destination · Reykjavik

Reykjavik Review: A Compact, Very Expensive Base Camp Where the Weather Runs the Itinerary

Reykjavik is a capital of modest size doing a very large job, serving as the arrival point, transport hub and accommodation base for most trips to Iceland. The core, from the Old Harbour through Laugavegur to Hallgrimskirkja on Skolavorduholt, is walkable end to end in under half an hour, and that compactness is the city's chief practical virtue. Hallgrimskirkja itself is free to enter, with the tower costing 1,500 ISK for adults, 1,000 ISK for students, seniors aged 67 and over and disabled visitors, and 200 ISK for children aged 7 to 16. It opens 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from June to August with last tower access at 7:45 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter with the tower closing at 4:45 p.m. Arrival is a fixed cost. Keflavik airport is about 45 minutes from the city and the Flybus charges 3,999 ISK one way for adults to the BSI terminal, 2,000 ISK for youth aged 6 to 15, with children aged 1 to 5 free. The Flybus+ service that drops you at your accommodation costs 5,299 ISK adult and 2,650 ISK youth. Odd-sized luggage is an extra 1,500 ISK and a bicycle is 3,800 ISK. In the city, Straeto buses cost 690 ISK for a single adult fare valid 75 minutes including transfers, 345 ISK for youth aged 12 to 17 and seniors aged 67 and over, and free for children 11 and under. A 30-day adult pass is 12,000 ISK, a reusable Klapp card costs 1,000 ISK empty, and fare capping means an adult never pays for more than three rides in a day or nine in a week on the same card. On top of every hotel bill sits Iceland's lodging tax, which since January 1, 2025 has been 800 ISK per lodging unit per night for hotels and guesthouses and 400 ISK for campsites and motorhome pitches. Cruise passengers on international voyages pay a separate infrastructure fee of 2,500 ISK per passenger for each started day the ship remains in Icelandic customs territory, which applies whether or not anyone disembarks. The genuinely local experience is the municipal swimming pools, geothermally heated and open year-round. Reykjavik city pool admission is 1,500 ISK for adults under the fee schedule effective May 5, 2026, 400 ISK for children aged 10 to 17 and free for children under 10 accompanied by a guardian. A ten-visit adult card is 7,000 ISK. Towel rental is 860 ISK and swimwear 1,270 ISK, so bring your own. Showering naked and thoroughly before entering is a strictly enforced rule, not a suggestion. The famous lagoons are a different proposition. The Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes peninsula and Sky Lagoon at Karsnes in Kopavogur both use dynamic pricing that shifts by season, day and time slot, and both routinely sell out; Blue Lagoon states that pre-booking is essential and recommends booking at least two weeks ahead. Reykjanes remains volcanically active. The most recent eruption ran from July 16 to August 5, 2025, and magma continues to accumulate beneath Svartsengi, so another is expected at some point with as little as twenty minutes of warning. Check the Icelandic Met Office and safetravel.is before committing to Grindavik or the Blue Lagoon, because access to both can close without notice. Day trips carry their own small charges. Thingvellir National Park charges a parking service fee rather than admission: 1,000 ISK for cars with five or fewer seats, 1,200 ISK for six to nine seats, 400 ISK for motorcycles and 2,200 to 4,200 ISK for buses, valid all day across the P1, P2 and P5 lots. Kerid crater charges a 700 ISK service fee with free parking. Gullfoss remains free to visit and free to park.