How to Spend a Day in Reykjavik

The main reason people travel to Iceland is to spend time in the great outdoors chasing waterfalls, hiking, and soaking in hot springs. However, you'd be missing out if you don't spend a day exploring the quirky capital city of Reykjavik when you're in the country.

Parking can be a little bit confusing because pricing differs depending on what zone you're parking in and the hours. You can read more about that here. Luckily, Reykjavik is a very walkable and safe city, So once you're parked, you can keep your car there safely until you're ready to leave.

We parked by the massive Hallgrimskirjka Church, which is easily the most recognizable landmark in the country. You can seriously find it on all the postcards, key chains, and other touristy goods around town.

The concrete exterior was inspired by the basalt columns behind Svartifoss Waterfall. The interior is quite different from the normal European churches with big mosaics, intricate ceilings, and colorful stained glass windows. Hallgrimskirjka has a simple, minimalist inside. It is free to go inside the church, but if you want to go up to the top of the tower, it costs 1,000ISK (As of April 2023) per person. The line was so long, we decided to skip climbing up the tower. Instead we continued walking directly in front of the church to an inviting, colorful street.

Rainbow street, as it became known (probably cause no-one knows how to pronounce the actual street name), is fun and vibrant, making it a great photo opportunity. It is lined with local galleries, cafes, and boutiques.

We popped into some of the shops as we made our way down to the waterfront.

When in a new country, I like to seek out weird, unique things that we don't have back home. That held true when we stumbled upon 'The Icelandic Phallological Museum'.

As you probably guessed by its name, is a museum full of all things penis related. We had to check it out. Everything from the doorknobs in the bathroom to the beer taps at the cafe are dicks. The entry fee is 2750ISK (As of April 2023) per person, which is higher for how small the museum is, but man. It was quite entertaining. You can walk around the museum with a drink in hand, so of course we got mimosas like basic betches.

There are penis' from all different creatures, big and small, like a giant sperm whale's pee pee that was almost the length of my whole body. They also have facts by them like how a blue whale ejaculates 5 gallons of sperm. Holy Shit. I think I could go on jeopardy with the trivia I learned from there. They also have random penis trinkets throughout like a dick phone and cock walking cane.

Even if you decide to not do the museum, it is worth a stop into the gift shop and cafe, which you can see without paying for the entry.

Since we were close to the waterfront we did a little walk by of the glistening Harpa concert hall. We didn't go in, but it was worth a peak at the outside. It kind of reminds me of a honey comb with the way the windows are shaped.

Right down the street from the concert hall is the stainless steel Sun Voyager Statue. I think the highlight of this is not the statue itself, but rather the backdrop behind it. Snow capped mountains and calm blue water.

About a 10 min walk from here is Laugavegur Street, which is considered the main drag of Reykjavik and is pedestrian only. Similar to the Rainbow Street, they are lots of shops and cafes.

Since it was our last day we did our last minute souvenir shopping and then decided to do a little food tour of our own to try some Icelandic foods from different cafes. We started on Laugavegur at 'Svarta Kaffid'', which drew us in with a sign claiming to have the best soup in town. We headed up the stairs because if there's one thing I love on a chilly day, it's a good bowl of soup. They offer a variety of beverages, but only 2 things to eat: one vegetarian soup and one meat soup, with the option to get it in a regular bowl or a bread bowl. I haven't had a bread bowl since back in the Panera Bread days, but this was so much better than that overpriced hospital food.

We then walked back to Rainbow Road to the funky 'Cafe Babalu' for a piece of Icelandic Skyr cheesecake and a coffee. It's one of those places where no two mugs or plates are the same. I'm not going to spoil it, but go into the bathroom there. It is wild.

Our last stop on our "food tour"and last stop of our day in Reykjavik was at 'Baejarins Beztu Pylsur' .We decided to finish the trip how we started it. With one last Icelandic hotdog. They're that good.