The Mini Rough Guide to Reykjavík (Travel Guide with Free eBook)

Rough Guides

Description

This pocket-sized travel guide to Reykjavík is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do, what to see and how to get around the destination. It covers top attractions like the Blue Lagoon, as well as hidden gems, including the Icelandic Punk Museum. Our Reykjavík guide book will save you time and enhance your exploration of this fascinating city. This Reykjavík travel guide has been fully updated post-COVID-19.

This Mini Rough Guide to Reykjavík covers: Hallgrimskirkja and around; Laugavegur: the main shopping street; The Culture House and Harpa; Austurvollur and Aoastraeti; Tjornin and around; The harbours and the sea; Grandi; Eastwards to Laugardalur; Perlan, Oskjuhlio and Nautholsvik; Seltjarnarnes; Greater Reykjavík; Day trips by bus; Day trips by plane.

In this guide book to Reykjavík you will find:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER
Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Reykjavík from cultural explorations in the  National Museum of Iceland, to family activities in child-friendly places like Arbaejarsafn Open-Air Museum or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like the Blue Lagoon.

TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS
This Reykjavík travel guide covers the destination's top ten attractions not to miss, including Hallgrimskirkja, Harpa, and Old Harbor, and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions.

COMPACT FORMAT
Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, with a sharp design and colour-coded sections, this guide book to Reykjavík is the perfect on-the-move companion when you're exploring Reykjavík.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS
Includes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture of Reykjavík.

WHAT TO DO
Detailed description of entertainment, shopping, nightlife, festivals and events, and children's activities.

PRACTICAL MAPS
Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps of this travel guide to Reykjavík will help you find your way around.

PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION
Practical information on eating out, including a handy glossary and detailed restaurant listings, as well as a comprehensive A-Z of travel tips on everything from getting around to health and tourist information.

STRIKING PICTURES
Inspirational colour photography throughout.

Sujets

• Special Interest
• Points of Interest
• Museums
• Hotels
• Interest group (disambiguation)
• Point of interest
• Perlan
• Travel
• Museum
• Iceland
• Greenland
• Food
• Feed
• Grandi
• Seltjarnarnes
• Hotel
• Tours
• Islande
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781839059407
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

HOW TO USE THIS E-BOOK

Getting Around this e-Book
This Rough Guide Mini e-book is designed to inspire you and help you plan for your visit to Reykjavík, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.
The guide begins with our selection of Highlights, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan an unforgettable trip. The Introduction and History and Culture chapters give the lowdown on Reykjavík, past and present, while the Out and About chapter is a comprehensive guide to all the best sights. You will find ideas for getting active in Things to Do, while the Food and Drink chapter introduces you to the local cuisine and gives listings of our favourite restaurants by area. Travel Essentials offers just that; practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, Where to Stay provides a special selection of hotels for every budget.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Reykjavík are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Reykjavík. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.
About Rough Guides:
Published in 1982, the first Rough Guide – to Greece – was created by Mark Ellingham and a small group of friends who couldn’t find a guidebook to meet their needs. Combining a contemporary, journalistic style with a thoroughly practical approach to travellers’ needs, the immediate success of the book spawned a series that rapidly covered dozens of destinations. These days, Rough Guides include recommendations from budget to luxury and cover more than 120 destinations worldwide, all regularly updated by our team of ever curious, roaming writers. These Rough Guide Minis may be small, but they are packed with information and inspiration and offer amazing value for money.
© 2023 Apa Digital AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd.

Table of Contents
10 Things Not To Miss
A Perfect Day In Reykjavík
Overview
Underground Drama
Pollution-Free Land
High Standard Of Living
Small But Perfectly Formed
Getting Out And About
Long Days Of Summer
History and Culture
The Founding Of Reykjavík
The First Parliament
From Pagans To Christians
Civil War And Black Death
The Reformation
War And Peace
Out and About
Hallgrímskirkja and around
Hallgrímskirkja
Artists’ homes
Laugavegur: the main shopping street
Safnahúsið and Harpa
Safnahúsið
Harpa
Austurvöllur and Aðalstræti
Austurvöllur
Aðalstræti
Tjörnin and around
On the lake shores
The National Museum of Iceland
Nordic House
The harbours and the sea
Hafnarstræti
Tryggvagata
The ‘Old Harbour
Grandi
Eastwards to Laugardalur
Along the coastal path
Laugardalur
Árbæjarsafn
Perlan, Öskjuhlíð and Nauthólsvík
Seltjarnarnes
Greater Reykjavík
Kópavogur
Mosfellsbær
Hafnarförður
Day trips by bus
The Blue Lagoon
The Golden Circle
The South Coast
Snæfellsnes
Day trips by plane
Akureyri
Heimaey
Things To Do
Nightlife
Shopping
Outdoor Activities
Whale-Watching
Birdwatching And Puffin Tours
Horseriding
Walking And Hiking
Glacier Tours
Rafting And Kayaking
Snorkelling And Scuba Diving
Fishing
Swimming
Activities For Children
Food and Drink
Meal Times In Reykjavík
What To Eat
Fish and meat
Dairy
Fruit and veg
Bread and cake
What To Drink
Where To Eat
High-end and mid-range restaurants
Cafés and bakeries
Fast food
To Help You Order…
…And Read The Menu
Where To Eat
Reykjavík
Outside Reykjavík (Day Trips)
Akureyri
Blue Lagoon
Golden Circle/South Coast
Heimaey (Vestmannaeyjar)
A–Z Travel Tips
A
Accessible travel
Accommodation
Airports
B
Bicycle rental
Budgeting for your trip
C
Camping
Car hire
Climate
Clothing
Crime and safety
D
Driving
E
Electricity
Embassies/consulates
Emergencies
G
Getting there
H
Health and medical care
L
Language
LGBTQ+ travellers
M
Maps
Media
Money
O
Opening times
P
Police
Post offices
Public holidays
R
Religion
T
Telephones
Time zones
Tipping
Toilets
Tourist Information
Transport
V
Visas and entry requirements
W
Websites and internet access
Y
Youth hostels
Where To Stay
10 THINGS NOT TO MISS

iStock
1. Hallgrímskirkja
The tower of this striking church offers stunning city views. For more information, click here .

