Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
people of all ages, from teenagers to pensioners. It's prone
to Vegas-style singing-and-dancing shows. Opening times
vary, so call ahead. Usually Fri & Sat evening.
English Pub Austurstræti 12 T 578 0400, W enskibar
inn.is; map p.57. Lager, Guinness and Kilkenny on
draught, lots of soccer on TV and weekend live music.
There's also the chance to spin the “wheel of fortune”, w ith
up to eight free beers as the prize if you win. Mon-Thurs &
Sun noon-1am, Fri & Sat noon-5am.
Íslenski Posthússtræti 9 T 578 2020; map p.57. As the
name suggests, if it's Icelandic it's here: everything from
Icelandic pop and rock to a great selection of home-
produced microbrews available - and the inevitable rotten
shark to munch on with your beer, too. Mon-Thurs & Sun
noon-1am, Fri & Sat noon-3am.
Ka barinn Bergstaðastræti 1 T 551 1588; map p.57.
With an unmistakable red corrugated iron frontage
emblazoned with the famous London underground logo, this
tiny bar fancies itself as an arty hangout and trades on the
rumour that Blur's Damon Albarn owns it, however unlikely.
Mon-Thurs & Sun 5pm-1am, Fri & Sat 3pm-5am.
Slippbarinn Mýrargata 2-8 T 560 8000; map p.57.
This swanky and sophisticated place, inside the Icelandair
Reykjavík Marina hotel, has to be the most novel location
for a bar in the whole of town - right beside the slipway
where the ships come in to be repainted and repaired.
Daily 5pm-late.
1
LIVE MUSIC VENUES
There's been a strong rock music network in Reykjavík for
over two decades, represented originally by Björk and the
Sugarcubes and more recently by groups such as Sigur Rós,
though decent venues have always been thin on the
ground, with most gigs taking place in one of the city's
bars. Besides the local talent, some British and American
acts use Icelandair as a cheap way to cross the Atlantic and
they sometimes do a show here on the way.
Celtic Cross Hverfisgata 26 T 571 1033; map p.57. Best
of the Brit/Irish pubs in town; the beer is the same
(Guinness and lager) but the atmosphere is livelier -
especially when rock and R&B bands fire up at weekends.
There's some decent pub grub, too. Mon-Thurs & Sun
5pm-1am, Fri & Sat 5pm-4am.
Dubliner Naustin 1 T 527 3232, W dubliner.is; map
p.57. Iceland's first-ever Irish pub, and still drawing in the
crowds. It's always a good choice for an evening pint, and
there's a decent selection of whiskies, plus live music (often
folk and R&B) every night of the week. Mon-Thurs & Sun
noon-1am, Fri & Sat noon-4.30am.
Faktorý Smiðjustígur 6 T 551 4499, W faktory.is; map
p.57. This is the place to come for regular live music -
upstairs is a mid-sized concert venue popular with cover
bands, whilst the ground floor has two rooms (one plays
house music), and both have a small dancefloor. Daily
5pm-late.
THEATRE AND CLASSICAL MUSIC
Remarkably, for such a small city, Reykjavík boasts several theatre groups, an opera, a symphony orchestra and a dance
company. Unfortunately, major theatre productions, and classical concerts by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra , are
a rarity in summer, but throughout the rest of the year there are full programmes of both. Events are chiefly held at the
National Theatre, and at Harpa, which is home to the Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera ( W opera.is).
and other musical events, including those by the
Icelandic Opera.
Þjóðleikhúsið Hverfisgata 19 T 551 1200, W leikhusid
.is. Classic theatre productions are the name of the game
here, though generally only in Icelandic and not during
the summer.
VENUES
Borgarleikhús Listabraut 3 T 568 8000, W borgar
leikhus.is. The city playhouse stages all manner of
productions, though they are generally always in Icelandic.
Note, too, that it's closed during the summer months.
Harpa Austurbakki 2 T 528 5000, W harpa.is.
Performances by the Icelandic Symphony orchestra
CINEMA
Reykjavík's cinemas screen new international releases with Icelandic subtitles; see any of the newspapers (see Basics,
p.38) or check W bio.is for full listings. More unusual is the worthwhile Volcano Show , with footage of recent Icelandic
eruptions from daringly close quarters filmed largely by the engaging Villi Knudsen.
cinema attached to the university.
Volcano Show Hellusund 6A T 845 9548. Two sets of
2hr films in English: during in July and Aug, Villi
Knudsen's Volcano Adventures screens at 11am, 3pm and
8pm, while footage of the Heimaey and Surtsey
eruptions follows at noon, 4pm and 9pm. Times vary at
other times of the year.
VENUES
Bíó Paradís Hverfisgata 54 T 412 7711, W bioparadis
.is. One of Reykjavík's oldest cinemas has now moved away
from the mainstream to focus on art-house films and
cinema festivals.
Háskólabíó Hagatorg T 525 5400, W bio.is.
Mainstream productions are on offer at this one-screen
 
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