The ship glides into port past a shoreline of colorful timber houses, their reds and blues and mustard yellows stacked against a backdrop of dark volcanic mountains and pale northern sky. Steam rises faintly from somewhere beyond the rooftops, a quiet reminder of the geothermal forces humming beneath the city. The light here has a way of softening everything it touches, stretching long across the water even at midday, and it sets the tone for what's ahead: a city that feels both lived-in and otherworldly.

For Princess® cruise guests wondering about things to do in Reykjavik, the day ahead offers remarkable range. There's landmark sightseeing in a compact, walkable capital, geothermal waters that count among the most recognizable experiences in the world and dramatic countryside that feels a universe away from the harbor, yet sits within easy reach of a single day ashore.

Read on to learn more about things to do in Reykjavik when you have a day ashore with Princess.

Key takeaways

Reykjavik's landmarks, from the soaring spire of Hallgrímskirkja to the glass facade of the Harpa Concert Hall, reveal the city's history and modern character side by side

The Blue Lagoon's geothermal waters are one of Iceland's most recognizable experiences, a short guided drive from the ship

Iceland's countryside, from the Golden Circle's waterfalls and geysers to puffin colonies along the coast, is within reach of a single Reykjavik cruise stop

Two ways to see Reykjavik's landmarks

There's more than one way to take in a city built on fishing, fire and northern resilience, and Princess offers two distinct, guide-led paths through it.

The Reykjavik Hop-On Hop-Off route threads through the city at a pace that rewards curiosity. It begins at the Old Harbour, where fishing boats once dominated the waterfront and whale-watching vessels now depart daily, then continues to the Reykjavik City Museum, where interactive, multimedia exhibits trace the city's Viking-age origins in a format especially well-suited to guests traveling with family. The route passes the historic timber houses along Laekjargata, some dating back more than a century, before reaching The Pearl, a striking glass-domed structure built in 1988 atop six geothermal tanks — four still used for water storage, with one now home to an indoor ice cave and another a planetarium — and finally the National Museum, where a permanent collection charts Iceland's journey from settlement to sovereign nation.

For guests who prefer a smaller, more intimate perspective, the Tuk-Tuk Tour of Reykjavik offers a guide-led alternative through the city's narrower corners. The open-air tuk-tuks weave past the Old Harbour's weathered fishing cottages and boutique shops, into Old Town's cobbled streets and the stately City Hall, then on toward the Harpa Concert Hall. Its honeycombed glass facade, inspired by Iceland's basalt columns, catches the shifting daylight in a different color at every turn. The route continues along Laugavegur Street, the city's main shopping thoroughfare, lined with independent boutiques, cafes and street art.

Both excursions are curated, guide-led ways to see Reykjavik's landmarks, giving guests a choice between two different vantage points on the same storied city, whether from the open windows of a classic bus or the breezier seat of a tuk-tuk.

Glass-domed Perlan building on a green hillside with white cylindrical tanks, wildflowers and steam rising from a geyser under a blue sky.
Perlan in Reykjavik crowns a hilltop with a glass dome and a geyser that erupts on cue.

Bathing in Iceland's geothermal waters

No list of things to do in Reykjavik Iceland feels complete without a stop at the country's most famous body of water. The drive out to the Bathing in the Blue Lagoon excursion winds through Hafnarfjordur, a fishing town built atop a centuries-old lava field, before opening onto a landscape of jagged black rock stretching toward the horizon.

The Lagoon itself is otherworldly: a geothermally warmed pool continuously replenished from underground reservoirs connected to the nearby Svartsengi Power Plant, its water a milky, mineral-rich blue that seems to glow from within. Silica and algae give it that signature opaque hue, and many guests find the mineral content leaves skin remarkably soft.

Wading through the warm water, it's possible to stand near the point where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet, two continents pulling slowly apart beneath your feet while steam curls off the surface into the cool Icelandic air.

Milky turquoise lagoon with a wooden platform, dark lava rocks, rising steam and green hills under a cloudy sky.
Soak in Iceland's Blue Lagoon, where geothermal waters meet ancient lava fields.

