I chose Iceland, first and foremost, because my late August flight was relatively cheap for a trans-Atlantic flight, especially one to Europe from the West Coast of the United States. Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) to Reykjavik-Keflavik (KEF) with one layover in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) was roughly $700. Let me add a disclaimer here that the flight was about the last cheap thing on this trip; food, drink, recreation, lodging, and transportation in Iceland can all get quite pricey quite quickly.
Other destinations came up on Kayak Explore for roughly the same price, but Iceland also appeared on several lists I found of best places for (female) solo travelers. I don’t speak a word of Icelandic (despite more than a few efforts on my part and those of tour guides), but English is prevalent in written and spoken language throughout the country. Possibly the most influential reason for choosing Iceland was my own smartassery: I did a project back in high school on a hypothetical vacation and picked Reykjavik, the most random place I could think of; based on what I learned from that project, however, Iceland truly piqued my interest, and I have wanted to see what it was actually like for myself ever since.
I flew into Reykjavik in the morning, and getting a shuttle from Keflavik airport into downtown Reykjavik was just a matter of choosing among the different companies; $30 (30,000 krona) and 30 minutes later, Gray Line had dropped me off at my hotel, Metropolitan Hotel. A quick note about my lodging: I splurged (and I mean splurged) for a private room with its own bathroom because I knew that I, an introvert with an anxiety disorder and travel-related gastrointestinal issues, would want to feel as comfortable as possible in my “home” for the week. There are other, more cost-efficient ways to stay in Reykjavik, including myriad hostels and Airbnbs, but the hotel was comfortable, clean, and well-located within the city, making the splurge justifiable in my mind.
Of 6 days in Iceland, I spent about 3 in Reykjavik proper; many people go the “rent a car and drive around the island” route, but I opted instead for day tours, which I’ll talk about in a later post.For anyone looking to spend time in Reykjavik, I recommend the City Card; there are 24-, 48-, and 72-hour cards with free/discounted access to museums, thermal pools, transportation, shops, and restaurants around the city for that duration of time. I got the 24-hour pass for 3,700 krona (about $37 USD) and was able to visit Viðey Island, the Settlement Exhibition, the National Museum, the National Gallery, the Reykjavik Museum of Photography, and Vesturbæjarlaug pool. For a Type A solo traveler, this was a great way for me to create some structure for myself without being too limited by cost.
Viðey Island was a little bit out of the way on foot, and the ferry schedule put me in a bit of a time crunch with only just a 24-hour pass. I only spent about 45 minutes on the island which was, in my opinion, not quite enough to cover the walking trails in both directions from the dock; however, I didn’t want to wait the extra hour for the next ferry back to the mainland so prioritized some of the natural landmarks and the charming main house. Time spent in museums really depends on the person; I spent more time in the National Museum (about 2 1/2 hours) than I did in the National Gallery or the Museum of Photography (maybe 30-45 minutes each) because I’m more knowledgeable about and interested in history than art/photography. As far as hot springs go, I went the route of a local pool rather than any of the commercial hot springs; in part, this decision was because of the cost but also the authenticity of a pool where locals go rather than one full of tourists. I will also admit that I didn’t spend much time at the pool because social anxiety got the best of me, and I felt way too awkward hanging out in a hot tub with a bunch of older Icelandic men for longer than about an hour. That said, I did have some interesting conversation with a lifelong Reykjavikian(?), a couple from Chicago, and a Canadian ex-pat. Surprisingly, I found sitting alone in the different pools (which vary by temperature) more awkward than the mandatory naked showering before getting into the pools; as an American, I find it so liberating to be in other countries where being in a locker room full of other, naked, imperfectly human women is normalized instead of shameful and weird. Upon entry into the facility, the staff did make sure I knew that I had to shower off fully naked, and there was a particularly amazing, specific-yet-tasteful diagram (see below) showing you just how naked you have to be. Tourists who seemed so uncomfortable with the nudity stuck out like a sore thumb; trying to get dressed under a towel and being overly modest draws more attention to you, which is presumably the opposite of what you would want. We all have body parts, we all have imperfections, and honestly, I felt better about myself because I realized that normal, non-photoshopped women also have cellulite and body fat and weird-looking this or that. I can’t pretend like I’ve always been super confident and immodest (marching band in high school shamed it out of me though), but my advice if you’re uncomfortable is to try to appreciate the experience for what it is and to not be afraid to laugh at your excruciating awkwardness (like when I forgot to bring my bathing suit with me to the shower and had to do an additional naked walk back to my locker).
