Two Days In Reykjavik – The Best Itinerary For Iceland’s Capital

Two days in Reykjavik is the perfect length of time to discover and explore this fascinating capital city. Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland is a surprisingly small but colourful, lively place with a lot of activities and things to see when visiting. 

Whether you want to visit one of the many fascinating museums that the city has to offer, go on a day tour to see some of the many wonders of Iceland or taste some of the local gastronomy, there is more than enough to keep you occupied over the course of two days. 

Having visited Reykjavik recently in September 2024, I was seriously impressed with the capital and really came to like its low key vibe and colourful architecture. I have a lot of recommendations to share with you in this blog post to make your time in this city as memorable as possible.

2 Days In Reykjavik Itinerary 

So without further ado, let’s take a look at my itinerary for 2 days in Reykjavik:

Day One

Reykjavik is an easily walkable city and that is the perfect way to start your first day here. You’ll soon notice several iconic, impressive landmarks which simply can’t be missed during your stay, and the most iconic landmark is:

Hallgrímskirkja Church 

I was absolutely blown away by the sight of Hallgrímskirkja Church – it’s easily the most impressive church I’ve ever seen! 

Based at the top of the city just up from Rainbow Street, the church is totally unmissable and easily seen from miles outside of Reykjavik. Standing at 70 feet tall, it has a totally unique design and also has an impressive statue of Leif Erikson, the ‘son of Iceland’ outside.  

I recommend buying a ticket to the top of the church tower while visiting as well. There is a lift to the tower and the panoramic views here of Reykjavik are breath-taking, giving you a good idea of the layout of the city in every direction. 

City Sightseeing Bus

After checking out Hallgrímskirkja Church, you can hop on a City Sightseeing Hop-on, Hop-off bus, which handily stops outside the church. Click here to buy your ticket in advance.

City Sightseeing buses are well known in pretty much every major (and lesser known) city throughout the world and are in my opinion the perfect way to get from one destination to another and to learn more about a new city, especially on your first day visiting. 

It’s also a good plan B option if the weather in Reykjavik takes a turn for the worse, which was definitely the case for me on my first day here and is a regular occurrence in Iceland!

With audio commentary and free wi-fi on the bus, the Reykjavik City Sightseeing bus goes to a total of 16 different stops throughout the city, including the old harbour and several museums as well. 

You can set your own itinerary and get off at whichever stop you fancy, so you can spend as much time as you like discovering different places in the city before stopping for lunch. 

There are so many restaurant options in Reykjavik and I’ll be recommending my three favourite places to eat later in the blog post. 

Go and See Some Whales!

After lunch it’s time to head to the old harbour for an exciting expedition on the waters surrounding the city, in the hope to see some of the most extraordinary sea mammals in the world. 

The surrounding waters of Reykjavik is known to be home to several different types of whales, from huge humpback whales to even killer whales. There are several cruise tours that take you several miles around Iceland, with a captain who will point out any whale sightings. 

My whale tour lasted 3 hours and unfortunately I didn’t get to see any whales, which I was reassured was a rare occurrence. So my advice would be to lower your expectations just in case you have some bad luck like I did. 

If you are unlucky like I am, then your tour guide will give you a free ticket that you can redeem in the future, and is valid for up to 2 years. Click here to book this experience. With the tour lasting 3 hours you’ll be ready for a nice evening meal, wrapping up day one of our two day itinerary in Reykjavik. 

Day Two

Let’s continue our guide with day two in Reykjavik:

Perlan Museum

For your morning on day two in Reykjavik, I recommend visiting what many people say is the best museum in the whole city: Perlan museum. 

Reykjavik has some truly great museums, from the Settlement Exhibition – a museum dedicated to the viking history of Iceland with countless archeological artefacts to the Whales of Iceland museum, which displays life size models of the amazing sea mammals. 

But I chose to visit the Perlan museum, based just on the outskirts of the city centre and was not disappointed. Based in a huge dome shaped building, Perlan is a fairly new museum with interactive exhibitions focused on the natural history of this amazing country. 

The highlight for me was an indoor ice cave (which is the world’s only indoor ice cave within a museum), where you get to experience minus ten degrees temperatures while walking around several tunnels entirely sculpted out of ice. 

There is also an immersive planetarium where you can watch a 23 minute film about the northern lights (to get you excited for our later activity on day 2 of our itinerary). The top floor of Perlan has a nice restaurant and cafeteria which is the perfect spot for lunch and it has 360 views of Reykjavik. 

You can easily spend at least 2 hours here and it’s a really fun place that’s ideal for families. 

Relax at a Thermal Bath

After your museum morning at Perlan, your afternoon will be spent doing one of Iceland’s most popular pastimes – relaxing at a thermal bath! Because Iceland is full of geothermal activity it is a natural hot bed for thermal baths, with more than 18 baths in the greater area of Reykjavik alone. 

The thermal baths and pools in Iceland range from geothermal lakes and hot springs in the midst of nature (which are the less crowded and more serene choice), to more luxurious spas which are popular with tourists.

The most popular is of course the Blue Lagoon, but I opted to visit a fairly new alternative to this: the Sky Lagoon. Easily reachable from Reykjavik, the Sky Lagoon is a fancy, swanky spa with absolutely stunning views. 

With the pool area surrounded by artificial but amazing looking rock formations, you can relax here and soak up incredible ocean views next to the infinity pool. There is a fountain area and a bar if you fancy a drink or two. 

What I was most impressed with at the Sky Lagoon however was its ‘7 Step Ritual’ which involves enjoying the most luxurious sauna I’ve ever been to, as well as various other steps which concluded with a cold plunge, which is quite a shock to the system!

