REYKJAVÍK WALKING TOUR
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 8, 2022
- 6 min read
Harpa • Skólavörðustígur • Hallgrímskirkja • Laugavegur • Sandholt Reykjavík • Tjörnin Lake • Ingólfur Square • Reykjavík Museum of Photography • Keflavík
The sound of a (very small) farmer’s market at our campsite wakes us on our last day in Iceland. We are conflicted: We have thoroughly enjoyed our campervan adventures, but we have also been camping for nine days. It is hard to believe we made it all 828 miles around the Ring Road, in addition to many more miles exploring off the Ring Road (final mileage tally coming soon), and today is our Reykjavík city day.
Reykjavík Population 2022: 135,422
Naturally, it is cold and raining (although the wind has subsided), so we bundle-up and begin our self-guided Reykjavík walking tour, using Joelle’s trusted paper map (seriously, it has been so helpful this trip).
Harpa: Reykjavík Opera House
--- Map Point B ---
The first stop on our tour is Harpa–the Reykjavík opera house. With construction beginning in 2007 and its first concert in 2011, this is a new building, particularly by European standards. Its architecture is inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland (despite just exploring that, I did not make this connection before Googling it), constructed of colored glass and hovering over the edge of the harbor.
Hallgrímskirkja
--- Map Points C and D ---
Hallgrímskirkja is the distinctive church of Reykjavík, found at the top of a hill in the city and looking like a spaceship prepared for launch. Spotting it from the opera house, Joelle and I begin making our way toward it, eyeballing our route rather than using navigation (it is 74.5 meters tall–among the tallest structures in Iceland–so not hard to spot). Walking up the hill on one of the main streets in town (Skólavörðustígur) , a rainbow is painted, leading to the front of the church. The “hustle and bustle” hits us; we have not been around this many people in a very long time.
The modern nature of this church is immediately evident. Opened in October 1986, the weathering on the building is minimal, and there is a simplistic design, without the intricate detailing found on most European churches. Entering the church, we are met with music from the pipe organ as tourists bustle through and pause to observe. The inside of the church replicates its simplistic outside: The walls are smooth with narrow windows running down them, and large archways form from pillars through to the ceiling. The front wall holds the large pipe organ, drawing the eye there.
Given the long line (and the fact it was not free), we opted not to go to the top of the church tower, although that is an option.
Laugavegur: Reykjavík’s Main Street (Part I)
--- Map Point E ---
Reykjavík’s main street—Laugavegur—is filled with shops, restaurants, murals on the buildings, and various paintings on the street. Reykjavík hardly resembles what you would consider a classic European city, but the environment on this street is fun. Pausing to admire the murals on the buildings and window shopping restaurant menus, we make our way down the street. We have rehydrated curry in our backpack, but the food in the restaurants we pass looks much more enticing. Surprisingly, there are many vegan and gluten-free options (which is certainly not the case on the Ring Road).
In Joelle’s research, she found a soup restaurant (Svarta Kaffið) that serves one meat and one veggie option per day in a bread bowl–perfect for a rainy day. We do not know if the veggie option is vegan, but we at least want to find it and ask. Upon asking, the apparently obvious answer is “of course not” because the soup must be cream based to stay in the bread bowl. Fortunately, we passed many other yummy-looking restaurants, so we backtrack.
Sandholt Reykjavík: Best Meal of Our Lives
--- Map Point F ---
One restaurant that caught our eye has bread loaves and chocolate truffles lining the window—a classic European bakery. The menu is appealing, with many delicious vegan sandwiches, and upon closer look, a soup of the day as well. We immediately fell in love with the vibes upon entering, and to our luck, the soup of the day is lentil (vegan)! We grab a table and place our order:
Vegan opin samloka (vegan open-faced sandwich): Kjúklingabaunir, ætiþistill, pestó, ristuð paprika (smashed chickpea, artichoke, pesto, roasted paprika)
Súpa dagsins með súrdeigsbrauði (soup of the day with sourdough bread)
Food arriving, our mouths are watering. It looks delicious, and it was not dehydrated! Little did we know, it would be the best meal of our lives, specifically the sandwich. The bread (admittedly, not gluten-free) crunches as Joelle cuts it in half, perfectly toasted. I cannot describe the bursts of flavor, other than amazing and magical. The entire meal, the only words we uttered were variations of “this is so good.” If you are ever in Reykjavík, you have to get a meal at Sandholt; we recommend the vegan open-faced sandwich with smashed chickpeas.
