Out of their entire population, about 2/3 live in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital. Reykjavik is the best place to learn about Iceland's history, culture and also to try traditional Icelandic food. So if you're visiting Iceland, make sure to set aside at least 1 day to explore Reykjavik (in addition to the organized tours which focus on Iceland's natural resources).
Here are some of the top things to do if you're visiting Reykjavik:
The first thing I suggest you do before exploring the city of Reykjavik on your own is to join a walking city tour so you'll have an overview of Reykjavik, and then decide which areas or places you want to focus on. We joined the free walking tour organized by Citywalk and we enjoyed and learned a lot from it. :)
How does a free walking tour work? Technically, there's no obligation to pay but at the end of the tour, you may give whatever amount you think is fair.
I think the free tour model is a win-win proposition. It motivates the tour guides to really do their best because if they perform well, people would be more generous in donating at the end of the tour (the tour guides of free tours are consistently way, way better and more engaging than the guides of paid tours). And for tourists, it's also great since you're able to enjoy excellent service without the risk of being overcharged.
I think the free tour model is a win-win proposition. It motivates the tour guides to really do their best because if they perform well, people would be more generous in donating at the end of the tour (the tour guides of free tours are consistently way, way better and more engaging than the guides of paid tours). And for tourists, it's also great since you're able to enjoy excellent service without the risk of being overcharged.
What does the Reykjavik Citywalk city tour cover?
It starts at the Austurvöllur Square at the foot of the statue of Jón Sigurðsson. In 1944, this man led the movement on Iceland's independence from Denmark.
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| Asuturvollur Square |
Then we moved to another area where the tour guide pointed to these 3 rock pillars which she said symbolizes the beginning of Christianity in Reykjavik. The estimated period when Christianity was adopted in Iceland was in the year 1000 AD and the earliest evidence of a church in Reykjavik is from around 1200 AD.
The tour guide also pointed to some tombstones in the area dating as far back as the 18th century.
Then on the pavement, you'll notice this painting which has rainbow colors - that's a symbol of Reyjavik's celebration of the annual Gay Pride festival, one of Iceland's biggest events attracting more than 100k visitors during 1 week of festivities. What happens during the festival is people paint the roads in rainbow colors.
Then we went to this park where there were 2 big pillars mounted on the ground.
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| High seat pillars of the first permanent Viking settler in Reykjavik |
The tour guide explained to us that these are high seat pillars (a sign of being a chieftain) of the first Nordic Viking permanent settler in Reykjavik named Ingolfr Arnarson. The story goes that he had some blood feud in Norway so he had to flee. He heard about this new island found in the Atlantic Ocean so he sailed to find it. When he saw some some sign of land from a distance, he threw his high seat pillars overboard and promised to settle where the pillars would land (and take it as a sign from the gods). His men searched for the pillars and found them in a spot which is Reykjavik today.
We also visited the statue of Ingolfr Arnarson - this is the Viking chieftain who threw the high seat pillars which landed on Reykjavik.
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| Ingolfr Arnarson - first permanent Nordic Viking settler in Reykjavik |
Across the Viking statue, you'll see a beautiful glass building. This is the Harpa Concert Hall.
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| Harpa Concert Hall |
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| Harpa Concert Hall up close |
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| Inside the Harpa Concert Hall |
There's this popular show you could catch at the Harpa Theatre called "How to be Icelandic in 60 minutes". We wanted to watch it but there was only 1 run that coincided with our stay and when we arrived at the Harpa Theatre that day from the GOT tour, the show has already started. :(
During the free walking tour, we also went to a village with houses made from corrugated iron/steel.
Corrugated galvanized iron arrived in Iceland in the 1860s from Britain. Our tour guide said that some of the houses above are over 100 years old and they still look so nice!
Corrugated galvanized iron is perfect because Iceland has very few construction materials (they have limited timber). According to our tour guide, when the Vikings arrived, they cut the trees to use as timber and firewood, and with their sheep freely roaming and grazing on soil, it was hard for trees to grow back. But of course, modern Iceland has made conscious effort to plant trees already.
Corrugated galvanized iron arrived in Iceland in the 1860s from Britain. Our tour guide said that some of the houses above are over 100 years old and they still look so nice!
