Anne-Charlotte PasseraOur flight from Montreal to Reykjavik arrived early morning on the last day of the year. We were traveling to Iceland for a week, to meet up with some of my family from France and ring in the New Year.
Speaking of which, have you heard about how AMAZING New Year’s Eve is in Iceland? I tell you all about our experience right HERE.
Since it was winter, the sun starts to rise around 9:45 am and sets around 4:45 pm. There isn’t much daylight to work with and it might seem a bit odd arriving early morning in Iceland when it’s really dark outside.
With an early morning flight and a check-in in the afternoon, we had a lot of time to kill on our hands.
So what is there to do at 5am in Reykjavik?
Buy alcohol at the airport
Having been forewarned about Icelandic high prices whether be for food or alcohol, we stopped by the duty free liquor store on our way out from the airport. This store and others are always open, even when you arrive early morning in Reykjavik.
You pass by these stores on your way out, so its a good way to check out prices and compare them with city prices. In the pictures below are the description of the amount of alcohol you can buy in the duty free store per person and it’s a lot less expensive to do so this way.
How to get to Reykjavik from the airport
It’s possible, even with an early arriving flight, to hop on a shuttle bus that will take you to Reykjavik. You’ll have to book ahead and it cost $26 USD per person, one way. Kids under the age of 11 ride for FREE. The ride to the city is 45 minutes long.
The Flybus is located right outside the arrival hall at Keflavík International Airport. The bus leaves every 35-40 minutes after the arrival of each flight.
Upon arriving at your lodging, even if you can’t do an early check-in, you can still leave your bags there.
We didn’t take the Flybus since we were spending a few days in Iceland and wanted to do our own little thing. Instead, we rented a car.
Car rental
We rented our car through Guide to Iceland. They picked us up from the airport to take us to the office so that killed some time.
After filling out all the necessary paperwork, we set out for Reykjavik. Our first stop was finding a place open early enough for us to eat.
Where to eat when you arrive early in the morning in Reykjavik
Since we couldn’t check into our hostel until 3pm, we had a lot of time to kill until then. I researched places that would be open starting at 7 am.
So we went and had a nice quiet early bird brunch at Bergsson Mathus. We shared a platter and I found it to be yummy, especially the granola yogurt and the beans with tomatoes and basil. The place is nice, quiet, and cozy. It’s a good place to start off the day at.
Another option could have been the Sandholt Bakery, but if there is no meat on the menu Big Boss doesn’t eat.
Lake Tjornin is close to the restaurant and is a great place to digest after your hearty breakfast and to stretch your legs after a long flight.
Too cold outside? Let’s go to the spa
Whether you are traveling with kids or not, you can go to a spa as early as 6:30 am!
Before heading to the spa, you should know that a certain changing room etiquette should be respected. In some countries, you have to cover yourself up, well here in Iceland, it is the other way around. At least, in the changing areas.
Shoes have to be removed before entering the changing rooms (everywhere) or you’ll get the evil eye. You have to shower and wash completely naked before entering the pool. In case you are shy, some showers might have some curtains for more privacy.
I knew about the pool etiquette since I had done my research but friendly reminders were welcomed nonetheless.
Little tip: Pack a day bag with your swim gear and travel towel so that you don’t have to go through your luggage before heading to the spa or pool.
Here are two places we tried, but obviously not in the same day.
Laugardalslaug Pool
After our hearty breakfast at Bergsson Mathus, we drove across town to Laugardalslaug.
It’s an outdoor pool with hot spots and a seawater pool. During the week, it opens at 6:30 am and at 8 am on weekends.
Originally, I had wanted to go there more in the afternoon but since it was New Year’s Eve it was closing at 1 pm.
On New Year’s Eve and during the day a lot of places close early or are just closed. Make sure to look up the places that interest you to ensure that they are open.
The Laugardalslaug complex is a little rustic but quite big and not too pricy. The entrance fee is about $10 CAD for adults and FREE for kids under the age of 5.
There is an olympic size pool where you can do laps in 31 degree celsius water, various hot spots with temperatures ranging between 38 and 44 degrees and a sea water pool.
If you go in that pool, make sure to rinse properly after exiting or you just might get a mild sunburn afterwards (speaking from experience).
All and all it was a good experience and a nice way to start off our first day in Reykjavik and the last day of the year. Please note that if you arrive early like us, there will be no young people there. Did I mention that it was all outdoors?
The Blue Lagoon
Another Spa or Pool option is The Blue Lagoon. Travellers usually recommend stopping there either early morning when you arrive in Reykjavik or before heading back home. One of the reasons is because it’s located close to the airport and won’t make you do a detour.
Since it’s VERY touristy, it is VERY popular. That being said, it is worth the experience, at least once.
You have to book in advance if you’re going there on your own. If it’s all booked, just keep checking for the day you want, as people do cancel. One of my friends was able to get in by doing that and if you call the Blue Lagoon that’s what they’ll tell you to do.
We stopped at the Blue Lagoon before heading home to Montreal and opted for the early riser time slot between 8-9 am. This gave us about 2h30 inside before grabbing a bite to eat at the Lava Restaurant before heading to the airport. You can stay there as long as you like. I wish we had stayed a bit longer as we got to see it when it was mostly dark.
You can also get massages done there in the water but it costs an arm and a leg. So we didn’t do that.
