Food
When downtown rents dropped because of the pandemic, lots of ambitious shops, cafes and restaurants ended up launching as a result. There’s a real sense of revitalisation in the city.
A vegan cafe called Plantan recently opened near my favourite swimming pool; their soups, sandwiches and baked goods are really good – especially after a dip. Another favourite spot is Kaffi Ó-le. The manager, Tom, makes the best coffee in town, and the best matcha lattes.
In 2020, my childhood friends Númi, Atli and Aðalsteinn opened a little restaurant called Hosiló. There are always three main course options – fish, meat, vegan. I’ve had some amazing seafood and gnocchi there. Everything’s handmade and it’s not too pricey. It’s a small place so best to book a table in advance.
Inspiration
Marshall House is a cultural centre in a former fish factory near the old harbour. There are two galleries under one roof: artist-run Kling & Bang hosts exhibitions by young artists from the underground scene as well as bigger, more established names.
Nýló, the Living Art Museum, is another grassroots institution showcasing contemporary works. It’s really fun to go for Italian food and drinks at La Primavera on the ground floor of the building, then head upstairs to experience the inspiring art. Entry to both galleries is free.
Also, Mengi is an amazing venue that hosts art events and concerts and everything in-between, so it’s worth checking to see what’s on when you’re in town.
Neighbourhood
Running up the narrow, cobbled streets of Grjótaþorp (Rock Village) are these beautiful old houses in one of the oldest areas in the city. At the corner of Fischersund and Mjóstræti, stands the small red Gröndal’s House, where artist and naturalist Benedikt Gröndal lived until his death in 1907.
It is now a cultural house and artists’ residency with regular events advertised on the Reykjavik Unesco City of Literature website.
Green (and blue) space
The local swimming pools are a lifeline for us Icelanders – it’s where we all go to catch up in the hot tubs. The lovely Sundhöllinn is the oldest indoor pool in Reykjavík, designed by the Guðjón Samúelsson. Another good option is Vesturbæjarlaug, a pretty 20-minute walk from Tjörnin lake.
Nauthólsvik beach is also a nice spot to visit. The sea water is geothermally heated with temperatures reaching 15-19C in summer. People swim in the human-made lagoon then enjoy the hot tubs and sand and steam-baths. Some locals swim here in winter, too.
As for green space, at Heiðmörk, about 15 minutes’ drive beyond Reykjavík, there’s a forest, a beautiful lake and lots of trails to explore among the lava formations.
Nightlife
Maybe because of the relative smallness of Reykjavík, we don’t have huge, standalone clubs. Instead, bars transform into clubs and people dance late into the night. I like Röntgen. It does great cocktails and I’ll always bump into somebody I know there. Then at a certain time, a DJ comes on and everyone’s dancing until the early hours. There’s also a really cool wine bar called Mikki Refur – it’s a cafe by day, then at night it serves natural wines and small plates. Vínstúkan is a similar concept and serves some amazing wines.
Stay
There are fancy new hotels popping up everywhere, but I love Hotel Holt. (doubles from £290 room only). It’s expensive, but it’s been around since the 1960s and filled with beautiful artwork by big names such as Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval – whose work you can also see at Reykjavík Art Museum.
Attached to our store there’s also Reykjavík Treasure B&B (doubles from £220 B&B), run by the amazing Steinunn. It’s very cosy and well located in the old town; from here you can walk in all directions to interesting places such as the Icelandic Phallological Museum. My old teacher opened it many years ago, and it’s now a very popular destination.
A cheaper option is KEX Hostel (doubles from £125), in a former biscuit factory on the waterfront. There’s a bar on the main floor, where local musicians and DJs play.
• This article was amended on 9 August 2023. An earlier version misspelled the bar Röntgen as “Röngten”.
Lilja Birgisdóttir is an artist and one of the owners of Fischersund, a family-run Reykjavík perfumery where visitors can experience scent, sound and art
