{"id":244427,"date":"2011-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/travel-reykjavik-on-a-shoestring\/"},"modified":"2011-07-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-25T07:00:00","slug":"travel-reykjavik-on-a-shoestring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/travel-reykjavik-on-a-shoestring\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel: Reykjavik on a shoestring"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Travel:<\/a>
Fotograf\u00eda por Bethany Salvon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five attractions in Iceland\u2019s capital city for under $5<\/p>\n

por Randy Kalp<\/strong><\/p>\n

In recent years, Iceland\u2019s capital, Reykjavik, has emerged as an hip alternative to major European powerhouses, such as Paris and Rome. Brimming with fashionista charm, Reykjavik, dotted with boutiques, caf\u00e9s and colorful two-tone houses, is a city made for walking, and at sundown it transforms into a playground for indie artists who lace the night air with melody well into the wee hours.<\/p>\n

Reykjavik\u2019s only drawback is its expense. But like San Francisco or New York City, if you are diligent enough, it\u2019s possible to find affordable attractions to offset the costs of the city\u2019s high-priced nightlife and food.<\/p>\n

For less than the price of a pint of V\u00edking Sterkur at a Reykjavik pub, for instance, you can enjoy any of the five following high points of Icelandic culture:
\n
\nLaugardaslaug thermal pool<\/strong>
\nLaugardalslaug is a great example of why swimming is a national sport in Iceland despite the country\u2019s proximity to the Arctic Circle. Considered the city\u2019s largest geothermal pool, the complex houses a 50-meter outdoor pool, two water slides, numerous \u201chot pots\u201d (Jacuzzis), an outdoor children\u2019s pool, a thermal steam bath, indoor gym and a mini-golf course (weather permitting). An all-day pass to Laugardalslaug costs approximately $2.50 (the locker rental is included in the price). And like the U.S. Postal Service, Laugardalslaug operates in all weather conditions.<\/p>\n

Hallgrimskirja Church (Church of Hallgrimur)<\/strong>
\nRising 244 feet above Reykjavik, Hallgr\u00edmskirkja Church\u2019s observation deck, has no competition for views. The deck offers panoramic vistas of the city, bay and distant mountains. The church, which boasts a minimalist concrete design with clean lines and a behemoth pipe organ, is free; however, the observation deck costs about $4.50 to visit.<\/p>\n

The National Museum of Iceland<\/strong>Free on Wednesdays, the National Museum contains everything that our school textbooks failed to mention about Iceland. The \u201cMaking of a Nation\u201d is the permanent exhibition at the museum. It contains a mix of artifacts and photographs detailing Iceland\u2019s cultural heritage. The exhibition can be completed in a few hours, but like any museum, the longer you stay the more you will take away. The museum also offers free WiFi and has a caf\u00e9 for light meals and beverages.
\n
\nFree walk of Reykjavik Tour<\/strong>
\nThis 90-minute guided tour through Reykjavik is a great way to get acquainted with Iceland\u2019s capital
\ncity. The guides provide insight into Reykjavik\u2019s past, present and future through superb storytelling. While the tour is free, the guides do work for tips\u2014500 kr\u00f3na (less than $5) is a reasonable gratuity. Because the tour is sponsored by GoEcco, there is some cross promotion for the company\u2019s other city tours, but it\u2019s nothing that cheapens the experience. The Free Walk of Reykjavik Tour operates daily from May 1 to Sept. 15, rain or shine, with no minimum number of guests needed.<\/p>\n

Nautholsvik Thermal Beach<\/strong>
\nNauth\u00f3lsv\u00edk Beach is no Waikiki, but it\u2019s definitely fun for a quick dip or afternoon swim. Geothermal water is pumped into two hot pots and into the bay, keeping the lagoon\u2019s temperature around 68 degrees. A seawall surrounding the lagoon helps to keep the cold sea water out of the swimming area. The complex at Nauth\u00f3lsv\u00edk Beach has a caf\u00e9 for beverages and snacks as well as changing rooms. Admission to the beach and its facilities is free; however, a small fee is charged for lockers. Nauth\u00f3lsv\u00edk Beach is open from May 15 to Aug. 31.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five attractions in Iceland\u2019s capital city for under $5 By Randy Kalp In recent years, Iceland\u2019s capital, Reykjavik, has emerged as an hip alternative to major European powerhouses, such as Paris and Rome. Brimming with fashionista charm, Reykjavik, dotted with boutiques, caf\u00e9s and colorful two-tone houses, is a city made for walking, and at sundown […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":244428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Travel: Reykjavik on a shoestring","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}