Reykjavik People & Culture

A beautiful country and an outstanding capital city...the people are very friendly and will help you with anything if you let them ..all in all a great place to visit but It's not too warm unless you straddle a Geyser...

Okay first things first you have 2 go to the hot springs cause they are absolutley wonderfull for your skin. The people are really friendly and the food is good. But 1 thing u have to do is go to the spas and the hot springs.

There is a restaurant on the Bank strt, crossing ingolf or thingholtstraeti, you will see a nice 2 strorey corner restaurant. There you have to try the Tuna steak, I have been to 47 countries but that was the best, and accornding to other people the other food is also amazing.

This, is a cute litle town, with alot of fun people.. ;) You're just few minutes to Reykjavík, by car. It's one of the best towns in al of iceland.. ;)

For some reason, the people from Reykjavik all make fun of the people from Hafnarfjordur... no idea why.

Ok rent a horse at íshestar, then go hiking on Helgafell volcano, then go for dinner at Fjörukráinn viking hotel and end the evening by enjoying a performance at Jadarleikhusid theatre.

Sægreifinn, cozy fish restaurant with the worlds best lobster soup and the best whale barbecue. http://www.saegreifinn.is/

If you go to Hafnarfjordur, try whale watching or sea fishing

Reykjavik is as amazing and remote and charming as Iceland ... but in a different sort of way... while it is the world's northern-most capital and has lots of Iceland reflected in it ... it is a cosmopolitan city where more than half the country's population resides... so its a far cry from the desolate ice and lava covered bleakness - or the incredible natural richness - of much of Iceland... you can still see icebergs and lava fields not too far from Reykjavik, but the city proper is like any other smallish, safe and cosy capital... bustling with restaurants, bars, cute cafes, shops, houses and guesthouses, and the lot... but the central city is quite easily navigable on foot... the area around the main tourist office (there are three in the city itself... there is something of an overload of tourist information and brochures in Iceland, now that it is pushing tourism as one of its three main industries apart from fishing and aluminium) is extremely historic and eminently walkable... I would advise you to stay somewhere around there if possible as everything then becomes very accessible...Laugavegur street is the main commercial street with shops and restaurants galore, and many of the lovely cafes and bars are located here... I particularly recomment Kaffe Rosenberg, just off Laugavegur, for the local gigs and generally cultured feel and the bright yellow painted organic cafe on Laugavegur for your informal cuppa over a read and an informal crowd... Friday and Saturday nights are to be experienced at least once for the wild wild 'runtur', when pretty young things go about bar hopping till the wee hours of the morning and their male counterparts exhibit every bit of the boorish Viking drunkeness that young Icelandic folks are famous for... despite the exhorbitant alcohol prices and smallish population (the whole of Iceland is 300,000 people or so)... the bars are full to the brim till the last call in the morning and you can interact with a lot of the local crowd.... of course Reykjavik has more sedate attractions too, like some wonderful museums and sights (check out the Settlement Museum, the imposing church and its central pond adjoining the city hall), any number of excursions into the country (including the famed Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon tours, or more exotic trips into Grimsey Islands or Greenland) and lots of good places to eat (highly recommend the famed lobster soup at Sea Barrons, the hot dogs at the stand near the coast that is reputed to have the best in Europe, and the many fish restaurants in the city), several events through the year but especially in the summer (was lucky to be there during the Reykjavik Jazz Festival with some lovely international and local performances spread across venues for days), and much more... but Reykjavik is an expensive place even if it relatively cheap to get to (on Iceland Express from much of Europe, for example) with everything, except electricity quite steep (it is a credit card country where everything from a small coffee or beer upwards can be paid with a card - avoid changing money if you can as there are steep commissions involved), but it is not that cold as one would think (especially in comparison to some other European capitals) and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and novel place...

