Hi, I'm James. And I'm Laurent.
And today, we're in Reykjavik.
The 1st time I came to Reykjavik, 25 years ago, it was a sleepy little town,
with not much to do. Boring!
But today, Reykjavik is a bustling city, with bars, and restaurants, and museums.
And tons of things to do for the whole family.
So, let's talk first about the elephant in the room.
Traveling all the way to Iceland, and only staying in Reykjavik, would be an absolute crime.
The whole purpose of coming to Iceland is to get out of Reykjavik,
and explore the natural beauty of this amazing country.
But chances are that you still be spending
a couple of days in Reykjavik when you get off the plane.
So, even though we encourage you to get out of the city,
in this video, we'll cover the Top 5 things to do in the city of Reykjavik. So, let's go!
Number 1 on our list is to go on a whale watching tour.
A whale watching tour is the best outdoor activity you can find,
without having to leave Reykjavik.
It's a great way to connect with nature.
The cold waters of Iceland are full of small fish, like herring and mackerel.
And they attract tons of whales, especially in the spring and summer months.
The most common whales you'll see in Iceland are humpback whales and minke whales.
But you can find several other species, as well as dolphins and seals.
In the Reykjavik harbor, you'll find several companies that offer whale watching tours.
We went with an operator called Elding.
It's a family-owned business and they're the oldest whale watching tour in Reykjavik.
And we couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Your chances of seeing a whale on one of their tours is almost 100%.
And if you happen to be the unlucky one,
they'll give you a free ticket to go back on a future tour.
Luckily, for us we saw several different whales on our tour.
And one of the humpback whales we saw was very relaxed that day,
and put on quite a show for us.
We saw it stick it snout out, like if it was checking us out.
Say that five times fast :). We also saw it slap its fin in the water.
But the icing on the cake was when the whale went on a deep dive.
And we saw its tail fin get out and back into the water. It was absolutely majestic!
And with the multiple decks on the boat, we were able to get shots from many different angles.
From both higher up and at water level.
And Number 2 on our list is Harpa.
If you follow our channel, you know we love architecture.
And with Harpa, we were in for a treat.
Harpa is Reykjavik's concert hall. And it was built in 2011, right in Reykjavik's waterfront.
And it won all kinds of awards,
including the Mies Van Der Rohe Award for contemporary architecture.
From the outside, the building doesn't look like much. And it's actually kind of boxy.
But it's inside that you realize how amazing of a building it is.
No matter where you look, you see interesting angles and a stunning use of natural light.
What we found remarkable about Harpa are all the references to Iceland.
Hexagonal shapes are used throughout the building.
And they're meant to replicate the lava columns.
And you can find these lava columns in nature,
at the Svartifoss waterfalls, or at the black sand beach in Vik.
And when you move, you can see that the windows are sparkling, like crystals.
Both inside and outside.
And we also love the reflection of the hexagons on the concrete floor.
And all the surfaces: glass, metal, concrete. They all play with each other.
And one thing we haven't mentioned yet, is that Harpa is free to get in.
And it's open to the public. And not just when there's a concert.
There's a restaurant and several stores. And you can just stroll through.
What a fascinating building that was!
And Number 3 on our list is Perlan.
If for whatever reason, you're not gonna have time to get outside of Reykjavik at all,
but you still want to experience all the Icelandic natural wonders,
then Perlan is a great way to do all that, while staying indoors.
That also makes Perlan a great attraction to visit on a rainy day.
That being said, you can also visit Perlan on a sunny day,
because it's on top of a hill and it has the best views of Reykjavik.
The site used to be a set of water tanks.
But it got repurposed into a museum, that displays all the natural wonders of Iceland.
Volcanoes, glaciers, wildlife.
All the things that make Iceland so great, are all concentrated in that one spot.
One great activity to do in Iceland is to visit an ice cave.
Except it's only something you can do in the winter.
But at Perlan, you can experience an ice cave year-round.
I initially thought the cave would be made out of Styrofoam. But it's made of real ice.
Perlan has a mix of movies, interactive displays, stuffed animals, and real artifacts.
It's really well done. And it's great for both kids and adults.
If you normally don't like visiting museums, because they're boring and too academic,
you'll be blown away by Perlan!
And there's also a great panoramic restaurant on top,
where you can get a drink, while admiring the great views of Reykjavik.
And if you're looking for thrills, there's also a 700-foot long zipline,
that you can go down at 30 miles an hour.
We had an absolute blast at Perlan!
And Number 4 on our list is how Hallgrimskirkja.
It's the big white church, that you see on every brochure about Reykjavik.
Its construction was only completed in 1986.
And in less than 40 years, it has become one of the most recognizable buildings in Iceland.
It's the biggest church in Iceland. And the top of the spire is 250-feet-tall, or 75 meters.
And because it's on top of a hill, you can see it from pretty much anywhere in Reykjavik.
On the outside, the church is meant to replicate the lava columns, just like Harpa.
Although the church came first. Harpa was only built 10 years ago.
The church has really interesting curves, and you can take great pictures,
if you're a good photographer and you know what you're doing. Not like us :).
On the inside, the church is very bare, and completely white.
The church of Iceland is a Lutheran church.
And you won't find any of the statues of saints, and the stainless windows,
that you find in Catholic cathedral throughout Europe.
It's very minimalist. Even the benches and the pipe organ have clean lines.
But I really like the shapes of the vaulted ceiling. It's a very peaceful building.
And in front of the church, you'll find a statue of Leaf Ericsson,
who's believed to be the first European to sail to North America,
almost 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
And Number 5 on our list is Magic Ice.
Magic Ice is a bar on Laugavegur, the busiest street in Reykjavik,
where you'll find tons of stores, and bars, and restaurants.
But it's not just any bar. It's an ice bar.
All the benches, the tables, the walls. Everything is made of ice.
Even the glasses when you drink your cocktail are made of ice.
Because the temperature inside the bar is kept at 23°F (-5°C),
they give you an overcoat and gloves to keep you warm.
And all the benches are covered in sheet pelts.
And the tables and counters all have rubber mats,
because if you leave your drink on the ice, it may slide and fall on the floor.
It's like no other bar we've been to.
And there are plenty of unique selfie opportunities throughout the bar.
And the sculptures are not just random sculptures.
They depict some of the Icelandic tales and legends.
And if kids are naughty in Iceland, it's not that they won't get any Christmas gifts.
But Gryla the ogress will cook them in her pot.
And there's also tons of depictions of Viking sailors and warriors,
including Vikings drinking beer and Brennavin, the Icelandic aquavit drink.
And next to the counter, make sure you also put your hand in the handprint.
In addition to these 5 activities, you should also just hang around Reykjavik.
Downtown Reykjavik has a few shopping streets, with plenty of cafes and restaurants.
And also a great waterfront, with the Sun Voyager being the most noticeable landmark.
In the summer, it never gets fully dark in Iceland.
And you can just stroll around town, pretty much whenever you want.
And believe it or not, there's plenty of outdoor seating, even in Reykjavik.
If you enjoyed this video, give it a big thumbs up!
And if you want to watch our other videos about Iceland,
We're gonna put one here. And another one right here.
Bye! Bye!