Europe's most otherworldly winter break: aurora hunting on clear dark nights, geothermal lagoons steaming against the cold, and a small, walkable capital that feels like nowhere else on earth — hotels and flights combined comfortably under £1000. Every link takes you straight to Trip.com to check live prices and book.
🏨 Where to Stay
- Center Hotels Plaza — flagship, on the old town square — a bright, central 4-star right on Ingolfstorg Square in the Old Town, with a cosy bar and a genuinely good breakfast buffet, steps from the harbour.
- Exeter Hotel — smart pick, industrial-design, Old Harbour — a striking design hotel in a converted 1904 harbour warehouse, with a sauna, gym and rooms styled with local Icelandic skincare and industrial-chic touches.
- CityHub Reykjavik — attainable pick, rooftop hot tub — genuinely good-value private sleeping pods in the heart of downtown, with a rooftop hot tub and a friendly CityHost on hand around the clock — real savings in a notoriously expensive city.
- Guesthouse Sunna — family-run pick, opposite Hallgrímskirkja — a family-run guesthouse of 30+ years right across from the church, with a guest kitchen and genuinely good value in one of the world's priciest cities.
✈️ Flights
- Flights to Reykjavik (KEF) — direct flights from Manchester with easyJet, Icelandair and Jet2, around 2 hours 55, into Keflavík International Airport.
🎟️ Experiences
- Hallgrímskirkja — Iceland's tallest church, its concrete facade inspired by basalt lava columns, with an observation deck 74.5 metres up giving panoramic views over the capital's rainbow rooftops and out to the bay.
🚗 Car Hire & Transfers