A city that’s full of surprises
I recently found out that Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital city, but this interesting fact was only the first of a long list of surprises I would discover during my trip to the capital. I also never expected to see so many colourful buildings and so much street art in Reykjavik.
Despite being the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik is only a small city. Though what it lacks in size it makes up for in character and colour. You can travel everywhere by foot and within minutes you’ll notice a city that takes pride in skirting away from the norm.
From the eye-catching wall murals to the nature-inspired architecture, and from the quirky museums (yes, it is home to the world’s only ‘Penis Museum‘) to its close proximity to volcanoes. Everything about Reykjavik delights.
Independent shops in Reykjavik
You won’t find the same generic shops, restaurants and bars that most major cities possess. In fact, this is the first capital city I’ve been to that doesn’t have a McDonalds! Though this hasn’t always been the case. The world-famous chain had landed here previously but after the economy crashed in 2008 the fast food outlet packed up and disappeared from the high street. Good riddance!
Instead of the normal chain restaurants and shops, every corner invites you to learn more about Icelandic culture. Whether it’s one of the restaurants offering fresh lobster soup and local delicacies, or one of the many independent shops stacked with books from local writers or vinyl records from local artists.
I’m not a person who goes crazy for shopping, but Reykjavik has some amazing boutiques, not only with stylish clothes but flawless shop interiors. There’s something about the simplicity, lightness and minimalism of Scandinavian design that I find so appealing.
Whilst I’m talking about Scandinavia, some people might be reading this and saying, “But Iceland isn’t a Scandinavian country”. While this is true, it’s often labelled part of Scandinavia because it used to be under Danish rule and so shares a large cultural and political likeness with these countries. When talking about Scandinavia, there’s a consensus that Iceland is seen among this group of countries.
Accommodation in Reykjavik
The Reykjavik EDITION: If you’re looking for Reykjavik’s swankiest boutique hotel, this is definitely it. Recommended for those with a higher budget looking for luxury. It’s one of only two 5* hotels in the city.
Hotel Reykjavik Centrum: This centrally positioned hotel is located in a beautifully restored historical building with lots of character. The rooms are spacious and the breakfast is superb! Recommended for those with a medium-sized budget.
Fosshotel Reykjavik: This Reykjavik’s biggest hotel but it still manages to maintain a cosy atmosphere with cleverly curated design features and good lighting. It’s a modern Scandinavian hotel with a great atmosphere and some of you may be excited to know the bar has a wide range of Icelandic beers! This hotel is not as centrally located as the other two so for that reason you should find it more reasonably price. It is, however, only a 10-minute walk away to the centre via the picturesque waterfront.
Harpa Concert Hall
Harpa Concert Hall is not to be missed. You can freely walk around and enjoy the views of the harbour from the glass panels. A lot of light floods through the building, a feature which Scandinavian design executes well.
A common characteristic of Scandinavian architecture is the inspiration or involvement of nature, and Harpa showcases this beautifully.
The concert hall has been inspired by the basalt rocks which can be found all over Iceland. For further information you can read a post I’ve written about Iceland’s basalt rocks and where you can find them.
In a bid to conserve money, most of my time was spent walking around the streets of this lively city. If I could only describe Reykjavik in one word, it would be ‘quirky’ (just to confirm the thousands of people who’ve said that before me). Architecturally speaking, it’s far from beautiful in the traditional sense of the word, yet its colourful buildings and splashes of street art make it very photogenic and fun to explore.
It has to be said, without all the colour most buildings would probably look more like drab garages. This is mainly due to the island’s lack of natural raw building materials such as wood and stone. Essentially most buildings are made from concrete and corrugated steel. They’re not ornate or fancy so the addition of colour is a way of inject some personality into the city and it has worked.
In addition, new sculptures are cropping up all around the city, with each one carrying their own merits, as well as symbolism. I’ll leave you to ponder over their meaning.
→ Discover where to find the best public sculptures in Reykjavik
Hallgrímskirkja Church: Reykjavik from above
Head to the top of Hallgrímskirkja Church for gorgeous panoramic views of city. From this bird’s-eye perspective the city looks playfully like a monopoly board. Rows upon rows of cube houses painted brightly in red, blue, yellow and green.
