Situated between 63ºN and 67ºN lies the world’s Northernmost
sovereign capital city – Reykjavik. Home
to a mere 120,000 people (about the same as Bridgetown, Barbados) this is not
your typical bustling metropolis.
Although tourism is becoming
increasingly significant in the country (and with it the associated
construction boom) Iceland is still essentially a fish-driven economy. You won’t
find towering skyscrapers or 24 hour metro systems here – but what you will
find is a city of charm, history and great food.
Iceland is a unique European country, essentially isolated
for years until its strategic importance towards the end of World War 2 led to
the US building the main airport at Keflavik. This made it easier to get to and
from Iceland and from there we have arrived where we are today. It still feels
like a lot of catching up needs to be done, and is being done, to bring Iceland
into the 21st Century.
In some respects though there are a lot of Icelandic qualities
that we should be striving for ourselves; 99% of their power comes from
Geothermal or Hydroelectric sources and nothing is wasted. The steam that
drives the turbines will end up being used for your daily shower (complete with
aroma of sulphur!) while the only litter we saw on the trip came from lazy
tourists.
With only 330,000 people in the country there is still a
real sense of community here too – everything is done for the benefit of the
masses and the Icelanders have a real sense of pride in what they believe is
the fairest democracy on the planet.
Reykjavik itself is
relatively small, nestled on the bay and winding its way slowly up towards the
geothermal spas that are now mostly redundant. There are a couple of decent
museums (the Maritime Museum is a must for those with an interest in fishing
and history) but essentially you can probably walk around the main tourist area
it in a day.
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| Downtown Reykjavik from the cathedral |
However, there are a few things slightly out of the centre
that might be worth your attention (particularly in the summer months). The
Pearl observation deck and Botanical Gardens are two that spring to mind as
being “on our list for next time”.
When judging most capital cities I tend to stay with the
confines of the city rather than stray out – but in this case I think it is
difficult to look at Reykjavik without considering what is easily within your
reach from the city centre base.
No doubt tourism has exploded in the last 5 to 10 years.
There are endless companies offering endless different tours – from a few hours
up to a full week in a cabin. We managed to get ourselves onto two of the most
popular day tours – the Golden Circle
and the South Shore.
I don’t want to go into too much detail as to what was on
the tours – other than to say that they are both definitely worth it. The
scenery on both is stunning but interestingly varied, it’s definitely not a
case of doing the same thing twice at two different parts of the island.
The Golden Circle takes in gorgeous waterfalls, the geothermal
geysers at Geysir (including the fourth biggest in the world which erupts every
5 minutes or so) and some stunning rift valley scenery with views to die for. The South Shore is longer but you encounter glaciers, more waterfalls,
volcanoes, black sand beaches and a really nice little folk museum on the way.
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| Waterfall at Faxi |
One thing I would recommend is to go with a slightly smaller
tour company that does tours of maybe 10-15 people. There is a lot to get round
and if you are waiting at every stop while the guide rounds up 50-60 people
then it can get a bit draining and tiring.
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| Glacier at Myrdalsjokull |
We didn’t manage to get to see the Northern Lights or go to
the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa for various reasons but that just gives us more
reason to come back again! That and the stunning varied scenery which I can’t
wait to see in summer!
After a long day sight-seeing the last thing you want is to
struggle for food options. Thankfully Reykjavik is one of the greatest food
cities I have ever been in – though you do pay for the privilege. A typical 3
course meal at a good restaurant with a bottle of wine is £100 for two people,
and there don’t appear to be any real budget options either!
But the food is stunning. You can expect local fish and meat
all cooked to absolute perfection. Over the course of the week we had (between
us) Icelandic lamb, horse tenderloin, roasted duck, lobster, pork belly, shrimp
risotto, octopus, squid, rotten shark (not as bad as it sounds, though not
everyone would agree!), tuna and more that I can’t even remember.
Every single dish was cooked perfectly and I challenge
anyone not to fall in love with the food. They cook it their way (none of this “how
would you like it cooked”? malarkey) and I’ve not eaten so well in a long, long
time. If I was to recommend anything I’d say to check out the lamb and the
horse (yes horse!). I haven’t seen two dishes cooked as well for a while,
stunning.
Reykjavik feels like a city of two halves though – if you’ll
allow me to explain. Daytime is tour guides and tourists (the majority of whom
where certainly late 30s and above) whilst at night time the locals come out to
play. They play hard, fast and not cheaply mind!
The city’s nightlife is growing very fast and you can find
trendy bars (cocktail bars are a particular “new scene”) mingled in with local
microbreweries and late night cafes where you can pick up a slab of cake and a
hot drink to warm the fingers up.
Most Icelanders don’t come out to drink until gone midnight
(preferring home drinking at cheaper prices) but most clubs are open until the
wee hours of the morning. I suspect in summer the only two hours a night of
darkness are spent drinking in a club somewhere.
Overall
Reykjavik has long been on my list of must-see capitals and
it didn’t disappoint. While the city itself is small, it is growing and evolving
into a modern capital without losing too much of the charm which draws people
here in the first place.
The food and nightlife is fantastic (but expensive) and the
abundant options for exploring the island make this a very good destination for
a week or so. We’ll definitely be returning again in the summer months as it is
supposed to be a completely different city then and different options open
themselves up.
I’m not sure I’d recommend a city break here simply as there
isn’t much to do in the city for more than a day and a couple of days isn’t
enough to get out and explore properly. It’s not that it is a bad place for a
weekend, just that it isn’t cheap to get there and I feel you wouldn’t get the
value for money over a weekend compared to a Lisbon, London or Budapest for
example.
Verdict:
Small city itself but plenty to do on the island with the
stunning sights and scenery. Fantastic food and drink and lovely people. Definitely should be on everybody's must-see list, and we'll be back for more.
Till next time,
DT
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