Hotel Reykjavik Centrum

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel on Aðalstræti, which translates literally as "Main Street" and is the oldest street in Reykjavik — the small pale timber house from 1764 is the oldest building in the entire city. The restoration by Hotel Reykjavik Centrum is lovely: they kept the original wood frame, the small windows, and the pastel exterior walls that somehow suit Iceland's grey skies, then linked it seamlessly to a newer building next door. Together they make up 89 rooms across several zones. The rooms run modern Nordic, with warm wood floors and cream-and-grey curtains and bedding that feel restful. You step in and feel the warmth immediately after hauling your bag through the cold wind. Many rooms open onto Ingólfstorg square, home to a statue of Iceland's first settler, while some rooms in the old wing have real wood beams overhead and shapes that aren't perfectly square, following the ancient layout — that's exactly the charm big chains don't have. Reviewers agree the beds are soft and comfortable, the rooms are clean, and everything you need is there. Waking up in a room set on a 260-year-old house while snow drifts past the window is the kind of thing that sticks with you.

Food and amenities

What sets this place apart most clearly is what sits beneath the building. During an early-2000s expansion, workers happened to dig up the ruins of a Viking longhouse buried underground. Archaeologists examined it and dated it to around 870 AD — earlier even than Reykjavik's official settlement in 874. Rather than tear it out to keep building, the project chose to preserve all of it and built a museum over the top: The Settlement Exhibition (Landnámssýningin). Today guests walk down a few steps and stand over thousand-year-old stone walls, with screens and lighting that explain Viking-era life in each corner of the house. It's about the most powerful way to start a Reykjavik trip you'll find. Not every hotel on Earth can claim an archaeology museum in the basement — this one can, without exaggerating. The breakfast buffet, meanwhile, earns particular praise, with traditional Icelandic plates like smoked fish, rye bread, and Skyr yogurt. There's no spa, no pool, and no gym, but the on-site Aðalstræti restaurant and a helpful concierge cover the essentials.

Location and getting there

The location is the trump card for anyone who wants to do Reykjavik without a car — the hotel sits on Aðalstræti in the heart of 101 Reykjavik, the old-town postcode every visitor ends up in. Step out the door and you're at Ingólfstorg square. Walk about 3 more minutes to the Old Harbour, lined with restaurants, ice-cream shops, and whale-watching boats. Head east from Aðalstræti for roughly 8 minutes and you reach Harpa Concert Hall, the iconic hexagonal glass building on the waterfront that everyone photographs. Climb the slope another 12 minutes or so to Hallgrímskirkja, the towering concrete church that anchors the city skyline. The main shopping drag, Laugavegur, is also just a few minutes' walk, packed with Nordic clothing, design shops, and modern restaurants. Getting in from the airport is easy too: the Flybus and Reykjavik Excursions coaches have a stop right outside, about 45 minutes from Keflavík and far cheaper than a taxi. For Northern Lights or Golden Circle tours, the concierge can book a pickup at the door, so you never have to drag luggage far.

Things to know before booking

Let's be straight to help you decide. The first thing to brace for is price. Rooms in Reykjavik run expensive in line with Iceland's cost of living, and this place is no exception — starting around $330 a night, and during the peak Northern Lights season it can climb to roughly $600. Travelers from Asia may find the budget tight, so go in knowing that. Second, there's no spa and no pool on site. If you were hoping for an Icelandic geothermal soak in-house, you'll be disappointed, though the good news is the public Sundhöllin pool is a few minutes away by car and the Blue Lagoon is about a 45-minute drive. The rooms themselves have a few things worth knowing — because this is a restored old building, some rooms are fairly small and not a standard square shape, and ceilings in the historic wing can be lower than in newer hotels. If you want a roomier space, specify at booking or study the photos of each room type closely. Finally, noise: the 101 district is the center of Reykjavik's bar and nightlife scene, and Friday and Saturday nights stay lively until late. Rooms facing Aðalstræti or Ingólfstorg square may catch some sound from the entertainment area, so light sleepers should request an inner-facing room or pack sleep aids. It's not a dealbreaker, but knowing ahead means fewer surprises.

Our take

From reading through plenty of real reviews on Agoda, Booking, and Tripadvisor, the picture is consistent: Hotel Reykjavik Centrum sells "location plus history" to the hilt. Eighty-nine rooms in a 260-year-old building on the oldest street in the city, with a thousand-year-old Viking exhibition built in — that's an experience you won't find anywhere else in Reykjavik. The location reaches every major old-town sight within a few minutes' walk, and you open the door onto a central square where visitors stroll all day. The Icelandic breakfast buffet draws particular praise, and couples rate the location 9.8, which says a lot about how well this hotel suits a car-free Reykjavik trip. If you're someone who falls for a good story, who'd rather sleep in a historic building than a brand-new glass tower, and who just wants a warm, walkable base in the old town, this is your answer. But if you're after a hotel with a full spa, pool, and fitness setup, or want the roomy standard space of a big chain, it may not fully deliver. Overall we give it 8.7/10 — best for couples, history-loving solo travelers, and culture-minded visitors who want to start an Iceland trip by stepping out the door and walking straight into the heart of the world's northernmost capital.