Things to do in Reykjavik in Summer

I would say that summer is the best season of the year to visit Reykjavik and Iceland in general, and this is because it is a really cold country, with very hostile winters, so if there is an ideal time to be a tourist in these parts, that is summer.

I'll leave you with a list of things I like to see and do in Reykjavik and Iceland during this time of year, from exciting festivals to hiking to whale watching, and even one of the simplest but most fun things: participating in the "world's biggest bread soup".

When it's the summer season, locals in Reykjavik and all over Iceland take the opportunity to visit as many places as possible and do outdoor activities whenever they can, because the period of warm temperatures is short.

One of the best ways to take advantage of the warm weather is by hiking on the trails provided for that purpose. During the winter many of the trails in and around Reykjavik are closed due to excessive snow and ice. In summer these places open to offer locals and visitors access to the most inhospitable and beautiful parts of the country.

In the same vein as hiking, another similar activity you can do in summer is to sign up for a bus tour of Reykjavík or even take road trips into the highlands.

Like the hiking trails, the mountain roads freeze over and become covered with snow. In summer they reopen to welcome tourists.

As you know, in Reykjavik and all over Iceland the summer time is really valued. That's why one of the activities I especially recommend you to do in summer is to walk the streets of the city all day long.

Reykjavik is not a very big city and not too crowded either, so walking its streets or most of them in one day will not be too difficult.

I recommend you to take one of the tours of Reykjavik to know in detail the history behind this city that in other times, lived on fishing and hides a Viking past.

In case you do not want to take a guided tour of the city, it is also an option to get up early in the morning and go out to walk the streets. Among the important points that I recommend you to visit are the church and the Harpa concert center among other interesting buildings.

Although it is not a literal term, it is one of the best attractions you can enjoy in Reykjavik during the summer. It is specifically the world's largest bread soup, which consists of the melting of Lake Tjornin, which is in the center of the capital of Iceland.

Skating on the ice, playing field hockey or even walking on it can be some of the most fun activities to do in Reykjavik in winter, however, when the summer starts, a great diversity of birds arrive at Lake Tjornin, it is said that around a hundred different species can inhabit the place.

With the temperatures a little higher than usual, during the summer these birds make the lake their home, and the city's inhabitants attend the place every day to feed them, especially with bread, hence the term that has already become known. It is an especially ideal activity if you are a nature and bird lover.

If there is something the locals like to do when summer comes, it is to enjoy good music, hence their Innipúkinn Festival is one of the most recommended for this season.

It is a three-day festival of non-stop music, where tourists and locals have the opportunity to give some warmth to the body, singing, dancing and enjoying concerts in the city of Reykjavik.

This festival takes place the first weekend of August and is an experience that I recommend you to live in your trip to the city during the summer. It is a festival especially focused for those who prefer to stay at home instead of going to the countryside to other traditional festivals.

Details of interest

• Price: Tickets to this festival are usually available at the box office on the day you go. You have the option of buying a three-day pass or a day pass. Prices are available at the entrance of the event.
• How to get there: The festival takes place in the city center for three nights on the first weekend of August.
• Hours: It lasts all night, taking advantage of the sunlight that never fully sets during the summer.

Despite its plethora of festivals, Reykjavik is still a simple capital city compared to its European peers, which is why you shouldn't waste your summer time in Iceland by staying in the capital alone.

There are plenty of tours and getaways from Reykjavik that you can do to make the most of the summer in this stunning place, and one of them is to take a guided tour from Reykjavik to the Silfra fault.

This is one of the most impressive places in the world and the experience of being in it is indescribable. In addition to this, it is listed as a world heritage site, being the only place visible above sea level, where you can see the dividing plate between the European and American continents.

The best time to access this place is definitely in summer, when you can enjoy the most of the snorkeling experiences in Reykjavik, because you can easily see the marine life that abounds in the place, besides being able to explore the three sections in which the plate is divided. You will be especially impressed by the transparency of the water.

Interesting details

• Price: You can book this experience with snorkeling included, at an approximate price of 165 euros per person.
• Duration: It has an approximate duration of 5 hours and a half, remembering that during the summer, the days are considerably longer in Iceland.
• Means of transportation: The tour includes pick up from the hotel to where you will board the boat and back. On land the transportation is a minivan for a few people and equipped with air conditioning. Once you are on the boat, it will take you to the snorkeling spot.
• Advantages of this adventure: It is an incredible experience to know the fissure that connects both continents of the earth. The activity is suitable for children from 12 years old. You will be accompanied by a guide who will explain everything you need to know about the sea. The experience is completely personalized, since a maximum of six people per group is allowed.
• Disadvantages of this experience: You need to know how to swim to enjoy the moment. Participants must be in excellent physical condition to undergo the activity. You must bring a packed lunch and a change of warm clothes for after the dive. This experience is not recommended for pregnant women nor for people who suffer from any special physical condition such as heart conditions and similar.

If there's one thing you can do in Reykjavik and Iceland in general all summer long, it's to sign up for whale watching for species that you can only see at this time of year.

In the case of whale watching, it is definitely one of the best tours on boats and cruises in Iceland, besides being one of the most pleasant experiences during your stay in the city.

To participate in this activity, I recommend you to hire one of the whale watching tours in Reykjavik. Whales come to Iceland during the summer season to feed, so it is an excellent time to see them up close.

There are tours that depart from Reykjavik to the open sea to show you this natural phenomenon at midnight. The most interesting thing about doing this tour is that the sun never fully sets, so during the midnight open sea excursion, you will be able to see the sun on the horizon.