Laugavegur: Reykjavík’s Main Street (Part II)
--- Map Point G ---
Still in shock over our amazing lunch (so glad we did not go for the rehydrated curry), we wander down the street, popping into shops this time. Luggage space is limited given our trip duration, but it is fun to browse. A “Letters to Santa” mailbox outside a Christmas store catches our eye. It is July, and there are many letters in the box; people are on top of it! Next door is Taste of Iceland, a gourmet grocery store with everything ranging from salts to chocolates to dehydrated meals and more. The shop owner, convinced he has met us before, sparks conversation, and naturally, Joelle asks him if there is anything in the store he would not eat. Other than the spiciest hot sauce he, somewhat surprisingly, says no (there were a few obscure things stocked on the shelves). He elaborates by sharing his belief that sugar is the root of all evil in the body, so while he has tried those items and stocks them to please others, he would not eat it himself. A fellow sugar avoider (who also recalls just how challenging it was to get off it)!
Tjörnin Lake
--- Map Point H ---
Ready to avoid the masses of tourists again, we head to the lake—Tjörnin—found just below the hill where central Reykjavík is found. Ducks paddle the lake, and there is a path around it lined with benches, making a perfect spot to munch on our apples. A bride and groom arrive to take their wedding photos by the lake, making that the second wedding we have stumbled upon.
Ingólfur Square
--- Map Point I ---
On our way to a street filled with museums, we stumble upon Ingólfur Square, a small public square with shops and events. As we walk by, a women’s soccer game is projected on a large screen at the front of the square. Women’s sports!!
Reykjavík Museum of Photography
--- Map Point J ---
There are many museums in Reykjavík to choose from, including the National Museum of Iceland, the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, the Reykjavík Art Museum, The Icelandic Phallological Museum (unique I imagine), and many more. Hoping to see spectacular photos of the wonders we saw throughout our trip, we choose the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, found (we learn) on the sixth floor of the library. After asking the librarian, we make our way to the sixth floor and greet the man at the front desk of the museum. “I am just closing. It is 5:00pm.” It is already 5:00pm?? Seeing as nature does not close and daylight is everlasting, time has not been a concern on this trip, so we did not even think to consider a closing time. Sure enough, the man has the door locked and is on the elevator before we step down two stairs; the places that close in Iceland really do close promptly.
Returning to the library on the main floor, we browse a little and use the water closet, only for another man to tell us they are closed (and probably have been for 15 minutes). Oops…he has to unlock the door to let us out. Apparently, we need to get reacquainted with time.
Campervan Reykjavík (aka Rent.IS) and Hotel Berg
--- Not Shown on Map ---
With the city evidently closing, we make our way back to the free parking lot, so we can begin the drive to Keflavík. It is time to return our campervan (sad) and get ready to fly to Copenhagen tomorrow (exciting!).
After returning the van, we patiently wait for the shuttle driver to take us to our hotel. While not a typical service, the shuttle driver is nice (the same who picked us up at the airport our first day), and the hotel is only five minutes away. While we wait, we meet someone just arriving and getting ready to start the Ring Road. We share some tips (including how to use a locking gas cap) in hopes of helping them get started smoothly. Then, we manage a shuttle ride to our hotel (lucky us).
It is hard to describe what it is like having a whole hotel room to ourselves after nine days in our little campervan. To sum it up…I only wear one pair of pants and one shirt, and I sleep cozily under the comforter. After the number of layers we have been wearing to bed (pro tip: rain paints are super warm to sleep in), this is luxurious.
Nine days, 1,412 miles, and countless memories later, our Icelandic adventure has come to an end.
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