Published November 2026 · Last updated: November 2026
You can do Reykjavík on your own on almost any port day. The city center is compact, and every stop below is a walk once you are in town. How much time you have depends on your berth. Miðbakki in the Old Harbor is about 460 m from Harpa, a 5–6 minute walk. Skarfabakki, where the Vör terminal stands, is about 4 km east and needs a taxi, bus 16, or a 45–55 minute walk. Volcano Express, inside Harpa, is the first stop off the gangway at Miðbakki. Shows start every 15 minutes, and a visit takes up to 45 minutes in total, including a 10-minute flight, so it fits even the shortest plan below. Walk-ins are welcome, with tickets at the door or online.
First: which berth, and what it costs to get to town
Visit Reykjavík lists three cruise ports for the city: Skarfabakki (the main terminal), Miðbakki (Old Harbor) and Hafnarfjörður (about 12 km south). Your ship's daily program names the berth. Check it the night before. Our Skarfabakki terminal guide explains where each type of ship docks.
| Miðbakki (Old Harbour) | Skarfabakki / Vör (Sundahöfn) | |
|---|---|---|
| To Harpa | 460 m walk, about 5–6 min | 4.1 km. Taxi about 7–10 min. Walk 4.2 km, about 45–55 min |
| Taxi to Harpa (Hreyfill meter, 1–4 passengers) | Not needed | About 2,820 ISK on weekdays 08:00–16:00. About 3,180 ISK at other times. Waiting time is extra |
| Strætó bus | Not needed | Route 16 from the Skarfagarðar stop, about 450–510 m (6–7 min) on foot from the quay. 690 ISK a single fare (adult). Children 11 and under ride free |
| Walkable to Volcano Express? | Yes | No. Take a taxi or bus |
How we calculated it: taxi fares use Hreyfill's published tariff, valid from 18 March 2026. The day rate is a start fee of 880 ISK plus 477 ISK per km for the first 4 km and 364 ISK per km after that. The night and weekend rate is 880 ISK plus 564 and 452 ISK per km. We applied these to the 4.1 km routed distance. Walking distances are routed on OpenStreetMap at 80 m per minute.
The free port shuttle that ran in earlier seasons did not run in 2026. Visit Reykjavík's options from Skarfabakki are walking, a Hopp e-scooter, a taxi, or bus 16. Any shuttle is your cruise line's or agent's, and usually paid.
Bus 16, back to the ship: Strætó's weekday timetable (valid from 24 August 2026) has eastbound buses leaving the Sólfarið stop, by the Sun Voyager sculpture, at :21 and :51 past the hour. They reach Skarfagarðar 9 minutes later. The last weekday bus is the 18:51. For buses into town, and for weekend times, check the Klappið app or straeto.is on the day. Strætó publishes a separate weekend timetable and changes timetables seasonally, so check the one valid on your date.
The all-aboard buffer
Your ship is not obliged to wait for passengers who go ashore on their own. Plan backward from the all-aboard time in the daily program, not the sailing time. Our planning rule:
- Miðbakki: be at the gangway 30 minutes before all-aboard. The walk is 5–6 minutes, so the buffer is there for a queue or a slow café bill.
- Skarfabakki: leave the city center 60 minutes before all-aboard. That covers a 10-minute taxi plus queues and traffic. If you take the bus, catch the departure that leaves at least 60 minutes before all-aboard. Missing one bus costs you 30 minutes.
All plans below assume you are ashore at 09:00. If you dock at another time, shift every clock time by the same amount. Reykjavík's cruise season runs mainly from May to September, with a few calls in April and October; on 7 November 2026 the published schedules listed no more calls for 2026, so these plans are for your next season's port day. Opening hours were checked on 7 November 2026: Volcano Express daily 10:00–20:00; Hallgrímskirkja 10:00–17:00 in winter (from 1 September), last tower entry 16:45, and 09:00–20:00 in summer (tower 1,500 ISK for adults, 200 ISK for children 7–16, sold only in the church shop); National Museum and Whales of Iceland daily 10:00–17:00; FlyOver Iceland 09:00–18:30. The plans use the 10:00 winter opening for Hallgrímskirkja; in summer you can go up from 09:00.
