Our historical sources tell us that Iceland’s first permanent settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, made his home in Reyk-javík (which literally translates as “Smoky bay”). It is assumed that Reykjavík derives its name from the hot-springs that were prevalent in the area at the time, and the steam they generated. Why is it called Reykjavik? A Viking […]

Reykjavík—whose name means “Bay of Smokes” in Icelandic, reportedly because the first Viking settlers saw steam from geothermal vents when they first landed in Iceland—is now living up to its name in a new way. “The pollution comes from traffic.“[Smog] is usually tied to the morning traffic and afternoon traffic.” How did Reykjavík get its […]

Reykjavík is famous for having a thriving nightlife scene and for hosting some of the best music festivals in Northern Europe such as Iceland Airwaves. Thanks to its size, the downtown area is ideal for bar crawls. Why do people go to Reykjavik? Most of the sights are geological wonders, such as waterfalls, lava plains, […]

So if you stumbled upon this post wondering if Iceland is worth visiting, then my answer is YES, absolutely. Iceland is one of the most beautiful and unique places on our planet and it’s definitely worth a trip. Is it worth it to go to Iceland? Yes, Iceland is worth the hype!Fast forward to 2012, […]

Reykjavík is a small and walkable city with around 123,00 inhabitants.*My walking tour hits all of the main highlights in Reykjavík for a total distance of 3.7 miles (6km). I will also include extra points of interest on the map that I did not visit. Can you walk around Reykjavik? Reykjavik is an easy city […]

Iceland only has one true city, Reykjavík, and with just over 120,000 people, it is quite a small one.Though the area of Breiðholt is often playfully nicknamed ‘the ghetto’, it is by no means as economically deprived as true ghettos in other cities and is perfectly safe to walk through, even at night. Can you […]

The correct pronunciation of Reykjavík in Icelandic can be phonetically written as Rayk-yah-veek. The “a” in -Rayk is similar to the “a” in the word “pace”, while the -yah sound is pronounced similarly to the word “yes” in German, “ja”, with a very open “a”. What does Reykjavik mean in English? Reykjavik therefore means “smokey […]

Its latitude is 64°08′ N, making it the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 131,136 (and 233,034 in the Capital Region), it is the centre of Iceland’s cultural, economic and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination. Reykjavík Website reykjavik.is When did Reykjavik became the capital of Iceland? […]