Reykjavik

Reykjavík holds the distinction of being the world's northernmost capital city, founded — according to the medieval Book of Settlements — by the Norse chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson in 874 AD, when he threw his high-seat pillars overboard and settled where they washed ashore in a bay he named "Smoky Bay" for the geothermal steam rising from the ground. For centuries, Reykjavík remained a modest farming estate, only receiving its town charter in 1786 under Danish colonial rule. Iceland's path to full independence, achieved in 1944, transformed this small settlement into the political, cultural, and creative capital of one of the world's most remarkable nations.

The city possesses a creative energy that far outweighs its modest population of roughly 140,000. The Hallgrímskirkja church, an expressionist concrete landmark whose facade evokes the columnar basalt formations found throughout Iceland, dominates the skyline. Harpa, the concert hall and conference centre clad in a kaleidoscopic glass facade designed by Olafur Eliasson, glitters at the harbour's edge like a crystalline iceberg. The old town's corrugated-iron houses, painted in cheerful primaries, house independent bookshops, design studios, and some of the world's most innovative restaurants per capita.

Icelandic cuisine has undergone a renaissance. Traditional staples like hangikjöt (smoked lamb), plokkfiskur (mashed fish stew), and skyr (the thick cultured dairy product that predates yogurt by centuries) share menus with New Nordic creations celebrating Iceland's pristine ingredients. Reykjavík's fine dining restaurants serve Arctic char with birch-smoked butter, langoustine tails from Höfn, and lamb from free-roaming sheep that graze on wild thyme and angelica. The Hlemmur Mathöll food hall and the Grandi Mathöll in the former fishing harbour offer casual introductions to these flavours. And yes, fermented shark (hákarl) remains available for the daring.

The Golden Circle — Iceland's most famous day trip — combines three extraordinary natural sites within a few hours of the capital. Þingvellir National Park, where the Althing (parliament) was established in 930 AD and where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates visibly drift apart, carries both geological and historical significance. The Geysir geothermal area, where the Strokkur geyser erupts every few minutes, and the thundering Gullfoss waterfall complete the circuit. The Blue Lagoon, a milky-blue geothermal spa set in a lava field near Keflavík airport, has become Iceland's most iconic visitor experience.

Reykjavík welcomes an extraordinary array of cruise lines: AIDA, Ambassador Cruise Line, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Aurora Expeditions, Azamara, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Explora Journeys, Explorations by Norwegian, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, HX Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Ponant, Princess Cruises, Quark Expeditions, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Scenic Ocean Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea, TUI Cruises Mein Schiff, Viking, Virgin Voyages, and Windstar Cruises. It serves as homeport for Iceland circumnavigation cruises and a key stop on North Atlantic crossings. The summer season from June through August offers the Midnight Sun, while shoulder months of May and September provide Northern Lights possibilities with fewer crowds.