As promised here's my Reykjavik post. Iceland's capital and most densely populated area, it's one of the greenest, cleanest and safest cities in the world. Of course, as with the rest of the country, I fell head over heels for its Icelandic charm, adorable buildings, and cute eateries and thought it deserved a post of its own (you can catch the rest of my Iceland guide here).
When planning a trip to Iceland, there's definitely a checklist – most of which I covered in my last post. The blue lagoon, golden circle, northern lights etcetera and Reykjavik is usually the base point, but people often forget to mention what a wonderful little place it is in itself. In fact, I was surprised how trendy Reykjavik was for such a small town, but perhaps thanks to its booming popularity over the last couple of years it's full of the coolest bars, vegan joints and its music scene is pretty bloody impressive too.
We stayed in the super convenient Swan House apartments, right in the heart of Reykjavik all restaurants and museums were within walking distance and we were just a couple of blocks away from the bus stops we needed to reach for our tours. The apartments themselves had a minimal clean and cool design with a contemporary Icelandic vibe. Think greys, textured blankets and woven wicker lamps – v cool. It was also a stone's throw from the bay so at sunrise (about 9am when we were there) I wandered down a couple of times and enjoyed the most spectacular firey sky views over the mountains – see pic no.2.
With spacious studio layout big enough to sleep four of us, complete with a kitchenette, dining table and cute bathroom it was our perfect base and frankly a little haven after long days exploring. Also worth noting Iceland can be pretty pricey, especially when you factor in all the costs of the tours, so having the option to cook our own meals some nights was so good. My family loved it here and I totally recommend the superior studio we stayed in for groups but they have a whole selection to choose from here.
That being said, Reykjavik is also a great place for solo travelers and backpackers and there's an amazing range of hostels on Hostel World here. We actually visited one as its bar was renowned for being the one of the best in Reykavik, so on their Jazz night we visited Kex Hostel and ended up having a great night. If I was to go back again alone (which I'm definitely scheming to do) I would 100% stay here!
As I said the vegan scene is also amazing, but Reykjavik in general is incredible for food and nearly everywhere had great veggie/vegan options. Kaffi Vinyl is a new place which is basically the cooolest vinyl shop come vegan restaurant hybrid. Great beats and tasty grub, get there early for a dinner-time table. Brau∂ & Co is a bakery famous for the 'worlds best' cinnamon buns and it definitely lived up to the hype – so much so I went back there twice! It's colorful building is nestled on the main street leading to the Cathedral, so grab one and enjoy devouring it on the way up. Another favourite for dinner was Mikeller & Friends, a danish Joint that had a wonderful local-pub type atmosphere that served an extensive range of beers, cocktails and the best vegan pizza with cashew cheese. Other places you should hit up are Joe & The Juice, for coffee and/or juice before you set off on your tours, Aku Taktu – a Iceland's fancy take on a Maccas that do a smashing vegan burger and Reykjaviks Hard Rock Café ain't bad either.
There's so much of Reykjavik I'd still love to see – I wish I'd had a chance to visit the opera house and some of the museums, but I hope you enjoy these tips anyway and be sure to check out this website for local events and music nights during your stay! And that concludes my Iceland posts, you can read my guide for everything outside of Reykjavik here or watch my Insta video below for some of the trip highlights. Thanks always for reading x
As promised here's my Reykjavik post. Iceland's capital and most densely populated area, it's one of the greenest, cleanest and safest cities in the world. Of course, as with the rest of the country, I fell head over heels for its Icelandic charm, adorable buildings, and cute eateries and thought it deserved a post of its own (you can catch the rest of my Iceland guide here).
When planning a trip to Iceland, there's definitely a checklist – most of which I covered in my last post. The blue lagoon, golden circle, northern lights etcetera and Reykjavik is usually the base point, but people often forget to mention what a wonderful little place it is in itself. In fact, I was surprised how trendy Reykjavik was for such a small town, but perhaps thanks to its booming popularity over the last couple of years it's full of the coolest bars, vegan joints and its music scene is pretty bloody impressive too.
We stayed in the super convenient Swan House apartments, right in the heart of Reykjavik all restaurants and museums were within walking distance and we were just a couple of blocks away from the bus stops we needed to reach for our tours. The apartments themselves had a minimal clean and cool design with a contemporary Icelandic vibe. Think greys, textured blankets and woven wicker lamps – v cool. It was also a stone's throw from the bay so at sunrise (about 9am when we were there) I wandered down a couple of times and enjoyed the most spectacular firey sky views over the mountains – see pic no.2.
With spacious studio layout big enough to sleep four of us, complete with a kitchenette, dining table and cute bathroom it was our perfect base and frankly a little haven after long days exploring. Also worth noting Iceland can be pretty pricey, especially when you factor in all the costs of the tours, so having the option to cook our own meals some nights was so good. My family loved it here and I totally recommend the superior studio we stayed in for groups but they have a whole selection to choose from here.
That being said, Reykjavik is also a great place for solo travelers and backpackers and there's an amazing range of hostels on Hostel World here. We actually visited one as its bar was renowned for being the one of the best in Reykavik, so on their Jazz night we visited Kex Hostel and ended up having a great night. If I was to go back again alone (which I'm definitely scheming to do) I would 100% stay here!
As I said the vegan scene is also amazing, but Reykjavik in general is incredible for food and nearly everywhere had great veggie/vegan options. Kaffi Vinyl is a new place which is basically the cooolest vinyl shop come vegan restaurant hybrid. Great beats and tasty grub, get there early for a dinner-time table. Brau∂ & Co is a bakery famous for the 'worlds best' cinnamon buns and it definitely lived up to the hype – so much so I went back there twice! It's colorful building is nestled on the main street leading to the Cathedral, so grab one and enjoy devouring it on the way up. Another favourite for dinner was Mikeller & Friends, a danish Joint that had a wonderful local-pub type atmosphere that served an extensive range of beers, cocktails and the best vegan pizza with cashew cheese. Other places you should hit up are Joe & The Juice, for coffee and/or juice before you set off on your tours, Aku Taktu – a Iceland's fancy take on a Maccas that do a smashing vegan burger and Reykjaviks Hard Rock Café ain't bad either.
There's so much of Reykjavik I'd still love to see – I wish I'd had a chance to visit the opera house and some of the museums, but I hope you enjoy these tips anyway and be sure to check out this website for local events and music nights during your stay! And that concludes my Iceland posts, you can read my guide for everything outside of Reykjavik here or watch my Insta video below for some of the trip highlights. Thanks always for reading x
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