I would recommend 2-3 hours at the Sky Lagoon to really enjoy all that it has to offer. It also has a very nice restaurant and cafeteria which is a good spot for a bite to eat before your evening activity. 

See the Northern Lights

The most spectacular natural phenomenon that takes place in our skies is possible to view in Iceland, if you’re fortunate enough; the incredible northern lights. 

The northern lights or aurora borealis is created by solar winds interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field and can only be seen from arctic countries such as Iceland. There are several tours that will take you off the beaten track after dark to remote areas in the hope of seeing this once in a life-time phenomenon. Click here to see the tour options.

Whether you see the northern lights or not is quite a gamble; I tried to see them on a beautiful clear night but wasn’t lucky. It depends on several factors but if you really want to try and see them then make sure you visit Iceland between late September to late April, when the skies will be at their darkest at nighttime. 

It’s definitely worth trying but similarly to the whale cruise mentioned on day one of your itinerary; it’s best to lower your expectations to avoid disappointment. 

Best Places To Eat In Reykjavik

Reykjavik is absolutely packed with top quality restaurants – I was surprised by just how many there are in such a small place and the variety available as well. There are all sorts of restaurants with different types of international cuisine, as well as a good range of vegan and vegetarian options. 

Here are the three best places that I ate at during my stay in Reykjavik that I fully recommend:

Loving Hut – An awesome Thai restaurant that’s menu is completely comprised of only vegan and vegetarian dishes. This was the perfect place for me as a vegetarian and the food is top quality – it’s so good that I visited twice!

Cafe Loki – The best place to visit if you want to try some traditional Icelandic dishes. Based opposite the stunning Hallgrímskirkja church, you can try dishes such as steamed cod to more extreme and unusual Icelandic dishes such as fermented shark!

Icelandic Street Food – This is a very popular restaurant based in the downtown area of Reykjavik. There were literally queues outside of the door with people trying to get a table here when I visited, and it is famous for fantastic traditional hearty meat and fish soups. 

Day Tours Outside of Reykjavik 

Of course, Iceland has so much more to offer outside of Reykjavik and it would be a crying shame if you didn’t explore its outstanding natural features, that include everything from volcanic craters, waterfalls, geysers, glaciers and more. 

There are several really top quality day tours that you can take from Reykjavik and I can highly recommend the following:

The Golden Circle Tour: This is the most popular day tour in Iceland from Reykjavik that takes you to the awe-inspiring Golfoss waterfall. You’ll also visit Geysir where you can see the spectacular Strokker geyser which erupts 30 feet into the air every several minutes. 

And you will get to walk between tectonic plates at Thingvellir national park which is a very unique and awesome experience. My tour included a stop at Kerid crater, a dormant volcanic site which was also spectacular. 

Lasting over 8 hours, I absolutely loved this tour and for me it was the perfect introduction to the majestic beauty that is Iceland. 

South Iceland Tour: I can also recommend this south Iceland tour which stops off at a couple more breathtaking waterfalls (Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss) as well as the jaw-dropping Solheimajokull Glacier and Iceland’s black sand beach: Reynisfjara. 

I loved this tour just as much as the Golden Circle tour and honestly can’t recommend both of them enough – everything was nothing short of spectacular and memorable, they made my time in Iceland all the more special!

Reykjavik FAQs

Still not sure about visiting Reykjavik for 2 days? Allow me to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about this awesome city:

Is 2 days enough to explore Reykjavik?

Yes, as mentioned the city of Reykjavik is quite a surprisingly small city for a capital and it’s very walkable – you can walk from one side to the other of the main centre in 10-15 minutes. 

So 2 days is more than enough time to explore the city fully and to visit several museums and check out the amazing landscapes that are easily seen on the outskirts. 

How many days to visit the rest of Iceland?

I spent 6 days in Reykjavik and went on two day tours which travelled around the southern part of the country. If you only have a few days in Iceland then that’s enough time to go on a few tours (or rent a car) and see some of the amazing sights. 

However, if you really want to explore the country fully and go on a road trip, then Iceland’s Ring Road is a popular option. This is a huge looping route that covers most of the country and for this I would recommend around 6-10 days. 

Is Reykjavik an expensive city?

Yes, Reykjavik is known as an expensive city and Iceland as well is one of the most expensive countries you’ll visit, so plan accordingly!

You can expect to pay higher than average prices for hotel accommodation and at restaurants, especially during the peak season of the summer months. 

But, if you visit Iceland during the off peak season (especially the winter months) then accommodation will be somewhat cheaper. You can also find cheap flights to Iceland throughout the year, especially from the UK and European countries. 

When is the best time to visit Reykjavik?

The peak season during summer is known to be the best time to visit Reykjavik and Iceland as the weather won’t be so bad. But this is when the city/country is at its busiest, so expect plenty of other tourists and as I’ve just mentioned, hotel prices will be at a premium. 

Instead, the spring and autumn months are a good alternative as are the winter months, but expect the weather to be rather cold and unpredictable to say the least!

Conclusion: 2 Days In Reykjavik Itinerary

So that concludes my itinerary on how to spend 2 days in awesome Reykjavik. This city and Iceland absolutely blew me away to the extent where it is one of my favourite travel destinations – I can’t wait to go back!

Reykjavik is a lively place with a great atmosphere and loads to do, packed with museums, restaurants and is right on the doorstep of some of the most beautiful natural landscapes you’ll ever see. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading through my two days in Reykjavik itinerary and are now inspired to see what all the fuss is about!

For more articles about Iceland, check out my recommendations below:

• The best stops on the Golden Circle Route in Iceland
• How to spend a layover in Iceland

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