Laugavegur

About Laugavegur

Laugavegur is the main shopping street in downtown Reykjavík, running east from Bankastræti toward Hlemmur. Most first evenings in the city end up here, where visitors and locals cross paths over wool sweaters, cinnamon buns and a first round of craft beer.

The name means "wash road." It once led out to the hot springs in Laugardalur, where the women of Reykjavík carried the town's laundry to wash it in the warm water. The old washing pools, Þvottalaugarnar, can still be seen in the valley today.

Walk Laugavegur street from the downtown end and you'll pass Icelandic design and wool shops, outdoor clothing stores, bookshops and souvenir stores, with bakeries, cafés and restaurants in between. The lower stretch, from Klapparstígur to Frakkastígur, has been a permanent pedestrian street since 2020, so you can browse without dodging traffic. Hallgrímskirkja is a few minutes' walk uphill along Skólavörðustígur, which branches off where Laugavegur begins.

Laugavegur works all year, and strolling it costs nothing. Daytime is best for shopping, since opening hours vary from store to store, and Reykjavík nightlife picks up after dark when the bars along the lower end fill, especially on Friday and Saturday. Give it an hour or two, longer if you stop to eat.

One warning for trip planners: this shopping street has nothing to do with the Laugavegur hiking trail, the multi-day trek between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk in the highlands. If you're booking a guided trek, make sure you're looking at the trail.