24-Hours in Reykjavik in Winter: Itinerary and Things to Do

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Are you curious about exploring Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, in winter? While most people visit Iceland in summer, winter is a fantastic time to visit. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a small town in the Arctic, but something about visiting Reykjavik in winter brought me so much joy.

The long, dark, and harsh winters aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But, the people who choose to live in places like Reykjavik know how to survive winter with cozy ambiance, brightly-colored houses, and cute cafes. Even though Ganesh and I only used Reykjavik as a launching point for our week-long winter road trip around Iceland in a campervan, I fell in love with the city.

Many people head to Iceland for the awe-inspiring landscapes outside the city. Therefore, using Reykjavik as a stopover on your way to or from the airport or while gearing up for a road trip or excursion with a tour company around the country is common.

With so much culture and life packed into this relatively small city and shorter winter days, choosing what to do during your 24 hours in Reykjavik can be overwhelming. This guide covers some of the city’s best highlights and a few unexpected finds to help you make the most of a short time there.

As amazing as Reykjavik is, I encourage you to spend more than 24 hours here if possible. I certainly wish we had more time, and I know I will be back in the future.

Is Visiting Reykjavik in Winter a Good Idea?

Visiting Reykjavik in winter is not for the faint of heart, but the cozy city is the perfect escape for those willing to brave the cold and dark. Reykjavik in winter requires some modifications to most itineraries due to limited daylight.

To make the most of your limited time in Reykjavik in winter, a few tips will ensure you have the best time.

• Average Winter Daylight: 4 to 5 hours. Make the most of those limited daylight hours by exploring the top sights outside. Then, head indoors to enjoy museums, cafe culture, thermal baths, or a cozy pub
• Best Weekend vs. Weekday: Weekends are highly recommended; city nightlife and shops stay open much later.
• Packing Essentials: Heavy windproof layers, thermal underwear, and solid ice-gripping boots.
• Vibe: Expect to swap endless outdoor days for cozy cafes, museums, warm thermal pools, and moody Arctic lighting.

I visited in the winter, so this guide is optimized for spending 24 hours in Reykjavik in winter. It focuses on cozy indoor things like finding great coffee shops, design stores, and pubs while limiting your time outdoors to highlights during the short winter days.

How to Get to Reykjavik from KEF Airport

The main options for getting from the airport to the city are:

• The Flybus: The most budget-friendly, reliable coach option running in sync with flight arrivals.
• Rental Car / Campervan: Highly recommended renting an AWD or 4×4 vehicle for winter road conditions.
• Private Taxi or Shared Minibus: Great for door-to-door service, but ensure you book in advance.

Our flight landed at 5 a.m. at KEF International Airport, giving us plenty of time to explore the city before heading out the following day. If you have a later flight that arrives in the afternoon or evening, I suggest giving yourself a full day in the city.

The drive from KEF airport takes anywhere between 45 minutes and over an hour, depending on your method of transportation. Since we reserved a campervan with Kuku Campers, they offered a transfer service from the airport to their location near the city center. We enjoyed the drive in a small shared minibus while chatting with our local driver.

Updated 2023: Kuku Campers, the rental company we used, is now at the airport. So, if you’re following my recommendation to rent a 4×4 campervan with them, you can pick up your vehicle at the airport and head off. This is an excellent option as you don’t have to book additional airport transit.

Thinking of the Blue Lagoon? Or Sky Lagoon

We didn’t visit the Blue Lagoon while in Iceland. Gasp, I know! We found some other natural hot springs, like Secret Lagoon, more appealing and prioritized visiting those on our road trip.

However, I know Blue Lagoon is popular with tourists and is on many people’s bucket lists. So, if you do plan on visiting, now is your chance. It is only 20 minutes from the airport and 50 minutes from downtown Reykjavik, so visiting on your way to or from the airport makes sense.

You can take the Destination Blue Lagoon Bus or book a taxi from the airport. The Lagoon opens pretty early, so it is even an option for those people with flights that arrive in the morning.

