Iceland
The world's northernmost capital. Geothermal lagoons, whales in the bay, and the best hot dog you'll ever queue for.
Photography pending
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Times move. Always confirm your arrival and all-aboard in the DCL Navigator app on the morning.
Worth ten minutes before you go. You'll walk past all of this, and it lands differently when you know what happened here.
Reykjavik on a port day is really a choice between two Icelands. There's the city: small, colourful, safe, and walkable in a morning, with corrugated-iron houses in crayon colours and a rocket-ship church you can see from everywhere. Then there's the volcanic wilderness within coach distance.
You can't properly do both. The famous geothermal lagoons eat half a day on their own, so decide early what your Iceland is. One more thing, said with love: this country is expensive.
A casual lunch runs £20. That makes the cheap wins matter more here than at any other port we cover, and Reykjavik has some crackers.
Reykjavik means 'smoky bay'. The name comes from Ingolfur Arnarson, the Norse settler who arrived around 874 AD and, so the story goes, threw his carved high-seat pillars overboard and built his farm wherever they washed up. Steam was rising from the hot springs when he got there.
It rises still. For nearly a thousand years this was just a scatter of farms while Iceland answered to Norway and then Denmark; the town only really began with a state wool workshop in the 1750s. Full independence came in 1944, declared at Thingvellir, the rift valley where the world's oldest parliament first met in 930 AD.
Today's Golden Circle tours drive straight through that history. Modern Reykjavik's claims to fame arrived quickly after that. Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky here in 1972.
Reagan met Gorbachev at Hofdi House in 1986 and the Cold War began to thaw. A city of 140,000 people somehow produced Björk and Sigur Rós. And the geothermal plumbing got so good that Reykjavik now heats its homes, its pools and even some of its pavements with volcanic water.
The ninety seconds of admin that saves you money and awkwardness on the day.
Icelanders are informal to a degree that surprises visitors. First names for everyone, minimal small talk, bone-dry humour. There is no tipping culture at all. None. Service is included and nobody expects extra. Cards work for everything including hot dogs, and plenty of visitors never touch cash. Pool etiquette is sacred: a full soap-and-water shower before entering any pool or lagoon is mandatory, and yes, it's monitored. The tap water is some of the best in the world, so refill rather than buy. The hot water smells faintly of sulphur. That's normal.
Set a number per person and every list below re-orders around it. Nothing disappears unless you ask it to.
Per person, in US dollars, for the thing itself. Getting there is called out on every card.
Pick a number and every list below re-ranks around it.
Everywhere we recommend, colour-coded. The ship marker is where you step off.
The dashed ring is roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk from Skarfabakki. Tap a pin to jump to its card, or tap Show on the map from any card below.
8 of 21 places pinned
Not pinned yet
The geocoder wasn’t confident about these, so we left them off rather than drop a pin in the wrong place. They’re queued for a human check.
One bus, ferry or short taxi. The exact fare and journey time is on every card.
Bus 16 plus a 10 min walk, or 20 min on foot from Harpa
The rocket-shaped church that owns the skyline, its design borrowed from cooling lava columns. The church itself is free. The tower lift, about 1,400 ISK, buys you the definitive view over the rainbow rooftops.
Free to 1,400 ISK
about $10
Runs downhill from Hallgrimskirkja
Skolavordustigur, permanently painted in rainbow stripes with the church framed at the top. Reykjavik's most photographed angle, lined with galleries and knitwear shops.
Free
The shuttle drop-off point, on the waterfront downtown
A glittering honeycomb of coloured glass on the harbour. Free to wander inside, and the light through that facade is a photographer's playground.
Free
5 min along the waterfront from Harpa
The steel dream-ship against sea and Mount Esja. The classic Reykjavik photo, best in low light.
Free
Old Harbour, 10 min from Harpa. Tours run 2-3.5 hrs
Humpbacks, minkes and dolphins in Faxafloi bay, with sighting rates above 90% in season and free re-rides if you're unlucky. Elding, Special Tours and Whale Safari all sail from downtown, so there's no transfer to pay for. Direct prices start around $53. The ship charges a lot more for the same bay.
Must try. Add the puffin-island RIB trip between May and August
$53 to $115
About 15 min by taxi from downtown, roughly 2,600 ISK
The oceanfront lagoon with the infinity edge and the seven-step ritual. This is the realistic lagoon on a port day, fifteen minutes from town rather than fifty kilometres. Passes from about $75. Book ahead.
