Reykjavik is one of my favourite cities. It’s small, cute, and the backdrop of snow-covered mountains is just stunning. Here’s how I recommend you spend three days in Reykjavik.

Day one in Reykjavik

Check out the Solfar Sun Voyager sculpture

There is a shiny metal sculpture of a Viking ship which sits by the water with the mountains in the background. The sculpture was installed to mark the 200th anniversary of the city of Reykjavik.

It’s a peaceful sunrise or sunset spot, as the sculpture reflects the twilight colours. If you’re visiting in winter it’s super easy to be up for sunrise, which happens as late as 11:23am at the solstice.

Visit Hallgrímskirkja (the church)

Hallgrímskirkja is an iconic church in Reykjavik with a distinctive design. You can see it from most places in the city so it’s easy to make your way up the hill for a visit.

It’s pretty shape makes it pretty instagramable and it’s modern interior is really quite pleasant too.

You can also take a lift up to the viewing deck at the top for views over the city.

See spectacular views from the Perlan

The best spot I found for a great view over Reykjavik was from the viewing deck at the Perlan.

The Perlan is a large reflective dome building perched on top of a hill a short walk from the city centre. You can stand outside on the viewing deck to see the colourful rooftops of Reykjavik against a background of snowy mountains. It’s stunning!

The Perlan also has an indoor exhibition where you can learn about Iceland’s geology, which is a great activity if the weather isn’t so good.

Visit the cafes, restaurants and pubs in Reykjavik

Iceland has a reputation for being an expensive place to visit and, yeah, it sort of is.

Whilst Reykjavik has a great set of coffee houses, bars and restaurants, it is true that you can expect to pay at least £20 for a main course and £10 for a pint.

That said, most of the pubs in the city have half price happy hour from 4pm – 8pm every day and they advertise this clearly outside the bar. So you just have to get in early!

For food, you could always get an Airbnb and cook for yourself. Though why miss out on the experience of eating out? If you’re spending just three days in Reykjavik it won’t add up to all that much.

To keep costs down, you can get some great deals on flight, hotel and tour packages if you book at the right time. I booked a package through Icelandair and, sharing a room with a friend, cost me around £350 for 3 nights including flight, hotel, breakfast, Northern Lights trip, and day trip to Geysir and Gulfoss.

See the Northern Lights

Perhaps one of the reasons you’re keen to spend three days in Reykjavik is for the chance to see the elusive Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis? If so, you’re unlikely to see them from the city because of light pollution.

So, make sure you book a Northern Lights Adventure out to one of the national parks at night for the best chance to spot them. It’s best to book for your first night in Reykjavik because some tour companies will take you out again the next night if you don’t get to see them the first time.

Is it worth standing out in the bitter cold for hours waiting? Hell. Yes. I promise you, hands down the most incredible thing I have ever seen. And besides, they leave the heating on in the bus you you can always go warm up for a while.

Day two in Reykjavik

Road trip to the geysers, waterfalls and tectonic plates

Make sure you spend at least one of your three days in Reykjavik on a day trip out of the city to see some of Iceland’s incredible landscapes.

As you drive on the long, winding roads towards Geysir as the sun rises over the mountains you’ll notice something missing – Iceland has very few trees, which gives the place an other-worldly feel.

Whilst it isn’t guaranteed that you’ll see Geysir erupt, it is quite likely. It happened three or four times whilst I was there. And if not, it’s still cool to be walking on snow, with boiling hot water steaming beside you.

Continue on to Gulfoss, one of Iceland’s many huge and beautiful waterfalls. Be prepared for the cold if you visit in winter. It was -9 degrees C when I visited and it feels even colder with the spray from the waterfall blowing in your face!

One thing I didn’t know before I spent three days in Reykjavik is that Iceland sits on the line between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian tectonic plate. You can take a hike alongside what looks like a cliff, but is actually the edge of a tectonic plate!

Day three in Reykjavik

Soak in the blue lagoon

Ok, time for the sad truth… I didn’t get to visit the blue lagoon on my trip because it was ‘closed for refurbishment’. “Uh…”, I thought, “Isn’t it a natural geothermal spa!?”. Yes, it is, but it turns out they sometimes need to fix the steps into the lake and repaint the changing rooms. Bummer.

But I’m still going to recommend it here because if I went back to Reykjavik, which I intend to do one day, I’d like to go! Relaxing in a warm natural hot tub enriched with minerals sounds good to me!

You do need to book in advance so, if it hasn’t come with your tour package, you can book here.

Getting to Reykjavik

I booked my trip as a package with Icelandair which included flight, hotel, and some tours. I shared a room with a friend which made it pretty good value! Everything worked beautifully well, so I do recommend doing it this way.

As always though, check out Skyscanner or Momondo for the best flight deals before you book. It may be that you could get a better price booking things separately.