The city’s monopoly-like appearance isn’t so apparent when strolling around by foot, so I definitely recommend heading up to the church tower for approx. £6.
Once wasn’t enough, so I went to the top of the church again at sunset. I witnessed the sky changing from glorious shades of gold, ochre and purple.
In some ways, Reykjavik reminded me of Lodz in Poland. Both cities have an abundance of street art.
Street art in Reykjavik
Street art in Reykjavik is not merely tolerated, but embraced. It’s difficult to walk anywhere without seeing something brightly coloured to catch your eye.
Now look closely at this picture below:
Would you be surprised if I told you the door on the right wasn’t real?
Well ladies and gents, the door on the right is actually a painting! I wouldn’t have given it a second look if it wasn’t for the cat. I spotted the cat, and thought it was strange how it didn’t react to the people walking past. Only when I noticed it wasn’t moving, did the penny drop!
Don’t you think it’s virtually impossible to tell that this door and cat is actually just one very cleverly disguised painting?!
I hope you enjoyed this insight into Reykjavik’s colourful streets. It’s just one of the many reasons why so many people describe this city as quirky.
Planning a trip to Iceland?
If you’re planning a trip to Iceland and need more tips, recommendations, and inspiration. Read more:
- 20 Awesome Things to do in South Iceland
- 20 Awesome Things to do in North Iceland
- An Epic Iceland Road Trip – 2 week intinerary
- What Can You See on Iceland’s Golden Circle Tour?
29 responses
I consider Iceland to be a part of Scandinavia because the Norwegians moved there around 1,000 years ago and the Icelandic language today is what the Norwegian language was back then. Trippy photo of the doors and stellar shot of the colorful homes.
I too consider Iceland to be part of Scandinavia, but I thought I should highlight the alternative view just in case someone wrote a comment in opposition!
I wasn’t aware that the Icelandic language today is what the Norwegian language was 1,000 years ago – so thanks for filling in more details Mike!
Wow, roofs are so colorful!
Hallgrímskirkja Church looks amazing.
Love a pic of you running on a skate ramp. A wolf does look scary 🙂
A painted door rocks!
The brightly coloured roofs are great, aren’t they? Apparently Halllgrimskirkja is a bit like Marmite – you either love it or hate it! Either way you definitely can’t miss it as it towers head and shoulders above everything else.
Haha I couldn’t help pretending to run away from the big, bad wolf!
Love it! Quirky is exactly how I described Reykjavik too. You certainly walked around a lot because we missed some of the awesome street art you have here. Glad you got to go inside Harpa. Those views from Hallgrímskirkja are amazing no matter what season. Beautiful shots, Shing! That door painting is awesome!
The general consensus definitely describe Reykjavik as quirky! Yes, Harpa is gorgeous inside, it was definitely my favourite of the more well known buildings in Reykjavik (although you can’t beat the view from Hallgrimskirkja, can you?)
Surprisingly, most of the street art shown here was around Laugavegur, the main shopping street! You must have only been a head turn away from it Mary!!
Not geographically part of Scandinavia, but inhabited by Scandinavian people. That’s how I see it….
There’s that too!
A great read – thanks for sharing. Reykjavik has been near the top of my wishlist for a while so you’ve just pushed it up a notch. No McDonalds is fine with me, but can I ask how much that lobster soup costs?
The lobster soup translates to around £5.50 so not too bad. This was inside a place near the harbour called Seafood Baron – I would definitely recommend going there for a quick bite to eat! It’s very cute and homely – more like a cafe. In some of the restaurants it maybe a little more expensive. On a whole, I would compare the prices of Reykjavik to London… Expensive but not as expensive as Norway!
Hope you make it to Reykjavik, and ensure you explore the geological wonders of South West Iceland whilst you’re there… it’s incredible Richard!
This is incredible how colorful Reykjavik ca be. So different from Oslo. When did you go there? Late spring or early winter? Can’t see the snow? Is it that colorful even in winter?
Hey Agness, I went towards the end of February a few weeks ago! Even though the weather wasn’t great, the air is so fresh and the buildings are still so colourful, the days never seemed too dreary.