$75 to $115
Bus or a 10 min taxi from downtown
The glass-domed museum on the hill, with a real indoor ice cave, a northern-lights planetarium and a 360-degree viewing deck. The best bad-weather insurance in the city, and genuinely great with kids.
$35 to $40
Grandi district, 15 min walk past the Old Harbour
A soaring flight-ride over volcanoes, glaciers and fjords. Twenty minutes, whole country, no coach required. Pairs nicely with the Grandi food halls and Omnom chocolate next door.
$35 to $42
Grandi district, near FlyOver
Life-size models of every whale in Icelandic waters. You walk under the blue whale, and you won't forget it. The perfect stop before or after the boat trip, especially with kids.
$25 to $32
Everything within 15 min of Harpa on foot
The main strolling artery. Colourful corrugated houses, street art, design shops, serious coffee. Reykjavik's downtown is small enough to feel conquered in two hours.
Free
By the harbour, 5 min from Harpa
'The best hot dogs in town' since 1937, and the cheapest famous meal in Iceland. Order 'eina med ollu', one with everything: crispy onions, raw onions, ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade.
Must try. Eina med ollu
$5 to $7
The green shack at the Old Harbour
Lobster soup and fish skewers at communal barrel tables in a harbour shack. This is the definitive real-Reykjavik lunch, and by local standards it's a bargain.
Must try. Lobster soup with buttered bread
$15 to $25
Laekjargata, downtown
Lamb soup and fish stew served in bread bowls, with free refills. Beloved, filling, and about as cheap as a sit-down meal gets in this country.
Must try. Lamb soup in a bread bowl
$15 to $22
Frakkastigur, by Hallgrimskirkja
The graffiti-wrapped bakery whose cinnamon buns have a national following. The queue moves fast. The buns move faster.
Must try. A warm cinnamon bun
$4 to $8
Opposite Hallgrimskirkja
Traditional Icelandic plates with a church view. Smoked lamb, rye bread ice cream, and fermented shark for the brave. Order one cube of the shark for the table and film everyone's faces.
Must try. Rye bread ice cream, plus the shark dare
$15 to $28
Skolavordustigur 19
The real lopapeysa, hand-knitted by the association's own knitters. Expensive, lasts a lifetime, and it is THE souvenir. Check the label says hand-knitted in Iceland rather than machine-made abroad.
Must try. A hand-knit lopapeysa
$150 to $280
By the Old Harbour, weekends only
Iceland's only flea market. Second-hand lopapeysur at half boutique price, old vinyl, and a food corner selling fermented shark and dried fish. Weekend port days only.
$5 to $50
Grandi district, near FlyOver
Iceland's bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Beautiful bars that pack flat in a suitcase. The licorice and sea salt one is the sleeper hit.
Must try. Licorice + sea salt bar
$8 to $20
The ferry leaves from Skarfabakki itself, next to your ship
The quiet secret hiding beside the cruise berth. Five minutes on a ferry gets you a car-free island with Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower, Richard Serra sculptures and seabirds everywhere. An hour of Iceland with zero logistics, right there.
$15 to $20
Up to about an hour out. These eat most of your day, so pick one and commit.
50km away near the airport. Budget 4-5 hrs round trip
The world-famous milky-blue one, and yes, it's glorious. But do the maths honestly: entry from $80, transfers on top, and half your port day gone. Sky Lagoon delivers most of the magic at a fraction of the travel time.
$80 to $110
Coach tours of 6-8 hrs with downtown pickups
Iceland's greatest hits in one loop. Thingvellir, where two continents pull apart and parliament met in 930 AD. Strokkur, the geyser that erupts every few minutes. Gullfoss, the double waterfall. Long port days only. Verify your all-aboard, then book a small-group operator with a cruise guarantee.
$80 to $130
Where the picture actually is, and what time of day it works.
Hallgrimskirkja
Bus 16 plus a 10 min walk, or 20 min on foot from Harpa
Rainbow Street
Runs downhill from Hallgrimskirkja
Harpa Concert Hall
The shuttle drop-off point, on the waterfront downtown
Sun Voyager sculpture
5 min along the waterfront from Harpa
Sky Lagoon
About 15 min by taxi from downtown, roughly 2,600 ISK
Blue Lagoon
50km away near the airport. Budget 4-5 hrs round trip
Golden Circle
Coach tours of 6-8 hrs with downtown pickups
Laugavegur & the old town
Everything within 15 min of Harpa on foot
The big-ticket things. Our price is what you pay booking it yourself.