Details of interest

• Price: This Icelandic midnight adventure can be priced around 85 euros per person.
• Duration: You will need about 3 hours to make the journey to the open sea.
• Distance from Reykjavík: The departure point is located in the city of Reykjavík, from there to the whale watching site depends on how far the boat goes offshore.
• Advantages of this adventure: It is a good activity to do as a couple and to be with few people. You will be able to watch a multimedia material about the marine life in Iceland while sailing from Reykjavik harbor to the whale watching area. You can take strollers and it is also wheelchair accessible. They offer winter pants if required.
• Disadvantages of this experience: Despite being summer, the temperatures in Iceland are really low, so you have to wear really warm clothes to be able to go on this summer excursion, because the nights are usually even colder.

Icelanders love the arrival of summer so much that they have their own festival to celebrate the event: the Midsummer celebration is an event that occurs every year on the first day of summer.

Although it is an event that is celebrated all over Iceland, whose inhabitants of its most remote villages take to the streets to flood the atmosphere with music and festivities, the real Midsummer festival takes place in the capital, Reykjavik.

The city is filled with music with the great festival that brings together Icelandic artists and sometimes artists from other parts of the world are invited, who come to celebrate with the locals the beginning of the summer season.

The most interesting thing about this celebration is that it begins when the midnight sun sets, that is, the sun sets in a position where it can fill the whole country with light at 00:00 hours. This marks the beginning of summer.

Details of interest

• Price: Free of charge.
• How to get there: The biggest festival takes place in the center of the capital.
• Schedule: It is celebrated on the first day of summer which usually occurs the third week of June.

Along with the celebration of the summer solstice, there is a tradition that you cannot miss if you go to Reykjavik and that is the celebration of the merchant's day. This is perhaps one of the most famous celebrations in Reykjavik and Iceland as a whole, although over time it has become a second choice among the locals.

Regardless of whether its popularity is on the rise or decline, it is an experience I recommend you experience in Iceland in summer. It is a collective excursion to the fields near the country's capital to celebrate the arrival of the summer solstice and the fact that the days will now be longer than usual. Locals gather there to enjoy the sun and the arrival of summer.

Details of interest

• Price: Free.
• How to get there: Drive from Reykjavík on the roads that have been made available in summer, towards the fields.
• Schedule: There is no schedule for this celebration, you can go to the fields near the capital and camp. Of course, the celebration is on the first Monday of August.

Being an island, Iceland has a very deep-rooted fishing culture and its traditions have been carved out of fishing. That is why one of the most important summer celebrations in Reykjavik is the one that pays tribute to fish and how it has managed to be present in all aspects of Icelandic culture.

During this fish day, locals and visitors gather in the city to cook seafood and other seafood, and prepare typical Icelandic dishes.

These dishes are offered free of charge to the public and the day is enlivened with live music and fireworks. It is definitely a summer activity that I would include among the best gastronomic tours in and around Reykjavik.

Details of interest

• Price: Free.
• How to get there: Take a route on one of the roads enabled during the summer, to reach the town of Akureyri, if you want a long but pleasant journey. If you want to get to Akureyri faster, your best option is to take a flight. You could go by bus but it will take you about six hours to get there.
• Hours: The free all-you-can-eat buffet lasts from 11:00 to 17:00.

Although it is not a tradition that has to do with summer, it is a spectacle that occurs during this time of the year. Specifically, August 18 is the date chosen to celebrate Icelandic culture.

This is similar to celebrations held in other countries to commemorate national independence day. In the case of Iceland's capital, this is the commemoration of the proclamation of Reykjavik as a municipality.

It is very easy to catch the festive atmosphere in the streets during the night of Icelandic culture, which is celebrated not only in Reykjavik but also in nearby towns.

The capital's museums and art galleries stay open until the early hours of the morning and one of the most important events is the Reykjavik Marathon, which attracts more than 3500 participants annually.

Although it is the summer climate, the truth is that Reykjavik, and Iceland in general, are very cold places throughout the year, and that happens because it is a country that is located far north, so its temperatures tend to drop a lot at certain times of the year.

Summer temperatures, however, rarely exceed 14 ° C during the day, while the night remains cooler, although the sun does not fall completely. It is clear that with these temperatures, the locals take advantage of the summer weather to enjoy themselves outdoors.

As you can imagine, the higher temperatures, the summer thaw and the cultural activity that engulfs this city and the whole country during the summer, are enough excuses for Reykjavik to fill up with tourists from all over the world.

A very important tip is that, day after day when you wake up to visit new destinations, put aside laziness and do it even earlier, with the intention of arriving early to the attractions you want to visit and avoid long lines everywhere.

High season equals high prices, and this is no different in Reykjavik. If so far you have been convinced that summer is probably the best time to visit Reykjavík, you have to know that one of the disadvantages of doing it during that time of the year is the high cost of excursions, hotels, restaurants and other tourist services.

A good way to save and get better prices to visit Reykjavik in the summer, is to make reservations to hotels, restaurants and excursions, long before the date of planning your trip, this way you will be ensuring your place in the tours you want to do, in the hotels where you want to stay and the restaurants you want to visit.

As you know, Reykjavik and Iceland is a country that is far enough north to have cold temperatures all year round. So in that country, summer does not equal sunglasses, bathing suits and sunscreen.

I recommend that you pack plenty of warm clothes, thermal pants to help keep your legs warm, thick socks, closed shoes, winter jackets, among other things that can help you maintain a warm body temperature during such a hostile climate.