The 5 Best Places to Party in Reykjavik

Partying in Reykjavik is a blast: Iceland’s capital has a ton of awesome bars and a couple clubs filled with outgoing and beautiful people.

But Reykjavik can be a really sleepy place during the week — the bars and clubs close at 1 am. The weekend here, on the other hand, is a totally different story.

Reykjavik’s nightlife on the weekend comes alive and partying lasts all night and deep into the morning. It’s common for Icelanders to party at the bars and clubs until 6 am only to find an after party to hit up at a friend’s place to resume drinking through the entire morning.

So if you are going to spend a few days in Reykjavik and want to experience its epic nightlife, try to stay on a weekend.

P.S. Stay in the super trendy KEX Hostel. It’s without a doubt one of Europe’s best hostels and a great place to meet fellow travelers to party the night away with.


Lebowski Bar

Lebowski Bar is probably the most popular and visited bar among tourists and for that reason, it draws a certain clientele who are more friendly towards foreigners than the average Icelander if you know what I’m getting at.

Okay, I’ll spell it out just in case: If you want to score with a local, this place is probably your best bet.

Lebowski Bar is definitely one of the rowdiest spots in Reykjavik on the weekend.

Húrra

Located a little bit further down near the harbor from Laugavegur Road and Lebowski is the local favorite Húrra. There are a lot fewer tourists here but its no doubt a lot of fun.

The Reykjavik Grapevine’s voted Húrra Iceland’s “Best All-Around Bar” and “Best Bar for Live Music” in 2017.

There’s also a freshly minted karaoke lounge in the bar’s basement now.

Boston

I’m trying to find the right words to explain why the bar is so fucking great: cozy, chill, friendly, unpretentious.

Boston is a weird place and definitely sports a strange style — old world wooden accents, spicy Mexican food, and an interesting mix of Icelandic and Latin American music — but it all comes together so well.

This is a great spot in Reykjavik to pregame before heading to a much louder and more crowded bar or club.

Kaffibarinn

This is the louder and much more crowded place I’m talking about. If you come here on the weekend expect to have to wait in line and once you’re in have to fight through a bunch of shit-faced people to get a drink.

If you come here on the weekend expect to have to wait in line and once you finally get in, have to fight through a bunch of shit-faced people to get a drink.

But those are the negative aspects of Kaffibarinn. Everything else is on-point. The music, the people, and the general vibe of the place are flat out intoxicating.

Prikið

Prikið is a both a great restaurant and fun as hell hip-hop bar. The bar is jam-packed on the weekends and if you brave the line to get in, you’re guaranteed to have an awesome night.

The dance floor here is small and the bathrooms a bit dingy but the energy levels are off the charts. The people here tend to be super friendly as well.


Recommended Reading: Iceland Backpacking Guide.

Originally published at goodvibesnewtribes.com on July 30, 2017.

GOOD VIBES // NEW TRIBES

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