Three days is the comfortable amount for Reykjavik, because it lets you keep the city day and add two of the big excursions instead of cramming them. Day one covers the compact downtown, Hallgrimskirkja and its tower, Harpa, the Sun Voyager and a soak in a geothermal pool, with an Old Harbour whale-watching boat in season. Day two is the Golden Circle, the classic loop to Thingvellir, the Geysir hot springs and Gullfoss, about seven to eight hours by tour or hire car. Day three heads along the South Coast to the Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls and the black-sand beach at Reynisfjara, a long ten to eleven-hour day, or swaps in the Blue Lagoon out near the airport if you would rather soak than drive. Stay downtown in the 101 area so the sights and the central tour pickups are on your doorstep. Everything must be pre-booked, from the lagoon to the aurora tour, and everything is expensive, so budget hard. Check safetravel.is for road alerts before each day trip and pack real layers, as the weather flips fast in any season.
Duration
3 days
Base
Midborg (101 downtown)
Mid budget
540 EUR
Best months
Jun · Jul · Aug
Picks sorted with our recommended base, Midborg (101 downtown), first. Book early: the good-value rooms go weeks ahead.
Special occasions€€€Art Deco landmark · Midborg (101 downtown)
Reykjavik's grand old hotel, a 1930 Art Deco landmark on the Austurvollur square facing parliament, with a spa in the basement. You are in the dead centre of the 101 district, a few minutes from Laugavegur and Hallgrimskirkja.
from ~280 EUR/night
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First visit€€Laugavegur boutique · Laugavegur
A warm, low-key boutique hotel strung along the main Laugavegur shopping street, with a popular bakery and cafe on the ground floor. It puts the bars, restaurants and shops of downtown Reykjavik right outside the door.
from ~170 EUR/night
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Couples€€Old harbour design · Old Harbour and Grandi
A playful design hotel right on the old harbour in Grandi, next to the whale-watching docks and the slipway where boats are still hauled out for repair. The Slippbarinn cocktail bar downstairs is a local favourite, and the museums and food halls are a short walk away.
from ~160 EUR/night
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Budget€HI hostel by the pool · Laugardalur (Hlemmur east)
A big, well-equipped HI hostel out in the green Laugardalur valley, next to the city's largest geothermal pool and a bus ride from downtown. With private rooms as well as dorms and a self-catering kitchen, it is one of the cheapest ways to sleep in a punishingly expensive city.
from ~42 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
Day 1
Morning
Open with Hallgrimskirkja and the lift up its 74-metre tower for the roughly 1400 ISK fee, arriving early for the single small lift, for the wide view over the rooftops and bay. Enter the free church below on the way down.
TipThe church itself is free to enter, but pay the roughly 1400 ISK tower fee and take the lift up the 74-metre steeple for the best view over the coloured rooftops and out to the bay. Go early or late to dodge the cruise-day queue for the single small lift, and check the schedule so you are not caught inside during a service or an organ recital.
Walk to the Old Harbour for a pre-booked whale-watching boat, most reliable April to October and best on a morning departure before the seas roughen. The trip runs about three hours, so layer up and take a seasickness tablet first.
TipBoats leave the Old Harbour docks and run most frequently from April to October, with the highest chance of minke whales, humpbacks and dolphins in June to August; book a morning departure online, as afternoon seas are often rougher. Trips last around three hours, so dress in real layers and take a seasickness tablet beforehand, and check the operator's re-sail policy if nothing is spotted.
Afternoon
Back on the dock, grab a hot dog from the 1937 Baejarins Beztu Pylsur stand, eina med ollu for about 600 ISK, the cheapest proper bite in town. Eat it on the harbourfront.
TipThis little red hot-dog stand near the harbour has been running since 1937 and serves the cheapest proper meal in the city, around 600 ISK for a lamb-based pylsa. Order it eina med ollu, meaning one with everything, which is raw and crispy onions, ketchup, sweet mustard and remoulade, and expect a short queue at lunch and after the bars close.
Wander into Harpa, the free glass concert hall, and go up for the honeycomb facade in the afternoon light, then follow the seafront to the Sun Voyager sculpture ten minutes along. Check Harpa's box office for a cheap last-minute concert tonight.
TipThe glass concert hall on the harbour is free to walk into, and the honeycomb facade glows best from the inside looking out in the late afternoon light. Wander the upper levels for the view for nothing, or check the box office for that night's concert, as tickets are often available last minute and it is the warmest thing to do on a wet evening.
Round off with the local ritual at Laugardalslaug, the biggest city pool, for around 1300 ISK and a run through the hot pots. Shower naked with soap first, as the rule is strict, and note the pools stay warm even in snow.
TipThe city's biggest geothermal pool has outdoor lanes, several hot pots at different temperatures, a steam bath and a waterslide, and entry is only around 1300 ISK, far cheaper than the tourist lagoons. The strict rule is that everyone showers naked with soap before entering, which locals take seriously, so do it properly; the pools stay open and warm even in a winter snowstorm.
Evening
Dinner downtown, picking lamb soup, a fish plate or a bakery over the priciest tourist menus, or self-cater from a Bonus supermarket to save. Drinks are steep, so many locals pre-game before going out.
From September to April, take a pre-booked Northern Lights tour tonight if the vedur.is forecast shows clear dark skies; pick an operator that lets you re-book free if nothing shows. In summer, the midnight sun replaces the aurora, so use the long light for a late walk instead.
