| Day
One |
| National Museum — the National Museum has a huge
collection of artefacts from Norse and Icelandic history. |
|
Old Town — The last remnants of the original settlement which was
built in the early nineteenth century and would develop into the modern
city of teoday. In the middle is Austurvöllur, once the bustling Old
Town Square and now a subdued and grassy park. |
| Laugavegar — The main shopping street and heart
of downtown Reykjavik and a good place to experience the cafe culture of
the capital. |
| Viðey (Wood) Island — This island 1km northeast
of Reykjavik holds the remains of a fort called Virkiðv. It is also the
site of Iceland's oldest original building, Viðeyjarstofa and of
Iceland’s second-oldest church. |
| Seltjarnarnes — a suburb at the western end of
the Reykjavik peninsula offering an lovely view of the sun setting into
the Denmark Strait. On a clear day, you can also see northwards as far
as the triple-peaked volcanic mound of Snæfellsjökull. |
| |
| Day
Two |
| Kjarvalsstaðir — Museum dedicated to the
surreal, early-20th-century landscapes of Iceland’s (arguably most
popular) artist, Jóhannes Kjarval. |
| Einar Jónsson Museum — Dedicated to Iceland's
foremost sculptor, Einar Jónsson. |
| Nesstofa — The Museum of Medical History houses
a collection of fascinating, and occasionally gruesome, medical
artefacts. |
| Reðasafn — The Icelandic Phallological Museum
displays the penises of all the country's mammals together. |
| |
| Day
Three |
| Hofn — This fishing town lies on the southeast
coast near the fjords of Almannaskard and close to Vatnajokull, Europe's
largest glacier. The area offers lots of outdoor sports, including
snowmobile tours on the nearby glacier and summer boat tours of the
lagoon filled with icebergs. |
| Hveragerdi — A popular and relaxing stopover for
those interested in walking trails, health spas and vegetables and fruit
growing in greenhouses heated by geothermal water. |
| Laugarvatn — Popular with Icelanders for its
close proximity to Thingvellir National Park and Gullfoss ("the golden
waterfall"), which produces spectacular rainbows when the sun is
shining. |
| The Blue Lagoon — Very popular spa destination,
with waters reputed to cure eczema and other skin conditions. The
aquamarine water of the lagoon is the outflow of a geothermal power
plant (its completely safe). |
