel into town was absolutely treacherous and tbh I found the whole trip a PITA. Walking into town involved literally hanging on to the sides of buildings or fences. I was over it before it began.

You have to either walk (note treacherous point above) or get taxis everywhere, the public transport system is non existent.

Yes it was expensive, but no more so than expected.

We didn't see the Northern Lights while we were there, because the tour operators guarantee to take you back for as many nights you are there for to see them they keep you out for an unreasonable amount of time (imo) and so we didn't get back to our hotel until 3am on our one trip to see the lights. You couldn't have paid me to repeat the NL trip!

The Icelandic people were amazing and very welcoming and we ate in some lovely places, but I found it all a bit tedious tbh. I'd go back in the summer/autumn and hire a car/stay longer, but my three night weekend there was disappointing, especially given that it cost £4k for two.

I stayed in Hotel Fron. It was fabulous. Right in the city centre, very clean, excellent mini bar (!) and mini buses picked up outside to take you to the bus station to get the tour coaches.

We did a boat trip to see the lights .. we decided if we didn’t see the lights at least we had a boat ride .. we were lucky .. we did see the lights on our last night .
it us exhausting all the travelling

We took Yaktrax with us or else it can be impossible to walk as PP said if it snows a bit or is icy. We also stayed at the Reykjavik Lights a few years ago and went with TUI, make sure you get breakfast included so you can fill up on it as food is very expensive

I wouldn’t go then. We went for new year 2023 and it was far too cold. -25. We went on bus trips for hours - desperate to get off but then we were only allowed off for 15 mins as it was so cold.

Also hardly any hours of daylight.

There are a lot of standard tours such as golden circle tour etc and they all go to the same places. I can’t remember what companies we used but I think they are much of a muchness.

Would advise going later in the year.

Best holiday we had there was early September, days were long so we could get out, wasn't that cold and we saw the Northern lights about three times, the NL trips start in September.

Back to say I went for 4 nights in January, it was snow and more snow. Trudged about in the semi darkness and I can honestly say that it was the best holiday I've ever had. Ever!

Actually, the guy I went with also loved it so much, he wanted to take me back the next year to propose. He bought the ring, asked my parents unbeknownst to me (cringe), but I finished with him a couple of months after we came back. Oops! It's still my best ever holiday though.

We just got back from 4 days in Iceland. It was a wonderful trip, very busy - lots of driving.

We stayed one night at Hotel Berg, very chic modern hotel near the airport, very comfortable. Then we stayed two nights at the Lighthouse Inn due to the free breakfast, which was also great, more of a cozy cabin vibe. We used our airmiles for accommodation and there were no choices in Reykjavik.

Most people seem to follow the same itinerary. We had a red eye from Canada so after picking up the hire car went straight to the blue lagoon for chill time. We lucked out and had a gorgeous sunny afternoon there. If I go again I plan to visit the Sky Lagoon.

After that we spent some time exploring the new lava fields around the blue lagoon area.

First night we went into Reykjavik for dinner and a walk around (in summer it's light until 11ish), saw the church, rainbow road etc

Second day we did the South Coast (which I prefered to the Golden Circle), black sand beaches, waterfalls, glacier, had dinner at a charming restuarant Gamla fjósið before heading back to hotel and straight to bed.

Third day we did golden circle (were supposed to do Whale watching but this got cancelled due to wind), geysirs, national park, waterfalls etc, a lot busier on this route. Dinner in Keflavik at the Library bar (decent).

Last day the whale watching got cancelled again so did the Lava show which was interesting, then did some more reykjavik sites art museum, shopping etc, before heading to airport.

Top tips are find a good bakery to fill up on sandwiches, and tasty treats. We loved Kökulist bakery near the airport.

We did a lot of sightseeing on our trip, but next time I would do more specific experiences eg walking on glacier or ice cave visit.

I'm glad we were there in summer despite no northern lights viewing, the long days make it so easy to fit a lot into each day.

@GradGirl you paid 4K for a three night weekend for 2 in Reykjavik? Yikes!

That included food and airport parking/transport around etc. I think the hotel/flight deal with Icelandic air was £2.7k.

I found the whole trip a complete pita, a whole day travelling to arrive at 4pm and then very little achieved on day 4 as we had to leave for the airport at noon.

DH and I went in Dec, pre-covid, for 5 days. There had been heavy snowfalls, so it felt like a ski resort- without the ski runs. My info is from 8yrs ago, so things may well have changed. I'm also unsure about weather for Jan/Feb. Sorry if its long, but things I'd wished I known beforehand .

-At the airport on arrival was a liquor shop which was apparently cheaper than buying alcohol in the town. I vaguely think there was a clause that within 24hrs of arrival, you could buy tax free alcohol somewhere else on arrival, but might be thinking of another country. The in airport was was apparently much cheaper, if you wanted wine/spirits etc though. This was pre-Brexit, so again, things might have changed now.

-We stayed at OK hotel which is on Laugavegur 74. The room had a kitchenette, so we could cook or have meals out as we chose. Downstairs was a restaurant and I think guests got a 10% discount. It was central and easy to walk to most things we wanted to.

-I read all the time about people hiring cars to explore Iceland, which might be fine in Summer or for longer visits. DH and I have travelled a great deal, and normally, a group bus type trip would be our last resort. We used Grayline and Reykjavik excursions for the Golden Circle tour, blue lagoon and northern lights. Easy to book, on time and so much easier than trying to hire a car for just a few days

-When we visited, I think it wasn't light till 11am and going dark about 3:30pm. Shops/museums were still open etc but we had to set the alarm to get up and head out

-The penis museum and National museum we walked to and enjoyed (although 1 was rather quirky!). We found it easy enough to walk around the entire 'city' and see the sights. There was also a local, hand knitted shop with various jumpers, scarves etc made form local wool.

