If you are visiting Reykjavik/Iceland, here are the palces I recommend as a local who often takes friends around the sights!
Sections
4
Food and drink
Activities
Cosplay photo areas
Kids stuff
Food and drink
5 years of living in Reykjavik and I now have my habits. These are the first places that come to mind when I want to go out and paint the town
The best ramen I have had in my life
Ramen Momo
Such a cute café, immaculate vibes and very good cake
CAFÉ ROSENBERG
Simply the best Indian food in town
Indian Food Box
The spiritual successor to Gaukurinn. A bar I am not afraid to go to alone
Bird RVK | Reykjavík
Imo the best value for money traditional Icelandic food, so if you are just passing through Reykjavik, I recommend it. Akways reserve ahead of time though, they book up fast.
Íslenski Barinn
My #2 favourite restaurant to take visitors to. A bit pricier but the portions are really good.
Fjallkonan - Fjallkonan
Literally the best ice cream in Reykjavik
Skúbb ísgerð
As a Brit, I can vouch for this fish and chips
Fish and chips vagninn - Fish and chips
Activities
I've been in Iceland 5 years and go gallivanting out of town every chance I get. These are some of the spots I think are worth the hype
No trip to the North is complete without a stop at the Goat Farm. You can pet the goats and they have a lovely farm shop with goat milk ice cream
Háafell - Goat farm
Tip: follow the road signs for ice cream. We discovered this place by accident but they really have it all. All kinds of animals you ca nget up close too and a fully stocked farm shop. We bought so much cheese…
Erpsstaðir Creamery
I implore you to avoid the blue lagoon; it is expensive and gross. The secret lagoon is much more affordable, pretty and clean. 10/10
Secret Lagoon
I have never learned so much about whales in one space, they even have a whole whale skeleton on display
Whale Museum in Húsavík
This is super niche but this is the best campsite in Iceland. You share the field with the farmer's sheep. The farmer himself is lovely and helped me practice my icelandic. There are facilities including washing machines (god bless), and on summer so...
Camping 66.12° north
I'm a huge viking/icelandic settlement nerd and am absolutely obsessed with this. The VR puts you in the middle of battle and it is so fricking cool
1238: The Battle of Iceland | A Virtual and Augmented Reality Museum
Being the Icelandic settlement nerd I am, I love this place. The audio guide takes you through life size dioramas of scenes from the Icelandic sagas and it has a brilliant spooky atmosphere
Saga Museum – Experience The Icelandic Sagas at our Viking Museum
Cosplay photo areas
A question I get a lot from cosplaying friends that visit Iceland is: where is the best place to take photos? So this is my attempt at listing my favourites
If you are staying in Reykjavik, this is the most convenient (non-seaside) spot for photos. This park is huge and has a bit of every biome (forest, tundra, desert). Just keep driving until you find a spot you like!
Heiðmörk
Perfect for beachy/seaside themes and conveniently located near Reykjavik
The Island of Grótta and Grótta Lighthouse
Lots of waterfalls and forests and lots in bloom in the spring! Also conveniently located in Reykjavik
Elliðaárdalur Valley - Reykjavík
Sorina is a fantastic family photographer but she is also an amazing cosplay photographer. She has been taking all of my photos since 2022. She is fantastic to work with and we call her a witch because of how good she manages to makes us look lol
Sorina Ratkiene Photography
Waterfall you can walk around the back of
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
The waterfall from Game of Thrones
The spectacular Skógafoss Waterfall in South-Iceland and the Legend of ...
Cool glacier lagoon
Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon in Iceland | icelagoon.is
Beach with hunks of ice, very photogenic
Diamond Beach Travel Guide
Cool red hills
The mystical Rauðhólar Pseudocraters and Tröllabörn - the Troll Children in SW ...
Kids stuff
Definitely something a bit magical, expecailly around the holiday season
Princess Experience at Lake Rauðavatn
Really cool exhibition - be sure to check out their event calendar too!
Whales of Iceland
You might think “ugh but I'm going to see that stuff anyway” but actually most of the footage is from super remote places that you can't really get to. I live here and drive around the coutnry all summer and I still say it's worth it
FlyOver Iceland
One of only a handful of soft play spots - very cute if you just need a break and want the kids to entertain themselves for an hour
