Our trip to Iceland was jam-packed with activities. One of the hardest decisions we had to make was how much time to spend in Reykjavík. Being the largest city in the country, at first it seemed like a natural home base for exploring more of Iceland, but once we started looking at distances and drive times, we realized that we would probably just pass through Reykjavík a couple times. We still wanted the chance to visit the city, so, we planned a day trip to Reykjavík between our stay in Selfoss and our stay in Borgarnes. We would be driving right past the city to travel north toward Borgarnes, so the timing made perfect sense.
Day 5
Initially we intended for Reykjavík to be the only destination for the day but we ended up visiting Þingvellir National Park first thing this morning because of the poor weather on our original Golden Circle day. The weather at Þingvellir couldn’t have been better – sunny and mild temperatures. Unfortunately as we drove into Reykjavík, the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Clouds moved in and we were in the middle of yet another downpour by the time we got into the city center. We were lucky enough to find a street parking spot close to Tjörnin, the pond next to the Reykjavík City Hall, and since it was a Sunday, free parking! Now for the struggle of making our way to a lunch spot with the kids in tow through the still pouring rain.
We picked out a lunch place via Google reviews during the drive to the city. The place was about one block from our lucky parking spot, so we just had to make it a short walk. Sounds easy enough. So of course, it wouldn’t be that simple. Apparently I miss judged our intended lunch spot because as soon as we walked in, it was clear that it would not work for us. Very cute but very small with close tables, and a quick glance at the menu showed few (if any) items that our children would eat. (J has an extremely self-limited diet and vacation is not when we choose to push that.) We decided not to force a stressful lunch here, but unsure where to go next, we huddled back into the car to search for another option. I admit, I lost my cool at this point. Having to deal with the rain was getting to me and the decision fatigue was real. I think I also felt a bit of pressure to pick out a “perfect” lunch place since it would be our only meal in Reykjavík. Anyway, Scott stayed cool and decided on one of the other options we looked at during the car ride. A bit of a farther walk, but we managed. This second place was exactly what we needed.
We ended up eating lunch at Íslenski Barinn, which translates to Icelandic Bar, hence my initial doubt on coming here for lunch. I am always forgetting that bars and pubs in Europe are much different than in the US – family friendly and with good food. I ordered a shredded lamb sandwich, Scott had a burger, and the kids shared an assortment of regular and sweet potato fries. Scott and I also tried a good local IPA. The restaurant was cozy and casual and everything we needed after a rough start to lunch. By the time we were done, the rain had already let up. Things were starting to look more optimistic!
Islenska Operan
Since we were already parking in central Reykjavík, we wanted to walk to the major sites in the area along the harbor. First up was the opera house, Islenska Operan, which was stunning! Mostly made of glass with colorful tinting and interesting geometric shapes, the opera house was a gorgeous sight against the harbor backdrop. The plaza at the front had a couple small fountains that the kids enjoyed running between, and we decided to check out the interior of the building as well.
The inside is open to the public, so we couldn’t resist the chance to see if the interior was as beautiful as the exterior architecture. We walked right into a tall, multi-story atrium with more unique geometric detail and then wandered to the back of the building to see views of the harbor from the tall windows. The kids were excited to see all the boats in the water and this offered another gorgeous perspective of the building.
Sun Voyager
After admiring the opera house, we wanted to walk down along the harbor toward the Sun Voyager sculpture. It was not a far distance, but the kids we not cooperating and the distance seemed much longer than it should have. They enjoyed looking out at the water and throwing small stones into the harbor but were not pleased with our efforts to keep them out of the adjacent street and safe from passing traffic. This, right here, was the moment when I remembered why we chose Iceland as our destination – we were not mentally or physically equipped to wrangle two toddlers through a city-centric vacation. We were all better off in the natural elements, of which Iceland has plenty to offer.
Nonetheless, we were here and pressed on because we were determined to see that sculpture! The large metal sculpture was very impressive in person, massive and dramatic when looking out with the harbor in the background.
Kolaportið
After a brief visit at the Sun Voyager, we turned around and braced ourselves for the walk back. By the time we made it back to the opera house, we were all in happier moods again and decided to continue on with our plans. One item on my Iceland wish list was to find a lopapeysa (Icelandic wool sweater), and I had read that the Kolaportið, a flea market in central Reykjavík, would be a good place to find one at a reasonable price. We were fortunate to be visiting Reykjavík on a Sunday since the market is only open on weekends. The market is not far from the opera house, so that was our next destination.
Once inside the Kolaportið, we could see that many places were selling wool items. I quickly found a few sellers with gorgeous lopapeysas, but none for less than $100 USD. As much as I wanted to bring one home, I couldn’t justify the cost for an item that would not get much use back home in usually hot and humid Houston. The market was pretty crowded, so Scott and the kids were ready to head out. At the last minute I decided to run back inside and buy a wool beanie as a compromise. Still pricey, but I found a cute one for around $35 USD and met Scott and the kids back at the car. The beanie turned out to be perfect – I got lots of use out of it on the rest of the trip, and considering how the edges start to itch my forehead after a while, I suspect a full lopapeysa would have been too uncomfortable for me.
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja was the last place we wanted to see in Reykjavík but was too far to walk from the city center (for our family on this day, anyway), so we loaded into the car and found a single empty parking spot in the church parking lot. The weather was gorgeous at this point! We spent time in the front courtyard admiring the unique architecture of this impressive church. The vertical columns are supposed to represent the basalt columns found in the landscape of various locations around the country. Hoping to see a bird’s eye view of the city, we headed into the church and bought tickets to the viewing deck at the top of the tower.
Reykjavík was even more colorful from this perspective! The various pops of color from various buildings and houses really stood out against the landscape and the harbor. Under different circumstances, I would have loved to explore the city by wandering around the streets but not in the cards for us on this visit. I am glad we were able to see more of the city this way, and we could even see some of Reykjavík’s famous street art from the tower.
The afternoon was getting late and we still had to drive up to our next house outside of Borgarnes, so after Hallgrímskirkja, we got on the road to head north. The highlight of our drive was going through the tunnel under the fjord Hvalfjörður. It took only about 10 minutes to get through the tunnel, but fun for the kids! With so much time in the car, it was great whenever the kids had a new source of entertainment during one of the drives. The lowlight (very dark lowlight) of our drive to Borgarnes was a flat tire on the rental car. But we dealt with that and eventually made it to our next AirBnb, just north of Borgarnes.
We could not have been more pleased with our new accommodations. The house was plenty big enough for us and had just been renovated – we were the first family to stay there post renovation work! Enjoying a gorgeous evening and sunset, we let the kids run around the massive patio while we unpacked the car. Then offered cookie bribes for them to sit still while I took advantage of an impressive golden hour and snapped about 1,000 pictures of the kids and us. After a day full of highs and lows, we settled into the new house and had another low key evening, including more glamorous laundry duty. This was our first evening of the trip with clear skies, so Scott and I had a good feeling about our chances to see the Northern Lights that night. We did our best to stay awake after the kids went to bed, and a couple hours later, when the sky was finally dark enough, we saw them! The Northern Lights were even more spectacular than I imagined, and I truly cannot feel more fortunate to have gotten to witness them.
9 Days in Iceland with Two Toddlers
Western Iceland & Into the Glacier Tour
Iceland Snaefellsnes Peninsula
Viewing the Northern Lights in Iceland