Reykjavik is as amazing and remote and charming as Iceland ... but in a different sort of way... while it is the world's northern-most capital and has lots of Iceland reflected in it ... it is a cosmopolitan city where more than half the country's population resides... so its a far cry from the desolate ice and lava covered bleakness - or the incredible natural richness - of much of Iceland... you can still see icebergs and lava fields not too far from Reykjavik, but the city proper is like any other smallish, safe and cosy capital... bustling with restaurants, bars, cute cafes, shops, houses and guesthouses, and the lot... but the central city is quite easily navigable on foot... the area around the main tourist office (there are three in the city itself... there is something of an overload of tourist information and brochures in Iceland, now that it is pushing tourism as one of its three main industries apart from fishing and aluminium) is extremely historic and eminently walkable... I would advise you to stay somewhere around there if possible as everything then becomes very accessible...Laugavegur street is the main commercial street with shops and restaurants galore, and many of the lovely cafes and bars are located here... I particularly recomment Kaffe Rosenberg, just off Laugavegur, for the local gigs and generally cultured feel and the bright yellow painted organic cafe on Laugavegur for your informal cuppa over a read and an informal crowd... Friday and Saturday nights are to be experienced at least once for the wild wild 'runtur', when pretty young things go about bar hopping till the wee hours of the morning and their male counterparts exhibit every bit of the boorish Viking drunkeness that young Icelandic folks are famous for... despite the exhorbitant alcohol prices and smallish population (the whole of Iceland is 300,000 people or so)... the bars are full to the brim till the last call in the morning and you can interact with a lot of the local crowd.... of course Reykjavik has more sedate attractions too, like some wonderful museums and sights (check out the Settlement Museum, the imposing church and its central pond adjoining the city hall), any number of excursions into the country (including the famed Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon tours, or more exotic trips into Grimsey Islands or Greenland) and lots of good places to eat (highly recommend the famed lobster soup at Sea Barrons, the hot dogs at the stand near the coast that is reputed to have the best in Europe, and the many fish restaurants in the city), several events through the year but especially in the summer (was lucky to be there during the Reykjavik Jazz Festival with some lovely international and local performances spread across venues for days), and much more... but Reykjavik is an expensive place even if it relatively cheap to get to (on Iceland Express from much of Europe, for example) with everything, except electricity quite steep (it is a credit card country where everything from a small coffee or beer upwards can be paid with a card - avoid changing money if you can as there are steep commissions involved), but it is not that cold as one would think (especially in comparison to some other European capitals) and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and novel place...

Reykjavik is a nice city. Everyone i've talked with, was friendly and helpsome. The city itself is growing, so they build a lot. There still some of the nice culture. It's not a big city, but i city worth visit. If you're there, go on a bus trip out to the waterfalls and see the fantastic nature that iceland is made off. Don't forget the "blue lagoon".

Man is this place expensive! But every bit worthy of admission. Go to the hot springs. You will not regret it. The night life is awesome here. Stay at the Salvation Army Hotel if you are not picky. It is dirt cheap compared to the rest of the hotels and it is literally crawling distance from the majority of the pubs/clubs. The others are a bus ride into the action. Oh and the locals love American culture.

Reykjavik is as amazing and remote and charming as Iceland ... but in a different sort of way... while it is the world's northern-most capital and has lots of Iceland reflected in it ... it is a cosmopolitan city where more than half the country's population resides... so its a far cry from the desolate ice and lava covered bleakness - or the incredible natural richness - of much of Iceland... you can still see icebergs and lava fields not too far from Reykjavik, but the city proper is like any other smallish, safe and cosy capital... bustling with restaurants, bars, cute cafes, shops, houses and guesthouses, and the lot... but the central city is quite easily navigable on foot... the area around the main tourist office (there are three in the city itself... there is something of an overload of tourist information and brochures in Iceland, now that it is pushing tourism as one of its three main industries apart from fishing and aluminium) is extremely historic and eminently walkable... I would advise you to stay somewhere around there if possible as everything then becomes very accessible...Laugavegur street is the main commercial street with shops and restaurants galore, and many of the lovely cafes and bars are located here... I particularly recomment Kaffe Rosenberg, just off Laugavegur, for the local gigs and generally cultured feel and the bright yellow painted organic cafe on Laugavegur for your informal cuppa over a read and an informal crowd... Friday and Saturday nights are to be experienced at least once for the wild wild 'runtur', when pretty young things go about bar hopping till the wee hours of the morning and their male counterparts exhibit every bit of the boorish Viking drunkeness that young Icelandic folks are famous for... despite the exhorbitant alcohol prices and smallish population (the whole of Iceland is 300,000 people or so)... the bars are full to the brim till the last call in the morning and you can interact with a lot of the local crowd.... of course Reykjavik has more sedate attractions too, like some wonderful museums and sights (check out the Settlement Museum, the imposing church and its central pond adjoining the city hall), any number of excursions into the country (including the famed Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon tours, or more exotic trips into Grimsey Islands or Greenland) and lots of good places to eat (highly recommend the famed lobster soup at Sea Barrons, the hot dogs at the stand near the coast that is reputed to have the best in Europe, and the many fish restaurants in the city), several events through the year but especially in the summer (was lucky to be there during the Reykjavik Jazz Festival with some lovely international and local performances spread across venues for days), and much more... but Reykjavik is an expensive place even if it relatively cheap to get to (on Iceland Express from much of Europe, for example) with everything, except electricity quite steep (it is a credit card country where everything from a small coffee or beer upwards can be paid with a card - avoid changing money if you can as there are steep commissions involved), but it is not that cold as one would think (especially in comparison to some other European capitals) and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and novel place...

