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A little piece of Europe dropped down in Arctic wilds.
Reykjavík boasts all the trappings of a modern European city, dusted over with eccentric Icelandic spirit. Thriving cafes, high-energy pubs and clubs, and a brightly coloured old town with rows of wood-and-corrugated-tin houses cluster together in the compact city centre.
The barren lava fields that surround Iceland's international airport are an eye-grabbing introduction to this near-Arctic island, belched out of the mouths of volcanoes (some still active), awash in midnight sun from May to August, glistening with glaciers, geysers, hot springs and waterfalls.
Reykjavík, the world's northernmost capital, lies on a small peninsula on the southwest coast of Iceland, off a sizeable bay called Faxaflói. This city is where the vast majority of the country's population huddles for warmth and economic gain; only one-fifth of this otherwise ice cap, lava field and desert plateau-covered island is considered habitable. Reykjavík's Old Town is situated between its harbour and a large pond called Tjörn to the southeast, and is encircled by an ever-expanding concrete sprawl of newer houses and office blocks. The city centre's main landmarks are the lofty heights of the 75m (246ft) Hallgrímskirkja and the old town square Austurvöllur, hemmed in by the parliament buildings, the Lutheran cathedral and the city's most historical hotel. The adjacent cafe-studded street Austurstræti links Austurvöllur to another square nearby, grimier Lækjartorg, one of the city's main bus stands. Up the hill from Lækjartorg is the main shopping street, Laugavegur.
Reykjavík has two airports: Reykjavík city airport (handling domestic traffic and flights to Greenland and the Faroes) is a pumice stone's throw south of the centre, while Keflavík international airport is 48km (30mi) west of town. Long-distance buses depart from the BSÍ terminal at Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, on the northeastern edge of the city airport.
