Stay cool in Reykjavik
Iceland's diminutive but colourful capital Reykjavik is a city break without the stress. Here you can live it up in the bars, unwind in the spas or simply breathe deeply. One of the city's key attractions is its pure air, and with 80% of Iceland's houses geo-thermally heated with hot spring waters, and the project for the first hydrogen-powered buses already underway, the Reykjavikurs aim to keep it that way.
The locals (180,000 in Reykjavik; 300,000 in Iceland) are a fascinating, volatile and contradictory people, as you would expect of this land of fire and ice, situated on the edge of the Arctic Circle on one of the earth's most volcanically active hotspots. These descendants of farmers love modern technology but eat dried fish, speak English fluently while remaining firmly attached to their own Germanic language, which hasn't changed much since the Vikings settled here in the 9th century. And although outgoing and friendly, there's nothing they like better than curling up with a good book. They read more than any other nation. In case you feel like accusing Icelanders of being parochial, remember that Iceland is, at 104,000 sq km, as big as England and Wales, and that their unofficial ambassador is style queen Bjork.
ACCESSIBILITY AND GETTING AROUND
Keflavik Airport is located 52km west (45 mins drive) of Reykjavik. From here take a Flybus coach and shuttle bus via a road through Iceland's stunning lunar landscape to your hotel (1,000kr). The same journey by taxi costs around 7,000kr.
Once in Reykjavik, free city maps are widely distributed but even without this you will soon familiarise yourself with the key city landmarks - the towering Hallgrimskirkja church, wide commercial thoroughfare of Laugavegur and Tjornin lake. The city centre is easily crossed on foot but buses (Mon-Sat 7am-midnight, Sun 10am-midnight) are frequent if you're feeling tired. Night buses run midnight-4am Friday and Saturday. Alternatively, travel by taxi (not too expensive in the city), or hire a bicycle.
To explore further afield, rule out rail - Iceland has no train service. Instead, consider joining a day or half-day coach tour with Reykjavik Excursions, hiring a car with a reputable firm (consult the tourist board) or taking an Icelandic Horse. This sturdy breed was brought to Iceland by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago.
BEST CULTURE
Hopping in and out of Reykjavik's museums and galleries can be as pleasurable as jumping in and out of the steamy spas. There is a cluster of galleries to choose from (even though a star attraction, the National Museum, is currently closed for renovation). Reykjavik Art Museum, located in a beautifully adapted warehouse building, opened in 2000 to display Icelandic Art, as quirky as the nation itself.
The highlight is the Erro Collection - whose psychedelic collages, sketches and paintings are scathingly humorous (Harbour House, Tryggvata 17; open daily 11am-6pm (Thu 11am-7pm). You don't even have to step inside a museum to appreciate the city's sculptures - from the statue of Ingolfur Arnarson (Iceland's first settler, who made his home in Reykjavik in 874) standing proud on the Arnarholl hill to Einar Jonsson's sculpture garden on the top of Skolavorduhaed (next to the Hallgrimskirkja Church) and the Viking Ship SunCraft, by Jon Gunnar Arnason - a metal skeletal structure which lies on the shore near the bay end of Klapparstigur. Take a peek, however, inside the white domed structure (which resembles a mini spaceship) of the Asmundur Sveinsson Museum (10am-4pm May-Sep daily; 1pm-4pm Oct-Apr daily). The former home and studio of the artist (1893-1982) is populated with sculptures inspired by Icelandic legend.
Dip into the Kjarval Museum (Flokagata; open daily 10am-5pm; Wed until 7pm) for a glimpse of Johannes S Kjarval's (1885-1972) romantic interpretation of Iceland's dream landscapes. Brush up your knowledge on Icelandic heritage at The Culture House (Hverfisgata 15; open 11am-5pm daily) and, for a bit of fun, nip into the Phallological Museum (Laugavegur 24; open Thu, Fri, Sat 2pm-5pm (also Tue & Wed summer) to see the stuffed/pickled male organs of mammals ranging from the whale to the reindeer and field mouse.
BEST FOOD AND DRINK
Go as exotic as you like - puffin, reindeer, sheep's eyes and ram's testicles are just a taster of what's on offer - or stick with what you know; fusion cooking is very popular in Reykjavik at the moment (there's even a McDonald's for the 100% unadventurous).
To make food reserves last through the winter, the Icelandic people became expert at smoking, salting, drying and pickling. Try sliced smoked lamb (hangikjot), smoked salmon with herbs (lax) on rye pancakes (flatkaka) or wind-dried haddock or cod (hardfiskur). Fermented shark (hakarl) is an acquired taste (made bearable when washed down with brennevin, a fiery liqueur distilled from potatoes and scented with caraway seeds). Fresh fish and seafood, and the creamy local yoghurt Skyr, on the other hand, are excellent, even for non-Icelanders.
While the choice of restaurants is wide, food and drink tends to be very pricey (1,000kr-7,000kr). One money-saver however is the water - sweet and pure from Icelandic springs. Only tourists buy mineral water.
Harbourside Tveir Fiskar, Geirsgata 9, serves beautifully served fresh fish. To taste traditional Icelandic cuisine, try romantic Laekjarbrekka, Bankastraeti 2). For sleek sophistication, dine at the Sommelier (Hverfisgata 46). Naust (Vesturgata 6-8) serves excellent fresh fish in a cosy interior resembling a Viking boat while the gleaming dome of the Perlan revolving restaurant on Oskjuhlid hill is a city landmark (Clinton dined here during his Reykjavik visit). First Vegetarian (Laugavegur 20b) serves moderately priced vegetarian cuisine while the Reykjavik Art Museum (Harbour House, Tryggvata 17) serves wholesome soups and decent pancakes for lunch. Taste dried fish or cinnamon biscuits in the food section of the flea market (see the shopping section).
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