Iceland · cars
Car rentals in Reykjavík
Rent a car at Reykjavík's airports and city pick-up points. Expedia Cars compares rates across every major rental company. Full insurance options at the counter.
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What first-timers get wrong in Reykjavík
Almost everything takes cards, buses included, but Straeto gives no change if you pay the 690 ISK fare in cash. Tipping is not customary. Book the Blue Lagoon well ahead, since it is dynamically priced from around 11,990 ISK and sells out, or use Sky Lagoon instead. Renting a car for the Golden Circle usually beats coach tours on both cost and time.
What's actually worth your time in Reykjavík
Hallgrimskirkja's tower lift gives the only real overview of the coloured roofs and charges a modest fee, while the church itself is free to enter. Harpa's glass honeycomb can be walked through without a ticket. The Sun Voyager sculpture takes five minutes. Most of what people come for lies outside town, along the Golden Circle and the south coast, and Reykjavik is the base rather than the destination.
What things cost in Reykjavík
A single Straeto fare is 690 ISK and buys 75 minutes including transfers. A neighbourhood pool costs about 1,430 ISK for an adult, against roughly 12,600 ISK for the Sky Lagoon Pure Pass and 11,990 ISK upward at the Blue Lagoon. A hot dog is a few hundred kronur while a restaurant main runs into the thousands. Alcohol is the line that wrecks budgets.
Reykjavík with kids, realistically
The geothermal pools are the cheapest family day going. Laugardalslaug has slides and a shallow pool, adult entry is around 1,430 ISK and under-sixteens are free. Whale watching from the old harbour suits six upward but gets rough. Prams cope with the flat centre, where wind rather than terrain defeats them. FlyOver Iceland applies a height minimum, so check before queueing.
When the weather turns in Reykjavík
Horizontal rain is normal, so plan around water instead of against it. Laugardalslaug and Sundholl heat their outdoor hot pots to roughly forty degrees whatever the sky is doing. Perlan's indoor ice cave and planetarium fill two hours. Whales of Iceland hangs life-size models in a warehouse, and Kringlan mall or the Sky Lagoon's covered ritual are the fallbacks when tours are cancelled.
When to go to Reykjavík
| Best months for cars-in | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| July | 13°C / 55°F | 14 days |
| August | 13°C / 55°F | 16 days |
| June | 11°C / 52°F | 17 days |
The month to avoid is January — around 2°C (36°F) with roughly 18 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: July is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Layers — t-shirts under a light jacket or sweater, Rain gear is non-negotiable — expect rain on roughly 14 days, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Reykjavík
- 101 Reykjavík — Downtown — bars, cafés, the Hallgrímskirkja church.
- Old Harbour — Whale watching, the Maritime Museum, fish restaurants.