Reykjavik Off the Beaten Path: 4 Days
Four days adds a proper pool afternoon and Perlan’s glacier exhibit to the flea market, penis museum, and hot dog stand from the shorter version, still without a rental car or a Golden Circle detour. Want the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon folded in instead? See Reykjavik as an Iceland base and its own 4 day itinerary .
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Landing in 101, Hallgrímskirkja, and a Kaffibarinn happy hour |
| 2 | A laundromat cafe, Old Harbour whale watching, and Grandi |
| 3 | Kolaportið flea market, the penis museum, and Tjörnin pond |
| 4 | A neighbourhood pool soak, the National Museum, and Perlan at sunset |
Book these before you go
- Compare downtown Reykjavik hotel rates , since 101 saves the daily Flybus commute
- Reserve a whale-watching trip out of the Old Harbour, especially for a July-August weekend
- Book a Reykjavik food walk through Grandi’s chocolate factory and street art
- Reserve Perlan tickets online , about ISK 400 cheaper per ticket than paying at the door
Day 1: Landing in 101
Flybus from Keflavík (ISK 3,999, 45 minutes; Iceland has no railway anywhere) into 101 Reykjavik, then Skólavörðustígur’s rainbow street up to Hallgrímskirkja. The tower is ISK 1,500, walk-up only, same-day purchase the only way it’s sold; the nave is free. Close the night with a Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog (ISK 880-1,330) and happy hour at Kaffibarinn, drafts from ISK 1,050 after 3pm.
Day 2: A laundromat, the harbour, and Grandi
Brunch at the Laundromat Cafe on Austurstræti, a working coin laundry with a bookshop built in. Walk to the Old Harbour for the free Sun Voyager sculpture and the whale-watching trip, 3-3.5 hours into Faxaflói bay. Grandi’s Omnom chocolate factory and street-art-covered warehouses fill the afternoon, then Harpa’s free glass lobby closes the day.
Day 3: The flea market, the penis museum, and a pond
Is Kolaportið open every day? No, Saturday and Sunday only, 11:00-17:00, free entry. If day 3 falls on a weekday, swap in the National Museum’s Settlement Exhibition and save the market for day 4’s museum stop instead. The Icelandic Phallological Museum (ISK 2,750, kids 13 and under free, 10am-7pm daily) sits a short walk from the harbour; spend the afternoon at Tjörnin pond and the Reykjavik Art Museum’s Hafnarhús building.
Day 4: A pool soak, the National Museum, and Perlan
Is Perlan worth the ISK 5,990 ticket? For the glacier exhibit and the 360-degree observation deck, yes, especially timed for sunset; book online rather than at the door, since online pricing runs about ISK 400 cheaper per adult. Start the day at Laugardalslaug, the city’s largest neighbourhood pool (ISK 1,430, no booking needed), for the hot-pot soak locals actually use daily, then walk the adjoining botanical garden and park before the National Museum of Iceland if you skipped it on day 3.
Cap the trip with Perlan in the late afternoon; the ice cave exhibit and planetarium fill an hour easily, and the observation deck at sunset is the best view of the city you’ll get without renting a car for Grótta. Four days is enough for six of the city’s nine unusual picks; the 5 day version adds Nauthólsvík’s imported-sand beach without touching anything booked here.