Kopavogur

Reykjavik's biggest suburb, home to Sky Lagoon and the country's largest shopping mall — practical, not pretty.

Kopavogur is where Reykjavikers live when they can’t afford Reykjavik. It's a strip of housing, a giant mall (Smaralind), and — since 2021 — Sky Lagoon, which is the real reason you’d stay here. The town itself has no historic centre, no Laugavegur equivalent, no reason to walk around. But hotels along Hafnarbraut and near the lagoon run ISK 14738-ISK 22108 versus ISK 27020+ downtown, and you’re 10 minutes by bus from Reykjavik.

Come here for Sky Lagoon (ISK 9212 for the standard pass, ISK 14124 for the seven-step ritual — worth it once) and for the cheaper hotel rates. Skip if you want to walk out of your hotel into a bar or a restaurant. At 9pm on a Tuesday Kopavogur is asleep. There are decent Thai and pizza places on Hamraborg but that's it. Good for families, drivers, anyone who resents paying ISK 34390 to sleep.

Smaralind, on the eastern side by the Reykjanesbraut ring road, is Iceland's largest mall — 170-odd shops, a cinema, a bowling alley — and it is genuinely useful on a wet, windy day when the outdoor options have shut down. It is also 25 minutes on foot from Sky Lagoon and from any hotel worth booking, so treat it as a rainy-day errand, not a reason to base yourself nearby. By 8pm most of it is dark and the surrounding car parks are empty.

What Kopavogur suits: drivers who want free parking, families who need a supermarket and a swimming pool within walking distance, and anyone doing Sky Lagoon who doesn't want to pay Reykjavik prices to sleep 10 minutes away. What it doesn't suit: anyone who wants restaurants after 9pm, a walkable old town, or a hotel view better than a residential street. Neighbouring Hafnarfjordur and Gardabaer have more character if that matters to you.

Where to sleep

Hafnarbraut and the streets around Karsnes peninsula near Sky Lagoon are the best bases — you can walk to the lagoon in 15 minutes and the bay views are genuinely good. Expect ISK 14738-ISK 22108 for a double, less in November-March. Avoid hotels near Smaralind mall unless you specifically want the shopping; it's a 25-minute walk from anything else and the surrounding area is car-park sprawl. The Hamraborg strip has a couple of cheaper guesthouses if you want to be near buses. If you'd rather be quiet and by water than close to shops, Hotel Kriunes, a city hotel by the lake out towards Elliðavatn, is the pick — it trades the 15-minute lagoon walk for a genuinely rural setting still inside Kopavogur's boundary. Book Hafnarbraut for the lagoon, Hotel Kriunes for the lake.

The essentials

Karsnes peninsula lagoon walk (3 km)

From Hafnarbraut, walk out along the peninsula on the coastal path past the harbour and small boat sheds. Pass Sky Lagoon on your right and continue to the tip of Karsnes for views back to Reykjavik and out to Bessastadir (the president's residence) across the bay. On the way back, detour up to Kopavogskirkja on the hill for a second, higher viewpoint before dropping down to Hamraborg for food. Return via the same path or cut through the residential streets.

Getting there & around

Bus 1 or 2 from Hlemmur in Reykjavik reaches central Kopavogur in 12 minutes, ISK 614 flat fare via the Klappid app. Sky Lagoon runs its own shuttle from BSI terminal (ISK 1228) or you walk 15 minutes from the nearest bus stop. From Keflavik airport it's 40 minutes on the Flybus with a stop at Hafnarfjordur; ask the driver to let you off there rather than continuing into Reykjavik and doubling back. Within Kopavogur itself, buses 1, 2 and 4 link Hamraborg, Smaralind and the Karsnes peninsula every 15-20 minutes, but walking beats waiting for anything under 2km. A rental car makes sense here — free parking everywhere, unlike downtown Reykjavik.