Travel day Day 15 · Wednesday 1 July 2026

From castles
to volcanoes

Early morning Edinburgh

→

Morning In the air

→

By mid-morning Reykjavík

Flight easyJet · 2h 30m

Tonight's hotel Reykjavík Residence

Iceland weather 10–13°C · Cool, possibly damp

Sunrise 02:57 local (near midnight sun)

Sunset 00:04 +1 · barely gets dark

Departure

Edinburgh 04:00

Very early start — taxi from hotel at 04:10, arrive airport 04:35.

Flight

EDI → KEF

easyJet EZY3315 direct, 2h 30m. Departs 06:10 BST, lands Keflavík 07:40 local (UTC).

Arrival

Keflavík morning

Land 07:40, taxi to hotel ~45 min. Full day ahead.

Tonight

First Reykjavík day

Arrive by 09:30 — walk the city, recover, dinner at Íslenski Barinn.

The day

Hour by hour

An early start from Edinburgh — bag drop closes at 05:20 so the taxi leaves at 04:10. You land in Reykjavík by 07:40 local time with the whole day ahead of you. Iceland is genuinely cooler than Edinburgh — pack a layer in your carry-on.

Day 15 of 26
Edinburgh → Reykjavík

1 July

Act One

The departure morning

04:00 · Alarm

Early start

It's an early one. Bag drop closes at 05:20 — you need to be at the airport by 04:45 at the latest. Quick breakfast or grab something airside.

04:10 · Taxi to EDI

Taxi from The Knight Residence

Book the night before — ask the apartment concierge or use a local firm. ~25–30 min, roughly £25–30. Drops right at departures.

Act Two

Across the North Atlantic

04:45 · EDI bag drop & security

easyJet bag drop & security

Bag drop closes 05:20 — plenty of time. 3 × 23kg hold bags checked. Security at EDI at this hour is fast. Grab a coffee airside and wait for the gate.

06:10 · Depart EDI

easyJet EZY3315 to Keflavík

Direct, 2h 30m. Seats: Amy 1F · Henry 1D · Scarlett 1E · All front row. Ref: KCK7426.

07:40 · Land KEF

Keflavík airport — Iceland time (UTC)

Small and efficient. Immigration fast for AU passports. Bags on one carousel. Note: Iceland runs UTC year-round — it’s an hour behind Edinburgh BST, so body clock says 08:40.

Act Three

Iceland

08:30 · Taxi to Reykjavík

Taxi from KEF to hotel

Taxi rank just outside arrivals. Flat rate ~ISK 16,000—18,000 / AUD $145—165 for the car — good value for a group. ~45-min drive. Drops you at the hotel door.

09:30 · Check in or drop bags

Reykjavík Residence Apartment Hotel

Room won’t be ready at 09:30 — drop bags, freshen up. Walk Laugavegur, grab breakfast in the city. Check-in is 15:00 but they’ll often release a room early.

10:30 · First Reykjavík hours

Laugavegur & Hallgrímskirkja

Walk the main street, see the church, take in the scale of the city — it’s tiny and walkable. The tiredness will lift once you’re moving.

13:00 · Lunch

Grab lunch on Laugavegur

Plenty of options along the main street — soup, a sandwich, or a sit-down meal. You’ve been up since 04:00 so don’t push it too hard.

14:30 · Back to the hotel

Rest & recharge

Early alarm, long travel day — a proper lie-down now means you’ll actually enjoy dinner. Leave the bags, close the curtains, and rest for a couple of hours.

17:00 · Snacks for tomorrow

Pick up supplies

Tomorrow is a 10-hour tour with no included lunch. Head out now to stock up — Bónus on Laugavegur is the cheapest option and closes around 19:30. See the snack options below.

Evening · First Reykjavík dinner

Íslenski Barinn

8-min walk from the hotel to Ingólfsstræti 1a. Traditional Icelandic cooking: whale steak, slow-cooked lamb, and the kind of comfort food that feels earned after a long travel day.

