Book a discount plane ticket to Reykjavik on CheapOair and visit this city whose foundation is equally romantic and beguiling as its location, set on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by a lunar volcanic netherworld, with the shadowy hulk of Mount Esja in the background. Legend has it that a Viking called Ingólfur Arnarson founded the world’s most northerly capital. According to Iceland’s ancient Sagas, he followed the Nordic tradition of letting the gods decide the location of his new home. As he sailed towards the land, he threw two wooden pillars overboard and sent his slaves off to find out where they came ashore. After traversing the fertile south of Iceland, they expressed their disappointment on finding the pillars in the north: ‘For no good did we cross fine districts in order to settle on this remote cape’. Arnarson named the place Reykjavik (‘Smokey Bay’) after the steam rising from the hot springs.
Today, these numerous geothermal springs, running beneath the city, provide almost all the heating and water in the city. The only by-product of this system is a faint odor of hydrogen sulphide, especially evident when showering. But the low level of fuel emissions gives the city clean air and crystal clear skies – when it is not raining. The lack of pollution is also due to the comparatively small size of the capital. The city consisted of only a handful of farmhouses until the middle of the 18th century when a small trading community began to grow. Reykjavik is a very easy city to negotiate on foot so the best initial advice is to head for the Tourist Information Centre and stock up on some maps and recommended walking routes. Reykjavik has two landmarks that offer views over the city to aid orientation: the Perlan (on Öskjuhlíd Hill) and the 75m-high (230ft) Hallgrímskirkja church (in the centre of town). A visit to the top of either of these is the best way for visitors to become acquainted with the city’s layout.
The very heart of Reykjavik lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the pleasant Tjörnin lake to the north. In-between lies the centre of the city with flat, wide streets housing bars, cafés, hotels, museums and art galleries. The modern Icelandic National Gallery lies right on the edge of the lake, while the National Museum lies just to the south.
Just north of Tjörnin is Austurvollur, an attractive square popular with sunworshippers in the warmer months and also home to the Alping, the Icelandic parliament. Also in the city centre are the three branches of the Reykjavik Art Museum: the Harbour House, Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum and Kjarvalsstadethir. Heading east and uphill on Laugavegur, the city’s main thoroughfare, are many of the city’s best shops, cafés, restaurants, and bars. Outside the city centre but easily accessible by bus are the Árbaer Open-Air Folk Museum and the Sigurjon Olafsson Museum. Dotted around the city are six geothermal swimming baths that come complete with hot pots, which make the perfect venue to relax in after a hard day’s sightseeing at any time of year.
Over the last decade, the enthusiastic Tourist Board and a stream of travel writers have hyped Reykjavik’s nightlife. Reykjavik, however, is a small city and those arriving expecting to find a large-scale ‘Ibiza of the North’ may be a little disappointed as most of the action takes place in a very small central area.
Having said that, the scene on the weekends, especially in summer, is surprisingly nefarious for such a small city, as revellers flit between bars on the traditional runtur (pub crawl). One strange phenomenon is the nightly drive-by as Reykjavik’s hard-up youth shun the expensive bars and opt to cruise around in their cars for hours on end. Bar prices are expensive, from IKR600 up to as much as IKR1200 for a pint of beer.
Most locals tend to counter the expensive bar prices by consuming a lot of alcohol at home before they can go out. Hence, it is not until around 2330 that the streets begin to fill with drinkers and clubbers and the real action begins. First-time visitors should be aware that this can mean some disturbingly drunk and violent people around, although most Icelanders demonstrate a refreshing level of friendliness to visitors.
All of Reykjavik’s nightlife centres on the main street, Laugavegur, and the roads leading off it. The cafés and bars in Reykjavik tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character – serving beer and coffee throughout the day, before transforming into buzzing drinking and dancing venues in the evening. The runtur is a way of finding the most ‘hip’ bar, with the length of the queues to get in acting as good indications of their ‘hipness’.Sign up for the CheapoAir.com Exclusive Fare Alerts Newsletter. Get weekly updates on cheap airfare deals all year round. Enjoy exclusive low airfare to the top destination, travel tips, consumer reviews and much more. | 
