Reykjavik is Iceland’s capital city and an estimated 117,000 people live there. Tourists will not find that Reykjavik is particularly catered to them, but it is a place in which they can take pleasure in seeing the residents go about their everyday lives.
Reykjavik is a charming city full of brightly colored buildings and a particularly picturesque area known as the old town. If you find yourself in the old town take a stroll down Laugavegur Street. It is a good place to buy various gifts and souvenirs from local craft shops. If you plan to do some shopping be aware the Iceland is not part of the European Union. Therefore all tourists are entitled to claim back the sales tax on goods if they spend 4,000 Krona or more per day in one shop.
To get your orientation of Reykjavik head up to the Perlan Tower. You can either have a meal there or just enjoy the beautiful views. For those visitors on a budget it is worth knowing that you can still enjoy the view by eating in the Perlan café which is less expensive than the restaurant.
Car hire in Reykjavik is the preferred way of getting around, especially if you want to get out and see Iceland’s dramatic countryside. In the city itself you will not suffer from a lot of traffic congestion or a lack of parking spaces. This makes Reykjavik a relatively stress free place in which to drive. All this is despite the fact that Reykjavik has the largest amount of cars per capita in the world!
If you are in Reykjavik at a time of year when the weather is inhospitable why not take shelter in buildings including the Reykjavik Museum of Photography and the National Museum of Iceland. If you are with small children then you may wish to go to Reykjavík Domestic Animal Zoo or Tjornin Lake where you can feed the ducks with bread.
You can rent cars from either of Iceland’s airports. Reykjavik has an airport in the city centre but this is mainly used for domestic traffic. The most frequented airport is in fact Keflavík International Airport which is in Keflavík, a town half an hour’s drive outside of Reykjavik. Having a car will save you money in the long run as the taxi journey from the airport to Reykjavik tends to be costly.
Whichever airport you come into there are vehicles available through major car hire firms like Auto Europe, Hertz, Discount, Avis, National rent a car and Advantage Car Rental.
Although cars can be expensive to hire in Iceland they are the best way to see as much of this huge country as possible. Car Hire Keflavík Airport will help you to have a cheaper holiday as Iceland is also a pricey place in which to eat out or have a drink. You may want to consider staying in self-catering accommodation so that you can cut costs by cooking for yourself. Having said that, the recent economic troubles of Iceland have made the country up to 40% cheaper for tourists to travel to.
Iceland Express is one of the national carriers which has flights to many European cities. There is also Icelandair airlines will get you to Iceland from a lot of worldwide destinations including cities in North America and Europe.
Amsterdam, Berlin, Bergen, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Helsinki, London, Oslo, Madrid, Munich, Manchester, Milan, Paris and Stockholm are among the European cities with flights to Reykjavik.
The airline Germanwings has flights from Reykjavik to Cologne as well. If you are coming from Scandinavia look out for flights on the airline Scandinavian Airlines Systems. For more information on flights from Keflavik international airport, which has the airport code KEF, contact + 354 425 0600.
One aspect of Icelandic culture which should not be missed out on is the chance to swim in the Geo thermal ‘hot pots’. The Laugardalslaug with its baths, steam baths and water slides comes recommended and is the largest hot pot in Reykjavik.