Arriving in

Reykjavík, Iceland

You’re landing at the world’s most northerly capital. It sits at 64° north, the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, and in July, the sun barely bothers setting. Welcome to the edge of the world.

Iceland was the last place in Europe to be permanently settled. Norse explorers arrived in 874 AD, led by Ingólfur Arnarson, who named the spot Reykjavík, “Smoky Bay”, after the steam rising from the geothermal hot springs. That steam is still rising. Today it heats 90% of the city’s buildings for free. Your hot tap water will smell faintly of sulphur. This is completely normal.

The country has just 370,000 people in total, roughly the population of Geelong. Reykjavík holds about a third of them. Despite that, Iceland publishes more books per capita than any nation on earth, produces more musicians per capita than almost anywhere, and has been ranked the world’s most peaceful country for years running. Small, remote, and unexpectedly extraordinary.

The language is Old Norse, barely changed. Icelanders today can read 1,000-year-old Viking sagas in the original without a dictionary. The government runs an official committee whose job is to invent new Icelandic words rather than borrow English ones. “Computer” in Icelandic is tölva, a blend of “number” and “prophetess.”

Founded

874 AD

First Norse settlement in Iceland. Last country in Europe to be inhabited.

City population

130k

One third of the entire country lives here.

Latitude

64°N

Same as Anchorage, Alaska. Northernmost capital on earth.

July temperature

12°C

Cooler than Edinburgh. Pack a layer in your carry-on.

Active volcanoes

30+

130 volcanic mountains total. One erupts on average every 4–5 years.

Geothermal heating

90%

Nearly free to run. Hot water smells of sulphur, this is fine.

Time zone

UTC+0

No daylight saving. One hour behind Edinburgh BST in July.

Sunset in July

00:04

Barely gets dark. The sky stays orange-pink all “night.”

Currency

Icelandic Króna (ISK). Everything is card-friendly, you won’t need cash. Iceland is expensive: budget ISK 2,500–4,000 per coffee and cake for four.

Language

Icelandic. Everyone speaks excellent English. Don’t try to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull in public. Just say “the volcano.”

Alcohol

Not sold in supermarkets, state-run Vínbúðin stores only. Bars and restaurants are fine. Beer wasn’t even legal here until 1989.

Getting around

Reykjavík is tiny and walkable. Drive on the right (opposite to UK & Ireland). Taxis are reliable; Uber doesn’t operate here.

Hot water

Smells faintly of sulphur. Completely safe, geothermally heated. It’s one of the purest water supplies in the world despite the smell.

Safety

Consistently ranked the world’s most peaceful country. Crime is virtually nonexistent. Kids can play outside unattended, this is normal here.

kr 80 = A$ 1

Icelandic króna → Australian dollars. Budget rate, the actual rate is closer to kr 88–92 per dollar, but this gives you a built-in buffer so nothing is a surprise.

Budget rate

kr 500 ~$6

kr 1,000 ~$13

kr 1,500 ~$19

kr 2,000 ~$25

kr 3,000 ~$38

kr 4,000 ~$50

kr 5,000 ~$63

kr 6,000 ~$75

kr 8,000 ~$100

kr 10,000 ~$125

kr 15,000 ~$188

kr 20,000 ~$250

Your flight

easyJet EZY3315

Edinburgh to Keflavik direct. One of the few nonstop routes between the UK and Iceland, 2h 30m in the air, no connection to miss. Just a very early alarm.

easyJet · Direct Flight EZY3315 · Wed 1 July 2026 · Ref KCK7426 ✓ Confirmed

Henry

Front row

Aisle seat

Scarlett

Front row

Middle, all together

Amy

Front row

Window right

Bag drop opens

03:40 · Edinburgh Airport

Bag drop closes

05:20 · aim to arrive by 04:40

Check-in closes

05:20 · 50 min before departure

Hold baggage

3 × 23kg checked bags included

Cabin baggage

1 small under-seat bag each
(max 45 × 36 × 20 cm)

Online check-in

Opens 1 June 2026
Passport details from 1 May

Morning plan

Night before Pack all bags, set two alarms. Book taxi from apartment in advance.

