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Home » Iceland » A Jam-Packed Layover In Reykjavík
IcelandTrip Reports

A Jam-Packed Layover In Reykjavík

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 28, 2019November 14, 2023 18 Comments

a large billboard with a man in the water

I made the most of my seven hour layover in Reykjavík, Iceland, squeezing in three of my favorite activities into a relatively compact schedule.

My first thought was just to head to the Blue Lagoon. It’s only 20 minutes from the airport and would allow me to accomplish one of my objectives: relaxing in a sauna and steam room. But even two days in advance, reservations were not available around my flight arrival time. While I likely could have still returned to the Blue Lagoon by choosing an earlier arrival time and showing up late, I figured that 1.) it would be packed with people and thus 2.) my $135 ($85 for admission, $40 for round-trip bus) would be better spent elsewhere.

After arriving from Copenhagen on SAS, I had about seven hours before my connection to San Francisco took off. I headed directly for the Icelandair Saga Lounge where I placed my rollerboard in a locker, turned around, and headed out.

a lockers with a key

a sign in a building

I booked a round-trip ticket into Reykjavík on FlyBus and timed it perfectly; the bus left moments have I stepped on.

a bus ticket on a person's leg

During the 45-minute trip to Reykjavík, I used the wi-fi onboard to finalize the day’s blog posts. We arrived at the central bus station just across the street from Reykjavík Airport (RKV). I hopped out and started walking.

a road with a fence and mountains in the background with Spinney Mountain State Park in the background

a parking lot with cars and buses

Music

My first stop was at Hallgrimskirkja, the expressionist Lutheran cathedral that sits atop the city. I love organs and was able to enjoy a short organ concert before heading out into town.

a large building with a steeple and a parking lot

a group of people in a church

a rainbow flag on a staircase in a church

a pipe organ in a church

a man sitting on a wooden organ

a statue of a man in front of a tall building with Hallgrímskirkja in the background

a large building with a tall pointed roof with Hallgrímskirkja in the background

Great Coffee

I asked for coffee recommendations on Twitter and the consensus seemed to be Reykjavík Roasters. I will dedicate a separate post to this wonderful coffee shop, but it was amazing and hit the spot. As I sipped my cappuccino and munched on my cinnamon scone, I knew I had already made the right choice to come into town.

a white building with two large white planters with flowers in it

a window with a reflection of a building

a group of people in a coffee shop

a cup of coffee and a pastry on a plate

Spa

But my fun was over yet. After coffee, I walked over to the Hilton hotel. Why pay Blue Lagoon prices when there are so many other decent day spas in Reykjavík? The Hilton has a lovely spa and sells day passes for ISK 5,490 ($44). That’s a lot for a hotel spa, but it was far more tranquil than the Blue Lagoon would have been.

a street with cars parked on it

a sign in front of a hotel

More Coffee

Refreshed, I headed back into town to try another coffee shop, this one called Te & Kaffi. It was tasty, but not as good as Reykjavík Roasters.

a man and woman behind a counter in a store

people sitting at a table in a restaurant

a cup of coffee with a leaf design in the foam

Coffee finished, I walked back to the bus station, boarded the coach back to KEF, and about an hour later was sitting in the Icelandair Saga lounge once again.

a statue in a park

CONCLUSION

You can pack so much into a layover if you choose. I was very happy I chose to go into Reykjavík rather than just visit the Blue Lagoon. Organ music, great coffee, and a spa? Yes please.

What did you do during your Reykjavik layover?

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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18 Comments

  1. Robert Reply
    August 28, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    I was a bit confused how you took a 7hr layover in Copenhagen and turned it into an Icelandic trip…

    • Robert Reply
      August 28, 2019 at 6:13 pm

      then I realized my reading problems 🙂

  2. bill n DC Reply
    August 28, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    Cool. Great Ideas

  3. Petri Reply
    August 28, 2019 at 11:51 pm

    I’m a huge coffee fan (flat white if available, even have barista training) and one of my travel procedures is to mark the best cafes in town. Not only for the coffee but as the best cafes tend to cater for the locals, one gets a more local view to the city. Sometimes there are amazing cafes in weird locations that no tourist would normally go.

    It doesn’t come as a surprise that we visit Reykjavik Roasters every day while there (our hotel was just next door), and visit Te & Kaffi as well 🙂

    • Franklin Reply
      September 3, 2019 at 4:43 am

      Hello Petri,
      May I know what’s the you are staying? Thank you..

      • Matthew Reply
        September 3, 2019 at 4:51 am

        I’m not speaking for Petri, but I’ve stayed at “Our House” before which is a wonderful hostel only a block away.

  4. Andy K Reply
    August 29, 2019 at 1:20 am

    Why did you include the rainbow flag in your church pictures? Are you trying to send a message to your more conservative readers?

    • Matthew Reply
      August 29, 2019 at 1:44 am

      No.

      • Jords Reply
        August 29, 2019 at 7:36 pm

        I thought it was to promote the promise that the earth will never be flooded again.

        • cargocult Reply
          August 31, 2019 at 9:05 pm

          Hah! Would Jesus be the ultimate virtue signaller? (I realize the rainbow is from the Old Testament.)

          Matthew, I think I’ve seen you use the term “rollerboard” more than once. A rollerboard is a kind of skateboard. A Rollaboard is a rolling carry-on suitcase. Consider the words for a moment and I think you’ll conclude that the latter makes much more sense in the context of air travel.

          Oh, and the Blue Lagoon strikes me as an utterly ersatz ripoff.

      • Franklin Reply
        September 3, 2019 at 4:44 am

        Nice report Matt..
        But I would have stay longer.

        • Matthew Reply
          September 3, 2019 at 4:52 am

          I wish I could have. I want to come back this winter for Northern Lights! Too bad my direct service from Los Angeles on WOW is no longer operating.

  5. Nick Reply
    August 29, 2019 at 3:54 am

    Gawd Andy K, triggered by simply seeing a rainbow flag? Really ?
    If you close your eyes, it doesn’t exist.

    • AdamR Reply
      August 29, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      Right? Interesting that a political party so consumed with calling liberals “snowflakes” tends to make a LOT of declarations about how they should be catered to. Seems pretty snowflak-ish to me.

    • Andy K Reply
      August 29, 2019 at 5:10 pm

      Funny. It was just a question. The “outrage” expressed in both of your responses shows who the real snowflakes are….

      • BJM Reply
        August 29, 2019 at 5:55 pm

        Nothing in Andy K’s original post indicates his political affiliation, or his actual attitude towards the Rainbow flag picture, or that he was even triggered by it. A lot is lost when you can’t hear the authors’ actual voice and the inflection of his comment. For all we know it was a tongue in cheek comment rather than a “triggered” response.

        Back to the point. This looked like an awesome layover. Iceland is on my list to visit one of these days.

  6. Nate nate Reply
    August 30, 2019 at 1:39 am

    I’m confused by this line:

    We arrived at the central bus station just across the street from Reykjavík Airport (RKV).

    • Matthew Reply
      August 30, 2019 at 2:15 am

      There are two airports. This is the city airport RKV, not KEF, the international airport.

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