TipAurora tours run from roughly September to April and drive you away from the city glow to darker skies, but they are entirely weather and forecast dependent, so check the aurora and cloud forecast on vedur.is before you book. Most operators let you re-book free for another night if the lights fail to show, so pick one with that guarantee and keep an evening spare in the plan.
Day 2
Morning
Set off early on your booked Golden Circle tour or hire car to Thingvellir national park, walking the rift where the tectonic plates pull apart. Check safetravel.is for road and weather alerts before you leave.
TipThe classic loop links Thingvellir national park, where the tectonic plates split, the erupting Strokkur geyser at Geysir, and the huge two-tier Gullfoss waterfall, and it takes a full day of about seven to eight hours by tour coach or self-drive. Book a small-group tour or hire a car online ahead, start early to beat the mid-morning bus wave at Geysir, and pack layers as the sites are cold and exposed.
Drive to Geysir and watch Strokkur erupt every few minutes, standing upwind and beating the mid-morning coaches for a clear shot. The steaming field takes about half an hour to loop.
Afternoon
Carry on to Gullfoss, the two-tier waterfall crashing into its canyon, and take both the upper and lower viewpoints; paths are slippery and cold, so wear grippy shoes and a waterproof. Warm up and eat at the site cafe.
Add a stop on the way back such as the Kerid crater lake or, for a hot soak, the Secret Lagoon at Fludir; self-drivers should watch closing times. The full loop home runs seven to eight hours all in.
Evening
Ease into the evening with a circuit of Tjornin, the coloured-house pond, and the free 3D relief map of Iceland inside the lakeside City Hall, handy for picturing tomorrow's South Coast route. It is a calm end to the driving day.
TipTjornin, the central pond ringed by coloured houses and busy with birdlife, is a free five-minute stroll from Austurvollur square, and the lakeside City Hall holds a large free 3D relief map of Iceland worth ten minutes to plan your day trips. In a cold snap the lake freezes and locals skate on it, while one end is kept thawed by geothermal water so the birds stay.
Eat downtown again, or keep it cheap with a hot dog and a bakery if the tour has stretched the budget. Turn in early, as the South Coast day starts sooner and runs longer.
Day 3
Morning
Leave early on your booked South Coast tour or car for Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind, then the wide, powerful Skogafoss a little further on. It is a long driving day, so an early start matters; check the road alerts first.
TipThe South Coast run strings together the Seljalandsfoss waterfall you can walk behind, the powerful Skogafoss, and the black-sand beach at Reynisfjara with its basalt columns, over a long full day of ten to eleven hours because of the driving distance. Book a tour or car ahead, and obey the warning signs at Reynisfjara, where sneaker waves are genuinely dangerous and have killed visitors.
Prefer soaking to driving? Swap today for the Blue Lagoon out near the airport, roughly 50 minutes away, on a pre-booked timed slot; the Comfort ticket includes a silica mask and a drink. Many people do this with luggage on the way to the flight.
Afternoon
Continue to Reynisfjara, the black-sand beach with its basalt columns and sea stacks near Vik, and obey the sneaker-wave warning signs, which mark genuinely deadly water. This is the turnaround point before the long drive back.
The return leg is a couple of hours, so most tours reach the city by early evening; self-drivers should refuel and allow for weather. If you chose the Blue Lagoon instead, you will be back much sooner with a free afternoon.
Evening
If you are back with energy, visit Perlan, the glass dome with its ice-cave walk, planetarium aurora show and free 360-degree deck; take the free shuttle or a bus, as it sits a couple of kilometres out. Otherwise settle for a last downtown dinner.
TipThis glass dome on a wooded hill holds a walk-through ice cave, a planetarium aurora show and Iceland-nature exhibits, with a free 360-degree observation deck wrapped around the outside. Book the exhibition ticket online for a small saving, budget about two hours, and note it sits a couple of kilometres from the centre, so take the free Perlan shuttle or the city bus rather than walking.
For an early flight tomorrow, plan the transfer now: the airport is about 50 minutes off and the Flybus coach leaves from the BSI terminal for around 3500 ISK, far cheaper than the 15000-plus ISK taxi. Pre-book the coach to match your flight time.
For 3 days, base yourself in Midborg (101 downtown). The 101 postcode is the compact heart of the city, where the shopping street, the bars, the cafes and Hallgrimskirkja all sit within a ten-minute walk. It is the obvious base for a short trip, lively by day and loud on weekend nights when locals do the runtur bar crawl until the small hours. Stay here if you want everything on your doorstep and do not mind paying the top rate for it. Compare all neighborhoods in the full where-to-stay guide.
Short on time?
Reykjavik in 2 days →
Three days is the comfortable amount for Reykjavik, because it lets you keep the city day and add two of the big excursions instead of cramming them. Day one covers the compact downtown, Hallgrimskirkja and its tower, Harpa, the Sun Voyager and a soak in a geothermal pool, with an Old Harbour whale-watching boat in season. Day two is the Golden Circle, the classic loop to Thingvellir, the Geysir hot springs and Gullfoss, about seven to eight hours by tour or hire car.
Base yourself in Midborg (101 downtown) for this itinerary. The 101 postcode is the compact heart of the city, where the shopping street, the bars, the cafes and Hallgrimskirkja all sit within a ten-minute walk. It is the obvious base for a short trip, lively by day and loud on weekend nights when locals do the runtur bar crawl until the small hours. Stay here if you want everything on your doorstep and do not mind paying the top rate for it.
The plan works year round, but June, July, August give you the best weather-to-crowds ratio.