04:00 Up, quick coffee, out the door by 04:10.

04:40 At Edinburgh Airport, bag drop and security done in 20 minutes at this hour.

At the gate Grab food airside, Pret or WHSmith. Nothing worth eating on easyJet.

Manage booking → Booking PDF → Edinburgh Airport map →

Manage bookings is in the top menu at easyjet.com · Ref: KCK7426 · Account: chris.eade@bugbean.com.au

Before you land

Download Hopp

Uber doesn’t operate in Iceland. Hopp is the local alternative, ride-sharing, electric scooters, and car-sharing. Download it before you leave.

Hopp

Best for tourists, the Uber of Iceland

Hopp is an Icelandic app covering three types of transport. The ride-share function (Hopp Taxi) works just like Uber, open the app, request a ride, pay in-app. It’s the easiest way to get around Reykjavík when you don’t want to walk, especially useful on late evenings or for trips beyond the centre.

Hopp Taxi

Ride-sharing just like Uber, request, ride, pay in-app. Covers the whole city.

Scooters

Electric scooter rentals scattered around the city centre. Fun for short hops.

Car Sharing

Self-drive car rentals by the hour, useful if you want flexibility beyond tours.

Tip: Set it up before you land, you’ll need it on arrival night and for evenings out throughout the Iceland days.

App Store, iOS Google Play, Android

Tonight's hotel

Reykjavík Residence

Apartment-hotel in the heart of central Reykjavík, on Skólavörðustígur (the rainbow street). Self-catering with concierge, best of both worlds.

Apartment hotel · 4 nights Confirmed

★★★★ 4.6 · Highly rated · Booked via Expedia

Reykjavík Residence Apartment Hotel

4-star apartment hotel · Junior Suite

4 nights Wed 1 July → Sun 5 July.

Address Vatnsstígur 2, 101 Reykjavík

Phone +354 561 6200

Website reykjavikresidence.is

Check-in / out 15:00 / 11:00

Booked via Expedia

Confirmation 86020930

Expedia itinerary 73434749574878

Room type Junior Suite

Breakfast Room only, not included

Nights 4 · 1 → 5 July 2026

What to know

LaundryCommunal laundry on-site.
Check-inFront desk staff will greet you on arrival. Smart lock codes and Flexipass app details sent 72h before, download the app beforehand.
Location5 min walk to Hallgrímskirkja, 10 min to Harpa concert hall. Rainbow street is directly outside.

First breakfast in Iceland

Morning fuel

Drop your bags at the hotel then walk two minutes to Laugavegur. Kaffibrennslan is the obvious first stop, a proper Reykjavík institution. Warm, unhurried, and exactly what an early-flight morning calls for.

The café

Waffles with cream & chocolate

Kaffibrennslan

Reykjavík’s best-loved coffee house, on the main street since forever

Coffee & pastries $ · Budget-friendly Laugavegur 21 Historic building Opens 09:00 Family-friendly

A cosy corner of a historic building just up from the hotel, exposed chimney, creaky floorboards, multiple levels to spread out. Famous for its coffee and a short, well-executed menu of pastries, waffles, and sandwiches. After a 04:00 alarm and a red-eye across the North Atlantic, this is exactly what the morning needs.

Notes

The waffles with whipped cream and chocolate sauce are the standout. Good pastries, excellent hot chocolate, the coffee roasting is in the name.

From breakfast

The morning loop

Leave Kaffibrennslan and head straight up Rainbow Street. A 4 km arc, church, waterfront, concert hall, and lunch, ending back on Laugavegur a few doors from where you started. No backtracking, no transport needed.

