Please read my itinerary for the short trip to Reykjavik before reading this. These are the additional things I highly recommend you do and visit if time permits. I also identify some places and tours I wasn’t so enamoured with !
I was in Reykjavik for twelve days (six days at a time) so I was able to see lots of things and really pace myself.
The National Museum of Iceland
This museum is about a twenty minute walk from the harbour. You cross the river and walk through a residential area. The large modern building has exhibitions on 3 floors. You can leave your coat and bags in lockers in the basement area. The entrance fee costs 2,500 ISK (€14.50 or $16). This was the first museum I visited which had a lot of people visiting so it seems to be very popular.
The ground floor had a very interesting photography exhibition called “If Garden Gnomes could talk”. This showcased people who lived in an area called “Laugarvatn”, a unique mobile home settlement camp. The exhibition shows great images of the people, their homes and surrounding areas. While it was considered unconventional, the residents took great pride in their homes and built up a strong community. Couples and families lived there so it was a typical residential area. However, the mobile homes were considered temporary structures, even though the residents built gardens and patios around them. The area is now a vacant parking lot. This seems a shame as it clearly was an amazing place to live for some very unique people.
The 1st floor exhibition is titled “The Making of a Nation”. It starts with Norse and Celtic settlers who lived in Iceland from the 9th to the 16th century. Artefacts are shown in display cabinets, drawers and some are standalone structures. Some of the jewellery is very similar to items we all wear today. I was fascinated to hear that hair accessories and combs have been found in graves which have been uncovered for the first settlers.
As you trace the history of Iceland you then come to sections about its time under Norwegian and then Danish rule and the impact of the Plague and other epidemics. You do have to be a little careful about the order you view items as there are so many things to see. Everything is in one room and there isn’t a logical flow as to how you walk through the exhibits.
The 2nd floor showcased items from the 17th to the 21st century. A typical house takes center stage and there are real boats used by the fishermen.
The first census taken in 1703 identified 50,358 people living in Iceland. By the end of the 20th Century, the population had increased to 280,000. 90% lived in Urban areas and 60% of those in Reykjavik.
Do you know what the Icelandic flag represents ? I didn’t until I visited here. It was designed in 1915. The white cross represents the glaciers, the red cross represents the fire of a volcano and the blue backround the sea, sky and mountains.
At each end of this room there are two fascinating exhibitions. On the entrance there is a large display of household brands used during this time period. At the exit there is a display of household and personal gadgets (1st image below). Both show how times have changed and many items and names will be familiar to most visitors.
If you don’t want to attend many museums, while you are in Reykjavik, this is the one where you will get a complete picture of the history of the Icelandic people. The exhibitions are very well designed and I thoroughly enjoyed my three hour visit. I would suggest this and Perlan (from my short itinerary) are the two essential museums to visit.
Saga Museum
This museum is down on the harbour, right beside the Northern Lights Museum. The entrance fee cost 3,600 ISK (€24 or $26), which included the audio guide. This is expensive when you compare it to The National Museum of Iceland. If you are a fan of wax museums like Madame Tussaud’s, you will love this museum.
The history of the early inhabitants of Iceland are shown in very lifelike wax figures.
They are displayed in 17 scenes to depict the various historical events. These include “The Arrival of the Celts”, “Norse Mythology versus Christianity”, “How Laws were devised”, “The Impact of the Black Death” etc. Some are quite graphic though and will not be to everyones taste. The audio guide was excellent, giving detailed descriptions of everything.
I was amused to learn that my own fellow countrymen came from Ireland in 1122 in “Currachs” the traditional Irish wooden boat. It seems a long way to travel in those boats in the harsh Atlantic Ocean and Norwegian Sea ! The music included in the audio guide is very atmospheric. There is also a scene where a prisoner is talking through a prison cell and it’s very eerie.
When you leave the main area, you can try on some Viking Costumes. You can also sit in a small theatre and view an interesting documentary showing how the wax figures are made. They used humans to make the casts. A male figure is seated looking at the screen, with a backpack. I did a double take until I realised this is a wax figure (Ist Image below).
