After driving over 3,200km in 11 days, we arrived at the final stop of our Ring Road Trip: Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. We deliberately chose to visit the capital on our final day, because we wanted to take most of the road trip itself, without getting stuck in yet another ‘big’ city. But I’ll be honest with you, we were happy to be in a big city again after 11 days of desolation. Guess we’re city-people after all ..

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Reykjavik is Europe’s most Northern ánd most Western capital, and has a population of around 300,000. Although this is the biggest city of Iceland, it doesn’t feel crowded or bustling. Very odd for somebody who lives in a small country with daily traffic jams of +200km.

Opera-building in Reykjavik
One of the many street art buildings in Reykjavik

We didn’t plan much this day, as we preferred to stroll through it’s small streets and let curiosity be our guide. We obviously went to see the ‘Halgrimmskirkja’, the most well-known building of Reykjavik. The architect of the church, Guðjón Samúelsson, was inspired by the great basalt parties which are found in Iceland, and decided to make the church look like one big basalt-column. Very clever!

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Another highlight of our day in Reykjavik, was the ‘Vikin Maritime Museum’, locaded in the harbor-distruct. Christophe wanted to see this museum, as it revealed how Icelandic people used fishing to survive here in the hard conditions this island provides. Now we know why Icelandic people aren’t bothered much with cold and extreme weather conditions. Highly recommended!

We also stopped for some great lunch – no pictures allowed though – near the museum. The restaurant is called ‘Matur og Drykkur’ – food & drinks in icelandic, haha – and is located next to the Saga Museum. It’s highly recommended by locals, and serves real Icelandic food! A great way to discover the Icelandic cuisine!

mapsimage from google maps

After strolling around for an hour of 6 in the streets of Reykjavik, we decided to head for our final stop of this trip: our guesthouse in Keflavík. An early flight tomorrow ..

But not without one last drive through the magnificent Icelandic landscape .. Oh Iceland .. We will miss you!

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More info about our room-for-the-night:

  • Address: White House B&B, Bragavellir 17, 230 Keflavík, IJsland (7min drive from the airport)
  • Price per night: 80 euro (tip: pay with card in ISK) and booked via Booking.com. Breakfast included!
  • Accommodations: Free wifi, shared refrigerators; big & cosy living spaces. Room with television and king size bed. Three shared bathrooms. Two toilets. Very close to the airport.