Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland, and its largest city. There are plenty of things to see in Reykjavik. Here are a few of our highlights:
Hallgrimskirkja Church
It’s hard to miss this beauty if you are anywhere in Reykjavik. With a spire that stands 244 feet in the air, Hallgrimskirkja is a functioning Lutheran church and Reykjavik’s most popular landmark. It took 41 years to build and is currently Iceland’s second tallest structure. Leifr Eiriksson (better known to Americans as ‘Leif Erikson’) stands tall in statue form in the front of the church, a gift to the people of Iceland from the United States of America to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the parliament of Iceland. Eiriksson is said to be the first European to step foot on the shore of North America.
The Sun Voyager
Back in 1986, the city of Reykjavik held a competition to decide who would construct an art piece to be displayed in the city to commemorate its upcoming 200th anniversary. On August 18, 1990, Jön Gunnar Arnason won and constructed the ‘Sun Voyager’, an ode to the sun intended to convey the promise of undiscovered territory and a dream of hope, progress, and freedom. You can find the Sun Voyager on SÆbraut in Reykjavik.
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur
After we arrived at Keflavik Airport we spent a few minutes in the rental car office while they retrieved our car. We struck up a conversation with the attendant and asked him what food we should eat during our stay. His exact response was this: “We aren’t really known for our food. Do you guys like Hot Dogs?” We looked at each other thinking this guy can’t be serious, surely they have something more to offer than hot dogs. But we took his advice and pulled up to this hot dog stand on what otherwise seemed to be a quiet corner away from the center of the city. To our surprise, there was already a line at 10AM! This guy wasn’t lying. J. loved the hot dogs so much he went back 3 more times during our trip!! What makes them special? It starts with white onions nestled in the bun, then blanketed with fried onions and some kind of special sauce. Once the bed is made, the lamb dog lays into the bun and gets covered with what seems to be a sweet mustard sauce. I won’t lie, the flavor combination was pretty explosive. So there you have it; the must have food in Iceland is a hot dog from Baejarins.
Tjörnin
Tjornin is a large pond in city center, located near Reykjavik’s City Hall. It is a popular activity to feed the 40-50 different species of birds that call this pond home. In the winter, it may freeze and can be a prime spot for ice skating.
Other Activities
There are several other activities and sights in Reykjavik, depending on the time of year you visit. The Sculpture and Shore Walk takes you along the fjord Kollafjorour with Mount Esja as the backdrop. Many visitors start on the path near Harpa, the concert hall in downtown Reykjavik, and move east toward well known landmarks such as the Sun Voyager, the Partnership Sculpture, and the Hofdi House- the location where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in 1986 to end the Cold War.
Most people know that Iceland is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. There are many tours that take you away from the city lights to capture the magic. We had a tour planned but it got cancelled 2 nights in a row due to cloudy weather and low visibility, which is a risk this time of year. I would recommend booking this tour for the first night you are there to allow days for rescheduling should the weather interfere with your plans.
J and I spent the last morning of our trip driving around to explore Reykjavik before heading back to the airport. We found cute neighborhoods and some breathtaking landscape. I will leave you with some of our “Coastal Reykjavik” photographs! We hope you get to visit soon, it is truly a beautiful country.
~Reykjavik~