Berlitz Pocket Guide Reykjavik (Travel Guide eBook)

By Berlitz

Berlitz Pocket Guides: iconic style, a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to Reykjavík

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Reykjavík, from top attractions like Hallgrímskirja and the National Museum of Iceland, to hidden gems, including the tiny Icelandic Punk Museum. This will save you time, and enhance your exploration of this fascinating city.

·       Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, this is an iconic on-the-move companion when you're exploring Reykjavík.
·       Covers Top Ten Attractions, including Harpa concert hall and the Blue Lagoon, and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions
·       Includes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
·       Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps will help you find your way around
·       Essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around
·       Inspirational colour photography throughout
·       Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience

About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Apr 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781785731969

Berlitz

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Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Reykjavík, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Reykjavík, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

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 Berlitz Pocket Guides

The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.

Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.

Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Reykjavík’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day in Reykjavík

Introduction

Underground drama

Pollution-free land

High standard of living

Small but perfectly formed

Getting out and about

Long days of summer

A Brief History

The founding of Reykjavík

The first parliament

From pagans to Christians

Civil war and Black Death

The Reformation

War and peace

Historical landmarks

Where To Go

Hallgrímskirkja and around

Hallgrímskirkja

Artists’ homes

Laugavegur: the main shopping street

The Culture House and Harpa

Culture House

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

Hafnarfjörður

Day trips by bus

The Blue Lagoon

The Golden Circle

Þingvellir

Geysir

Gullfoss

Other Golden Circle stops

The South Coast

Tour to Vík

Onwards to Jökulsárlón

Snæfellsnes

Day trips by plane

Akureyri

Port and town centre

South of the centre

Heimaey

What To Do

Nightlife

Shopping

Outdoor activities

Whale-Watching

Puffin tours and birdwatching

Horse Riding

Walking and Hiking

Glacier Tours

Rafting and Kayaking

Snorkelling and Scuba Diving

Fishing

Swimming

Activities for Children

Calendar of events

Eating Out

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

Reading the Menu

To help you order….

…and read the menu

Restaurants

Reykjavík

Outside Reykjavík (Day Trips)

Akureyri

Blue Lagoon

Golden Circle/South Coast

Heimaey (Vestmannaeyjar)

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports

B

Bicycle rental

Budgeting for your trip

C

Camping

Car hire (See also Driving)

Climate

Clothing

Crime and safety (See also Emergencies and Police)

D

Disabled travellers

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies/consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting there (See also Airports and Budgeting for your trip)

H

Health and medical care (see also Emergencies)

L

Language

LGBTQ travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money (See also Budgeting for your trip)

O

Opening times

P

Police

Post offices

Public holidays

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist Information

Transport

W

Visas and entry requirements

Websites and internet access

Y

Youth hostels

Recommended Hotels

Dictionary

English–Icelandic

Icelandic - English

Reykjavík’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

iStock

Hallgrímskirkja

The tower of this striking church enjoys stunning city views. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

Shutterstock

Harpa

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

Top Attraction #3

Alamy

National Museum of Iceland

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

Top Attraction #4

iStock

The Old Harbour

Take to the waves on a whale-watching trip. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

Getty Images

Reykjavík Art Museum

Iceland’s most famous artists are on display at Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn art galleries. For more information, click here or click here.

Top Attraction #6

Getty Images

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Shudder at shipwrecks and the harshness of life at sea. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

Diana Jarvis/Rough Guides

Perlan

The high-tech science museum and planetarium showcases the power of volcanoes, earthquakes and glaciers. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Shutterstock

Árbæjarsafn open-air museum

Time-travel to 19th-century Iceland at this village of historical houses. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

Shutterstock

Blue Lagoon

Bathe at this world-famous spa, set surreally in a vast black lava field. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Diana Jarvis/Rough Guides

Golden Circle

Visit waterfalls, hot springs and Þingvellir 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), Icelandic music (Smekkleysa, No. 28) and cutting-edge fashion (Kronkron, No. 63b), or branch off up Skólavörðustígur for Icelandic sweaters (The Handknitting Association of Iceland, No. 19).

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 pots 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 (Óðinstorg).

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 night.

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 (Vesturgata 2), 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.

Introduction

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 lavafields to the east, just a day-trip away.

However, should you choose to stay in the city, you’ll be rewarded with an extensive bar and restaurant scene and some buzzing nightlife, too. Reykjavík also boasts an impressive array of museum and galleries, regularly changing art exhibitions and a packed calendar of festivals and events, particularly in the giddy months of summer. The city’s energetic and distinctive cultural scene is a constant source of fascination, yet Reykjavík retains a certain slow pace and almost rustic charm that makes it unique among the world’s capitals.

Iceland works almost exclusively in English, so a lack of Icelandic is not usually a problem. Everything you will want to see in Reykjavík is either within walking distance or a short bicycle, bus or taxi ride away. Facilities are constantly improving, and the last 10 years have seen a boom in tour and activity companies: the adventurous can book a tempting array of horseriding, hiking, caving, diving and whale-watching trips with city operators.

Eyjafjallajökull eruption

iStock

Underground drama

In geological terms, Iceland is a mere babe, composed of some of the youngest rocks on earth and still being formed. Over the centuries, eruptions have spewed vast fields of lava across the island’s surface and projected choking clouds of ash high into the air, blocking out the sunlight, blighting crops and killing thousands. A tiny taster of Iceland’s volcanic power was seen in 2010, when the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions brought European air travel to a halt for six days, costing the airline industry an estimated £1.1 billion (€1.3 billion). Every day there are thousands of minor earthquakes, although most are only detectable by seismologists.

The presence of so much natural energy just below ground makes it possible not just to see the awesome power of nature, but to feel, hear and smell it. The limitless reserves of geothermal energy that have produced such a varied terrain also supply heat and power to Iceland’s homes, and the ‘rotten egg’ smell of sulphur is unmistakable whenever you turn on a tap or hop in the shower. Dams across fast-flowing glacial rivers provide the nation with more than enough hydroelectrically generated power to meet its needs.

As well as heating homes and offices, all this hot water is used to create