Best Of Reykjavík 2018: Best People-Watching Spot

So, you’ve shopped in the shops, drank the drinks, and eaten all the food you can manage. And whilst those things are all super fun, activities and culture are the missing pieces of the puzzle for a perfect trip to Iceland. Whether it a gleaming museum or a grimy artist-run gallery, a springtime hike or a trip to try and glimpse the aurora, presenting our Best of Reykjavík 2018: Activities winners. Here, we’ll dive into the not-to-miss people-watching spots.

Best People-Watching Spot

Hlemmur Mathöll

Laugavegur 107

Reykjavík’s brand new food hall, located in the old Hlemmur bus station, is the perfect spot to grab a bite to eat and watch the world go by. The various food stands have a lively and bustling seating area where people park up for lunches, dinners, dates and drinks. “It has a fast-moving pop-in-pop-out nature,” said the panel. “There are hotels close by, so there are tourists, but Icelanders go there too, and it’s also a bus interchange. And it’s still not completely gentrified. You can get a drink, and see an absolutely diverse mixture of people passing by.”

Runner-Up:

Lækjartorg

This city-centre square is busy by day, and crazy by night. “If you want to see the real Iceland, come from 5am-6am any Saturday to see a stumbling guy trying to chat up girls whilst hailing a cab back to Kópavogur and inhaling a lobster roll. It’s a vortex of Icelandic life any time of the day or night.”

Runner-Up:

Kolaportið

Tryggvagata 19

Iceland’s largest flea market is the perfect place to pick up a bargain—or just to watch the world go by. “You’ll see old fishermen selling their catch, Icelanders, students, celebrities, locals and tourists all shopping there,” said the panel. “You get a cross-section of Iceland that you don’t find anywhere else.”

Previous Winners

2016: Grandi

2015: Austurvöllur

2014: Eymundsson Austurstræti Café

2013: Booths at Hressó

Other Activities Categories

Best Pool

Best Art Museum

Best Museum

Best Artist-Run Space

Best Gallery

Best Place For Aurora Spotting

Best Place To Take The Kids

Best People-Watching Spot

Best Hike

Best Cinema

You can buy a copy of the full Best Of Reykjavík 2018 magazine—an essential guide to having fun in Reykjavík—here, posted worldwide. We also have a Special Offer double-pack that also includes our Best Of Iceland magazine, about places to eat, see, swim, shop and stay, all around the country, here.