Things to do in Reykjavík, Iceland

I never thought I would end up Iceland but when the opportunity presented itself, I had to jump on it. Iceland is famous for beautiful natural wonders such as glaciers, active volcanos, and geysers. When you think of Iceland you may think of first, ice and freezing cold which you are 100% correct but also the Northern Lights, whale watching and more. More than 60% of the Icelandic population lives in the capital city of Reykjavik which is where we visited. If you are looking into the Iceland capital, here are a few of the highlights from our trip.

Restaurants in Reykjavik: 

Reykjavik Street Dog

When I say that these are the best hot dogs I’ve ever had, I mean it. Iceland is known for their great mustard and these hot dogs were just so good. When I say I had about 7 within 2 days, I mean it. My boyfriend Joey was getting concerned when I asked him if we could go to the hot dog place for breakfast. Yup they were that good. I miss them everyday literally. 

CafeBalu

This cafe was adorable, cool and unique. The bathroom alone is a huge reason to stop into this place. It is all Star Wars themed! It has stickers, posters, lights, cutouts and even music. It is so awesome. Not to mention the food is great. I got the banana and chocolate crepe with a chai latte. Both were so delicious. The chai was even better than Starbucks, and that takes a lot for me to say. 

Cafe Loki 

This restaurant of traditional Icelandic food is a must do because well, you have to try the traditional food right! I am not one to venture out and eat crazy foods. Here, I got some type of stew/soup for an appetizer. Honestly I don’t know what was in it and I think I’m better off not knowing. All I knew was that it was good and I ate it. For the main course, I opted for the Vegetarian plate as I am not a fan of fish and the menu was mostly seafood. This plate had Fresh greens, potatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, house sauce & rye bread. I enjoyed the bread and the quinoa the most. My boyfriend on the other hand is a brave soul and got the Icelandic plate. This came with rye bread slices, mashed fish (Plokkfiskur) & smoked trout, smoked lamb, dried fish and  fermented shark. Yes, that’s right, fermented shark. To quote my boyfriend, “I had to fight myself to eat everything and I normally don't have a problem with any food.” So that says a lot. I was feeling adventurous and tried the fermented shark. It actually tasted like ammonium but you know, I tried! 

Things to do in Reykjavik

ATV Tours 

This was the most awesome thing we did in Iceland. We got all suited up, got on our own ATVs and drove up a mountain. It even started to snow which made it really an awesome experience. We also did a buggy tour which was super fun as well. My boyfriend drove for this one but it was even so much fun sitting in the passenger seat!  We did this with Safari quads and I highly recommend them, it was such an awesome tour! 

Blue Lagoon 

The most iconic spot in Iceland, the blue lagoon. I was so excited to go here and experience the beauty for myself. The first thing we did when we got there was go to the locker rooms because you have to shower before you get into the lagoon. They have gym style lockers where you enter a passcode to lock your belongings away. After I showered, I met my boyfriend outside the locker rooms as we braced ourselves to bear the freezing outside temperatures. It was so incredibly cold outside. We opened the door and ran into the lagoon. This was the worst part because we were just in a bathing suit in the freezing cold Iceland weather. Once we got in it was very warm and felt so much better. It was honestly like a giant hot tub. I brought my phone in of course to get photos but after a while I ended up bringing it back to the locker room because it was just too cold to keep my hand out of the water. Our ticket came with a free drink and a free mud face mask. It had a swim up bar as well as the place where they give you the mask. It is a must do experience in Iceland. 

Tours in Iceland

There are so many tours that are offered in Iceland through various companies. We went on the Golden Circle tour which took us to Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir hot spring. Iceland has the most amazing natural elements that no matter where you go or what tour you go on you will see something amazing. We also had a Northern Lights tour planned but unfortunately, if the weather isn’t perfect then you can’t see them. You just have to get lucky! 

In Reykjavik 

The Hallgrímskirkja church is one of the most iconic places to visit in Reykjavik. It is huge and so incredibly beautiful. If there isn’t a mass going on you can go inside and check it out! It is pretty much in the center of Reykjavik so it's a great landmark to visit. There is also a lot of shopping to do around here. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to go shopping, I mean of course! I love seeing new things and the cool items each place sells. Check out these stores because they have a lot of unique things. They are known for their wool so we picked up a few Icelandic wool souvenirs.

If you ever find yourself in Iceland make sure to check these places out. It truly is an amazing and unique place to visit. Just remember to bundle up!

Stay tuned for more fun here on, The Krystal Palace, peace!