Reykjavik’s old harbour lies to the north-west of today’s city centre, where most visitors stroll through the shopping streets and take in the sights. Large crowds of tourists rarely find their way over here. And yet this part of the city is well worth seeing!
Whenever I talk to people who have been to Iceland lately, more and more of them are unhappy with Reykjavik: the city is too crowded, everyone is stepping on each other’s toes. The promise of peaceful, lonely landscapes feels further away in the capital than anywhere else in the country. That’s exactly what makes the north-western area so interesting to me: at least compared to the city centre, it is quiet and cosy here.
I spent many lovely days here in the winter of 2015 and I’d now like to take you along on a little tour through Reykjavik’s old harbour. There is a companion tour with additional content in the Iceland app, perfect for exploring on location.
Off we go, have fun…
Sightseeing in Reykjavik’s old harbour
There is plenty to discover in the north-west of the capital. But let’s start at the beginning: you are probably staying at a hotel in the city centre and setting off from there. In that case there is essentially only one way to get to the old harbour: the Reykjavik Sculpture & Shore Walk. I’ll use Hallgrímskirkja as the starting point, since most people know it — and even if you are staying somewhere between the church and the old harbour, the route is much the same: just head north towards the sea, you can hardly miss it 😉
When you reach the sea at the level of Hallgrímskirkja, you should already see the famous Sun Voyager to your west. From there you keep going in that direction, past the Harpa and the statue of the “musician”, and you are almost there.
I don’t want to prescribe a fixed route for this tour, because I don’t know when you’ll go, whether you’ll be hungry, or in what order you want to see things. So I’ll just loosely group the places and you can pick your own order in the end.
Food and drink in Reykjavik’s old harbour
Of all the places on this tour, the biggest share goes to restaurants, cafés and bars: you won’t starve!
Everything from budget food to fine dining is on offer, but let’s start with my personal and perhaps somewhat unusual insider tip: supermarket sushi. Yes, you heard that right, sushi from the supermarket. At the Kronan on Fiskislóð there is a sushi counter at the very back of the store, and it really doesn’t need to hide. There are various combinations, and price-wise they are only slightly higher than in a restaurant here in Germany (which makes them a bargain in Iceland!).
The exact opposite awaits you at Bryggjan Brugghús, with excellent cuisine and a bar to go with it. Absolutely top notch — the food is really delicious and the drinks are equally high-class. The in-house brewery supplies the beer for your meal, and if you like you can also attend a “beer school”, where in a good hour you learn everything about beer and consume a fair amount of it along the way.
An alternative to both, and my favourite restaurant in the old harbour: The Coocoo’s Nest. This cosy little restaurant offers all sorts of things, tasty and at good prices. You’ll find all kinds of interesting people here, from warehouse workers to artists. A really special tip!
At Búrið you get cheese. Stinky, spicy, mild and delicious cheese. The dairy product is imported here from all over the world and served with jams and crackers for tasting. Fittingly, there is a “cheese school” (no, not a joke) where you can learn quite a bit about the subject. Not every day though, so check ahead and book.
Valdís and ice cream are synonyms in Iceland. Hard to believe, but Icelanders love eating ice cream, and lots of it, even though it’s constantly cold anyway. Then again, that has never stopped me either, I must admit. There are dozens of fun flavours here and there is something for everyone. Ideal in summer, as a refreshment after the long walk from the city centre.
You’ve surely already spotted Omnom if you’ve made it to the old harbour. The Icelandic chocolate brand is everywhere, and there are lots of special editions for sights in Iceland (for example one for Silfra). Unfortunately there is no chocolate school, but you can do a factory tour at Omnom, which is at least as educational.
For coffee and cake I can recommend Café Haiti. The name says it all: the roof beams are colourful, the music is Caribbean, and the staff don’t look typically Icelandic at all.
My last tip is more of an evening thing, for those who like it cosy: Dine with the artist. Daði Guðbjörnsson, one of the city’s artists, regularly invites locals and tourists to dinner together. If you sign up early enough and get lucky, you can learn a lot more about the area and about Iceland in general.
Bars in Reykjavik’s old harbour
Probably the best-known bar in the old harbour is Slippbarinn. The hip, modern bar is located on the ground floor of the Marina Hotel and really makes an impression! From beer to cocktails to wine, you’ll get everything your heart desires here. Small snacks are served as well. Happy hour is three times a day, between 3 and 6 😉
We already covered Bryggjan Brugghús, but as I said, you don’t just get excellent food here but also great drinks. Beer from the in-house brewery, cocktails and wine. That’s how it should be!
There are one or two more bars in the old harbour, but to be honest, for bar hopping you’re better off in the city centre, simply because there is so much more choice there.
Reykjavik’s old harbour and its museums & exhibitions
There is no shortage of culture here either. Various museums and exhibitions can be found in the old halls and invite you to learn something new.
First and foremost, and relatively new: Whales of Iceland. In this exhibition you’ll find dozens of life-size models of whales that live in the waters around Iceland. Perhaps as a warm-up for a whale watching tour, or for fact-checking afterwards.
There are proper museums as well, namely the Saga Museum and the Marine Museum. Both are located practically at the entrance to the old harbour and invite visitors to learn about Iceland’s sagas and its maritime history respectively.
At the Aurora Centre you can learn everything about northern lights in Iceland. What exactly they are, how they form and what they look like: there is a simulation on the ceiling for everyone who had no luck hunting the northern lights or who is visiting in summer.
Shopping and adventure in Reykjavik’s old harbour
There are also a few shops here, as well as tour operators.
Great for browsing: the Reykjavik Farmers Market. The old harbour is home to the flagship store of the label founded in 2005, which puts local craftsmanship front and centre. You’ll find classic Nordic elements here, combined with high quality — an absolute gift tip!
A little out of the way, at the very western end of the old harbour, you’ll find Tulipop. Hard to describe, but if you have kids they will probably love it. The little characters were created by two Icelandic women with a lot of imagination and are shipped from here all over the world.
While you’re here, you should drop in at Dive.IS and find out about diving in Iceland. The tour operator offers diving and snorkelling tours in Iceland, especially to the world-famous Silfra fissure. A unique experience that I warmly recommend to everyone, and I have already written here about the extremely high quality of this operator. Say hi from me!
The last tip concerns big, chubby animals: the old harbour serves as the starting point for many whale watching tour operators. As you walk in from the city centre you can’t miss the various offers. Tip: it’s best to do your whale watching tour at the beginning of your trip, because if no whales are spotted you’ll often get a voucher for another ride on a different day.
Around Reykjavik’s old harbour
If you’re a good walker, you can continue further west from here, along the Seltjarnarnes peninsula. Especially in winter you get great views here when the northern lights are particularly strong and therefore visible in the city. This is also where you’ll find one of the few inner-city hot springs in Iceland: the Kvika foot bath. Right by the sea and pretty properly hot, it invites you to dip your toes in.
Map of the Reykjavik old harbour day tour in Iceland
On the map you’ll find all the places mentioned in this article.
Have fun in Iceland… 🙂
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