When a well-planed pre-Christmas trip to Germany and Austria had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, we had to quickly pivot and change our plans. Fastforward several weeks, and we were landing in Iceland! A direct flight from Chicago to Reykjavik made this an easy international getaway. Most of our preparation revolved around packing the appropriate layers of winter clothing in order to tolerate the freezing temperatures. Otherwise, we planned several things to do in and around the capital, Reykjavik, and let a tour company handle the rest. Here’s all the details about how we spent our time in Reykjavik, including two trips outside the city to Iceland’s famous geothermal lagoons, the Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon.
Apotek Hotel Reykjavik
After a long day of travel that included a pre-departure flight delay due to high ground winds in Reykjavik, our 5.5 hour flight from Chicago finally arrived in the capital city. We used Flybus for the 45 minute transport from the airport to the city center for an easy drop off around the corner from our hotel. Since our flight landed early in the morning, there was no guarantee that our room would be ready, but luck was on our side this time around. We chose to spend our first two nights in Reykjavik at the Apotek Hotel. Formerly the city’s pharmacy (apótek is Icelandic for pharmacy), this four-star hotel with attached restaurant is perfectly located within walking distance to almost everything in Reykjavik. We booked the superior double room which had a large, spacious bathroom and window views that looked out onto a grassy square with trees strung in holiday lights. Apotek had a small, boutique feel with a lovely staff and a buffet breakfast that made the dark mornings much easier to tackle.
Reykjavik Free Walking Tour
After napping for a couple of hours, we arose shortly after the sun, a little after noon, in order to meet the guide for the CityWalk Free Walking Tour. A walking tour is always our favorite way to get oriented in a new city, and our guide was a great one. The tour began across the street from our hotel and took us throughout most of the Reykjavik city center over the span of about two hours where we saw everything from the Parliament House to the statue of Infólfr Arnarson, the first Norse settler of Iceland. The tour concluded in the warm visitor’s center where we learned more about the island by admiring the huge map of the country. It was a great tour, and we learned a lot about the city in a short amount of time.
After the walking tour we had built up a bit of an appetite, but with big dinner plans for later in the evening, we decided to check out Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (in English: the best hot dog in town). For a tiny hot dog stand, this place has quite the reputation throughout Reykjavik as a great place for a quick bite to eat. It’s also a great option for a late night snack because the stand is open into the wee hours of the morning. Be prepared to wait in line at this popular stop!
Icelandic Christmas Traditions
We walked around the city some more to admire more of the city’s Christmas decorations. What we loved most was the tradition of the 13 Yule Lads and the Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn. In Iceland there is no Santa Claus. Instead, each one of the 13 Yule Lads comes to town on a different night leading up to Christmas, celebrated on the 24th in Iceland. In short, the Yule Lads leave small gifts in the shoes of well-behaved children, but those who have misbehaved receive a rotten potato. The Yule Cat, on the other hand, collects the children who have no received new clothes during the Yule season and brings them to the countryside where they are tossed in a large pot and made into stew by Grýla, the mother of the Yule Lads. As twisted and outlandish as these traditions may sound, it was really fun to jump into a different Christmas folklore. There is a large Yule Cat representation made of lights in downtown Reykjavik, and holographic depictions of the Yule Lads are displayed on walls throughout the city, making for a fun adventure to try and find them (we only found two during the week).
Dinner at Fiskmarkaðurinn
Christmastime is a great time of the year to visit Reykjavik for another reason, the food. Icelandic food, in general, is quite simple and largely centered around seafood and lamb. But at Christmastime, many of the restaurants will produce “Christmas Menus” that offer special holiday flavors and interesting dishes. We booked a reservation for our first night in Reykjavik at Fiskmarkaðurinn, or Fishmarket, to try our first of these tasting menus.
Fisk Market was highly recommended with many amazing online reviews, so we were very excited for a beautiful dinner there. And that’s precisely what we got. Interestingly for a restaurant with “fish” in the name, the Christmas Menu focused only wild game rather than seafood. With starters such as wild game pâté, coconut herring, and reindeer tartar, and main courses of wild duck and deer roast, we had one of the most exciting meals that we’ve ever consumed. The cocktails were also delightful at Fish Market, and the dessert plate gave us many options to choose from. It was a wonderful evening.
The Sun Voyager and Hallgrímskirkja
We began the next morning with the buffet breakfast at the Apotek Hotel. Since the sun rises so late during December in Iceland, we took our time getting ready for the day before going to see a few of Reykjavik’s most popular sites. We first walked to see the Sun Voyager as the sun rose. An ode to new discoveries, the large steel sculpture of a Viking-era boat sits along the harbor looking out toward the sea and the mountains beyond.
On the way to our next stop, we popped in to Brauð & Co., a colorful bakery where we grabbed a nice pastry and hot coffee for the chilly morning. We continued on to Hallgrímskirkja, the most popular and picturesque church in Iceland. As it is a Lutheran Church, its interior is very simple, but its striking exterior architecture can be seen throughout most of the city of Reykjavik. It was designed to resemble the mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s natural landscape. Easily the most impressive part about Hallgrímskirkja is the view from the top. For just about $5.00 USD, you can take the tiny elevator to the observation deck 244 ft. above the city. From there, you’ll enjoy the best aerial view of Reykjavik, with its colorful, corrugated iron-clad storefronts and homes directly below you. There are 360º views from the top of the church, and on a clear day you can see all the way to the mountains to the North. This was one of my all time favorite city views, a must-do in Reykjavik.
