Reykjavik Bingo: Spot 30 Typically Reykjavik Things
Walk the lava-rock streets, tick off the card, snap a photo of every typically Reykjavik thing you can find. From a hot dog with everything to the basalt spire of Hallgrímskirkja, this is a 30-item Reykjavik bingo that turns any walk into a treasure hunt. No fixed route. Just keep your eyes open.
Challenges (30)
Spot an Icelandic hot dog (pylsur)
Find an Icelandic hot dog with everything (raw and crispy onions, ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade). Bæjarins Beztu by the harbour is the classic. Photograph the loaded bun.
Spot a puffin souvenir
Find a puffin (lundi) in a souvenir-shop window: plush toy, key chain, fridge magnet, fluffy hat. The orange beak is unmistakable. Photograph the puffin.
Spot an Icelandic horse
Find an Icelandic horse (real one near the city limits, or souvenir, postcard, sweater pattern). The small sturdy horse with long mane is uniquely Icelandic. Photograph the horse.
Spot a lopapeysa
Find a lopapeysa (traditional Icelandic wool sweater with the yoke pattern) on a hanger, on a tourist or in a shop. Photograph the yoke pattern.
Spot the Icelandic flag
Find an Icelandic flag (blue with a red-and-white cross) flying on a building, balcony or tour bus. Photograph it.
Spot a Northern Lights poster
Find a Northern Lights tour poster, T-shirt, postcard or photograph in a shop or hotel lobby. Photograph the green swirl.
Spot lava rock in a wall
Find a lava-rock wall used in modern building (planters, garden walls, lobby facades). Photograph the black volcanic stone.
Spot a Viking helmet souvenir
Find a horned Viking helmet (a souvenir, not historically accurate but ubiquitous), a Viking-themed shop window or a Þor's hammer pendant. Photograph the Viking kit.
Spot a fish-and-chip stand
Find an Icelandic fish-and-chips stand (Reykjavík Fish Restaurant, Icelandic Fish & Chips). Photograph the cod with the chips and skyr-tartar sauce.
Spot a tour bus advert
Find a Golden Circle or Blue Lagoon tour bus advertisement on a wall, a bus stop or a souvenir-shop window. Photograph the advert.
Spot Hallgrímskirkja basalt facade
Walk to Hallgrímskirkja and find the 74-metre concrete church inspired by basalt columns. Photograph the facade from the front.
Spot the Leif Erikson statue
In front of Hallgrímskirkja find the bronze of Leifur Eiríksson, gift from the United States in 1930. Photograph the Viking explorer.
Spot the Sun Voyager (Sólfar)
Walk along the Sæbraut waterfront to the Sun Voyager sculpture, the silver Viking-ship-skeleton shape. Photograph it with the bay and mountains behind.
Spot Harpa concert hall
Find the Harpa Concert Hall on the harbour, with its honeycomb glass facade. Photograph the building reflecting the bay.
Spot Mount Esja in the distance
Find a view of Mount Esja, the 914-metre table mountain across the bay north of Reykjavik. Photograph the silhouette across the water.
Spot a rainbow street (Skólavörðustígur)
Walk up Skólavörðustígur toward Hallgrímskirkja and find the rainbow-painted street. Photograph the rainbow with the church at the top.
Spot a colourful Reykjavik house
Find a brightly painted corrugated-iron house (red, blue, yellow, green) in the centre of Reykjavik. Photograph the cheerful facade.
Spot a Reykjavik street art piece
Find a piece of Reykjavik street art (Selur the seal, large murals on Laugavegur, the Mokka Cat). Photograph the wall.
Spot a whale-watching boat
Find a whale-watching boat at the Old Harbour (Elding, Whale Safari). Photograph the boat at the dock.
Spot a Tjörnin pond bird
Walk to Tjörnin, the central city pond, and find a swan, duck or goose. Photograph the bird with the City Hall in the background.
Spot a fish-drying rack (hjallur)
Find a wooden fish-drying rack (in the city or on a tour route to the Reykjanes peninsula). The dried-fish smell is the giveaway. Photograph the rack.
Spot a lupine flower
In June through August find Alaskan lupines blanketing roadside hills, parks or souvenir prints. Photograph the purple fields.
Spot a thermal-pool sign
Find a sundlaug (geothermal swimming pool) sign in Reykjavik (Vesturbæjarlaug, Sundhöllin, Laugardalslaug). Photograph the entrance.
Spot the Phallological Museum sign
Find the Icelandic Phallological Museum on Hverfisgata or its sign. (Iceland's most peculiar museum.) Photograph the storefront.
Spot a skyr container
Find a tub of skyr (Icelandic strained yogurt) in a grocery or café fridge. Photograph the package.
Spot a hákarl shop
Find Icelandic hákarl (fermented shark) at the Kolaportið flea market or a deli display. Photograph the white cubes. (Sampling optional and not recommended.)
Spot a yarn shop
Find a yarn shop with Icelandic lopi wool in dozens of colours (Handprjónasambandið on Skólavörðustígur). Photograph the wool stacks.
Spot a Brennivín bottle
Find a bottle of Brennivín (Black Death, Icelandic caraway schnapps) in a Vínbúðin window or a bar shelf. Photograph the black label.
Spot a Þingvellir or Geysir poster
Find a Þingvellir or Geysir tour poster in a window, hotel lobby or tourism office. Photograph the poster.
Spot a Reykjavik weatherproof jacket
Find a 66°North or Cintamani jacket on someone or in a window. Iceland's outerwear brands are everywhere. Photograph the jacket.
Frequently asked questions
The duration is up to the organizer when they set up the adventure. As a guideline, a focused day across Laugavegur, the harbour, Hallgrímskirkja and the waterfront ticks off most of the easy items, and stretching across a weekend lets a determined group complete all 30.
Each of the 30 items is a camera challenge. When you spot the thing, take a photo and submit it; the bingo card tracks progress. Play solo, with friends or split into teams and race to tick off the most items.
Some items (Icelandic horse, Northern Lights view) need timing or a day trip. Sweep Laugavegur and downtown for the easy items, the harbour for puffin tours, Hallgrímskirkja for the church and Harpa for the waterfront.
The city centre (101 Reykjavik) is small and walkable: Laugavegur, the harbour, the Old West Side, Hallgrímskirkja, Harpa and the Sun Voyager are all within 20 minutes on foot. Plus a tour bus to Þingvellir for the harder Iceland items.
Yes. Kids love spotting puffins, hot dogs, Icelandic horses (souvenir) and the rainbow street; adults enjoy hunting Sun Voyager, Harpa and Icelandic sweaters. No alcohol stops are required.