Reykjavik Off the Beaten Path: 6 Days
Six days completes all nine unusual picks on our full guide : a tidal lighthouse, a genuine shot at the aurora, and everything from the shorter versions, still with no rental car and no Golden Circle mile. Chasing the Golden Circle, the South Coast, or Snæfellsnes too? See Reykjavik as an Iceland base and its own 6 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 |
| 5 | Nauthólsvík’s imported-sand beach and a second locals-only pool |
| 6 | Grótta lighthouse, a tidal causeway, and hunting the aurora |
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
- Book Harpa’s backstage tour , ISK 5,200, if the free lobby wander leaves you wanting more
Day 1: Landing in 101
Flybus from Keflavík (ISK 3,999, 45 minutes) into 101 Reykjavik, then the rainbow street up to Hallgrímskirkja: tower ISK 1,500 walk-up only, nave free. Close with a Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog and happy hour at Kaffibarinn.
Day 2: A laundromat, the harbour, and Grandi
Brunch at the Laundromat Cafe, then 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 fill the afternoon; Harpa’s free lobby, or the booked backstage tour, closes the day.
Day 3: The flea market, the penis museum, and a pond
Kolaportið runs weekends only (11:00-17:00, free entry); swap in the National Museum on a weekday. The Icelandic Phallological Museum runs ISK 2,750, kids 13 and under free. Spend the afternoon at Tjörnin pond and the Reykjavik Art Museum.
Day 4: A pool soak, the National Museum, and Perlan
Laugardalslaug (ISK 1,430) opens the day, then the botanical garden and the Settlement Exhibition. Is it worth booking Perlan tickets in advance? Yes: the glacier exhibit and observation deck run ISK 5,990 booked online versus roughly ISK 7,290 at the door, a difference worth locking in before you arrive, and timing it for sunset makes the deck itself worth the ticket.
Day 5: Nauthólsvík and a second locals-only pool
Nauthólsvík’s imported-sand beach (ISK 920, hours shrink outside summer) and Vesturbæjarlaug, the west-side pool at the same ISK 1,430 city rate, cover the day, with an afternoon around the University of Iceland campus.
Day 6: Grótta, the causeway, and the aurora
Can I see the northern lights from central Reykjavik? Rarely well; the city’s own light pollution washes out all but the strongest displays. Grótta, a tidal island at the tip of Seltjarnarnes reachable by a short bus ride and a walk, sits far enough from downtown lighting to give a realistic shot between September and April, weather and solar activity permitting. Check the tide before walking the causeway out; it floods twice a day and getting stuck on the wrong side is a genuine inconvenience.
Spend the rest of the day on a last Laugavegur shopping pass and the Reykjavik City Card math: it pays for itself only once you’re stacking three or more paid pools, museums, or the ferry in a single day, and this itinerary rarely hits that threshold on any one day. The 7 day version turns this into a full week with a slower final lap instead of a rushed last morning.