~4 km Total distance

~4 hrs Breakfast to hotel

Loop Ends near where it starts

Free Except tower (~ISK 1,000 pp)

~09:30, Leave breakfast

Skólavörðustígur, Rainbow Street

Turn off Laugavegur and walk the full length up to the church. Shops won’t be open yet, which is better. The painted asphalt is quieter, the photos are cleaner, and you have it largely to yourselves.

~10 min from café Best before the crowds

Open in maps

10:00, Tower opens

Hallgrímskírkja

Go straight in and up the tower. The lift takes you most of the way, views stretch across the whole city to the mountains and out across the bay. Genuinely stunning. The church interior is worth five minutes: stark, Lutheran, beautiful.

~ISK 1,000 pp for tower Allow 45 min

Open in maps

~11:00, Head to the water

Sun Voyager

Walk northeast from the church ~15 minutes to the waterfront. Steel dreamboat facing the open Atlantic, mountains of Esja across the bay, one of those “you have to see it” moments. Great family photo stop.

~15 min from church Free

Open in maps

~11:20, Along the waterfront

Harpa Concert Hall

Five minutes along the harbour. Walk through the ground floor, free, 20 minutes, and the light through the geometric glass facade is genuinely beautiful. Grab a coffee inside if anyone needs one before lunch.

~5 min from Sun Voyager Free entry (ground floor)

Open in maps

The bar

Inside

05 ~12:00, Lunch stop

Lebowski Bar

The Dude abides, and so does the burger

Burgers & bar food $$ · Mid Laugavegur 20a Big Lebowski themed Family-friendly

A Reykjavík institution themed around The Big Lebowski, which sounds gimmicky until you’re actually inside, at which point it just feels like a very good bar. Known for an enormous White Russian menu (40+ variations) and a solid lineup of burgers, wings, and loaded fries. It’s on Laugavegur 20a, almost exactly opposite where you had breakfast. The loop closes in the most satisfying way possible.

Notes

Get the burger, proper, generous, exactly what you want after a few hours on foot. The kids will like the loaded fries. Order a White Russian if you haven’t eaten since breakfast; they’re more meal than drink. Then it’s a five-minute stroll back to the hotel for check-in.

⌂

Afternoon

Back to the hotel

You’ve been up since 04:00 and on your feet all morning — head back to Vatnsstígur now. Rest, unpack properly, and recharge for a couple of hours before heading out to pick up tomorrow’s supplies and dinner. The hotel is a 10-minute walk from Harpa back along Hverfisgata.

Before tomorrow’s tour

Pick up snacks

Tomorrow is a 10-hour day with no included lunch stop — the tour provides basic snacks but it’s worth having your own water, energy bars, and something for the kids. All three options below are within walking distance of the hotel.

Closest

Krambúð

Convenience store · 24/7

Walk 2 min from hotel

Hours Open 24 hours

Price Expensive (convenience pricing)

Address Skólavörðustígur

Right on the walk into the city centre. Good for a quick stop — pays to top up here if you haven’t had a chance to go to Bónus.

Best value

Bónus

Supermarket · Iceland’s cheapest

Walk 10 min from hotel

Hours Mon–Thu 11:00–19:30 · Fri 10:00–20:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00

Price Cheapest in Iceland

Address Laugavegur 59

Go here during the afternoon Laugavegur walk — closes early so don’t leave it until after dinner. Best for stocking up: water, fruit, snack bars, cheese, crackers.

Open late

10–11

Convenience store · late hours

Walk 8 min from hotel

Hours Open until midnight or later

Price More expensive than supermarkets

Address Laugavegur (multiple)

The backup option if Bónus is shut. Easy to spot on Laugavegur. Prices rise ~8% after 20:00 so go before if you can.

Tonight’s dinner

Íslenski Barinn

Eight minutes’ walk from the hotel on Ingólfsstræti. This is where to try the things you won’t find anywhere else: fin whale steak, grilled puffin, fermented shark (hákarl) with brennivin, sheep’s head, reindeer burger, and dung-smoked salmon. One of Reykjavík’s most celebrated restaurants for traditional Icelandic food.