Shutterstock
2. Harpa
Marvel at the glittering facade of Iceland’s iconic concert hall. For more information, click here .

Shutterstock
3. National Museum of Iceland
Investigate Iceland’s Viking past at the excellent National Museum. For more information, click here .

Shutterstock
4. The Old Harbour
Take to the waves on a whale-watching trip. For more information, click here .

Getty Images
5. Reykjavík Art Museum
Iceland’s most famous artists are on display at Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn art galleries. For more information, click here , For more information, click here and For more information, click here .

Getty Images
6. Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Shudder at shipwrecks and the harshness of life at sea. For more information, click here .

Diana Jarvis/Rough Guides
7. Perlan
The high-tech science museum and planetarium showcases the power of volcanoes, earthquakes and glaciers. For more information, click here .

Getty Images
8. Árbæjarsafn open-air museum
Time-travel to 19th-century Iceland at this village of historical houses. For more information, click here .

Diana Jarvis/Rough Guides
9. Blue Lagoon
Bathe at this world-famous spa, set surreally in a vast black lava field. For more information, click here .

Diana Jarvis/Rough Guides
10. Golden Circle
Visit waterfalls, hot springs and Thingvellir National Park on the must-do Golden Circle tour. For more information, click here .
A PERFECT DAY IN REYKJAVÍK
9.00am
Breakfast. Sip a wake-up espresso at one of Reykjavík’s many cosy cafés, or go full Icelandic at Café Loki (Lokastígur 28) and start the day with homemade flatbread, sheep’s-head jelly, turnips and cottage cheese.
10.00am
Shoreline stroll. Head to the top floor of Harpa for stunning city, sea and harbour views. A short walk east takes you to the iconic Sólfar sculpture. To the west, check out Icelandic pop art at the Hafnarhús gallery, explore the city’s maritime museum or retrace the voyages of the Viking settlers at the bloodthirsty Saga Museum.
12.00pm
Lunch at the harbour. Stop for a bowl of fish soup and fresh-baked bread at Reykjavík’s oldest restaurant, Kaffivagninn, at Grandagarður 10.
2.00pm
Traditional Reykjavík. Catch bus 14 to City Hall and admire the abundant birdlife on Tjörnin pond. Take a walk through Austurvöllur Square, the city’s traditional heart, where you’ll find the Icelandic Parliament and Reykjavík’s modest cathedral, Dómkirkjan. Stop at the excellent Settlement Exhibition on Aðalstræti to see saga manuscripts and an original Viking farmhouse.
3.30pm
Retail therapy. Shop for souvenirs in the quirky boutiques along Reykjavík’s main street, Laugavegur. Source Blue Lagoon skincare products (No. 15), and cutting-edge fashion (Kronkron, No. 63b), or branch off up Skólavörðustígur for Icelandic sweaters (The Handknitting Association of Iceland, No. 19), or along parallel street Hverfisgata for Icelandic music (Smekkleysa, No. 32).
5.00pm
Steam and soak. Reykjavík’s seven soothing geothermal pools are restorative. The most central is Sundhöllin, on Barónsstígur. It has indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs to relax and gossip in and a view of Hallgrímskirkja from the sun deck.
7.00pm
Fine dining. There are many excellent restaurants in the city centre. Two options for cosy dining are the charmingly rustic Messinn (Lækjargata) and hip hangout Snaps Bistro Bar (Thórsgata 1).
9.00pm
Relax or rev up. Icelanders start partying late. This is the time to catch 40 winks at your hotel in preparation for a long night; or if you’re keen to commence, Gaukurinn (Tryggvagata 22) has karaoke, stand-up comedy, open-mic nights or gigs starting between 8pm and 10pm every evening.
12.00am
On the town. The city centre is packed with lively bars and clubs. Start with a well-made cocktail at dressy Apótek (Austurstræti 16). Kaffibarinn (Bergstaðastræti 1) is a long-standing classic that never loses its cool. Connoisseurs will love Microbar (Laugarvegur 86), which serves an interesting array of craft beers. Húrra (Tryggvagata 22) is a great all-rounder for gigs, music and dancing. Grab a hotdog (pylsur) with mustard from an all-night food stand on the way back to your hotel.
OVERVIEW
Reykjavík, the world’s most northerly capital, is a compact, cosmopolitan city, its narrow streets filled with small, brightly painted buildings and wild white arctic light. Several show-stopping landmarks – the rocket-like church of Hallgrímskirkja, the glittering Harpa concert hall – are a testament to this tiny city’s can-do attitude and ambition. Over a third of the country’s population lives in the capital, where they enjoy a rich cultural life, fresh air and a magnificent location.
The steely grey waters of the North Atlantic surround the city, surging into countless bays and inlets, and bringing whales, dolphins, seals and abundant birdlife to Reykjavík’s shores. Standing by the water’s edge, you can look out towards majestic snow-capped mountains, Snæfellsjökull glacier and brooding volcanoes and lavafield