The Modern Alternative: Sky Lagoon

If you want something incredibly convenient without leaving the capital, look into the newer Sky Lagoon. Located just minutes from downtown Reykjavik, the infinity-edge view over the North Atlantic is a food alternative.

The Perfect 24 Hours in Reykjavik

Morning in Reykjavik

Coffee and Breakfast

You won’t find a  single Starbucks anywhere in Iceland. Instead, there are plenty of local coffee shops in the city to help you fuel your day.

• Mokka-Kaffi: The first coffee shop to open in Reykjavik (back in 1958!). They have become an iconic staple in Iceland’s coffee world scene. Mokka is a small, intimate spot with limited seating, so come early or grab coffee to go.
• Kaffitár: Thankfully, this cozy spot was right near our accommodation, so we grabbed a few cups during our time in Reykjavik. The inviting environment is a good spot to relax or plan your day.
• The Laundromat Cafe: The cafe is funky and has all the essential breakfast staples to fuel your day. It is also in a great location to start your walk along the waterfront and harbor.

Walk the Waterfront

If you head straight from the Laundromat Cafe to the harbor, you may see fishing boats coming in with their early catch. There are also often interesting military boats tucked away in the harbor.

As you walk, it’s hard not to get distracted by the geometric shimmering fish scales in the corner of your eye, which would be the lovely Harpa or the convention center and music hall. This architectural masterpiece is great for photos. It is free to enter, and we enjoyed admiring the Nordic architecture from the inside out.

Continue along the waterfront until you find the Solfar Sculpture, the skeletal tribute to the Viking ships of long ago. With the mountains in the distance and the water glittering before the bow, this is an excellent stop for a photo.

There is not much past this sculpture, but if you still want to walk, you can continue to the Hofdi. The house is notably one of the most stunning houses in the city.

It was where the treaty to end the Cold War was signed and still stands as an important part of the country’s government. While not open to the public, you can wander the outside premises.

Afternoon in Reykjavik

Support Local Shops

Cutting back into the city center, you might notice all the exciting shops are starting to open. Shopping in Reykjavik is unlike anywhere else in the world. You won’t find many designer name brands, like in most cities. Instead, look for local businesses along Skólavörðustígur and Laugavegur streets for local handmade products.

• Geysir: Offers breathtaking, high-end Icelandic fashion and gorgeous tailored outerwear.
• Icewear: A historic wool producer that started in the 1970s. This is the spot to purchase a traditional lopapeysa (Icelandic wool sweater), cozy mittens, or wool socks.

Other than that, the best shopping method is whatever interests you. There’s great jewelry made from volcanic rock, sweaters knitted from Icelandic sheep wool, and unique art.

I bought a cozy sweater and a lovely necklace made from volcanic rock from a nearby volcanic eruption. Most of the shopping can be found on Skólavörðustígur Street, Laugavegur Street, and Bankastræti Street.

Where to Grab Lunch in Reykjavik

I have two recommendations on either end of the shopping district when it’s time for lunch. On the East Side, near the cathedral, you have Cafe Loki. Here, you will find unique traditional items on the menu.

Another popular location for lunch is hot dogs. Yes, hot dogs! There are two things Icelandic people love: hot dogs and ice cream. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, or “Best Hot Dogs in Town,” is back toward the harbor on the west side. Many claim a trip to Reykjavik is not complete until you try one of these dogs. Made mostly with local organic lamb, order yours “ein með öllu” (with everything).

Vegetarian Update: I visited Iceland nine years ago, just as I was transitioning to a vegetarian diet. If I were to return, I wouldn’t visit either of these places.

Instead, I would go for one of the vegetarian—or vegan-friendly spots like Chickpea, Garðurinn, or Mama Reykjavik near the cathedral or any of the little grab-and-go restaurants by the harbor that aren’t the famous hot dog stand.

Check-In – Where to Stay in Reykjavik

It should be time to check in at most hostels and hotels. We stayed at the Loft Hi Eco Hostel. It was honestly the first time I stayed in a hostel in a long time. I was a bit unsure if it was the right fit. But with the prices in Iceland, it was an excellent choice for our budget.

