Reykjavik in a Day: Exploring Iceland’s Capital on Easter Monday

We arrived in Iceland on Easter Sunday. The day had been almost perfect. Blue skies stretched across Reykjavík, the air was crisp rather than bitterly cold, and after soaking in the warm waters of Sky Lagoon we felt confident our carefully researched itinerary was unfolding exactly as planned. But by 9.40pm, on the eve of our Golden Circle adventure, the snow started to fall.

We decided to relax at our hotel rather than go looking for a local restaurant. Our hotel was literally diagonally across the road from the 10-11 grocery store/mini supermarket at Laugavegur 116, 105 Reykjavík.

The 10-11 chain of convenience stores are like our 7-Eleven and IGA stores in Australia but they’re open 24/7. They are slightly more expensive than the Bonus and Kronan supermarkets, but you’re paying for the convenience, and the range is surprisingly good.

The Forecast That Changed Everything

We had hoped the weather would change overnight but when we woke the following morning rain lashed sideways across the hotel windows.

The wind howled through the streets.

Looking outside, it was difficult to believe this was the same city we’d wandered through beneath sunshine less than eighteen hours earlier.

Before even thinking about breakfast, we reached for our phones.

Every traveller driving Iceland should have three websites or apps bookmarked before they leave home. They quickly became our morning ritual throughout the trip:

Vedur.is for the latest weather forecasts.

Vegagerðin (road.is) for road conditions and closures.

SafeTravel.is for travel warnings and alerts.

All three were telling the same story. Roads were beginning to close. Wind warnings were increasing.

Driving several hours into the countryside simply wasn’t a sensible option.

We could have stubbornly stuck to the itinerary, but we wouldn’t have been able to travel too far. Instead, we accepted what Iceland was telling us.

The Golden Circle would have to wait.

Discovering Reykjavík at a Slower Pace

At first, I’ll admit we were disappointed.

The Golden Circle is one of Iceland’s iconic drives. We had carefully planned our route, key destinations, where to stop, where to eat for lunch… We’d been looking forward to waterfalls, geysers and Þingvellir National Park for months. Instead, we found ourselves wandering Reykjavík with no real destination.

Looking back, it turned out to be exactly what we needed.

Because it was Easter Monday, the city felt unusually quiet. Food halls that are normally bustling were either completely closed or operating with only a handful of vendors. Opening hours seemed more like gentle suggestions than fixed schedules.

Normally that might have been frustrating.

Instead, it gave Reykjavík a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere.

Without crowds pouring through the streets, we slowed down ourselves.

Rather than rushing from one attraction to another, we simply wandered.

Colourful corrugated iron houses brightened the grey morning.

Small cafés provided welcome refuge from the cold wind.

Locals carried on with everyday life while visitors like us ducked between buildings trying to avoid another burst of horizontal rain.

It was the Reykjavík we’d never seen in the travel brochures.

And somehow, that made it feel more authentic.

A City Without the Crowds

With far fewer visitors around than we’d expected, Reykjavík revealed a quieter personality.

The colourful shopfronts along Laugavegur were easy to explore.

Street art appeared around unexpected corners.

The harbour disappeared into sheets of mist before re-emerging as the rain eased.

Even the weather became part of the entertainment.

One moment we’d be pulling jackets tighter against icy wind. Ten minutes later we’d be walking beneath patches of blue sky. Then another rain shower would arrive without warning.

Tourists quickly learned not to pack their waterproofs too deeply inside their backpacks.

Experiencing Iceland’s famously unpredictable weather within our first full day.

No plan, we just walked. Some of our faves…

Fortunately, we visited Hallgrimskirkja church the day we arrived and scored amazing panoramic shots from the tower on the 8^th floor. (Lesson learned – do what you can while you can just in case the weather changes.)

We wandered aimlessly throughout Reykjavik’s main city centre (101 Reykjavik) taking in the sites. I would love to tell you exact route but in truth I really can’t recall but I can tell you the key streets are Laugavegur (runs east to west), Skólavörðustígur (slopes down toward the centre) and Austurstræti (leads toward Parliament and the square).

We used Hallgrimskirkja church tower as our reference point to help stay on track and walk in the right direction.

You can’t miss…

The Horse Monument in Hlemmur Square along Laugavegur Street; it’s the work of sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson (1966). The horse laden with gear with a smaller foal at its side pay homage to the unique breed of Icelandic horses, originally brought to Iceland from Norway by early settlers.

Skólavörðustígur, the city’s iconic rainbow street, is full of art galleries and design shops (leads up to Hallgrimskirkja church)

Cinamon rolls from Braud & Co (Bread & Co) https://www.braudogco.is/en-gb

The beautiful design and concept stores (only window shopping on Easter Monday)

Coffee at Kaffi Brennslan (Laugevgur 21)

Tourist Infromation Centre – a great reference centre for free guide books, tours on offer etc.

Late lunch of Icelandic lamb at Fjarhusid inside Hlemmur Matholl (Reykjavik’s first food hall which was once a bus terminal)

Happy hour at The Laundromat Café (Austurstræti 9)

Afternoon drinks mixing with the locals at Mal og Menning (a bookstore, café, bar and music venue at Laugavegur 18) The Bookstore Band plays there most nights from 8pm

Downtown Reykavik is very walkable – you can walk from one end of the city centre to the other in about 25 minutes.

Looking Ahead

As evening approached, we checked the forecasts once again.

Conditions were beginning to improve.

The roads we’d hoped to drive were expected to reopen overnight.

Tomorrow, our real Ring Road adventure would finally begin.

Waterfalls.

Glaciers.

Black sand beaches.

Everything we’d flown halfway around the world to see.

But if Day Two taught us anything, it was this:

Some of the best travel memories happen when your itinerary falls apart.

Practical Travel Tips

Always check the forecast before driving. Icelandic weather can change dramatically overnight.

Use three essential resources every morning: Vedur for weather, Vegagerðin for road conditions and SafeTravel for alerts. These became part of our daily routine throughout the trip.

Have a backup plan. Weather-related changes are common, especially outside summer.

Don’t underestimate Reykjavík. Allow time to simply wander—you’ll discover plenty without following a strict itinerary.

Pack waterproof outerwear. Wind-driven rain is very different from an ordinary shower.

Coming Next: Day 3 — Waterfalls, Black Sand and the Open Road – Reykjavik to Vik

By 6pm the sky was clearing.

The following day the roads reopened and our Iceland road adventure began. We headed east along the Ring Road, discovering waterfalls you could walk behind, hidden canyons, towering cliffs, glaciers, and one of the world’s most famous black sand beaches—the kind of day that reminds you exactly why people dream of driving Iceland.

Want to see more:

Check out https://www.johnmontaguephotography.com/Travel/Iceland

Disclaimer:

This blog post is based entirely on our own experiences during our trip to Iceland in April 2026. Everything we share reflects what we personally saw, did, learned and experienced during our holiday.

We have done our best to make sure the information is correct. However, things can change, including prices, road conditions, weather etc. If you are considering travelling to Iceland, we recommend you check current information with official Icelandic sources before making bookings.

Although each story is proof read, apologies if any locations have been spelt incorrectly.

Any opinions, recommendations and suggestions shared on Monty&Me are our own.