Winter in Reykjavik

We were flying with Wizz Air with carry-on luggage only. (Read my blog on packing for carry on only) Our first time with this carrier who we had head very little about prior to flying. The online reviews on TripAdvisor that I had read were poor, so my expectations were low. We were however pleasantly surprised... both the outward and return flights were both on time, online check-in went smoothly, the aircrafts looked fairly new and were clean, the crew were pleasant and efficient. All in all, the price we paid for the flights was very reasonable compared to alternatives. 

The hotel 

The Iceland Parliament Hotel was our home for a few days. As Hilton Honours members we will often choose a Hilton branded hotel if the price and location is good. In Reykjavik decent quality accommodation was reasonable price so we decided to stay at the Iceland Parliament Hotel. There are several Hilton options in the city, and I think I would have been happy with any of them...I just had to pick one. 

Wow! What a beautiful, new, modern hotel. Huge spacious lobby, Friendly staff, Clean and spacious rooms. A great location in the heart of the city Centre. Couldn’t have asked for a better location. On arrival at the hotel check in was quick and easy with extremely helpful staff. Despite arriving early our room was ready and we were able to drop our bags and head out and start exploring.  

As mentioned, the hotel itself has an open lobby area which also accommodates a lounge area and bar with floor to ceiling windows looking out onto Austurvöllur park. There is a spa with a pool on the lower floor and a dining room off the lobby area. As with most places in Iceland the prices in the bar and restaurant were high...but this is Iceland! Breakfast was available in the restaurant, but we decided to venture out and find local eateries...more about that later! 

Sightseeing 

We like to walk and explore. This way we see all the big hitters but discover unexpected gems along the way. I would recommend doing a bit of research before you leave and putting together a walking tour. I find making your own ‘walking tour’ on google maps particularly useful. You can then send this to your phone and follow it set by step, so you do not get lost...I always leave room for a detour as we invariably see something we want to explore down a side street.  

On our first day (arriving late morning) we were pretty tired so decided to just wander and pick up anything we’ve missed the next day. As it happened, I had gotten a rough sense of where we were an where we wanted to go so managed to cover many of the landmarks during our adventure.

From our hotel we ventured out into Lake Tjörnin and wandered around the lake where many water birds seemed happy to see us and hoped we had food to give them. At the lake you can also view the town hall which is an interesting building. 

From here we walked down to The Harpa, an exceptionally large concert hall and convention centre located on the harbour. Its modern construction is a contract to many of the traditional buildings in town. The harbour area is home to many sculpures and art there is a relaxing coastal walk where you will encounter furthur examples of Icelandic works of art 

Sightseeing 

So today we go up early to catch our excursion bus to visit the Golden Circle. This is an iconic route covering three beautiful attractions in southern Iceland. A 300 kilometres loop from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. We boarded our minibus and started out to pick up the other passenger. Our first stop... volcanic crater Kerið. We walked around the rim of the crater before venturing down into the centre to visit the lake which has formed. A very enjoyable experience giving us a real insight into the sheer size of the volcano. 

Next was Gullfoss waterfall, this was a popular stop. The icy pathways were made harder to navigate by the sheer number of other visitors...and it was not even peak season. The 'Golden Waterfall' has an unusual, cascading shape and is extremely photogenic from every angle...I would love to come back and see how it differs in the summer. 

Food and Drink 

The national dish of Iceland is Hákarl (Fermented Shark) however, we didn't see it on the menus where we ate. The more authentic restaurant were a little ‘out there’ for us on this occasion. Easier to digest was Skyr, a traditional Icelandic yogurt served with breakfast. My husband also took a liking to Einstök White Ale...although not for breakfast!! 

On the first day we ate at Íslenski barinn This was a relaxed friendly bar-cafe which attracted locals at lunchtime. The menu served up authentic Icelandic home cooking with a modern twist. They seemed to specialise in Icelandic beers, liqueurs, and spirits which was great to see...and try! As with everywhere in Iceland the staff spoke perfect English with an American accent. The chicken and mango tacos and the beef carpaccio were just what we needed. A light, tasty lunch to set up for the rest of the day. 

By far our favourite place to eat and drink was Baka Baka. By day it is a great little coffee shop with gourmet baked goods and by night a restaurant and trendy bar...defiantly the place to be! On our final day we popped in here for some lovely breakfast pastries and I would have to say one of the tastiest coffees I have ever had. Yes, I know ‘tasty’ is an unusual word to describe coffee, but it is the best word to describe it. We tried a variety of pastries, all delicious and high quality. Not cheap, but worth it. On the same day we were returning to our hotel. When passing Baka Baka we were lured in by the amazing atmosphere of this quaint little shed of an evening. We found ourselves sat drinking and talking with the staff as they closed up. The guy in the photo gave us an insiders view of Icelands history and culture! They even gave us (for free) left over pastries from that day for us to have the following morning on our early start back home.

A real gem of a find!