One of the best free things to do in Reykjavik is its Sculpture and Shore Walk along the city’s northern coast. In its entirety, the walk extends for about 3 miles (5 km), passing statues, including the Sun Voyager (Sólfar); art and history installations; a variety of buildings, including the Harpa concert hall; and of course, a near-constant view of the North Atlantic.
In my opinion (a.k.a that of someone who enjoys hiking once she’s doing it but is also pretty lazy), Reykjavik is a pretty easily walkable city. Although there are city buses (which are also free with the City Card, by the way), I was able to walk to all of the places I visited within the city within a reasonable about of time. Admittedly, I wished I had taken the bus about halfway back from the Viðey Ferry Terminal, but I was still able to make it back to my hotel in about an hour. That being said, part of the expense and decision-making in regards to my hotel was because of it being more centrally located (in Old West Side) and within walking distance from what I wanted to see (around Vesturbær, Old West Side, and Hlemmur).
If you’re at all interested in street art (which I am), Reykjavik proved to be surprisingly saturated with it, and I spent my first afternoon and evening in the city hunting for street art. This was something I honestly did not expect at all from Iceland altogether, but it was a pleasant surprise and certainly challenged my preconceived ideas of the country.
After the spiel about nudity, I’m probably opening myself up to potentially unflattering generalizations about myself, but here goes: I went to a museum entirely about penises. Yes, Reykjavik hosts the world’s only Phallological Museum. And yes, I paid money (cold, hard cash) to go. And yes, I looked at animal penises and a wide (or should I say girthy) variety of homages to male genitalia. And yes, I giggled the whole time because although I am a Registered Nurse by profession, I am a 13-year-old boy by humor. I will spare the impressionable among you any pictures but would encourage you to do some research and decide if it’s for you. Only one in the world, just saying. It’s a unique opportunity; you could really decide to rise to the occasion.
This seems like a great segue for me to talk about wieners! 
Like hotdogs. You pervs. If you are in Iceland and not a fully-committed vegan/vegetarian (because I myself am a half-assed, “not when I’m traveling” vegetarian) slash afflicted with a meat-related (heh. Okay, last one) allergy, you have got to try Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. If you Google anything foodie about Reykjavik, it will tell you the same (or the exact opposite, depending on how mainstream they want to be and how many other restaurants’ versions they tried…). I personally am not a big fan of hotdogs in America and only minimally tolerate bratwurst because it’s my heritage and I feel like my ancestors are disappointed if I don’t. But I ate FIVE of these hotdogs over the course of a week. “Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur” literally translates to “the best hotdog in town,” and what makes it special is the meat (combination of pork, beef, and lamb) and the condiments (ketchup, sweet mustard, fried onion, raw onion and remoulade sauce). Again, I’m not a big meat-eater, and I’m not a huge condiment person, but I figured “when in Rome,” and tried it “all the way.” I’m not a foodie, I don’t have the words to eloquently and accurately describe the flavors, but it was just SO GOOD.
On the other end of the meat spectrum was PUFFIN. Knowing that there are a few dishes offered in Iceland that you can’t find elsewhere (citation needed), I decided to pick one to try among the choices of puffin, whale, and fermented shark. I had been warned by a fellow traveler that the shark was one of the worst things she had ever eaten and felt weird about a blubbery fellow mammal so opted for the puffin. Again, don’t have the foodie vocabulary except to use phrases like “oily,” “fishy but also birdy,” and “2/10, would not recommend.”
As I alluded briefly to in the intro paragraph, everything is expensive in Iceland; my foray into puffin-eating, along with the sweet potato fries I ate for actual sustenance and a beer cost me almost $30 for one meal. Since I’m a picky eater (if you hadn’t deduced) and was trying to minimize costs, most of my meals came from the grocery store. Or Dunkin Donuts. #NotSorry. FUN FACT: there are no Starbucks or McDonald’s in the entirety of Iceland. And even though I am a picky eater and only eat yogurt because it’s good for me, I really enjoyed Iceland’s answer to yogurt: Skyr. (Though I was not adventurous for the licorice-flavored Skyr, thank you very much.)
I think I have rambled enough for one post, but we really covered quite a variety of topics: art, culture, nature, nudity, wieners…next week’s Iceland post: Don’t Go Chasin’ Waterfalls
What did you see in Reyjkavik? Did you try puffin, shark, and/or whale? Would you go to a museum full of (you could say, engorged with) penises? Comment below and let me know!
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