Apart from one man with a small child, I was the only person in the museum. I am not sure if some of the figures are suitable for small children and they were not listening to the audio guide and walked around very quickly. I spent about an hour in this museum and really enjoyed it.
if you do visit this museum, plan your visit just before lunch time and then have lunch at the amazing Himalayan Spice Restaurant. I highly recommend the Thali (I had the vegetarian but meat options are available also).
The Photography Museum
This very small museum is quite a gem. It is situated on the 6th floor of the building beside the Reykjavik Art Museum. The entrance fee costs 1,240 ISK (€8.20 or $9).
There were just 2 exhibitions on view when I visited. The main one was called “Faith and Destiny” by Greta Guojonsdottir. It contained a series of photographs of nine individuals when they were 19, 24, 29, 34 and 39 years old. Leaflets were available in several languages containing some comments from each participant. It was a fascinating insight into how people’s opinions, hopes and dreams change over time. As you change a lot during these twenty years, I thought it was a great time period to select. The initial photographs were taken in their bedrooms and the latter ones in living spaces in their homes. I thought it was very interesting how surroundings changed as they aged. I don’t think this would have been as impactful if all were taken in neutral spaces.
There was also a small theatre showing some interviews with the participants, but it was in Icelandic and didn’t have subtitles.
The other exhibition was a series of extremely colourful photographs of an artist in water areas i.e. lakes, rivers etc. They are really beautiful.
You can then sit at one of the computers and browse photographs taken over the years of various people and scenes. They include Icelandic politicians, economists and musicians and also people just going about their day to day lives. I really enjoyed looking at these.
I was the only person visiting this museum when I went. I spent about 90 minutes here. I certainly think this is a museum worth researching when you are in Reykjavik, to see what is on view at that time.
The Reykjavik Art Museum
This very distinctive white building has the name written all over it, in black and white stencil on one side. The side facing the harbour is less impressive though (2nd photograph). It’s centrally located, near the harbour and the main shopping streets.
The entrance fee costs 2,200 ISK (€16.60 or $18), which allows you to visit two other museums also. You are given a ticket, which is stamped with the date and time. I was told you need to visit all three within 24 hours. You are also given a sticker and are told to display it visibly. I put mine on the back of my notebook.
The other two museums are “The Kjarvalsstadir Museum” and “The Asmundarsafn Museum”. I got an amusing response when I said “So I have to attend them all within 24 hours” and the cashier replied “Well you don’t have to go”. I tried not to laugh as I was referring to the time limit, but she seemed to think I thought it was mandatory to attend them. I had been to three museums also grouped together previously and there was no time limit on when you visited them.
This beautiful building has exhibitions on three floors. It surrounds a courtyard which I thought looked like the interior of a prison. It’s a bright building with large windows, some looking out to the street and has a mixture of wooden and cement floors. Like all modern art museums some exhibitions were not to my taste, or you could say I didn’t understand them. There was one which contained a video of a Latvian man and women undressing and then dressing in various clothes hanging from a tree. They then walked into a river. They also appeared in a video shown over your head. I didn’t understand this and thought it was bizarre but I did watch the video until the end so I suppose I was transfixed, while confused !!!
Another showed a video of a man putting petrol into his car. I waited for something exciting to happen, but nothing happened, he just kept filling up the car !
There was some interesting artwork including a great painting of an LA scene from 1975. As I lived in LA for years, I loved this image as I knew where it was taken.
In one area, there was a coffee machine with signs saying to help yourself to coffee but it didn’t work.
I spent about an hour walking around this large building and there was a small number of people there also.
The Kjarvalsstadir Museum
I then walked 25 minutes to the 2nd museum and my route took me past the beautiful Hallgrimskirkja church.
When I arrived the lady hardly glanced at my ticket so I wondered how rigid the 24 hour timeline was. She explained where everything was and also told me a private event was starting in just over an hour. I could stay while the event was in progress but some areas would be closed to the public.
Section A of this very nondescript building had lots of artwork. Most of the work was untitled or referenced as “Oil on Canvas” and donated to the museum over the past 50 years. I really enjoyed looking at the pieces, particularly the landscape room. Several were of areas I had visited including scenes of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano which erupted in 2010 and Katla volcano which last erupted in 1918.
