Reykjavik, which translates to “smoky bay”, is the world’s northernmost capital. It’s the capital city of the Nordic country of Iceland, aka the land of fire and ice. Whether it’s a short trip to the capital or a longer trip around the country, there is certainly enough to make it an adventure-packed visit! If you go during winter, wrap up warm and be mindful of the fact that Iceland sees only 4-5 hours of daylight in the winter months, (and almost 12 hours in summer!).

My trip spanned over 4 days and below are some of the main attractions in the city of Reykjavik:

• Walking Tour – There are few options available, but we opted for the FREE walking tour. It’s two hours long and focuses on Iceland’s history, its evolution and its general culture. For booking and more info, visit their website.

• Blue Lagoon – A visit to the world-famous Blue Lagoon – one of the wonders of the world – is absolutely mandatory. A trip to Iceland is incomplete without indulging in the hot, steamy enriched blue waters of this spa. Check out my previous article on it!

• Northern Lights – This is an absolute must-see, as Iceland is one of the top 10 places in the world to see the sky light up and glow with the aurora borealis. There’s nothing like it! Being one of Iceland’s main attractions, you’ll find many tours available to see the Northern lights – ask your hotel/hostel, look online for packages, or rent a car and chase them yourself!

• Hallgrímskirkja Church – This major landmark took 41 years to build and is visible from each corner of Reyjkavik. It is the largest Church in Iceland, and the second tallest building in Iceland! You can learn more here.

• Harpa Building – This concert hall and conference centre is another of Reykjavik’s distinguished landmarks and it encompasses such captivating architecture. Whether you go inside or admire from the outside, be sure to peep behind the building where you’ll see an unparalleled view of Engey Island! From a distance it looks like a large mountain – it is such a beautiful sight. Maybe grab a coffee and take a stroll whilst admiring the picturesque landscape of this small island?

• Perlan and the Ice Cave – The Perlan building, another wonder of Iceland, is composed of a colossal glass dome which sits atop of six hot water tanks (each carrying 4 million litres of geothermal hot water!). All of this is situated on top of Öskjuhlíð Hill. Fun fact: at the end of the Ice Age, melting glaciers raised sea levels and turned Öskjuhlíð Hill into an island. Inside the Perlan you can find exhibitions, a planetarium and a 360-degree revolving restaurant. What I was most excited about was the ice cave! It’s a real ice cave made of snow from actual Icelandic mountains! Enquire within for tours and more info!  

Being a geologically active country, Iceland has much more to offer outside the capital city of Reykjavik. You could rent a car and drive across the whole country on the Ring Road of Iceland – looking at a map, you would drive a whole circle from Reykjavik and back. You can chase the endless amounts of waterfalls and volcanoes, visit many hot springs, or go and dance with the Aurora Borealis (aka the northern lights). If you prefer opting for planned tours and packages, below are some recommendations of popular tours:

• Game of thrones Tour
• Golden Circle Tour (where you’ll find Gullfoss – the most famous waterfall in Iceland)
• South Coast Tour
• Whale Watching
• Ice Vaves and Volcano Tours

As mentioned in my Blue Lagoon article, Icelandair offers stopovers in Reykjavik on transatlantic flights at no additional cost. However, the airline does charge for checked luggage per leg. So if you take a one-way flight with a layover and you need to check a bag, you’ll have to pay twice – one for each leg of the flight (or four times if it’s a roundtrip flight on the same airline!) Click here for more info.