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A day trip into Iceland's Golden Circle

For guests who want Iceland's dramatic interior compressed into a single unforgettable day, the Best of the Golden Circle excursion delivers three of the country's defining landscapes in one guided loop.

The route begins at Thingvellir National Park, a rift valley of astonishing geological and historical significance. Established as a national park in 1930, the site is where Iceland's parliament, the Althing, was founded in 930 A.D., making it one of the world's oldest continuous parliamentary institutions. Walking its trails means walking through the very rift where two continental plates diverge, framed by dark cliffs and glacial-blue pools.

From there, the tour continues to Gullfoss Waterfall, where the Hvita River plunges in two dramatic tiers into a deep, mist-filled ravine, the roar audible well before the falls come into view. Nearby, the Strokkur geyser performs its own spectacle every few minutes, sending scalding steam and water bursting up to 60 feet into the sky, a sudden eruption that draws gasps from onlookers every single time.

Along the way, the route often passes through Hellisheidi, home to the world's second-largest geothermal power station, which harnesses energy from volcanic systems dating back some 11,000 years, a tangible reminder of the raw forces shaping the landscape all around.

Wide waterfall cascading into a canyon beside a winding footpath and green hillsides under a cloudy sky.
Gullfoss thunders through a canyon on Iceland's Golden Circle with all the drama of a waterfall that knows it's famous.

Puffins along the coast

Iceland is home to roughly 60% of the world's Atlantic puffin population, and a coastal boat tour offers one of the most memorable ways to encounter them. The Puffin Watching Tour traces the craggy shoreline near Reykjavik, where these small, brightly beaked seabirds nest in colonies tucked into cliffside burrows.

Experienced guides maneuver the boat carefully, positioning it for close-up photos while keeping a respectful distance so the birds remain undisturbed in their natural habitat. Beyond puffins, guests often spot other seabirds that call this coastline home, including northern fulmars gliding low over the waves, Arctic terns darting overhead and black guillemots bobbing near the rocks, each adding its own note to a lively, wind-swept scene.

Five Atlantic puffins with orange beaks perched on a grassy cliff edge above blue ocean waves.
Meet Iceland's puffins, the pint-sized charmers of the North Atlantic coast.

Chasing the Northern Lights

Summer sailings bring near-endless daylight to Reykjavik, which means the aurora itself isn't visible overhead, but that doesn't mean the phenomenon is out of reach. The All About the Northern Lights excursion brings guests to the Aurora Reykjavik Museum, where an interactive exhibition and a 4K theater projection recreate the shifting green and violet ribbons of light in vivid, immersive detail.

The experience often continues at the Perlan Nature Museum, where an indoor ice cave and volcano exhibits offer a hands-on look at the natural forces that shape Iceland year-round. It's a fitting stop for a destination defined by dramatic seasonal daylight shifts, where summer's endless sun and winter's aurora-streaked darkness are really two sides of the same restless sky.

Green aurora borealis streaking across a starry sky above a calm fjord and snow-dusted mountains.
Chase the northern lights across Iceland's winter skies.

Planning your day ashore with Princess

Reykjavik's landmarks, geothermal waters and countryside are spread across considerable distances, and fitting them into a single day ashore takes some coordination. Booking a guided excursion means the transportation, timing and local knowledge are handled well before guests ever step off the ship, leaving more time to simply take in the scenery.

Reserving a spot in advance also helps secure a place on popular experiences like the Golden Circle or the Blue Lagoon, both of which draw steady demand, and it helps ensure everyone is back at the pier comfortably on schedule. For guests exploring things to do in Reykjavik cruise port, browsing the full Reykjavik shore excursions catalog is the best way to see every option available for the day.

Explore a European cruise with Princess

A day ashore in Reykjavik can move from historic landmarks to geothermal waters to wild, puffin-lined coastline, all of it guided and all of it within reach of the ship. Few ports pack so much contrast into a single stop: a compact, characterful capital giving way to some of the most dramatic natural scenery in the North Atlantic. Ready to see it for yourself? Explore European cruise destinations and start planning your journey to Iceland and beyond.

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