Photo: ThinkGeoEnergy, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Get a tour of the geothermal power plant that provides Reykjavik with heating and hot water.
The Hellisheiði Power Station is the eighth-largest geothermal power station in the world and largest in Iceland. The facility is located in Hengill, southwest Iceland, 11 km (7 mi) from the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station. The plant has a capacity of 303 MW of electricity and 200 MWth of hot water for Reykjavík's district heating. The power station is owned and operated by ON Power, a subsidiary of Reykjavík Energy.
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Descend into the magma chamber of the Thrihnukagigur volcano. Transport provided from the city for the 30 minute drive to the starting point, or you can drive yourself.
Operated by a small group of friends and family, Islenski Hesturinn offers excellent service and tours with hotel pickup. Riders of all skills are welcome and matched to horses of their ability and personality, and various tours are available through Icelandic lava fields.
A brand new complex on the outskirts of the city, it has nice views over the city centre and is a nice place to watch the sunset. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, a waterslide, several hot-pots and a steam bath. This is a favourite with families and is perhaps the nicest of the city's pools. Buses run here from central Reykjavik.
Árbæjarsafn
In the suburb of Árbær, and frequently called Árbæjarsafn (Árbær museum), this open air museum contains both the old farm of Árbær and many buildings from central Reykjavík that were moved there to make way for construction. The result is a village of old buildings where the staff take you through the story of a city. The staff are dressed in old Icelandic clothing styles and trained in various traditional techniques, for example in making dairy products or preparing wool.
Grasagarður Reykavíkur
The Reykjavík Botanical Gardens are not large, but they're nice for a short stroll and a good place to see some of the plants that grow in Iceland.
Fjölskyldu- og húsdýragarðurinn
This small zoo, in the middle of Reykjavík, is a place where city children can come and get in touch with some of the farming heritage of the country, with most species of domestic animals found in Iceland represented. They also have some non-domestic animals including reindeer and seals.