Most of the work shown is by Johannes Sveinsson Kjarval, whom the museum is named after. He is considered one of the most influential Icelandic artists. He also was present when it opened in 1966. The shovel he used to dig the initial hole, to start construction, is on display.
Lots of very distinguished looking people started arriving for the event. I really wished I knew more Icelandic celebrities, especially artists, as I am sure everyone who was anyone was there on that day.
An hour was sufficient to see everything and I enjoyed my visit.
The Asmundarsafn Museum
It was too late then to attend the last Museum as it was a 30 minute walk away. I decided to go the following morning. This museum is in a very distinctive white dome shaped building. The gardens around it contained some great sculptures by Asunder Sveinsson. I really enjoyed seeing them and the garden and building exterior in itself are worth seeing.
The interior contains more of Sveinssons’ sculptures as well as other sculptures.
As Reykjavik is an expensive city to visit and if you are stuck for time, I would pass on attending these 3 museums. If you are in the Laugardalur area you can view the sculptures in the garden and see the interesting exterior of the Asmundarsafn Museum. This area also has the US embassy, a botanical garden and the Reykjavik Park and Zoo.
Cinema
As I was in Reykjavik for 12 days, I didn’t feel under any pressure to attend tourist attractions every day. I love the cinema and miss it a lot as there isn’t one near where I live in Italy. I had passed the “Bio Paradis” several times and had decided I was seeing something during my stay.
On an extremely cold Saturday afternoon, I went to see “Anatomy of a Fall”. This is a fantastic film and I was delighted to see something so memorable for my visit. It’s a French drama and has won critical acclaim all over the World including in Cannes and it’s nominated in 4 categories in the US Golden Globes.
The cinema is an old style theatre. You could purchase a beverage and snack to take into the screening. The popcorn was delicious especially paired with an Icelandic beer ! There is also a seating area where people were meeting up to have a drink before or after a show. A ticket cost 2,190 ISK (€14.60 or $15.75). They show Icelandic and other foreign Independent films on their 4 screens. The offerings seemed to change regularly and were listed on a sign on the door. If you are a cinema lover like me and like seeing foreign independent cinemas in a traditional theatre, I highly recommend a visit here.
The Northern Lights Tour
My main goal when I decided to visit Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. After doing some quick research I decided to book a small tour with East West Tours. They pick you up at your designated bus stop between 8.30pm and 9.00pm and start heading out of the city by 9.00pm.
While I was in Reykjavik at a relatively quiet time, there were still crowds of people getting on various tour buses. Some of the buses were huge, larger than the standard bus.
My guide explained the science around the Aurora Borealis and why he had selected specific locations to see it. Unfortunately we didn’t see anything that night, despite the driver’s best intentions. He drove around until past midnight and stopped at various locations. I was sitting near the top of the bus and he was in constant contact with other drivers to get their advice. We were given some much needed hot chocolate and traditional pastries when we stopped once. It was an extremely cold night and this was absolutely delicious. I knew this tour came with an option to attend again, if you didn’t see the lights. I was unable to get on a tour two days later as it was overbooked. I know from talking to other tourists that the lights were not visible then either.
I booked again on my second week in Reykjavik and my tour was cancelled twice due to clouds. I was able to go on the 3rd night but again we didn’t see anything. On this occasion the driver drove around until 12.30am. I overheard two American gentlemen say that this was like chasing a Tornado ! I don’t think it’s as dangerous as this but I agreed with their sentiment.
While this tour was expensive, I didn’t regret booking it. I was pleased to be on a small tour bus. As there were only 20 people each time, we were on and off the bus quickly when we stopped at various times. I would have hated to have been on a large bus with more than 70 people, as it was freezing cold. The hot chocolate was a nice touch and I think it’s great to be able to go again, if your schedule permits. If they cancel due to weather conditions, you get a full refund – provided you haven’t been on a tour before. I can attend again within a year, as I didn’t see the lights. As you are dependent on nature and the experience of a guide, I do recommend this tour company. They sent out timely communications, via email, so I always knew mid-morning if I was attending a tour. The tour cost 28,000 ISK (€186 or $198).
