Day Trip: Iceland

If you happen to be near Beacon around 4:30 p.m. on a clear day, you may notice a red jetliner overhead. It belongs to a discount airline known as Play that flies from New York Stewart International direct to Iceland.

With a seat to Reykjavik about 20 minutes from my front door, it couldn’t get easier for a solo traveler who prefers short flights — barely 5 hours, in this case — with carry-on luggage for a five-day stay in the capital. In fact, it’s so easy, my trip in April to attend the 10th annual Iceland Writer’s Retreat was my third in 18 months. (Checking at flyplay.com, roundtrip fares in June start at about $400. You can also use Reykjavik as a stopover to Europe.)

Reykjavik is my kind of city: walkable, eclectic architecture, great restaurants, diverse museums, pubs with local musicians and a world-class concert hall. There are two seasons: summer (which began April 25) and winter. While the days lengthen until the midnight sun peaks in June, they are rarely sunny. Strong north winds and unexpected temperature drops require layers and rain gear. As my Norwegian forefathers would say: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.” 

I recommend four or five days unless you plan to rent a car and travel more extensively using the ring road. Much can be accomplished with two days perusing the city shops, which are filled with woolens, activewear, art, crafts and books, and two days for tours with Reykjavik Excursions, such as to the South Coast, with its Black Diamond Beach, glaciers and waterfalls; Snæfelsness peninsula, with its mountainous terrain; and the Gullfoss waterfall and geysers and Thingvellir, with its tectonic plates. 

There are other focused adventures such as whale watching, horseback riding and visits to historical places described in the Viking sagas. 

My city picks include the Reykjavik Settlement Museum, Kjarvalsstadir Art Museum, the National Museum of Iceland and the Reykjavik Maritime Museum for a taste of history, iconic and contemporary artists and the island nation’s affinity for water. The Reykjavik City Card can be purchased for 24, 48 or 72 hours and provides entry to these museums and transportation on city buses. Free maps and guidebooks are ubiquitous, and the Citymapper app is invaluable. I’ve averaged 18,000 steps per day on my trips.

My recommendations for dining are Sandholt, which is on Laugavegur, the main street. It opens at 7:30 a.m. and is a great place for breakfast, which you will want after your early morning landing and Flybuss into the city. Sample the cruller flavored with cardamom, known as a kleinur, along with authentic skyr. 

Reykjavik Fish Restaurant, by the harbor, is a great choice for fish ’n’ chips; the cod could not be fresher. Kaffi Loki, near Hallgrimskirkja, the landmark church up the hill on Skolavordustigur (a street with a rainbow painted on the pavement), is a good bet for traditional food such as lamb soup or shanks that have a terre noir associated with grazing on rocky farmland, or plokkfiskur, a casserole of cod and mashed potatoes baked with a cheese crust. 

Of course, you should sample Gull, the Icelandic beer and, if brave enough, brennivin, which will warm you from chest to toes. 

I’m ready to nominate Beacon, with its focus on the arts, food and nature, as a sister city to Reykjavik. I’m already booked to return in April 2025 for the 11th annual writer’s retreat, returning home in time for the annual LitFest at the Howland Cultural Center. A trans-Atlantic cultural exchange between Beaconites and Reykjavikers: Wouldn’t that be amazing?