Laugavegur & Downtown★★
The Main Shopping Street
The Laugavegur is the heart of Reykjavík — the main street that runs from the Hallgrímskirkja down to the harbor, lined with boutiques, cafés, bookstores, galleries, and restaurants. This is where the city's life pulses, and where the legendary Rúntur — the Icelandic pub crawl on weekends — begins.
The name means "Washing Road" — in the 19th century, women carried their laundry to the hot springs in Laugardalur for washing, and Laugavegur was their path there.
Notable places along Laugavegur and in the vicinity:
- Skólavörðustígur: The side street leading up to Hallgrímskirkja — galleries, design shops, the famous Handknitting Association of Iceland (Handprjónasambandið), where you can get genuine Lopapeysa sweaters (from about 20,000–30,000 ISK/133–200€ — hand-knitted from Icelandic sheep wool)
- Tjörnin: The small lake in the center with swans and ducks. Perfect for a walk. Frozen in winter — ice skating!
- City Hall (Ráðhús): Located by Tjörnin, with a huge 3D relief map of Iceland in the foyer (free) — perfect for planning your travel route
- Austurvöllur: The central square in front of the Alþingi (Parliament) — meeting place, sunbathing (yes, in summer!), and historical site of protests. The "Pots and Pans Revolution" took place here in 2008
- Grandi Harbor District: The up-and-coming district at the old harbor with the Whales of Iceland exhibition (life-sized whale models!), the FlyOver Iceland simulation, and trendy restaurants
- Sólfarið (Sun Voyager): The iconic stainless steel sculpture on the waterfront by Jón Gunnar Árnason (1990) — an abstract Viking ship looking out to sea and mountains. Iceland's most photographed artwork and the perfect sunset spot