Old Harbour, 10 min from Harpa. Tours run 2-3.5 hrs
Humpbacks, minkes and dolphins in Faxafloi bay, with sighting rates above 90% in season and free re-rides if you're unlucky. Elding, Special Tours and Whale Safari all sail from downtown, so there's no transfer to pay for. Direct prices start around $53. The ship charges a lot more for the same bay.
Must try. Add the puffin-island RIB trip between May and August
$53 to $115
About 15 min by taxi from downtown, roughly 2,600 ISK
The oceanfront lagoon with the infinity edge and the seven-step ritual. This is the realistic lagoon on a port day, fifteen minutes from town rather than fifty kilometres. Passes from about $75. Book ahead.
$75 to $115
50km away near the airport. Budget 4-5 hrs round trip
The world-famous milky-blue one, and yes, it's glorious. But do the maths honestly: entry from $80, transfers on top, and half your port day gone. Sky Lagoon delivers most of the magic at a fraction of the travel time.
$80 to $110
Coach tours of 6-8 hrs with downtown pickups
Iceland's greatest hits in one loop. Thingvellir, where two continents pull apart and parliament met in 930 AD. Strokkur, the geyser that erupts every few minutes. Gullfoss, the double waterfall. Long port days only. Verify your all-aboard, then book a small-group operator with a cruise guarantee.
$80 to $130
Bus or a 10 min taxi from downtown
The glass-domed museum on the hill, with a real indoor ice cave, a northern-lights planetarium and a 360-degree viewing deck. The best bad-weather insurance in the city, and genuinely great with kids.
$35 to $40
Grandi district, 15 min walk past the Old Harbour
A soaring flight-ride over volcanoes, glaciers and fjords. Twenty minutes, whole country, no coach required. Pairs nicely with the Grandi food halls and Omnom chocolate next door.
$35 to $42
Grandi district, near FlyOver
Life-size models of every whale in Icelandic waters. You walk under the blue whale, and you won't forget it. The perfect stop before or after the boat trip, especially with kids.
$25 to $32
Order this, not that. Local places first, tourist traps not at all.
By the harbour, 5 min from Harpa
'The best hot dogs in town' since 1937, and the cheapest famous meal in Iceland. Order 'eina med ollu', one with everything: crispy onions, raw onions, ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade.
Must try. Eina med ollu
$5 to $7
The green shack at the Old Harbour
Lobster soup and fish skewers at communal barrel tables in a harbour shack. This is the definitive real-Reykjavik lunch, and by local standards it's a bargain.
Must try. Lobster soup with buttered bread
$15 to $25
Laekjargata, downtown
Lamb soup and fish stew served in bread bowls, with free refills. Beloved, filling, and about as cheap as a sit-down meal gets in this country.
Must try. Lamb soup in a bread bowl
$15 to $22
Frakkastigur, by Hallgrimskirkja
The graffiti-wrapped bakery whose cinnamon buns have a national following. The queue moves fast. The buns move faster.
Must try. A warm cinnamon bun
$4 to $8
Opposite Hallgrimskirkja
Traditional Icelandic plates with a church view. Smoked lamb, rye bread ice cream, and fermented shark for the brave. Order one cube of the shark for the table and film everyone's faces.
Must try. Rye bread ice cream, plus the shark dare
$15 to $28
What's actually made here, and roughly what it should cost.
Skolavordustigur 19
The real lopapeysa, hand-knitted by the association's own knitters. Expensive, lasts a lifetime, and it is THE souvenir. Check the label says hand-knitted in Iceland rather than machine-made abroad.
Must try. A hand-knit lopapeysa
$150 to $280
By the Old Harbour, weekends only
Iceland's only flea market. Second-hand lopapeysur at half boutique price, old vinyl, and a food corner selling fermented shark and dried fish. Weekend port days only.
$5 to $50
Grandi district, near FlyOver
Iceland's bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Beautiful bars that pack flat in a suitcase. The licorice and sea salt one is the sleeper hit.
Must try. Licorice + sea salt bar
$8 to $20
We only list local businesses we’ve vetted, and we’d rather show you nothing than show you clutter. Know a great local spot? Tell them about us.
Every business here will be local to Reykjavik, hand-vetted by us, and offering something genuinely useful. If an offer wouldn’t make your port day better, it doesn’t get listed.
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