Early morning Reykjavik things to do

This is the first of a series of blog posts in which I will detail out my recent trip where I fulfilled a wishlist I have had for a while. This one is focused on early morning Reykjavik things to do. to start with though, let me note that visiting Iceland in 2021/now is definitely doable despite the current pandemic. The vaccination rates in Iceland are very high for the total population, and you can expect that the best things you want to see in Iceland are probably outdoors anyway. All visitors before they can get their ticket have to offer proof of a negative Covid-19 test (or proof of recovery from it) taken within 72 hours before even checking the luggage and boarding the plane, and this is true both ways. There is also an app that you must use when in Iceland to track your exposure and register- a barcode is required to show you have done this also to get your boarding pass.
All the things you need to board your plane to enter Iceland when visiting Iceland 2021

If you go in October like I did, you will also not have the huge amounts of tourists that generally go during the summer when it is the land of the midnight sun (aka super long sunshine hours). That said, there is still plenty of daytime during our visit in mid-October – dawn was around 8:30m and sunset around 5:30pm so pretty respectable compared to what yo would experience in the US too. Temperatures are also not what I consider cold compared to my upbringing in Chicago – only in the mid 30s-40s F, and the only chill you really get is from strong arctic winds. The amount of wind, which varied during my visit, could be 10-20 miles per hour (converting from their weather reports which are in meter per second) to a crazy 90 miles per hour! If you add rain, which pretty much means you will get soaked, prepare waterproof layer along with layers.

Likely if you come from the US you will end up landing in the early morning hours of the Iceland day – for me this was around 5:30 AM. If you are lucky your hotel or AirBnB may allow you to have an early check-in if it is available, or at least store your luggage. If you are wondering what else might be open this early in the morning in Reykjavik – not much. Here are a few things to consider doing

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pechluck | PDX Food, Travel (@pechluck)

Bookmark Brauð Bakery

So one thing you might want to consider doing is bookmarking Brauð & Co.. They are an excellent option to have for breakfast or to have if you are driving along the Ring Road.

There are several locations, but I picked the one in central Reykjavik at 16 Frakkastígur, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland – it opens at 6:30 AM daily which is perfect for early arrivals to the country or grabbing food for an early departure to drive around Iceland. This location is famous for being covered in rainbow colors.
In Reykjavik Iceland, head for the building smothered in rainbow spray paint for the locals' tip for the best snúður (cinnamon buns) in town. Brauð & Co is known for their tasty sourdough bread, delicious cinnamon rolls and assorted pastries from organic ingredients.

Check out all the pastries in the window – this is probably the best view of what is currently on offer for the moment as this is the main display. There is one small display of the cinnabons and a shelf of breads, but otherwise you can make your choices here at the window before you enter. Don’t worry if the line looks long – this place is tiny so there isn’t much room to queue, but they are very fast in grabbing the carbs and closing out each order.
In Reykjavik Iceland, Brauð & Co is known for their tasty sourdough bread, delicious cinnamon rolls and assorted pastries from organic ingredients. Check out all the pastries in the window - this is probably the best view of what is currently on offer for the moment as this is the main display

Don’t be surprised that as you are waiting in line that you see the bakers at work – they intentionally have the baking take place in plain view (and it is the majority of the building) so you can see the process, and that there’s always fresh warm baked goods coming to the service counter. Here you see the famous snúður or cinnabons, or cinnamon rolls, in progress.
In Reykjavik Iceland, Brauð & Co the baking takes place in plain view of customers, so they can observe the process and even ask about methods and raw materials.

Here’s what I ended up being able to try during our visit – a ham and cheese croissant, a pretzel and regular croissant, a vegan cinnabon, and what they called the Slaufum´essu from Brauð. Gorgeous right?
In Reykjavik Iceland, Brauð & Co check them out as they open early everyday so may be perfect timing for the arrival of our early morning flight, and are great to have as snacks as you start your drive on the Ring Road. This is the Ham and cheese croissant

Sunrise at Harpa and Sun Voyager

Along the waterfront, you can find the sculpture ‘Solfar’ or Sun Voyager, and the mesmerizing glass building of Harpa concert hall. Both are only a short walk from each other. It’s amazing at how close Reykjavik is to the great outdoors as you can see just across the view of the bay Mt. Esja in the background. This bay is also a popular place (besides Grotto lighthouse) to hope to see the Northern Lights if you are lucky.

The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom. I stopped here before sunrise, walked to Harpa and got photos there as the sun broke, and then came back to Sun Voyager. It’s interesting how the sunlight changes the mood of each.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom. In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom.

Sun Voyager was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason. In 1986 the district association of the west part of the city funded a competition for an outdoor sculpture, to celebrate Reykjavik‘s 200 year anniversary. The Sun Voyager was the winning piece.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom. In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom.

Harpa Concert Hall really intrigued my eye and camera phone for a while. The design of the building with the glass facade by Olafur Eliasson was influenced by Iceland‘s dramatic nature. Harpa is situated on the boundary between land and sea, and the glass reflects the nature of the sky and harbor as well as the pulse of the city. The honeycomb glass exterior is mesmerizing how the windows change colors in daylight or in the night. Before daylight, the lights had a more blue purple tone.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting Harpa Concert Hall. The honeycomb glass exterior is mesmerizing how the windows change colors in daylight or in the night.

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre is the home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera and also functions as a conference center. The design won the Mies van de Rohe award in 2013, otherwise known as the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting Harpa Concert Hall. The honeycomb glass exterior is mesmerizing how the windows change colors in daylight or in the night.

The building structure includes 714 glass panels, all of which are a different shape and also have an LED light for shows in the evening if desired. I didn’t any light show myself, but definitely took time checking out the windows.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting Harpa Concert Hall. The honeycomb glass exterior is mesmerizing how the windows change colors in daylight or in the night.

Here’s proof I was actually there – and as I mentioned this is the first of a series of posts about my trip to Iceland. I love travel, and it’s been making me a little crazy that since 2020, when I canceled a much anticipated trip to London and also later in the year to Mexico City, to not be able to see the world. I selected Iceland intentionally at the time of year I did because it is the “off-season” traditionally as people seem to be scared off by the weather. I hope from this series you can see there’s nothing to be scared of though. Iceland depends a lot on tourist dollars, which made 2020 a hard year, and they are hoping for our American dollars (and European somewhat) to help. They are not part of the European Union so have their own currency, the Icelandic króna or krona or ISK or k. That said, they accept credit cards (often touchless) everywhere so you really don’t need to convert any cash at all. Stay tuned for more info in the next post.
In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom. In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting ‘Solfar’ or ‘Sun Voyager.’ The striking landmark was created by Icelandic sculptor Jon Gunnar Arnason and is found along the waterfront. The Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun, and it’s supposed to represent the desire to explore undiscovered territory and hope and freedom. In Reykjavik Iceland, one early morning thing to do that is free is visiting Harpa Concert Hall. The honeycomb glass exterior is mesmerizing how the windows change colors in daylight or in the night.