Suggestions for a Reykjavik Drinking Expedition

[bourbonbasted]

A few buddies and I are going to Reykjavik, Iceland for a long weekend (4 days) in June. As the title alludes, the main objective of the trip is drinking. However, we'd also like to get a cultural experience. Accordingly, I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions on places to go, things to see, etc. I've never been to Iceland and am not sure what it has to offer. I'll obviously be doing a decent amount of research leading up to the trip, but if anyone here has something we have to do/see, I'd appreciate the advice.

Thanks, gents.

 

[Cary Grant]

A friend has been twice in the past year or so- I'll see if I can get anything from him. They're very outdoorsy/camping types and he remarked that was a good thing because the economy has been so bad that it's wiped out much of anything else to do so they spent most of their time out in the wilds. They're in their late 30's and not the bar-hopping type though.

 

[bourbonbasted]

Yeah on first-pass reading it seems to lend itself quite well to the outdoorsy type. I'm not opposed to that in the least and I think we are talking about kayaking by the fjords one of the days. The real issue is that I'm only there for 4 days, so blending an outdoor adventure with pub-crawling is likely impossible. Last thing I want to do is pack too much in. It is a vacation, after all.

In any event, I would be very interested to hear their take or if there is one place I have to go in their opinions. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Cary Grant]

I've emailed him.

 

[bourbonbasted]



I've emailed him.

Thank you, sir!

 

[poorsod]

http://www.styleforum.net/t/263001/2-days-in-iceland-snaefellsjokul-or-south/0_30

 

[bourbonbasted]

Interesting. Not sure how that thread didn't surface in my search. Only one I found was a suggestion thread turned into "How hot are Icelandic chicks" debate. In any event, thanks for the heads up.

I may have to look into Fiskmarkadurinn and apparently reservations are needed (assuming nothing's changed in the past 2 years).

Thanks for the input!

 

[Cary Grant]

From my friend... most of which won't appeal to guys looking to drink

• Between the city and the airport there is the famed blue water hot spa (can't miss it on google)
• In the city there's good icelandic history museum and a sheep wool knitting retail cooperative (http://www.handknit.is/en/user/cat/6)
• The standard for tourist is a variety of tours from the city to the various spectacular features; price differentiation amongst them aside, every tour to the icelandic countryside is worth it.
• Food wise Vegamot is good (akin to pub/cafe fare) and the Argentinian steak restaurant was fabulous
• The Grapevine, akin to City Pages, is online and in English - tips, happenings etc
• to get out of the city for the real Iceland check out Hotel Budir on the Snaefelsnes Peninsula.

As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of Reykjavik other than a place to sleep between tours (if you don't rent a car to do it yourselves -- easy to do relative to other foreign driving experiences). On the bar hoping note, the youth of Reyk are notorious late in the night, very soussed, and loud drinkers.



FWIW-

 

[Joffrey]

I imagine you've done some of this already and you're just seeking SF insights but some stuff I found for ideas:

http://www.infoiceland.is/nightlife-bars.html - doesn't tell you much but has some places on a map with a general description.

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/reykjavik/nightlife - some suggestions

Never been to Iceland but I'm normally good at looking up resources for nightlife/things to do in new cities. Let us know how it goes

 

[bourbonbasted]

Cary: Thanks a ton for reaching out to your friend. I'm adding Vegamot to the list and looking into the Argentinian steak house as we speak. I've also started reading some stuff on The Grapevine. All and all, fantastic stuff. Thanks again so much for your input.

Joffrey: Yeah I was more or less seeing if anyone had personal experience with Iceland and knew of some hole-in-the-wall or a renowned place that wouldn't make the trip complete if I missed it. I know a lot of people on here are avid travelers, so just wanted to see if there was something out there that I might not find on my own. Per your links, thanks so much. Definitely will have a look and see what I can dig up. Seems like a couple of solid places to start. Thanks so much for the advice!

Thanks for all the contributions thus far, gents!