Therefore do shop around before selecting a tour, be prepared to be patient and wrap up extremely warmly. The best time to see the lights is during winter i.e. September to April. I’ll just have to return again to see them !! If you don’t see the real thing, don’t forget to go to the “Aurora Reykjavik” or the exhibition at Perlan (see shorter itinerary for more details).
Day Spa
Visiting a day spa was one of my priorities when I first decided to visit Iceland. The Blue Lagoon was closed due to the threat of volcanic activity in the area. Another tourist had advised me not to go to the Sky Lagoon. She said it was very busy and full of groups of loud young people. After doing some research I booked a trip to Hvammsvik, which is about one hour from Reykjavik.
I booked a small tour and a small city bus collected me at my hotel. We then went to the main bus terminal where all guests boarded a 20 seater bus. The journey through the countryside was lovely. The English speaking driver pointed out areas giving some very interesting background.
We were at the spa for about 2.5 hours, which was about 1.5 hours too long for me. While the scenery is breathtaking, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected. The changing facilities are small and cramped. The 8 pools are well scattered around the seashore. While it was extremely cold, it was only a short walk to immerse yourself in the hot pools. It rained and as there was nowhere to keep your towel dry by the pools, you were at the mercy of the elements. There was also a sauna near the pools. It did feel peculiar being alone so I understood what the lady on the tour had told me. Most people were drinking alcohol served through a window and it had a pool party atmosphere.
The concierge at my hotel had said to make time for lunch and I was glad I took her advice. The restaurant only has seating for about 20 people. I had a vegan soup which contained nettles and pistachio nuts. It didn’t sound appetising but it was absolutely delicious and the server poured it from a jug. It was served with chunks of very fresh bread and a spicy tomato paste. A couple sitting beside me had a shared platter which they said was delicious.
This tour lasted about 4.5 hours between travel time and cost 16,200 ISK (€108 or $118). While I was glad to visit a spa and see the countryside again, I don’t think I would attend one again when visiting Reykjavik.
Whale Watching
There are several Whale Watching companies on the harbour in Reykjavik. I decided to book a trip with Elding, a smaller company, situated in a distinctive red building by the harbour. They can collect you from your hotel, for a cost, but I decided to walk to the pier. You collect your ticket at their office and then board a boat which is attached to the one that sails. Waterproof overalls in all sizes were available for your use.
My tour started at 9.00am and it was lovely to see the sunrise and the Reykjavik skyline from the sea.
The boat is smaller than some but on a quiet morning, there were over 70 people attending. There was only 1 humpback whale in the bay at that time. There was something uncomfortable about watching 3 ships follow it and try to get as close to it as possible. The tour guide was extremely enthusiastic given the fact it was very difficult to see the whale. He certainly did his best to keep everyone engaged. I did get a glimpse of something moving and a slight black mark over the sea but I didn’t see a whale.
We then went a little further out and along with 2 other boats we followed another whale. I was really looking forward to this but was quite disappointed by the whole experience. I really should have researched this further as it was unlikely I would see anything when I went. The best time to see whales is between April to early October, with the peak season being June to August. As Iceland is an expensive country, I did regret spending the money as this cost 12,700 ISK (€92 or $84).
Final Thoughts
I am extremely glad I had so long to spend in Reykjavik and Iceland. I had certain expectations when planning my trip. Seeing the Northern Lights was my number one priority. I didn’t see them and it certainly didn’t ruin my trip as I saw and experienced so much. Please do read my blog on “The Golden Circle Tour”, one of the highlights of my trip. I also am working on two other blogs both of which will contain experiences I didn’t expect and made me forget what I missed.
Reykjavik is now one of my favourite cities to visit in Europe. While it’s expensive, I loved how safe and diverse it was. The cosmopolitan restaurants were a surprise (see post on shorter itinerary) and I thoroughly enjoyed all the different museums and attractions. I will visit the city again and will also use it as a base to explore Iceland further.
