24 Hours in Reykjavik
A walking guide for budget to mid-range travelers in Iceland
Welcome to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and the most walkable city I’ve ever visited!
While I’m sure you could spend much more than 24 hours in Reykjavik, the top tourist sites only take about a day and are all within walking distance of each other.
I’d recommend staying somewhere in downtown Reykjavik, within about a 1–1.5 km radius of the famous cathedral, Hallgrimskirkja. I stayed at the Downtown Reykjavik Apartments, but there are also many guesthouses in the area as well.
I ate a quick breakfast at the apartment with food I picked up at a Bonus (Icelandic grocery store). If you are exploring more of Iceland and want to keep your food costs low, stock up on groceries at a Bónus or Krónan while in Reykjavik to use for future meals.
However, if you want to eat out, check out this list of breakfast locations by a local.
After breakfast, head over to the impossible to miss Hallgrimskirkja. Entrance to the church itself is free but it currently costs 1000 ISK to go up the tower to get a great view of the city (as shown in the top photo).
Walk on down towards Lake Tjörnin and the National Museum of Iceland. I wish I had gone to the Museum as it sounds like a great place to learn a lot about…