Íslenski Barinn · City Centre

Icelandic comfort food

Íslenski Barinn

The Icelandic Bar · Ingólfsstræti 1a · 101 Reykjavík

4.7 ★ Google · 2,905 reviews Icelandic comfort food Ingólfsstræti 1a 10–15 min from harbour Walk-in friendly Open from 11:30

A proper Icelandic bar that takes its food seriously. The menu goes well beyond the usual comfort food, this is where to eat the things that are genuinely unique to Iceland. Fin whale (langreyður) comes as a grilled steak with béarnaise or on a crumpet with remoulade. Grilled puffin (lundi) arrives with thyme skyr and blueberry jam. Hákarl, fermented Greenlandic shark cured underground for months, is served in six pieces with dried fish, butter, and optional brennivín. Sheep’s head (svið) with mashed potato and beer sauce, reindeer burger with brie and wild berry jam, hangikjöt smoked lamb on flatbread, and dung-smoked salmon on rye round out a menu that reads like an Icelandic culinary education.

From the whale watching pier, it’s a 10–15 minute walk south into the city centre, or a very short taxi ride. Ingólfsstræti 1a is near Austurvöllur square, easy to find.

What to order

Go for the whale steak if you want the centrepiece dish. The puffin is unlike anything you’ll eat anywhere else. For a sampler approach, the Icelandic delicacy platter covers smoked salmon, lamb, whale and local cheeses in one sharing board. Hákarl with brennivín is the bravest order on the menu.

Google ★★★★★ 4.7 · 2,905 reviews

Hours Mon–Thu & Sun 11:30–01:00
Fri–Sat 11:30–03:00

Reservations Walk-in friendly at lunch

Phone +354 517 6767

Website islenski.is

Address Ingólfsstræti 1a
101 Reykjavík

After dinner · Walk home

Gaeta Gelato

Laugavegur 23, right on the walk back into the city centre. Italian-style gelato made fresh daily. Iceland’s dairy is exceptional and it shows here.

Laugavegur 23

Gaeta Gelato

Italian-style gelato · Made fresh daily · 101 Reykjavík

One of Reykjavík’s most loved gelato stops, Italian-trained, small-batch, and made fresh each day. You walk right past it on the way back to the hotel. Iceland’s dairy is some of the best in the world and the gelato reflects it.

Address Laugavegur 23, 101 Reykjavík

On your route Walk right past it heading back to the hotel

Hours Open late in summer

Cost ~ISK 800–1,200 per scoop

View on map →

Reykjavík geography

Compact capital

Reykjavík is small — central Reykjavík is essentially a 15-minute walk wide. Your hotel is right in the middle of it. You'll do most days on foot.

Hotel: Reykjavík Residence on Vatnsstígur · Hallgrímskirkja: 5 minutes walk (Reykjavík's iconic church) · Harpa Concert Hall: 10 minutes walk (waterfront) · Old Harbour: 10 minutes walk

Logistics

What to actually know

An easy travel day with one direct flight. Most stress points are at airports — pace yourself.

Edinburgh → EDI

Taxi from hotel — ask the concierge to book the night before
~25–30 min, roughly £25–30 for the car
Much easier with luggage than any public option
Bag drop closes 05:20 — aim to arrive by 04:40, EDI is quick at that hour
Drop-off is right outside departures — smooth start
easyJet EZY3315 · Ref KCK7426 · Seats 1D / 1E / 1F

KEF → Reykjavík

Taxi rank is right outside KEF arrivals — no pre-booking needed
Flat rate ~ISK 16,000–18,000 / AUD $145–165 for the whole car
~45 min to central Reykjavík — drops you at the hotel door
Good value split across a group vs. per-person bus fares
Drivers speak English; most accept card payment

First night in Iceland

Pack a layer — Iceland is colder than the UK
Tap card everywhere; no cash needed (ISK)
Tap water is the best in the world — drink it
It barely gets dark in July — eye masks essential
Tomorrow is Golden Circle + Silfra — sleep well