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The cultural scene in Reykjavik is renowned for its vibrant, energetic character. The city is packed with metropolitan delights and is especially strong in the performance arts, from film to theatre, music, and dance. Even in small towns and villages, you will find galleries, or a public place dedicated to the local history heritage or displaying the work of local artists.
Festivals of all sorts can be enjoyed throughout the year, such as:
Culture Night
Iceland Airwaves
Reykjavik Pride
17 June – National day celebration
– to name a few.
The towns around the country also take pride in various own festivals in the summertime.
Icelanders are true music lovers, with a trending music scene that has gained widespread international acclaim. The scene offers a diversity of styles and genres with everything from punk, indie, rock, and folk to classical music.
Reykjavik is renowned for its ever-evolving contemporary music scene, among the world famous ones being:
Björk
Sigur Rós
Olafur Arnalds
Of Monsters and Men
Emiliana Torrini
Kaleo
-and many more.
Gigs with all sorts of musicians are frequently held in local cafes and tucked-away bars.
Visual arts are highly valued in Icelandic culture as can be witnessed by the lively art scene displayed on walls everywhere from clothing boutiques and cafes to hotels and office spaces. A walk around the capital reveals dozens of interesting galleries and art museums such as the Reykjavik Art Museum (three locations) and the National gallery (also three locations)
Design in Iceland is a field that has been growing rapidly from its craft-based roots into a thriving industry. The best time to soak up Iceland’s emerging and established design talent is during the Design Festival in Reykjavik held in March.
On the first visit to Reykjavik the glass palace in its heart cannot go unnoticed – the Harpa concert & conference hall is one of Reykjavík’s most striking landmarks and a center of cultural and social life.
Visit their website: Harpa
There are also countless galleries and cultural events and festivals that we encourage you to explore:
Reykjavik is home to many fantastic restaurants. You will find a variety of different types of restaurants, from Mediterranean fast food to upscale fusion restaurants.
As in most countries, a meal at a restaurant will cost more than a meal made at home, but it is highly recommended to enjoy the vast selection of restaurants in Reykjavik that serve up delicious meals from a myriad of culinary traditions.
There is an endless number of bars and clubs in Reykjavik for you to explore and there is a lively nightlife scene.
Because of its harsh climate, over the centuries Icelandic cuisine was largely one of subsistence and traditionally revolved around lamb, dairy and fish, the latter due to the fact that the island was mainly inhabited close to its coastline. But popular tastes have, of course, greatly evolved and been subject to influences over the years and become closer to the European norm so that people can now enjoy the best of all worlds. Modern Icelandic chefs usually emphasize the quality of available ingredients rather than age-old cooking traditions. Points of pride are the quality of the lamb meat, seafood, and its most famous cultured dairy product, Skyr, which has the added advantage of being low in fat and high in protein! Other local ingredients include seabirds and waterfowl (including their eggs), salmon and trout, blueberry, rhubarb, Iceland moss, wild mushrooms, wild thyme, dried seaweed, and so much more. It’s all there for you to discover.
Geothermally heated greenhouse vegetable production has increased considerably over the years. The green house horticulture benefits from the country’s renewable natural resources, namely spring water, geothermal water, and electricity made with hydro- or geothermal power.
There are some really nice Indian restaurants in Iceland:
Children can certainly have a wonderful life in Iceland and enjoy a degree of freedom that simply would not be possible in many other parts of the world. Many of their social and sports activities are nicely interwoven with their school programs and cover everything from music, team sports, swimming and acting to mention but a few. Sports clubs and community centres are often in the proximity of schools and coordinate their schedules.
Generally speaking, children’s activities are a great way for both children and parents to integrate into society, particularly if you are new to the country. What can be more universal than a parent and a child?
Iceland is a family-friendly place. Nature is a playground in itself, but it must be kept in mind that to enjoy all seasons, the right clothes are essential. High and low mountains, beautiful wide open lava fields, forests, black beaches, fjords and green valleys can be found within a close proximity to the capital area.