Reykjavik is as amazing and remote and charming as Iceland ... but in a different sort of way... while it is the world's northern-most capital and has lots of Iceland reflected in it ... it is a cosmopolitan city where more than half the country's population resides... so its a far cry from the desolate ice and lava covered bleakness - or the incredible natural richness - of much of Iceland... you can still see icebergs and lava fields not too far from Reykjavik, but the city proper is like any other smallish, safe and cosy capital... bustling with restaurants, bars, cute cafes, shops, houses and guesthouses, and the lot... but the central city is quite easily navigable on foot... the area around the main tourist office (there are three in the city itself... there is something of an overload of tourist information and brochures in Iceland, now that it is pushing tourism as one of its three main industries apart from fishing and aluminium) is extremely historic and eminently walkable... I would advise you to stay somewhere around there if possible as everything then becomes very accessible...Laugavegur street is the main commercial street with shops and restaurants galore, and many of the lovely cafes and bars are located here... I particularly recomment Kaffe Rosenberg, just off Laugavegur, for the local gigs and generally cultured feel and the bright yellow painted organic cafe on Laugavegur for your informal cuppa over a read and an informal crowd... Friday and Saturday nights are to be experienced at least once for the wild wild 'runtur', when pretty young things go about bar hopping till the wee hours of the morning and their male counterparts exhibit every bit of the boorish Viking drunkeness that young Icelandic folks are famous for... despite the exhorbitant alcohol prices and smallish population (the whole of Iceland is 300,000 people or so)... the bars are full to the brim till the last call in the morning and you can interact with a lot of the local crowd.... of course Reykjavik has more sedate attractions too, like some wonderful museums and sights (check out the Settlement Museum, the imposing church and its central pond adjoining the city hall), any number of excursions into the country (including the famed Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon tours, or more exotic trips into Grimsey Islands or Greenland) and lots of good places to eat (highly recommend the famed lobster soup at Sea Barrons, the hot dogs at the stand near the coast that is reputed to have the best in Europe, and the many fish restaurants in the city), several events through the year but especially in the summer (was lucky to be there during the Reykjavik Jazz Festival with some lovely international and local performances spread across venues for days), and much more... but Reykjavik is an expensive place even if it relatively cheap to get to (on Iceland Express from much of Europe, for example) with everything, except electricity quite steep (it is a credit card country where everything from a small coffee or beer upwards can be paid with a card - avoid changing money if you can as there are steep commissions involved), but it is not that cold as one would think (especially in comparison to some other European capitals) and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and novel place...

dont use the public toilet on the main street... 

Iceland is a great place to visit for up to a week. Just don't stay in Reykjavik for the whole time... you will get bored. Rent a car and drive into the countryside fro a lot o variety.

dormir pas cher?? le camping pres du stade..

You can catch a bus to the blue lagoon from town centre rather than organised trip.

Take lots of warm clothes!!!

Reykjavik is by far the largest community in Iceland Iceland was settled by Norwegian and Celtic immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D. According to the medieval Book of Settlements, Ingolfur Arnarson – the first settler of Iceland – built his farm on the peninsula where Reykjavik stands today. The place was named Reykjavik – “Smoky Bay” - after the columns of steam that rose from the hot springs in the area and made such a profound impression on the original settlers. Lake Tjornin is a small lake, a peaceful oasis, in Reykjavik city centre. The lake harbours varied birdlife (many arctic bird species, swans and ducks) which makes it a favourite spot for young families to go feed the ducks, or just take a stroll around the lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, people sometimes go skating or play ice-hockey on the lake. An interesting fact is that the lake is heated (with geothermal water) during the winter so a small part of it stays unfrozen when the rest is frozen - there is a certain group of geese who always stay here throughout the winter, who would otherwise travel to southern Europe! The water in the lake runs under the street Laekjargata and into the harbour. In old times, the stream was open but is now covered by Laekjargata. Next to the lake there is a park called Hljomskalagardurinn, and important buildings around it are the City Hall, National Gallery, Idno theatre (the oldest in the city) and the Free Church (Frikirkjan).
Many centuries later, around the middle of the 18th century, a small town started to grow around the farm of Reykjavik, thanks to Royal Treasurer Skuli Magnusson, known as the Father of Reykjavik, who established wool workshops at Reykjavik as part of his efforts to modernise the Icelandic economy. This led to the beginnings of urban development at Reykjavik. Reykjavik received its town charter in 1786.

Nowadays you MUST BRING EURO'S or $$$$ to help the economy. Nooo just kidding. It's good to bring warm clothes since it's winter. Although it's dark all day and all night we light up the day with good humour and alot of lights.