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Tours in Reykjavik |
Over the last decade Reykjavik's nightlife has been hyped up by the enthusiastic tourist board and a stream of travel writers. Reykjavik, however, is a small city and those arriving expecting to find a large-scale 'Ibiza of the North' may be a little disappointed as most of the action takes place in a very small central area.
Having said that, the scene on the weekends, especially in summer, is surprisingly raucous for such a small city, as revellers flit between bars on the traditional runtur (pub crawl). One strange phenomenon is the nightly drive-by as Reykjavik's hard-up youth shun the expensive bars and opt to cruise around in their cars for hours on end.
Most locals tend to counter the expensive bar prices by consuming a lot of alcohol at home before going out. Hence, it is not until around midnight or later that the streets begin to fill with drinkers and clubbers and the real action begins.
All of Reykjavik's nightlife centres on the main street, Laugavegur, and the roads leading off it. The cafes and bars in Reykjavik tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character - serving beer and coffee throughout the day, before transforming into buzzing drinking and dancing venues in the evening.
Opening times for the majority of cafe-bars are Sunday to Thursday 1000-0100 and Friday and Saturday 1000-0300. Nightclubs close around 0400 or 0500 and the dress code is strictly spruce. Alcohol is available from licensed bars, restaurants and Áfengisbúd shops (open Monday to Thursday 1400-1800 and Friday 1000-1800). The minimum drinking age is 20 years.
Cafes/Bars: Whether British pop star Damon Albarn is still a part-owner or not, Kaffibarinn, Bergstadastraeti 1, is still a meeting place of the city's media set and has a certain cache, as evidenced by the frequent queues to get in. Meanwhile Reykjavik's celebs (including Björk and Eidur Gudjohnsen when they are in town) head to the bar at the upmarket Sir Terence Conran's Rex at Austurstraeti 9 (website: www.rex.is). Vegamot, Vegamotastig 4 (website: www.vegamot.is) is a very cool bar/club that's popular, and so is the Mediterranean style Café Oliver, Laugavegur 20 (website: www.cafeoliver.is) - its large dancefloor is always packed on weekends, and they sometimes have live music too.
Clubs: The impressive NASA (website: www.nasa.is), located off Austurvollur, draws the crowds with music from disco to house playing on its three floors, and live bands early in the evening. Rex (see Cafes/Bars above), meanwhile, is an elegant venue with high ceilings and chandeliers, popular with the over-30s. A smaller alternative is Café Solon on Bankastraeti 7A (website: www.solon.is), which is a bar/bistro during the day but turns into a nightclub at the weekend. The main gay bar/club in Reykjavik is Q Bar, Ingólfsstræti 3 (website: www.qbar.is).
Live Music: NASA (see Clubs above) has a small stage but hosts some of the best musical performances in the country, and is home to the Jazz Festival and Airwaves. Cosy Kaffi Rosenberg, Klapparstigur 25, is another good bet for live music, with all kinds of smaller bands playing mainly jazz and blues. Hressó (Hressingarskálinn), Austurstraeti 20, is a popular cafe during the day, but often has live music in the evening.
Having said that, the scene on the weekends, especially in summer, is surprisingly raucous for such a small city, as revellers flit between bars on the traditional runtur (pub crawl). One strange phenomenon is the nightly drive-by as Reykjavik's hard-up youth shun the expensive bars and opt to cruise around in their cars for hours on end.
Most locals tend to counter the expensive bar prices by consuming a lot of alcohol at home before going out. Hence, it is not until around midnight or later that the streets begin to fill with drinkers and clubbers and the real action begins.
All of Reykjavik's nightlife centres on the main street, Laugavegur, and the roads leading off it. The cafes and bars in Reykjavik tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character - serving beer and coffee throughout the day, before transforming into buzzing drinking and dancing venues in the evening.
Opening times for the majority of cafe-bars are Sunday to Thursday 1000-0100 and Friday and Saturday 1000-0300. Nightclubs close around 0400 or 0500 and the dress code is strictly spruce. Alcohol is available from licensed bars, restaurants and Áfengisbúd shops (open Monday to Thursday 1400-1800 and Friday 1000-1800). The minimum drinking age is 20 years.
Cafes/Bars: Whether British pop star Damon Albarn is still a part-owner or not, Kaffibarinn, Bergstadastraeti 1, is still a meeting place of the city's media set and has a certain cache, as evidenced by the frequent queues to get in. Meanwhile Reykjavik's celebs (including Björk and Eidur Gudjohnsen when they are in town) head to the bar at the upmarket Sir Terence Conran's Rex at Austurstraeti 9 (website: www.rex.is). Vegamot, Vegamotastig 4 (website: www.vegamot.is) is a very cool bar/club that's popular, and so is the Mediterranean style Café Oliver, Laugavegur 20 (website: www.cafeoliver.is) - its large dancefloor is always packed on weekends, and they sometimes have live music too.
Clubs: The impressive NASA (website: www.nasa.is), located off Austurvollur, draws the crowds with music from disco to house playing on its three floors, and live bands early in the evening. Rex (see Cafes/Bars above), meanwhile, is an elegant venue with high ceilings and chandeliers, popular with the over-30s. A smaller alternative is Café Solon on Bankastraeti 7A (website: www.solon.is), which is a bar/bistro during the day but turns into a nightclub at the weekend. The main gay bar/club in Reykjavik is Q Bar, Ingólfsstræti 3 (website: www.qbar.is).
Live Music: NASA (see Clubs above) has a small stage but hosts some of the best musical performances in the country, and is home to the Jazz Festival and Airwaves. Cosy Kaffi Rosenberg, Klapparstigur 25, is another good bet for live music, with all kinds of smaller bands playing mainly jazz and blues. Hressó (Hressingarskálinn), Austurstraeti 20, is a popular cafe during the day, but often has live music in the evening.