A very last-minute work trip gave me the chance to spend a weekend in Reykjavik, Iceland on a stopover with Icelandic Air! I seriously only had 2 weeks to plan and less than 48 hours in Reykjavik, but I made the best of it!
I landed in Reykjavik around 2 pm on a Friday and flew out Sunday afternoon, like I said less than 48 hours. I spent all day, 9 am to 9 pm Saturday exploring the South Coast of Iceland with NiceTavel.
With such a short time in Reykjavik, I explored as much as I could. As you will find in all your research about Iceland it is expensive! Like really expensive. So I mapped out all of my meals to get a balance of exploring the culture and not going overboard on price.
Where to Stay in Reykjavik
As I said, my trip was very last minute and it was really hard to find hotels and Airbnb’s. Most of the hotels available were either too expensive or shared rooms in a hostel.
I found City Comfort Apartments on Airbnb and located a few stores and restaurants around it that looked promising. The location worked out perfectly as the airport shuttle and NiceTravel shuttle picked up in front of my doorstep. While the location really did work great, I would try to stay a little closer for walking distance next time.
Where to Eat in Reykjavik
Dinner
Friday night’s dinner was my big meal out on the town. I wanted seafood and views so I walked to the water but didn’t even really think about it being pitch black dark by 6 pm or that I would need a reservation. Luckily, Kopar had a high top upstairs open that worked great for me. White wine, Lobster bisque, and lobster tails – yum! Very expensive but a little treat for myself that I really enjoyed.
I was exhausted and starving when I got home from my tour and so I went Hlemmur Mathöll, a food hall a few doors down, to pick up dinner and snacks.
Breakfast
Before my tour, I went to the food hall, Hlemmur Mathöll, near my Airbnb for a croissant from the popular bakery, Brauð & Co.
Brunch
The first spot I went to stopped serving food right after I arrived. It was kind of an odd experience but I walked to my second choice Sandholt and had a lovely breakfast. Bacon, eggs toast and a delicious cinnamon roll – yum! Sandholt also had a large selection of pastries so pop in to get a treat!
What to do in Reykjavik
Explore!! Walk around downtown and visit the gorgeous Hallgrimskirkja church, shop in The Handknitting Association of Iceland (cheapest place to get sweaters) and check out all the street art!
Take a Tour – I did a one-day full tour of the South Coast with NiceTravel you can read my full review of the trip here – I highly recommend!!
How to Save Money Traveling to Iceland
Plan! You will read so much about how expensive it is that there are now so many guides on the cheapest restaurants and shops to go to, so if you plan ahead it won’t be that bad. There are a number of soup or noodle shops or hot dog stands that serve highly rated cheap eats.
By booze in the airport – best advice. I honestly just followed a flight attended who looked like she knew what she was doing and grabbed the same two bottles of red she did. LOL
Go to the grocery – Stay in an Airbnb in with a kitchen, research the cheapest stores and cook!
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Iceland stopover with a full day tour of the south coast – read all about it on the blog
