Hafnarfjörður on foot

You do not need a car or a tour to have a good day here. This loop takes about three hours at a wandering pace and costs nothing except the pool entry.

Start at the harbour (2 minutes). Working boats, seabirds, and a path along the bay that is worth the walk in either direction.

Hafnarborg (4 minutes) is the town's art centre — rotating contemporary exhibitions, free entry, and a quiet café.

Hellisgerði (8 minutes) is a garden park built into a lava field. Small, mossy, slightly otherworldly. Look for the elf houses; Hafnarfjörður takes its hidden-people folklore more seriously than most Icelandic towns.

Hafnarfjörður Museum (8 minutes) occupies a cluster of restored timber houses by the water, showing how a fishing town actually lived.

Finish at Suðurbæjarlaug (10 minutes), the local thermal pool. Hot tubs at different temperatures, a steam room, and locals who will be there whatever the weather. Bring a swimsuit or rent one. Shower properly without it first — this is the rule everywhere in Iceland and nobody is shy about enforcing it.

Then walk back for dinner. There are good restaurants and cafés within five minutes of the hostel.