-Again, we were there in heavy snowfalls and Dec. I wore ski gear- salopettes, a ski jacket and layers underneath, hat, gloves, heavy walking boots. I'm sure we stuck out like absolute tourists! I recall seeing a presumably local man at midnight strolling along in jeans, trainers and a fair isle type jumper. I was shivering looking at him out the hotel room. 😂 Take layers and if its warmer, leave them in the room.

Everything costs about double UK prices. Have a look at this menu. Starters £18–20, mains around £45, desserts £15. Bottle of Argentinian Malbec £55. But at least there's no need to add a tip.

We stayed in the Radisson Blu 1919, which is centrally located. The world famous hot dog stand was under our room window. We had to google it to find out why it always had a 20 deep queue and people were photographing the hot dogs!

Probably the cheapest place you'll eat in Reykjavik, mind.

We went in January 2019, and used Time Tours. I'd never seen a company with a a full 5 star rating on TripAdvisor before, so I knew they'd be good. They were excellent, and 4 years later, they still have that full 5 star rating.

Book your NL tour for your very first night, if you're not successful, the company will take you out every night for the duration of your stay until you see them. We were fortunate that we saw them on the first night, and then it clouded over. I took that photo with my phone. The company take much better ones and email them to you at no extra charge.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189970-d2054736-Reviews-Time_Tours-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html

Go up to the top of the church. The views are well worth it from the top.

Have a wander around the Harpa and marvel at the hot springs on the street.

If you go to the Viking structure, wear grippy shoes. The underfloor heating of the city centre doesn't stretch that far and it's slippery as hell.

That is a shocking amount to spend for a meh holiday.

Re the comments about it being slippery. Stay right in the centre of Reykjavik and you'll benefit from its underfloor heating. There was no ice at all on the ground from our hotel, right through the city centre (leading up to the church and the adjoining streets), but yes, down by the water was absolutely treacherous.

I wore base layers under my jeans and was comfortable in the day. In fact, as ut warmed up at the end of our trip to about 3°, I was too hot.

Invest in some Icelandic wool socks as soon as you arrive. Don't double up on socks, that's how your feet get cold. Our guide told us that you just need one pair of good wool socks on, and it's advice I've followed ever since.

On our tour I wore base layers, a pair of fleece lined waterproof trousers (similar to salopettes but more for hiking), base layer top, Icelandic wool jumper bought that day, and a fleece lined waterproof, Windproof coat. I had Heat Holders gloves (amazon), a pashmina, and a wool hat, plus my Dublin boots.
DH wore base layers, waterproof trousers, fleece jumper and waterproof jacket, with waterproof walking shoes, wool hat, and thick gloves. He runs warmer than me (he skis without base layers, I do not!). We were both comfortable in our chosen layers.

We were on a minibus with three other couples, every single one of the other women were wearing wellies. Definitely don't do that!

At that time of year I'd look to go over the first weekend in February (check dates) as there's a light festival in Reykjavik.

I'd also plan to buy the city card and spend a day or two going in all the included museums , so indoors if the weather is bad.

It also includes the excellent public swimming pools many of which have spa areas (although prepare yourself for the naked showering!) and city buses, of which there's plenty.

Also a northern lights tour. But yes take lots of layers, hats, gloves etc.

If you drink alcohol buy some at airport. I got a bottle of cava for £12 and DP got a bottle of coffee liquer for similar.

We found supermarket, restaurants etc to be nearly double the price of mid range in UK but we stayed away from the more expensive options like steak and wine and had things like the excellent local fish soup and also tapas and Nepalese food with beers.

Lunches were actually quite good value, cheaper than similar food in coffee shops in the UK.

But don't bother with hot dogs, I heard a lot of people say these were a good choice for lunch on the go but when we found stand it was about £6 for something that looked like you get for 80 p at Ikea.

Can't help with hotels but highly recommend Sky Lagoon - we booked a bus and tickets from Rekyavik www.skylagoon.com/

We went in November a few years ago and had a great time . There is a food court a bit out of the centre that offers a reasonably priced choice of outlets . We got a ticket for the on/off bus and we were given an extra day . We bought vodka at the airport and found a supermarket for mixers . The hotel did a good buffet breakfast . We did a goldren circle tour , which was amazing, but whale watching was cancelled due to bad weather . It was cold outside but we expected that and prepared. Inside buildings it’s warm due to the geothermal heating .

Noooo, the hot dogs are great, best í heimi! They have lamb, beef and pork in them and the traditional toppings are ketchup, sweet mustard (it's unlike any mustard I've had anywhere else), remoulade, fried onions and raw onions.

Anyway, in general, come at some time that's not mid winter, don't stay just in Reykjavík. It's an amazing country and very expensive, don't waste your money just seeing Rvk and a few tours.

If you will insist on coming in Jan/Feb, you can learn to walk on ice. The trick is to imagine you're a penguin - you need to move your centre of gravity forward by lean forward a little and taking smaller steps.

I do agree the icy pavements are a nightmare though and the weather is 80% awful at that time. Storms, high winds, things will get cancelled.

As for public transport in town, you need e scooters, not taxis. They put studded tyres on them in the winter so they're more steady on ice than you are.

Yeah but that's pretty fancy. You absolutely don't need to spend that much.

Strangely (?), we found that the further upscale you went, the less expensive it was, relatively, compared to the UK/rest of Europe. I'd rather pay £45 for one of those fancy mains than £25 for a pizza. We went to a "proper fine dining" place and it was only expensive, rather than WTF.

The best food deal in Reykjavik is the lunchtime catch of the day special. Always fresh, always well-cooked.

Pizzas are about 2900 ISK, which is very comparable to Pizza Express.