The best part is that they offer private rooms, so we had our own space, but it came with a hostel’s social perks. We loved the cozy Nordic vibes, community space, rooftop lounge, and customer service.

Late Afternoon: Sightseeing and Museums

Reykjavik’s cultural hub is around Tjörnin, a scenic lake. Around the Lake is a lovely park called Hljómskála. We spent quite a bit of time walking through the park, watching the birds, stopping to look at City Hall, and visiting a few museums.

• The National Gallery: Perfect for classic and modern Icelandic art.
• The Saga Museum: Ideal if you want a deeper, slightly dramatic look into Viking history.
• Aurora Reykjavik: If the winter clouds are blocking your view of the actual Northern Lights, this interactive center is the next best thing.

Several tourist information centers are also in the area. If you need to make last-minute bookings for Auroro tours, Golden Circle tours, or glacier hikes, you can do that at one of these centers.

Now, around dusk, is the time to head back up to Hallgrimskirkja. The best part of Hallgrimskirkja is not the interior but the outside and the view from the top. I saved this for dusk, as the lighting in the Arctic is just stunning.

The gift store inside sells tickets for $9. Be prepared for long lines, as the elevator only allows six people at a time, and the stairs are closed unless there is an emergency. Once at the top, it can be a fight for a view as there are only a few peepholes, but the view is worth it, and the photo opportunities of the city are stellar.

Evening in Reykjavik

Where to Eat Dinner

Both restaurants I recommend for dinner are high-end. It’s my philosophy to treat yourself in Reykjavik, as the food is unlike anywhere else. For the rest of the trip, we ate stove-top campervan food.

For dinner, my philosophy is to treat yourself while you’re in the capital. We spent the rest of our trip eating camp-stove food out of the back of our KuKu camper, so our city meals were our splurge!

• Spes Kitchen: If you are looking for a spectacular, modern, plant-forward fine dining experience, this seasonal kitchen is doing incredible things with local Icelandic vegetables and creative plates.
• Sjávargrillið (Seafood Grill): An incredible spot offering multi-course Icelandic fusion and deeply comforting, upscale seafood with some vegetarian options.

Enjoy the Nightlife

After dinner, get ready to party! Reykjavik’s nightlife scene puts it on the map. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer or winter; the streets on the weekend are flooded until the early hours.

You might hear the word runtúr, a pub crawl. While this term is used mostly among younger generations, it refers to a pub crawl in the loosest sense. Embrace this mentality: pick a bar and go wherever the crowd takes you from there.

The streets of the nightlife are the same as the shopping areas. We started at Einstöck Bar for a pint of local beer. Afterward, we stopped at Kaffibarinn, a cozy local pub, for a few rounds.

You can also buy yourself some local Icelandic Schnapps made with Icelandic moss and take it back to Loft Hostel for a chill night with local spirits to warm you up!

If you have an early morning excursion or a flight out in the morning, don’t party too hard. Be careful; you may not even get a good night’s sleep with the racket going on outside. We have an early day at the Golden Circle for those continuing on my 5-day winter itinerary of Iceland (update coming soon).

Comment and Share Reykjavik in Winter

I hope you have an amazing 24 hours in Reykjavik. This is such a fun city to explore, and even with only 5 hours of daylight, you can still pack in a lot of activities. While you can certainly spend more than 24 hours in this beautiful city, it is common to pass through, using it as a launching point for a road trip around the country.

Reykjavik in winter is a cozy Nordic escape, perfect for the perfect start and end to your full five-day campervan itinerary.

Planning a trip to Iceland in winter? I’ve got you covered!

• Iceland 5-Day Winter Campervan Roadtrip Itinerary
• Driving the Golden Circle in Winter
• Renting and Driving a car/camper in Iceland in Winter
• Iceland’s Secret Lagoon
• Kuku Camper Campervan Rental Review