Yes it’s very different to Oslo! A completely different vibe! While I think both places would benefit from having more sunshine! I hope you make it back to Scandinavia… and Norway – second chances and all that! 😀
Hi! I am a student that is going to take a language course in Reykjavik this summer. I found this page via google because of the lovely pictures. If I link to your blog; could I use one of your pictures? 🙂 Kind regards, Kristin.
Hi Kristen, your summer in Reykjavik sounds very exciting! Good luck on the course, and of course you can use any of my pictures with a link to my blog!
Best wishes,
Shing
The city itself feels like a toy city. The houses are so cute… I suppose the colours make it feel a lot warmer 🙂
Aren’t they cute? The colours certainly break up cold winter days!
Nice article really !!!!
I’m currently in Reykjavik and I tried everythin’ you talked about this city is really interesting. I love street art and spotted the most part of the graffitis you show but I can’t find the painted door ! Where is it ? Pretty sure I walked near this or even walked in front but I did not notice it. Thanks!!!!!
Hi Aurelie! I’m happy you’ve found this article useful! Yes, it’s very central but easily missed!! The painted door is at the side of Caruso Restaurant, Þingholtsstræti 1, 101 Reykjavík. The main building of the restaurant is yellow but the painted door and cat is on a grey building next door. Hope you find it, and have fun!
I am planning to visit Reykjawik this May. Could you please let me know exact addresses of the street arts that you have shown.( As you have mentioned about painted door with cat ). I shall be obliged.
Nice picture book of downtown Reykjavik…did you know from the (downtown) lagoon you could see Hallgrinskirkja and do try to attend its weekly noon organ recitals…..and just a few steps out of downtown past the hospital and towards the art museum is a beautiful landscaped park surrounded by all concrete built homes of all sizes plus large apartments. Best of all, Reykjavik residents are welcoming and diverse.
The Ring of Fire route is a nice day escape to experience the islands’ geology.
My trip to Iceland was made possible by the summer seasonal Icelandic air non stop flights over the pole to/from Anchorage, Alaska. Reykjavik and Anchorage are cycle friendly cities…bring your bicycles
Pretty cool blog! Well done. You do a thorough research. A single piece of information:
Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, Sweden (3 countries)
Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Finland (6 countries)
Hi Poul! Sorry about the late reply, I’ve been without the internet for a couple of weeks! Hehe, yeh I know the distinction but I guess I use the more popular term of Scandinavia to group them all in. I know this isn’t correct, and I probably should highlight this distinction in the future! One question… if you include the Faroe Islands, would you also include Greenland since it’s ruled by Denmark too?
I don’t consider Greenland to be part of the Nordic countries, no. Though sharing the Danish Queen with Denmark, Greenland has its homerule, its own parliament. I’d love to see Greenland united with Denmark, however, one should support them if they want independence. Greenland is part of North America due to plate tectonics. Then why is Iceland a Nordic country since the midatlantic ridge runs right through Iceland? I don’t know to be honest but up until 1944 Iceland were part of Denmark
I agree, one should support Greenland’s desire for Independence but at least being under Danish rule they are in better hands than say another country who might not think twice about extracting oil from places that really ought to be preserved… but I guess that is another conversation entirely!!
I guess part of Iceland is European and the other half is North American… is that how we can explain it?!
Well… that’s a way of putting it, yeah!
I keep thinking of your photographer… brilliant job he or she does! But I presume you decide which photos to be shown. Keep up the good work
Hi Poul, I take all the photos on my blog unless they are of me of course 😀 Really happy to read you like my blog, thanks for commenting!
My wife and I are going to Iceland this weekend. Thank you for posting some of these interesting pictures and suggesting some places to get a bite. We are checking out some of the other areas of the island for a few days then plan on going to Reykjavik for a day or so before we head back to the USA. We appreciate your research. Good luck in your travels! Take care.
Hi Tom, I hope you and your wife are having a fabulous time?! I’m glad you’ve found my blog useful. Happy travels 🙂
Hi Shing, I was road-tripping through Iceland a couple of weeks ago…isn’t it the most amazing place?! I saw some of the street art that you have written about, and some others, too. And that door, that’s way over cool!