Another important thing to know is that it is generally safe for children to play outside and considered a natural part of children´s upbringing in Iceland.
A few museums offer children´s corner and activities, such as the Reykjavik Art Museum – Kjarvalsstaðir. Kids can draw and paint while the parents enjoy refreshments at the museum’s café. The National Gallery also offers recreational corner for children. The Reykjavik City Library, and many other libraries around the country, offer kids’ corners where they can play and read books of their own choice while the parents or guardians can relax or read for them. In addition, there are regular family friendly events such as crafting, computer programming, art and other workshops throughout the year.
Reykjavik Family Park and Zoo offers good fun all year round. The park has farm animals but other animals as well such as arctic foxes, reindeers, and seals. The park is dived in two parts: The Farm Animal Zoo and The Family Park. The latter resembles a small amusement park in spring, summer and autumn. The park is popular for birthday parties and other family and children´s events and also offers classes for the true animal lovers.
One of the reasons why schools are such a good place to integrate into society is that they give you an opportunity to get to know other parents in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere. Lasting friendships often develop between parents and sometimes even continue after their children have left school.
Afterschool recreation for children and adolescents
It is considered healthy and socially supportive for children to participate in some sort of after school recreational activities. There is a lot to choose from, particularly in Reykjavik and the capital city area in general.
Whether the child/adolescent is interested in sports, arts, music, scouts, computer games or other activities there are endless opportunities. Reykjavík might be a small city but offers huge variety of recreational after-school activities for children and adolescents. These activities are generally speaking the best places for children and teenagers to meet new friends.
After school activities are supported for children residing in Reykjavík and many other municipalities with the so-called Leisure card. The Leisure card (or similar) is a financial support for leisure activities for children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 with legal domicile in Reykjavík and other municipalities. The grant can be used to pay part of the participation and training fees in organized leisure activities. In some cases, it covers the whole fee.
There are multiple options if you choose to sign up at world class, Check out their website for information on special deals.
Some of the gyms have a nice spa where you can relax after a good workout and a few of them provide a playroom for children and babysitting.
Going to the geothermal pools is a very social activity in Iceland and often a great antidote to the winter darkness. You will see families playing with their children, students after school and working people at the end of a long day.
Multiple or season tickets are worth considering if you want to save some money. Check out the Visit Reykjavik website to find your local pool.
While it is a great experience and a daily activity for many people here, Icelanders have a strict etiquette that they expect to be followed when visiting the pools:
Why not enjoy the Northern lights or a sunny summer night in one of Iceland’s amazing lagoons? They can be pricey, but are well worth the occasional treat.
It is almost impossible to list all the options here, but an attempt is made on the Sundlaugar website to list natural pools. There are also information on the www.adventure.is website, and the www.guidetoiceland.is website. You will find beautiful lagoons all around the country but among the closest are:
There is no shortage of grocery chains here in Iceland. The cheapest one is Bonus. They have less of a selection than others, but the lowest prices and you can find most of what you need there. Kronan is the next cheapest. Hagkaup is the most expensive, but it has the widest selection, and some are open 24 hours, but expect to pay up to twice what you would pay at Bonus. Other grocery stores are Netto, Krambúðin and 10/11. Costco is a wholesale market with a vast selection of goods at competitive prices. Fiska is a nice place to buy spices, pulses, and other Indian groceries, especially Atta. Some Indian groceries can be found in the Vietnam Market Asian grocery store, which is a relatively costly outlet. Vietnam has multiple outlets in Reykjavik, one of which is downtown.
Kringlan is the closest shopping mall to the downtown area. There is a bus that goes right by, and it is a short walk from downtown. This mall has almost everything you need, including: all the banks, phone companies, Hagkaup, Bonus and Vinbuðin (alcohol store).
Smáralind is located just outside the Reykjavik area in Kópavogur.
There are numerous furniture, electronics, hardware and home decorating stores in the capital area. Here are email links to some of them.