Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [44]
You’ll find all the cultural trappings of a large 21st-century European city here: cosy cafes, world-class restaurants, fine museums and galleries, and state-of-the-art geothermal pools. Reykjavík has also become infamous for its kicking music scene and its excessive Friday-night runtur, a wild pub crawl round the small, superstylish clubs and bars.
Add to this a backdrop of snow-topped mountains, an ocean that wets the very toes of the town, air as cold and clean as frozen diamonds, and incredible volcanic surroundings, and you’ll agree that there’s no better city in the world.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Swig coffee in a quirky cafe, or treat yourself to some top-quality Icelandic seafood
Join the runtur, a wild pub crawl through Reykjavík’s tiny but oh-so-cool bars and clubs
Enjoy the geothermal pools at Laugardalslaug, Nauthólsvík Beach and, of course, the otherworldly Blue Lagoon
Immerse yourself in Icelandic history at the National Museum and the high-tech exhibition Reykjavík 871 +/-2
Survey the city from the heights of Hallgrímskirkja’s steeple
POPULATION: 118,700
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HISTORY
Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian fugitive, became the first official Icelander in AD 871. Myth has it that he tossed his öndvegissúlur (high-seat pillars) overboard, settling where the gods washed them ashore. This was at Reykjavík (Smoky Bay), which he named after steam rising from geothermal vents. According to 12th-century sources, Ingólfur built his farm on Aðalstræti, and excavations have unearthed a Viking longhouse there – Click here.
Reykjavík remained just a simple collection of farm buildings for centuries to follow. In 1225 an important Augustinian monastery was founded on the offshore island of Viðey, although this was destroyed during the 16th-century Reformation.
In the early 17th century the Danish king imposed a crippling trade monopoly on Iceland, leaving the country starving and destitute. In a bid to bypass the embargo, local sheriff Skúli Magnússon, the ‘Father of Reykjavík’, created weaving, tanning and wool-dyeing factories – the foundations of the city – in the 1750s.
Reykjavík really boomed during WWII, when it serviced British and US troops stationed at Keflavík. The city grew, fast and frenetic, until recently when it took a slamming after the global credit crisis of 2008 (Click here). Angry protests outside Parliament eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde in February 2009.
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ORIENTATION
The city is spread out along a small peninsula, with Reykjavík Domestic Airport and the long-distance bus terminal BSÍ in the southern half, and the picturesque city centre and harbour occupying the northern half. The international airport is 48km away at Keflavík (a special airport bus provides connections to the centre of Reykjavík).
The city centre is very compact, and contains most of Reykjavík’s attractions. The main street is Laugavegur. At its eastern end is Hlemmur bus terminal, one of the two main city bus stations. Moving westwards, this narrow, one-way lane blossoms with Reykjavík’s flashiest clothes shops, bars and eateries. It changes its name to Bankastræti, then Austurstræti as it runs across the centre. Running uphill off Bankastræti at a jaunty diagonal, the artists’ street Skólavörðustígur ends at the spectacular modernist church Hallgrímskirkja.
Two-laned Lækjargata cuts straight across Bankastræti/Austurstræti. To its west are the old town squares Austurvöllur and Ingólfstorg. At the northern end is Lækjartorg bus terminal, the other important city bus stand. To the northwest lies Reykjavík’s working harbour. Tjörnin lake and the domestic airport are to the south.
Maps
The tourist information centres are on the ball, and will provide you with a free city plan with your route marked on it probably while you’re still pondering where you want to go. Most plans contain city bus maps.
You’ll find the largest