Miðbakki plans (walk everywhere)
4 hours (all-aboard 13:00)
| Time | Stop | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Ashore, walk up through the old town | Miðbakki → Hallgrímskirkja 16 min |
| 10:00 | Hallgrímskirkja opens: the tower, then down Skólavörðustígur | |
| 10:35 | Walk to Harpa | 16 min |
| 10:55 | Volcano Express, Floor K2 (up to 45 min, including a 10-min flight) | |
| 11:40 | Harbourfront lunch | Harpa → Miðbakki 6 min |
| 12:30 | At the gangway (30-min buffer) |
6 hours (all-aboard 15:00): Hallgrímskirkja at 10:00. Walk 19 min to the National Museum (10:45–11:45; adults 3,300 ISK, under-18s free). Walk 10 min to the Settlement Exhibition area on Aðalstræti and have lunch (check the exhibition's hours on reykjavikcitymuseum.is). Walk 10 min to Harpa for Volcano Express at about 13:15. Walk 6 min back to the ship and be at the gangway by 14:30.
8 hours (all-aboard 17:00): Start in Grandi: walk 16 min to Whales of Iceland for 10:00 (adults 4,300 ISK). The Lava Show is 5 min further (book a Classic show near 11:30, 45–55 min). FlyOver Iceland is a short walk from Whales of Iceland if you would rather ride than watch. Lunch in Grandi. Walk 24 min along the harbor to Harpa for Volcano Express at about 14:00. Then Sun Voyager (9 min) and the walk back along the harbor. Be at the gangway by 16:30. For more stops in this part of town, see our Old Harbour and Harpa neighbourhood guide.
Skarfabakki plans (taxi or bus first)
From Skarfabakki, a 4-hour call gives you about 2 hours 30 minutes in town once both transfers and the buffer are counted. Spend it near Harpa. Our list of downtown attractions near Harpa has more short stops.
4 hours (all-aboard 13:00)
| Time | Stop | Leg |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Ashore through Vör, taxi rank | Taxi 7–10 min, about 2,820 ISK on a weekday |
| 09:20 | Harpa → Sun Voyager → Hallgrímskirkja | 9 + 10 min walk |
| 10:00 | Hallgrímskirkja tower | |
| 10:35 | Walk down to Harpa | 16 min |
| 10:55 | Volcano Express (up to 45 min, including a 10-min flight) | |
| 11:45 | Coffee near Harpa | |
| 12:00 | Leave the centre: taxi from Harpa, or (weekdays) bus 16 at 11:51 from Sólfarið | 7–10 min ride, plus 6–7 min walk from the bus stop |
6 hours (all-aboard 15:00): Taxi in at 09:00. Hallgrímskirkja at 10:00. National Museum 10:45–11:45. Lunch on Aðalstræti, then Volcano Express at about 13:00. Leave the center at 14:00: a taxi, or the 13:51 weekday bus 16 from Sólfarið. That bus reaches Skarfagarðar at 14:00, and the walk to the quay takes 6–7 min.
8 hours (all-aboard 17:00): As the Miðbakki 8-hour plan, but take a taxi from the terminal straight to Grandi (5.8 km, about 10 min by our routing) for Whales of Iceland at 10:00. Finish with Volcano Express at about 14:00, then Sun Voyager. Leave the center by 16:00: the 15:51 weekday bus from Sólfarið, or a taxi. At weekends, take a taxi unless you have checked the weekend timetable. If your ship stays into the evening, our 12-hour cruise guide covers a longer day.
If your ship is at Hafnarfjörður
Hafnarfjörður is a town about 12 km south. Visit Reykjavík lists bus 1 from the Fjörður stop into Reykjavík, every 10–15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes at weekends. Use the Skarfabakki plans, but leave the center 75 minutes before all-aboard.
What to skip on a short call
The Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon are the most-sold cruise excursions, and both take most of a port day. On your own, without the cruise line's guarantee that the ship will wait, they only fit an 8-hour or longer call with an early start. For 4 to 6 hours, the city plans above lose less time to buses. If the weather turns, the rainy-day and canceled-tour guides have more indoor options.