Laugavegur Street Shopping
After coming back down to street level, we next planned to spend some time shopping on Laugavegur street for authentic Icelandic wool sweaters. Both Laugavegur street and Skólavörðustígur (Rainbow street) are great streets for visiting tons of local shops selling everything from clothes and jewelry to artwork and souvenirs. We spent several hours working our way through the many storefronts to find the perfect wool sweaters. Ultimately, we bought them from two great locations, The Handknitting Association of Iceland and Thorvaldensfélagið. Both had interesting stories of how the store came to be and a wide selection of sweaters in various sizes. But be prepared: Icelandic wool sweaters are pricey!
Walking the streets of Reykjavik for a few hours made us quite hungry, so we stopped for a lunch at a restaurant called The Laundromat Café. One of a small, Danish chain of restaurants, this place had a large menu with great bar food options. The atmosphere is groovy, and we really enjoyed the food.
Sky Lagoon
Both Iceland’s Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon were two of our most anticipated parts of this entire trip, and we were headed to one of them next. The two lagoons have some similarities but in many ways are very different experiences. I’d absolutely recommend going to them both, but you can read a more detailed comparison here.
We booked a 4:30 P.M. timeslot because we wanted to go to one of the lagoons during the daylight and one in the evening. We paid for the Pure Pass which included the Sky Lagoon’s 7-step ritual, everything from a cold water plunge to a hot steam room. The ritual gives you access to the most beautiful sauna overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed plenty heavy pours of champagne while in the lagoon, and Emily couldn’t resist multiple trips to the cold water bath. This experience of being pampered in the relaxing, warm water beneath the chilly night sky was one that we will not soon forget.
Our already jam-packed day in Reykjavik continued into the evening with our plans to (hopefully) see the Northern Lights. First, though, we needed a quick dinner. After quickly browsing some online reviews, we jumped into our new matching Icelandic sweaters and went to Sæta Svínið (sweet pig) gastropub. We didn’t have much time to eat before our evening plans, so we quickly ordered some beers, a starter, and an entrée to share. The oven-baked lobster tails were delicious, but the real show-stopper was the lamb shoulder. Lamb is a very popular main course in Iceland, and this was one of the most tender and tasty lamb dishes I’ve had.
Northern Lights Yacht Cruise
No one goes to Iceland in the Fall or Winter without some hope of catching a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. We were no different. We thought a fun and unique way to go searching for them while in Reykjavik was on a yacht excursion that we booked online. The Northern Lights Cruise left from the harbour near the city center, taking us far enough out into the North Atlantic Ocean to escape the city lights. Onboard the yacht, drinks were available for purchase, and the entire vessel was open for us to explore during the journey. There was not much entertainment provided, although the crew was very friendly and eager to answer any questions that we had. For instance, when I inquired about the origin of the yacht, one crew member explained that she believed it was likely formerly owned by a drug cartel member and purchased at a low price from the government after being seized! Not exactly the answer I was expecting but an interesting one nonetheless! Unfortunately, we did not see the Northern Lights during our cruise, but the company was very willing to rebook us for another evening later in the week.A
The next morning, we were picked up early for our 4 Day Winter South Coast Tour. You can read all about the amazing adventures that we had in Southern Iceland in my post Winter Tour of Southern Iceland.
Hotel Borg Reykjavik
After four days of gorgeous scenery and unforgettable experiences on Iceland’s Southern coast, we returned to Reykjavik in the afternoon for a couple more days in the capital city. We elected to stay at a different hotel for the next two nights, and this one was a whopping half of a block from our previous hotel! That’s right – we unknowingly booked two hotels on the same block for our divided stay in Reykjavik. Good thing we loved the area.
Hotel Borg is an Art Deco style hotel housed in a beautiful, historic building. The hotel has played host to many important guests over the years and was the location for some of Reykjavik’s important historical meetings. We booked the Deluxe Double Room and were very pleased with it. We slept in some of the finest bedding that we’ve ever slept in, and the view from the Juliette balcony over Reykjavik’s rooftops stretched all the way to Hallgrímskirkja!
Sægreifinn Restaurant
The Sægreifinn (Seabarron) was one of my favorite restaurants that we ate at in Iceland. It is a very simple place located right by the harbour in Reykjavik that is best known for its sweet lobster soup. I loved the soup, but Emily wasn’t a huge fan; her taste thought that it was missing something. More impressive to us, though, was the fish-on-a-sick options to choose from. Of the many choices of fresh fish, we decided to try Atlantic wolffish. The large pieces of fish were skewered and grilled to absolute perfection. The wolffish was meaty in tecture with a touch of sweetness but altogether wildly satisfying.
