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Best of Reykjavik — Day 2

Route Details

Route Distance

4.8 km

Route Duration

57.0 m

Route Points

Welcome to the second day of our route through Reykjavik! Reykjavik was founded around 874 by Vikings led by Ingaulvir Arnarson. The name of the city translates as “smoky bay” because of the steam from the geothermal springs that the first settlers saw. It is here that the Alþingi is located, the Parliament of Iceland, one of the oldest parliaments in the world, founded in 930. The city is home to more than 60% of the country's population, but despite this, Reykjavik remains very compact — the center is easy to walk in a few hours. Today will be: The National Museum of Iceland contains artifacts from the Viking Age, medieval manuscripts and more than 1,200 years of the country's history. The Settlement Exhibition is a museum built around the real remains of a 10th century Viking house found during excavations in the city centre. Whales of Iceland is the largest life-size whale exhibition in Europe, where you can see models of blue whale, buzzard and killer whale. Interesting fact: In Iceland, they still actively believe in huldufölk — the “hidden people” or elves. Because of this, during the construction of roads, sometimes even routes were changed so as not to touch the “places of residence” of spirits. Have a good second day in Reykjavik — there will be a lot of ocean and Viking stories today 🌊