Summerhouses in Capital Region

The Capital Region is the small administrative area around Reykjavík: the city itself, plus Mosfellsbær, Kópavogur, Hafnarfjörður, Garðabær, and a few smaller municipalities. It is densely populated by Iceland's standards and tightly built, but it sits inside a remarkable amount of empty country. From a house in or near the city, you can be in a lava field in 20 minutes, at a hot spring in 45, or on a glacier-view ridge in just over an hour. For a short trip, or a stop-over of a day or two, the capital is the most practical base in the country.

Reykjavík itself

Reykjavík is small, walkable, and densely concentrated around the harbour and the main shopping street, Laugavegur. Hallgrímskirkja, the stepped concrete church that dominates the skyline, is at the top of the hill and you can take a lift up the tower for the panorama. The harbour has the food halls, the whale-watching docks, and the Harpa concert hall (worth walking through for the architecture even if you do not see a show). The thermal pools (Laugardalslaug, Vesturbæjarlaug, Sundhöllin) are not the showpiece spas of South Iceland, but they are where locals actually go and a fraction of the price.

What is within an hour

The point of a base in the capital is the day trips. Within 60 minutes of the centre:

• Heiðmörk, the city's nature reserve, 15 to 20 minutes south. 3,000 hectares of planted forest, lava fields, and walking trails around the lake at Elliðavatn. The closest you will get to a quiet woodland inside the country.
• Rauðhólar, a cluster of red-orange pseudo-craters about 14 km from downtown. Rusted volcanic rock, short walking trails, easy to pair with Heiðmörk for a half-day.
• Mt. Esja, the flat-topped mountain north of the city, hike-able in 2 to 3 hours return on the standard Þverfellshorn route. The view back to Reykjavík from the top is the city's classic angle.
• Hvalfjörður, the long fjord around 50 minutes north. Most travellers skip it because the tunnel under the fjord is faster (and free), but the inland coastal road takes you past Hvammsvík hot springs, the Þórufoss waterfall (a Game of Thrones location), and the trailhead for Glymur, the country's second-tallest waterfall, a half-day hike.
• Reykjadalur, the "Steam Valley," around 45 minutes east. A 3 km walk uphill from the Hveragerði parking lot brings you to a warm river you can swim in. Easy in summer; trail closes in heavy snow.

The Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) is also within 90 minutes of the city, but is treated as a South Iceland day trip elsewhere on the site.

Where to base yourself

Most houses in the Capital Region itself are inside or just outside Reykjavík. Houses in Mosfellsbær (about 15 minutes north of the city) are the easiest compromise: still inside the region, no city centre traffic, and 5 minutes closer to Hvalfjörður and the road north. Houses in Hafnarfjörður (south side) put you closer to Reykjanes and the airport. The downtown city has more apartments than houses and is best for short stays.

When to come

The Capital Region is open year-round, with the most reliable infrastructure in the country: cleared roads, working buses, and a hospital. February to early April is the dark, atmospheric end of aurora season; the city has too much light pollution but a 30 minute drive (towards Hvalfjörður or Heiðmörk) gets you into proper darkness. June and July give the midnight sun in a city you can walk around at 2 a.m.

What people get wrong

Treating Reykjavík as the trip rather than a base. Two nights is plenty for the city itself. The point of staying in the region for longer is what the day trips give you, not the bars and the city centre.