After our quick lunch, we hunted back through some of Reykjavik’s art galleries and shops for the perfect piece of small wall art to add to our gallery wall at home. Once we found what we were looking for, Emily went back for a quick snooze and I went to check out one of Reykjavik’s most eye-catching buildings, Harpa. This concert hall is built with large glass tiles that change color by letting only certain wavelengths of light pass through. Even in my case of not sitting down for a performance, the Harpa’s modern architecture is worth a visit. And if you need more convincing, here you’ll find some of the city’s nicest public toilets!
Dinner at Grillmarkaðurinn
Before we knew it, the time had arrived for our dinner reservation at Grillmarkaðurinn. Translated as Grillmarket, Grillmarkaðurinn is the older sister restaurant to Fishmarkaðurinn, where we ate a spectacular wild game tasting menu earlier in the week. It was an easy decision to once again go for the tasting menu, this time with a Christmas theme.
Grillmarkaðurinn was a beautiful restaurant, warm and dimly-lit on the inside. The cocktails were gorgeous, many of them made with seasonal ingredients that tasted like Christmas. We moved through the courses shown below one by one, with the star of the show being the grilled whale steak. Brought to the table on a mini charcoal grill with burning embers, the whale was enjoyed like a fine delicacy. Using Emily’s words, it tasted like a lovely blend of ahi tuna and Wagyu beef. If in Reykjavik and looking for a fine dining option, Grillmarkaðurinn would be my top recommendation.
Blue Lagoon
We purposely saved one of the best in Iceland for last. Being keenly aware that four days of adventure throughout Southern Iceland would likely wear us out, we booked our full-day trip to the Blue Lagoon for the day following our return to Reykjavik. We used Reykjavik Excursions for round trip transport from Reykjavik and found it to be a well-timed, easy-to-use, streamlined service. The Premium package gave us unlimited time in the lagoon, three face masks, one free drink, and a bath robe to wear when not in the lagoon. I also splurged and purchased a one hour water massage. As I mentioned earlier in this post, you can read all about both the Blue Lagoon and comparing it to the Sky Lagoon in a separate post by clicking here.
The Blue Lagoon really was amazing. If you read that you should skip it because it is too expensive or not an authentic experience, you’d be missing out by doing so. Take it for exactly what it is: a tourist experience and an opportunity to treat yourself to a beautiful spa experience. We had so much fun soaking and splashing in the warm, blue water and goofing off with face masks and alcoholic drinks.
We also dined on site at the Lava restaurant, where we got a free glass of Prosecco with the premium package. I must admit that we were disappointed with our meal here. The food was average compared with many of the places we’d eaten while in Iceland, and most of the tables do not have the beautiful view of the lagoon that you grow to expect by browsing the website. That being said, who can complain about fine dining in lagoon robes while sipping Prosecco?
Immediately after returning to Reykjavik, we set out to get our COVID-19 tests. At the time of our visit, we were required to show proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test in order to enter Iceland. Also required was proof of a negative rapid antigen test within 24 hours in order to reenter the United States. This was easily accomplished by pre-booking a visit at one of Iceland’s COVID-19 testing centers. The most difficult part was the journey, when we accidentally hopped on the public bus at an earlier stop in the route than we had planned, leading to a much longer ride than we had hoped for. Even seasoned travelers still make public transport errors, right?
Once our tests had returned (negative!), we stopped at a street food restaurant near our hotel in the city center called Kröns. We accidentally stumbled upon this place while reading reviews online for a quick place to eat, and the rave reviews about Kröns sold us. Everything that we ordered was delicious, especially the lobster tacos. Impressively, the tiny restaurant and kitchen was being run entirely by one sweet woman who laughed at us when we asked for ketchup for our cheeseburger rather than mayonnaise. Kröns was a perfect option for a quick and easy meal in Reykjavik.
Ingolfstorg Square at Christmastime
On our last night in Reykjavik, we walked around the corner from our hotel to Ingolfstorg Square where a small Christmas village is set up during this time of the year. While this is certainly not comparable to some of the gigantic Christmas village celebrations in other European cities, there were some fun things to do to help usher in the season. Several small huts along the street were selling crafts and homemade goods, and there was a place to buy hot cider, mulled wine, and other treats. The main attraction is the ice skating rink, where adults like us go to prove we’ve still got it. After several laps around the rink, I by myself and Emily with her handy reindeer friend, and after narrowly avoiding collisions with several people half our size, we hung up our skates and went to eat some ice cream. Gaeta Gelato is right next to Ingolfstorg Square and had many delicious flavors. Finally, we ended the night at a bar around the corner that was completely decked out with Christmas bulbs covering the entire ceiling. But after one pint we called it a night and a wrap on our trip to Iceland.
Reykjavik, Iceland was unlike any city that we’ve traveled to before. It feels so small in many ways but is a thriving city and the largest in the country of Iceland. The four days that we spent in Reykjavik were plenty of time to see and do everything that interested us, including the lagoons just outside the city. Christmastime in Reykjavik was very special, and I’m glad we ended up here in December 2021. Continue on to the next post to read all about our van trip to Southern Iceland!