10 Best Hotels
Reykjavík brings colourful streets, a working harbour and a lively food scene within easy reach of one another. Spend a morning with Icelandic history, walk past Harpa’s glass façade and look across the bay towards the mountains. Geothermal bathing makes an inviting pause between outings, while restaurants range from welcoming neighbourhood tables to intimate tasting counters. Allow a few days for the city itself, with time for coastal walks and plans that can shift with the weather.
The Reykjavik EDITION
Old Harbour, Iceland
The Reykjavik EDITION stands beside Harpa and the harbour, with warm wood, pale colours and local artwork softening its contemporary rooms. The setting gives the hotel a strong connection to the water, although views vary between room categories. TIDES restaurant, a café and several bars make it easy to spend time here between outings. Choose it for a polished city stay with a substantial food and drink offering and the waterfront immediately outside.
Waterfront design and dining
Hotel Borg
Austurvöllur, Iceland
Hotel Borg overlooks Austurvöllur in the old centre of Reykjavík, with an Art Deco identity that sets it apart from the city’s newer design hotels. The historic property combines traditionally elegant public spaces with modern guest facilities, including a spa and fitness area. Its location is particularly convenient for the parliament, museums and central restaurants. Choose it when you want an established hotel with a sense of occasion and a straightforward base for exploring on foot.
Art Deco character in the old centre
Iceland Parliament Hotel
Austurvöllur, Iceland
Iceland Parliament Hotel sits beside Alþingi and Austurvöllur, making it an easy base for exploring Reykjavík’s oldest streets. The hotel combines accommodation, dining and a spa in a setting closely connected with the civic centre. Its appeal is the balance between a convenient address and enough facilities to make returning indoors pleasant when the weather turns. Stay here for a city break focused on museums, restaurants and walks through the compact historic centre.
Central comfort and a spa
Reykjavík Konsúlat Hotel
Old town, Iceland
Reykjavík Konsúlat Hotel occupies a former department store associated with the Thomsen family, bringing a small part of the city’s commercial history into a contemporary hotel. Vintage details and old photographs give the public spaces and rooms a personal character. The central setting puts restaurants and harbour walks close by, while the wine room provides an appealing place to finish the day. Choose it for a boutique stay with a warmer, more intimate mood than a large modern hotel.
Historic surroundings and a wine bar
101 Hotel
Hverfisgata, Iceland
101 Hotel takes a sharply contemporary approach to the Reykjavík city stay, with black-and-white interiors, modern furnishings and Icelandic art. Its location on Hverfisgata puts galleries, cafés and restaurants within easy reach, while the lounge gives the building its own social life. The rooms have an open, uncluttered feel, including bathroom arrangements that will not suit every traveller. Choose it for design and atmosphere, and look closely at the layout of the room you book.
Contemporary art and minimalist design
Kvosin Downtown Hotel
Austurvöllur, Iceland
Kvosin Downtown Hotel occupies a building dating from 1900 beside Reykjavík’s parliament and cathedral. Its small collection of rooms ranges from compact doubles to larger suites, giving it an intimate character in a very central setting. Contemporary furnishings sit within the older building, and the surrounding streets offer plenty of places to eat and drink. Choose it when you want a neighbourhood base with historic character, and match the room category carefully to the space you need.
A small hotel beside the parliament
Sand Hotel
Laugavegur, Iceland
Sand Hotel sits on lively Laugavegur, with contemporary rooms and artwork providing a calmer retreat from the shopping street outside. Sandholt bakery occupies the ground floor, and the surrounding buildings have a long connection with Reykjavík’s commercial and cultural life. The hotel also serves an included breakfast buffet. It is a good choice for visitors who enjoy stepping directly into cafés, shops and restaurants, then returning to a smaller hotel with a relaxed atmosphere.
Boutique comfort beside a historic bakery
Exeter Hotel
Old Harbour, Iceland
Exeter Hotel brings an industrial style and a sociable atmosphere to the Old Harbour. Rooms vary from straightforward doubles to larger harbour-facing options, while the building’s food and drink spaces give it a life beyond overnight stays. Deig serves coffee, bagels and doughnuts, and Le Kock and Tail cover meals and drinks later in the day. Choose it for a lively base with character, especially if you enjoy being close to the harbour and evening activity.
Industrial design and a lively local scene
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre
City centre, Iceland
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre draws on the site’s history as a furniture factory, music venue and arts space. Contemporary design, an art installation and a vinyl collection give the hotel a playful identity, while its central position keeps shops, cafés and nightlife close. Breakfast is included in the hotel’s offering, and there are dining and fitness facilities on site. Choose it for a comfortable urban stay with more local character than a conventional business hotel.
A relaxed hotel with a musical streak
Tower Suites Reykjavík
Höfðatorg, Iceland
Tower Suites Reykjavík occupies the twentieth floor of a contemporary building at Höfðatorg, giving its small collection of suites unusually wide views over the city and surrounding landscape. Floor-to-ceiling windows make the outlook the main attraction, with different suites facing different parts of the coast and mountains. This is a good choice for travellers who value space and privacy. Its location is slightly removed from the oldest central streets, so allow for the walk into town.
Wide views from a small suite hotel