Corrugated galvanized iron is perfect because Iceland has very few construction materials (they have limited timber). According to our tour guide, when the Vikings arrived, they cut the trees to use as timber and firewood, and with their sheep freely roaming and grazing on soil, it was hard for trees to grow back. But of course, modern Iceland has made conscious effort to plant trees already.
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| Corrugated house up close |
All over Reykjavik, you'll see various corrugated homes -
and not just homes but even churches and schools -
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| School made from corrugated iron |
We stopped by this school so our tour guide can share with us a little about Iceland's tax and education system. Icelanders pay big income taxes - starting from 38% to as high as 48% but their education and healthcare are free.
Icelanders typically are multi-lingual, 3 languages at minimum. Of course, the first language they learn is Icelandic, then at age 8, they start learning English, then in high school, they learn another language of their choice.
Our tour guide also shared some info about their very low crime rates and how they view imprisonment. Imprisonment for Icelanders, she says, is not about punishment but more of reform and rehabilitation. So while in prison, you can study for free or even work and get paid for it. Doesn't sound like punishment at all! :)
During the free walking tour, you'll also pass by some interesting places which for sure you'll be tempted to go back to at the end of the tour like their most popular hotdog stand - Baejarins Beztu Pylsur which translates to “The best hotdog in town”. There's usually a long queue so there's no time to grab a hotdog while the tour is ongoing.
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| Most famous hot dog stand in Reykjavik |
This is the original hotdog stand of Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. To easily locate it, it's just behind Radisson's Blu in Reykjavik.
The tour guide would also sometimes give you practical tips like where you can buy the cheapest groceries. This is very easy to remember - Bonus. When you see this cute pink pig coin bank, that's the store.
The city walk ended at the City Hall which faces The Pond. Interesting trivia about this lake is it is sometimes referred to as the biggest bread soup in the world because a popular pastime here is bird feeding where people throw bread crumbs. Haha...
At the end of the tour, our tour guide showed us some knitted items for sale (made by her friend) like gloves - but they are not just any ordinary gloves. Like there were gloves specifically designed for holding a beer can (like the one below) and there is also a couple glove specially designed for holding hands. Haha...
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| Glove designed for holding a beer can |
While in the City Hall area, you might also want to walk in to the City Hall (yes, it's where the mayor holds office and you can freely walk in there). There are paintings, sculptures and also a topographical map of Iceland.
After the tour, we decided to go back to one point of interest which our tour guide recommended - The Settlement Exhibition. Underneath this structure lies the actual remains of a Viking house.
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| The Settlement Exhibition houses a Viking House |
Of course, when the tour guide said "remains of a Viking house", I immediately visualized a house where you could still see some kind of structure! My mind only picked up "Viking house" and filtered the word "remains". Haha....
So here were the excavated remains of a Viking house excavated in 2001 -
The remains of this Viking house is estimated to date back from the 10th century. Whoa...
It is believed to have been inhabited between the year 930 to 1000 AD.
The hall is about 20 meters long and 8 meters across.
While exploring the excavation, I noticed this white thing embedded in one section.
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| Animal bones on the excavated remains of the Viking House |
Apparently, they are animal bones - either that of a cow or horse. They are believed to serve as a talisman to ward off evil spirits.
To visualize how the Viking house really looked like during the Viking era, there is a multimedia show in the exhibition. Here's a photo I took - it's a Viking longhouse.
It's very similar to the Viking House which we saw during the Game of Thrones Tour -
At the Settlement Exhibition, there are also video footages that give you a glimpse of how the Vikings lived -
And you'll also see some actual Viking tools and weapons excavated from the site -
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| A real Viking axe! |
This Settlement exhibition in Reykjavik is just one of many. There are all sorts of museums around the city. There's even a museum for sorcery and witchcraft. And they also have weird ones. But before I tell you an example of a weird museum, here's a funny story.
I was standing beside a clocktower on a square for some sun shade. Then I noticed people were taking pictures of the clocktower and were laughing (I hope it wasn't because of me! Haha...) So I went to see the side of the clocktower which they were taking photos of and guess what? It's a poster promoting a Penis Museum (orange poster below)! Haha...
We went to another museum - the Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Center - because we had zero chance of seeing the Northern Lights in summer. Technically, Northern Lights may occur in summer but because the sun never sets (thus, it's bright all the time), you won't see the Northern Lights even if they occur.
