I am standing at the edge of the world. Or at least it feels that way. A bitter wind is whipping up the ocean, the waves foaming white as they crash against the rocks. An icy cold spray lashes me as I battle against the headwind, but with the sapphire-blue sky and sun it’s not in the least bit bleak.
I’ve been walking for only about an hour, but already I’ve swapped the city streets for a coastal path and have stopped to admire a lighthouse and a windswept hut. Perched just back from the shore, and with a corrugated iron roof, this lone cabin has slits in its timber sides to allow the sea air to circulate, drying the fish that hang inside. City break this may be, but there are few better ways to escape the hubbub than to wrap up warm — really warm — and head out for a ramble by the ocean.
Reykjavik is the perfect pint-sized city for a quick wintery weekend holiday. Not that you’ll be drinking many pints, unless you happen to be away celebrating a Euromillions win.
“Reykjavik is the perfect pint-sized city for a quick wintery weekend holiday
Iceland is eye-wateringly expensive. Even before the Brexit vote the pound was suffering against the krona. In the past six months it has tanked, with Britons now paying about 30 per cent more compared with this time last year. Still, tourism to the “smoky bay” (as Reykjavik translates) continues to boom. So much so that it has recently overtaken fishing as the country’s primary sector, with more than two million visitors predicted this year. And for Brits, reaching the land of fire and ice has just got cheaper because of Norwegian’s new Reykjavik route from Gatwick, which launched last month.
The city’s diminutive size means that pretty much everywhere worth exploring is reachable on foot — or at worst by bus. Much of the action centres around Laugavegur, the main shopping street, which is flanked by small shops with wintery window displays and fairy lights, restaurants and bars.
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For more boutiquey places, head to Skolavordustigur (most of the streets in the centre are named after Icelandic gods), a smaller street that leads to Hallgrimskirkja, the city’s impressive church. Standing on a hill, at 73m, it’s one of the country’s tallest buildings — and offers the best views over the city from the eighth floor. Entry to the church is free, although there is a £6 charge to head upstairs. However, for snaps of the city and to get your bearings, it’s worth the spend.
Next on the sightseeing agenda is one of Iceland’s most famous (and infamous) tourist attractions: the phallological museum, where we join a gaggle of giggling American tourists to marvel at 200-plus specimens of animal penises — from whales to mice. Enough said. From here it’s an amble to the futuristic Harpa concert hall in the bay, where we are lucky to catch a celebration of Björk’s work with a virtual-reality experience.
By now my appetite has kicked in and opposite the church we stumble on Café Loki, serving traditional Icelandic plates such as smoked lamb, fermented shark and sheep’s head jelly (I later discover the café is a popular haunt for locals). In need of warming after a morning in the cold, I pick the hearty meat soup for £11.
“We take in the Thingvellir National Park, the thunderous Gullfoss waterfall and finally an erupting geyser
Eating out in Reykjavik can leave a volcano-sized dent in your wallet. Opting for the age-old skiing trick of making a few sneaky sandwiches at breakfast for lunch is common practice in hotels — and staff usually turn a blind eye. Evening meals are particularly pricey (often more than £30 for a main course), so for dinner we decide to try Iceland’s guilty pleasure — the humble hotdog. This is no ordinary hotdog, though.
Made from lamb, it comes smothered in ketchup, mustard, raw and fried onion and remoulade. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, or “the best hotdog in town” to translate the name, is the place to stop and reputedly has queues 50-strong at kicking-out time on Friday and Saturday nights. Ordering “one with everything” is what the Icelanders recommend and many — including, curiously, Rick Stein — have dubbed the hotdog the best in the world. My palate is not one of a hotdog connoisseur, but at best I’d call it tasty and, for £3, cheap.
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Reykjavik is only half the story. Iceland’s dramatic geography (the country sits with one foot in each of the North American and Eurasian continental plates) is seriously impressive, and a good enough a reason to visit on its own. We choose the classic Golden Circle tour, taking in the Thingvellir National Park, which straddles the tectonic plate boundary, the thunderous Gullfoss waterfall and finally an erupting geyser, which captivates me.
For an outdoor buff, the tour can feel a little geography 101 meets school trip, so if you can, hire a car, which will allow you to see more and stay as long as you want. Equally, if you’re short on time, the Express afternoon tour will suffice; 75 minutes at both the waterfall and geyser is just too long.
Back in town and tired after a day absorbing the A-level geography textbook, we head for an early dinner. On the way home, wrapped up like Arctic explorers, a faint, but distinct green shoot of light appears. Excitedly we turn and make for the bay where there’s less light pollution. It’s the aurora borealis dancing across the night sky. Iceland may be cripplingly expensive, but where else can you combine a city break with tectonic plates, waterfalls . . . and the northern lights?
The luxury hotel
Canopy by Hilton
Forget the fuddy-duddy Hilton hotels you may have stayed at previously. The new “affordable lifestyle” Canopy by Hilton that opened this summer is the first of many planned for cities around the world. Spread across six townhouses, the property is cool, with vibrant style and a hipster cocktail bar that feels more Shoreditch than Reykjavik. B&B doubles are from £180 (canopy.hilton.com/reykjavik).
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The budget hotel
Kex Hostel
Sorry, even hostels are expensive in this, the world’s most pricey of places. Housed in an old biscuit factory, the downtown hostel is a great base for exploring. And it has been beautifully renovated with a cool gastropub, and basic, but functional rooms — with good quality bed linen. A bed in a four-person dorm is from £50, breakfast costs £13 (kexhostel.is).
Need to know
Ben Clatworthy was a guest of Canopy by Hilton and Norwegian. Reykjavik is the budget carrier Norwegian’s newest route, with returns from Gatwick from £70 (norwegian.com). The Golden Circle tour costs £70 (00 354 540 1313, grayline.is); the Express afternoon tour is £65
