Iceland, the Land of Ice and Fire, is such a one-off destination so we took the opportunity to visit the southern and western regions in early September (2025). You can visit Iceland year round with contrasting sights and activities but we were at the back end of the summer season (it was 10c cooler than London). It is very difficult, and expensive, to explore Iceland without driving so even in winter a self-drive holiday is the best way to see the country. This blog talks about our time in Reykjavik and the next one is about exploring the island.
Coming in to land at the airport, Keflavik, and as soon as you set out in your car, you are immediately aware of the volcanic larva fields everywhere – a real intro to the imposing landscapes of the country. The Reykjanes peninsular, where the airport is, is the most volcanically active region at the moment, with eruptions on an off over the last couple of years, and is also home to the famous Blue Lagoon hot water baths – conveniently located to visit on either your first or last day in the country.
We started and finished the trip with a night in Reykjavik so that was a couple of evenings and half-days to explore the capital. We wandered round the semi-pedestrianised streets of the old town lined with souvenir and gift shops, some of which are very classy. We walked up to the iconic Hallsgrimskirkja cathedral with its iconic architecture – which really is impressive close up. And then meandered back down the rainbow painted pedestrian only street where we crossed over to the other historic area close to the Old Harbour.
So many brightly coloured little houses line the streets, reminiscent of a fishing village, rather than a capital city. The main historic squares and the area around them are very pretty – with its small scale Parliament House (it is right on the road, so the road to has to be closed to cars when it it sitting as it was on our visit). There are endless restaurants and bars dotted around with many very high end eateries which are great fun to try (see below). Pretty much all the buildings are low rise which gives the town a welcoming and unimposing feel.
The old harbour is nice to walk around- more classy fish restaurants and tour boats. We hopped on a whale watching trip with Elding tours, which was really quite amazing. On a three hour trip we headed 45 mins out to sea – the highlights were several sightings of pairs of humpback whales rising in and out of the water in unison, slowly feeding, over several hundred metres and a finale where one whale breached and treated us to the spectacle of his tail in the air. Unforgettable. The minke whales, smaller and faster, were zipping along, often quite close to the boat, and looked much sleeker. You can see whales or dolphins year round in Reykjavik Bay with the summer months, April to September usually being the best for sightings.
We only had time for one museum and we chose the Icelandic National Museum which showcased its history from settlement to the present day. The exhibits and signage were impressive as well as informative and added extra layers to our understanding of the settlement and development of Iceland. We also stopped in at the Radhus (town hall) where they have an enormous relief model of the whole of the country which took several years to make. As this was at the end of our trip we were able to retrace our journey around the country which was entertaining.
We were sad to miss the Settlement Exhibition nearby which is on one of the first Viking dwellings- but we will save that for next time. There are several more really interesting museums and art galleries in the town and you could spend plenty of time visiting them all. Similarly, we had hoped to see the Lava Experience, but ran out of time- another one for the next visit. Our verdict was that it is a charming little town with plenty to see and do and some rather excellent food.
On the subject of which, we discovered the joys of Icelandic fish (and lamb) as soon as we arrived. We ate at Sjavargrillio (Seafood Grill) which is a renowned fish restaurant and our first dish was the famous Icelandic fish soup (this appears on lots of menus and can either be shellfish based or fish based). It can have a curry or a saffron flavour and it a truly delicious. We headed home, determined to to try out the recipe we collected from there. The menu of most good restaurants will have a ‘catch of the day’ which from our experience can be ling, cod, wolf fish, salmon or arctic char (but there are probably more varieties on offer). The fish is superb and is expertly cooked in a variety of sauces from the traditional ‘parsley/white sauce’ to many adventurous Michelin guide worthy sauces, depending on your restaurant. That evening we had salted cod with couscous, tomatoes, ricotta and chorizo – which we had been hesitant about trying but was one of the highlights of all our dishes. We also had a sashimi salmon starter which was the largest piece of sashimi we have ever come across and was exceptional. The slow cooked salmon which literally melted in your mouth was a totally new experience.
We ate at Old Iceland the second evening, which has a cosy atmosphere and offered high quality local dishes. We tried cod cheeks and lamb ribeye – the Icelandic main meat is lamb (the fields are full of sheep as you drive around the island) and is of the best quality. We had our last dish of artic char which is like salmon, but firmer and which came in a tahini based sauce. The quality of the food we ate in Iceland was exceptional, if not cheap. We didn’t have any meals which weren’t excellent. Whilst in Reykjavík we also tried the hot dogs from the famous Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stall- which were tasty and fun.
We left Iceland determined to come back and spend more time. It is fair to say that the weather required a bit of adjustment when we arrived and a few late purchase in the 66 degrees shop (the excellent Icelandic out door weather clothing brand). We learned not to mind being rained on regularly and to appreciate the sun when it came out- the Icelandic weather is more changeable and unpredictable than the UK weather. We were won over by the natural beauty of the country and its stunning physical terrain which offers you so many unique experiences. However the fascinating history of the early settlement and its culture tied up in the sagas is also a huge draw and one that deserves traveller’s attention.
We are happy to organise all types of holidays from short Reykjavik breaks to self-drives or even round island cruises. Even in a few nights in Reykjavik you can thoroughly enjoy the city plus get out to many of the most famous sights in the country- see our blog on the hinterland of Iceland. There are so many tours on offers, all based out of the city, so you can visit waterfalls, Ice Caves, join a glacier visit, a Super Jeep exploration or head out for whale watching.
You can go all year round with different activities available throughout the year – the winter months also bring good opportunities to see the Northern Lights. Speak to us about planning your trip to this extraordinary country.
by TMS