One Day in Reykjavik: A Simple Walking Itinerary

If you only have one day in Reykjavik, you can see quite a bit without renting a car. The center is compact, most of the main sights are within walking distance and it is easy to build a full day without spending half of it getting from one place to another.

We stayed in Reykjavik during our Iceland trip and used it as our base for everything else, but we also spent enough time in the city to get a good feel for what is worth seeing. This is the route I would follow if I had one day and wanted to keep it simple.

Morning: Hallgrímskirkja and Skólavörðustígur

Start at Hallgrímskirkja, the church that rises above the center of Reykjavik and is easy to spot from almost anywhere downtown. If the weather is clear, go up the tower first for the view over the rooftops, the harbor and the mountains in the distance.

From there, walk down Skólavörðustígur toward the center. The street is lined with cafés, shops and colorful buildings, and it gives you a much better sense of the city than jumping from sight to sight. Central Reykjavik is compact, so this part of the morning does not need to feel rushed. You can stop for coffee, look through a few shops and still make it to the harbor without turning the day into a checklist.

You can do a walking tour with a Viking. Info here.

Midday: Old Harbour

From Skólavörðustígur, keep heading toward the Old Harbour. This was one of the parts of Reykjavik we liked most because it was easy to spend time there without feeling like we needed a plan. There are small shops around the harbor, boats coming and going and plenty of places to stop for lunch before heading back toward the center. We loved the Taste of Iceland store. We bought a bunch of different icelandic salts to take home. our favorite was the black volcano salt.

This is also where many of the puffin and whale-watching tours leave. We did a short puffin cruise from here and, while it was not one of the biggest highlights of the trip, it was an easy activity to fit into the day and a good option if you like birds or are traveling with kids. Dress warmer than you think you need to. We were cold on the water even in July.

This is the puffin tour we took. See tour details here.

Afternoon: Harpa, the Waterfront and Sun Voyager

From the Old Harbour, head back along the waterfront toward Harpa and then continue to the Sun Voyager. Harpa is worth going inside even if you are not seeing a performance, mostly because of the glass exterior and the way the light changes as you move through the building.

From there, the walk along the water is easy and gives you a completely different view of Reykjavik than the streets around Hallgrímskirkja. The Sun Voyager is not a long stop, but it is one of those places that makes sense to include because it is right along the route and the setting does most of the work. On a clear day, you can see across the water toward the mountains, and it is a good place to slow down before heading back into the center for the evening.

Evening: Dinner Downtown

For the evening, head back into the center and keep it simple. Reykjavik is small enough that you do not need a complicated dinner plan, and after a full day on foot it is nice to stay somewhere central rather than adding another long walk.

Our last night happened to be completely different from anything we could have planned. Iceland was playing France in the Euro 2016 quarterfinal, and when we went into town there was a huge outdoor screen, food trucks and crowds everywhere. Dylan had the Icelandic flag painted on his face, and the Icelandic clap rolling through the crowd is still one of the things we remember most from that trip.

For dinner itself, see our Where to Eat in Reykjavik guide for both what we ate and what we've found researching since.

If You Have More Than One Day

If you have extra time, this is where I would start adding the bigger Iceland experiences rather than trying to force them into a single day in Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon works especially well on an arrival or departure day because it sits between Keflavík Airport and the city, while the Golden Circle and South Coast really deserve their own full day if you are driving.

You could also use the extra time for a longer boat tour, another museum or simply a slower second day in Reykjavik. If you are building out the rest of the trip, see our Best Things to Do in Iceland for First-Time Visitors, Where to Stay in Reykjavik and Best Time to Visit Iceland guides.

Know Before You Go: One Day in Reykjavik

Getting around: You do not need a car for this itinerary. Everything here is within central Reykjavik and can be done on foot, which also saves you from dealing with parking for a day.

Weather: Even in summer, bring layers and something waterproof. The temperature can change quickly, and the wind along the harbor and waterfront can make it feel much colder than it looks outside.

How much time you need: This route easily fills a day without requiring an early start or a packed schedule. If you add a puffin or whale-watching cruise, give yourself a little more flexibility around the harbor portion of the day.

Summer daylight: If you visit in June or July, you have a lot of daylight to work with. We were there in July and it never really got dark, which made it very easy to stay out later than we normally would.

Is One Day in Reykjavik Enough?

One day is enough to see the center of Reykjavik without feeling like you spent the whole time rushing between stops. You can see the main landmarks, spend time around the harbor and waterfront, have lunch and dinner in the city and still have room in the schedule for a short boat tour if you want one.

I would not use one of your Iceland days trying to pack the Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon or South Coast into this itinerary. Give Reykjavik its own day, then use the rest of the trip for the places outside the city.

Where to Stay for a Day Like This

Downtown or the Old Harbour both work well for this itinerary since almost everything above is walkable from either. See our Where to Stay in Reykjavik guide for specific picks.

Listen to Our Iceland Episode

We recorded a two-part Iceland episode about this trip, including the Blue Lagoon, our very long Golden Circle and South Coast day, snowmobiling, the ice cave and the helicopter tour that cost quite a bit more than I thought I was booking.

If you want the stories behind the itinerary, including the things we still disagree about almost ten years later, you can listen to the full episode here.