We’d booked a weekend in the Icelandic capital last Summer, and I was looking for ideas on what to do there. Go horse riding. See the waterfalls. Ride a snowmobile through the countryside. Everything suggested was well outside the city, and involved a few hours of transportation and joining groups of other tourists. Hmmm…
I like being outside. I love walking. I really don’t like being cooped up in a car or bus. And when it comes to group activities, I’m pretty sociable, but my other half is not. There was no way we could spend every day of our trip going on organised tours. If there’s a particular member of the group who’s always late, Tony’s blood pressure starts to rise very quickly. And as for those over-jolly tour drivers…! One day of that would be more than enough.
There must be things to do in Reykjavic itself? I persisted. No-one seemed to think so. ‘It’s just OK, not much to it,’ said a work colleague. Well, I like a challenge. When I visit a city, I like to feel I’ve really seen it, not just scratched the surface. Just walk, set off on foot and see what you find. So that’s what we did…
We started by doing a recce of the town centre, which is easily walkable. The hotel we chose, Centerhotel Midgardur, is right at one end of the main street. At the opposite end is the old town (neat and not particularly old- looking) bordered by the Pond on one side and the harbour on the other.
About halfway along, up the hill to the left, is the impressive Hallgrimskirkje, which gleams in the sunshine. Maybe not in Winter but we were lucky enough to get plenty of sunshine while we were there (not guaranteed, even in August).
Turn right instead and you hit the seafront. Simple. The hotel itself was very pleasant with friendly staff. One thing really impressed us – no individual packets or containers in rooms or at breakfast. Everything was in larger dispensers, reducing plastics and packaging. Big tick!
I have to say that Reykjavic, at first glance, doesn’t have the wow factor. Venice it’s not. It’s extremely tidy. The buildings are so well maintained that even the old stuff looks new. It feels clean and modern. It’s just not particularly impressive in terms of architecture. But the more time you spend there, the more it gets under your skin. It’s a chilled out kind of town, pleasantly busy with lots of locals out and about, and not much traffic. Everyone is welcoming. We liked it.
If you’re prepared to put your comfy shoes on and go a bit further afield, you can have the city’s natural beauties almost to yourself. We hardly saw anyone once we got away from the main streets. And the coast is stunning.
Starting on the seafront, the Sun Voyager sculpture suits the surroundings – stark and unadorned. From there, we headed west along the coast towards the harbour, which is dominated by the huge and rather jazzy Harpa concert hall.
Past the Harpa, the old harbour has been spruced up with new apartments, several museums, tour operators and lots of places to eat. You can easily while away several hours here. Carry on walking along the waterfront pathway and you’re in the seaside suburbs heading towards the desolate Seltjarnarnes peninsula, famous for birdlife and the iconic Grótta Island lighthouse.
On a Summer’s day we saw a few walkers and cyclists, and many, many birds. Apparently 2.5 million tourists visit Iceland each year – none of them were in evidence here. If you like to get away from it all, it’s perfect.
If you walk south out of town there’s also lots to see. We sauntered past the University and tiny Reyjavik airport, watching mini planes take off. A left turn and we reached our first destination – the Bike Cave cafe. Remember, win-win. I could drink vino while Tony checked out the bikes. The food looked good too, but as usual I’d overdone it at the breakfast buffet.
Leaving the cafe behind we hit the coast, and a lovely deserted route past lots of back gardens. After bikes, Tony loves property. He can spend hours on Right Move or looking in estate agent windows. So giving a running critique on waterside properties passed a happy half hour for him.
Next stop, a hot pool on the beach. No tourists there, just happy locals enjoying the natural hot water being piped up from under the ground. Let’s be honest, Iceland in Summer is still not exactly Tenerife, so a little extra heat is very welcome.
From the beach, a hike up a woodland path takes you towards what looks like a space station – the Perlan museum and observatory. A stroll through Klambratún park and we were back at our hotel, feeling like we’d been out for a country hike.
On our final day we gave in and joined a tour, which seemed to be what everyone else at our hotel was doing. It was definitely worth it to see more of the landscape but we weren’t on our own anymore. We set off late, but the driver still pulled over to initiate some forced fun. The speakers weren’t working, cue a chorus of “we can’t hear you” every time he spoke. I was quite pleased that I couldn’t hear him. Tony was stoney faced. I braced myself for the complaints…
Luckily the countryside around Reykjavic has enough gems to distract from the pain of group travel, phew! The tectonic plates grind away at each other, the ground bubbles and spits, the waterfalls roar and the ponies are ridiculously cute. It was still a relief to get off the minibus at the end of the day though.
If you’re thinking of a trip to Iceland, get your priorities straight before you book. Lots of people go in Winter for the northern lights. Personally I’d rather go to the dentist than have constant darkness on my hols. In Summer you get loooong days and the locals are all in a great mood. Bars and restaurants are packed and the atmosphere is buzzy.
Also, be prepared for the prices. I recommend downloading the Appy Hour app if you want to buy drinks without crying. The food is so good you may not mind the cost. The fish may be the best I’ve tasted anywhere. And that alone makes it worth the trip!
Steph's Travels 