The Northern Lights Center's tagline convinced us to visit. It says - where the Northern Lights are always on display. So since it's summer, it's our only way to get a fix on Northern Lights. Haha....
The Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Center showcases beautiful photos of Northern lights across the globe - Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, China, Russia, Finland, Greenland, etc. It also explains the different folktales and beliefs of people about Northern lights like the Chinese belief that children conceived under the Northern lights will be blessed with good fortune or the Inuit's belief that northern lights are shadows of relatives and friends who passed away.
But ever wondered what causes Northern lights? When there's a solar storm, charged particles (electrons and protons) from the sun are blown towards the earth. But when they reach the earth, these charged particles collide with the earth's gaseous particles which produce colors or what we call "Northern Lights". The colors that get produced depend on 2 things: (1) what kind of gas collides with the sun's charged particles (e.g. oxygen or nitrogen) and (2) the altitude at which they collide.
In the museum, there's also a small auditorium which plays beautiful Northern lights footages across the globe (projected on a wide screen). I enjoyed watching the show - I got to experience the most beautiful Northern Lights in the world in the comfort of a warm auditorium! Haha...
At the end of the tour, there's also a section which teaches you how to fix your camera settings to perfectly capture the Northern Lights. To test if you got the settings right, you can put your camera inside a hole and take a test shot. Here's my test shot -
So ok, I did a shortcut - I put my camera on night mode! Haha...
While we were checking out the museum store, we got a bonus treat from the museum personnel. She let us experience the Northern Lights using a Samsung Gear VR! Yay! And because of that, I'm already good - there's really no need to go on a winter trip to see the Northern lights. Haha...
By the exit, there is a map where visitors put a pin where they are from.
And here are the visitor pins from the Philippines. :)
Other interesting things to see around Reykjavik -
Hallgrimskirkja - this is probably the most recognized landmark of Reykjavik. It's a Lutheran church.
It took 41 years to build this church and it is said that the architect designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland. If you don't know how basalt lava flows look like, here's a photo I took of basalt lava flows at the Black Sand Beach in Iceland. Super beautiful - they're made by nature but it's as if they were perfectly carved!
Hallgrimskirkja looks massive from the front and back.
But when you're inside, it doesn't seem it's really that big given the seating capacity. I think it's the height of the structure that makes it massive.
You could also go up the top of the church if you wish to see an overview of Reykjavik but there's always a long queue. An alternative is The Perlan (more about it later).
The Airbnb unit we stayed in is only 3 streets away from the Hallgrimskirkja. One time, we took a cab and since we don't know how to tell the driver where the apartment is, we just told him to drop us off to "Hallgrimskirkja" which we don't know how to pronounce! Haha... I think it sounds like Halt-krims-keerk-ya. The driver tried to teach us how to pronounce it but we couldn't. Then he said - "Ah, just say Big Church!" Wahahaha......
Across Hallgrimskirkja is a popular cafe called Cafe Loki if you want to try traditional Icelandic food. This is where I got to try rotten shark, dried fish and sheep head jelly. For more info about Icelandic food, you can check out my earlier post - Foods to try in Iceland.
BTW, when you cross the street from the church to Cafe Loki, you'll pass by some beautiful tulips. Time to literally stop and smell the flowers. :)
The street fronting Hallgrimskirkja is called Skolavordustig - you'll find lots of restaurants, art stores and souvenir shops here.
Sometimes there are also art exhibits along the street -
You'll also see some bike markers like this which signifies that the section is closed for vehicles.
The Pearl is a glass dome built on top of huge water storage tanks.
It doesn't look too huge in the photo but here's how it looks like on a scale model.
What is its significance? Geothermal water plays an important part in Icelandic life. Other than supplying hot water to Icelandic homes, it also provides snow-melting during winter. Geothermal energy heats pavements and melts the snow keeping sidewalks and parking spaces of the city center of Reykjavik ice-free during winter. Amazing.
At the top of Perlan's dome, there's a revolving restaurant if you want to enjoy a 360° view of Reykjavik. But even if you don't dine there, there's a viewing deck wherein you can equally enjoy the beautiful view of Reykjavik.
If you've limited time, the key is to be really selective and to prioritize on what really interests you. :)
Check my other posts about Iceland:
Top 10 travel tips when visiting Iceland
Foods to try in Iceland
Top things to see and what tours to join in Iceland