My Blue Lagoon impression
So one would think by arriving early you get peace and quiet and cleanliness HAHAHA. As soon as we hit the water, we spotted empty plastic cups floating around.
1) Obviously, people don’t know the concept of trash cans;
2) People don’t know what trash cans look like as there are plenty to go around;
3) Apparently, some people think they are in a resort down South;
4) There is an outdoor pool bar where everyone hangs out ‘quietly’.
So I was a bit confused if I was going to have a spa experience or if it would be more of a Spring-Break kind of experience. I mean, why is serving alcohol inside the pool in a spa place necessary? Besides, who drinks alcohol at 10am anyways….Big Boss that’s who. Ok I admit it, he only had a beer. I, on the other hand, nursed and protected my smoothie too afraid to spill it in the pool and have people think that it was anything else but a fruit smoothie..catch my drift?
We did try to go to the ‘relaxing’ area…What a joke! 6 lounge chairs for 100 people. The second option, plastic chairs…how nice.
Of course, we just had to try the silica mask, and that was a real fun experience along with the steam baths where you are in a cave.
All and all it was a good experience but a bit overly priced. However, there are a lot more places just as good around Iceland that cost less. Nonetheless, you can’t compete with its location close to the airport.
Practical information
One reason we didn’t stop there early morning when we first arrived in Reykjavik is because it doesn’t open until 8 am. We didn’t want to have to wait around to open and also because the first time slot was full.
Once you book your flight, if you want to live the Blue Lagoon experience, book your tickets.
Entrance tickets for the ‘basic’ experience cost around $58 CAD, but it’s FREE for kids under the age of 13. Children under the age of 2 are not allowed in the pools.
The lockers are big enough to store your luggage, just don’t exaggerate.
The Lava Restaurant
Jacky, Zazou, and Ioio met up with us at the Lava Restaurant. It’s located inside the Blue Lagoon complex.
We had a quick lunch there before saying our goodbyes. The setting is very elegant and you get a beautiful view of the lagoon.
The food was pretty good and we would have stayed there a bit longer but we had to go drop the car off and catch our plane. Besides, half of us were sick or on our way to being sick (me…totally unaware of what was to come).
From the restaurant, you can gain access to the pool to look around which is great if you don’t or can’t go inside.
Walk around the city
After our dip in the ‘pool’ , we spent the rest of our day walking around the city.
We parked our car near our hostel at Hlemmur square. Parking is free on Sundays in Reykjavik and also from 6 pm to 9 am.
We set out to visit the Hallgrímskirkja church which overlooks the city. We paid to go up top because you get a 360-degree view of the city but no-one checked our tickets so maybe you can bypass the expense.
However, being New Year’s Eve we got to see a few fireworks from the top of the church and it was only around 10:45 am! This was just a tiny preview of what our evening was going to be like.
Otherwise, it’s free to get in the church but there isn’t much to see except for the huge organ.
It was designed by the late Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937, who was often inspired in his endeavors by the fascinating shapes and forms created when lava cools into basalt rock.
wikipedia
We continued our stroll through town a little and went into the Harpa concert hall located near the harbor to warm up and admire the architecture. It is one of the very few architectural buildings that we saw in Reykjavik. It’s FREE to get in.
It was quite animated as there seemed to be some kind of run with people wearing disguises etc…
We didn’t understand any of it, so I can’t say much more about it accept everyone seemed to be a winner!
Free walking tours
Just like in Medellin and Cartagena, Reykjavik offers FREE walking tours of the city. They start around 11am. It’s not something that we did while we were there, but definitely something we would consider doing next time we are in Iceland.
Not only do you get to discover a city and its hidden secrets with locals, but it’s FREE. However, it is recommended to give a little tip. Just base it on what you can afford.
Do a little meaningful shopping
Since it was a bit chilly the day we arrived, it was time to go and purchase our very own and long-awaited Lopapeysa.
Prices can vary a lot from store to store and being machine made versus hand made makes a big difference in price. Sometimes it is even machine made outside Iceland.
The type of yarn and pattern can also affect the price. So do your research before splurging on one of those sweaters. Only buy one if you come from a country where you actually have a winter like in Canada for us.
Little tip: At first, they can be very itchy. Therefore, wear clothing underneath that covers the whole sweater area to avoid contact with your skin. Also, they lose a lot of hair when you your first start wearing them. If you so happen to find a curly hair in your soup, its most likely from your sweater and not from somebody’s body part.
Where to buy your Icelandic sweater
Personally,I wanted to go to the flea market Kolaportid to see if I could find one. Luckily I had checked ahead as they are closed on New Year’s Eve. They are only open on Saturdays and Sundays.
So since that was the only day I could get it and I wanted to be able to wear it throughout my trip I went to the next best thing, the Hand Knitting Association . It’s located on the main street that leads from the church.
The service at the store was very good and I was able to find one that fit just right and even Big Boss got one… to match mine OMG! Seriously? I never thought in my lifetime that I would wear a matching outfit with my partner, that is so dorky!
I heard you can also find some at the Red Cross unworn or outside the city up north directly from the factory (I don’t recall the name unfortunately).
We ended up spending 6 days wearing the exact same sweater looking like dorky tourists and loving every moment of it.
Now that you know what you can do when you arrive on an early flight into Reykjavik, how are you going to spend your day?
Another option, if you are not too jet-lagged and tired, is to hop into your rental car and head down to the South Coast, right HERE.
Iceland is truly a surprising place!
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