Discover Garðabær

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Garðabær, you can choose where to stay based on your interests. Protected lava formations and archaeological traces sit alongside design, a presidential residence, a swimming pool and a distillery tour. Consider whether natural and cultural history, design, or a swimming or tasting experience is most important to your travel plans.

Landscape and historic traces

Gálgahraun is a 108.2-hectare nature reserve in Garðabær. The area includes the old Fógetagata path and the ancient execution site Gálgaklettur. These two features also give the nature reserve a cultural and historical dimension: the path and the execution site are distinct points of reference for the area’s past.

In the Búrfell nature reserve in Garðabær, striking lava channels, gorges and faults shape the landscape. They were formed by lava flows from the crater. This offers a geological perspective distinct from the historical traces at Gálgahraun: here the focus is on how landforms were created, while there it is on an old path and an ancient execution site.

Design, the Viking Age and national history

The Museum of Design and Applied Art collects, archives and presents Icelandic design from 1900 to the present day. Its time span makes design a connecting theme between historical and contemporary design. For your travel plans, this offers a cultural perspective distinct from the archaeological sites and nature reserves.

Hofsstaðir is a Viking Age settlement site dated to approximately 870–930. The longhouse is believed to have housed 20 to 30 people. The dating places the site in its historical context, while the estimated capacity also gives an idea of the longhouse’s size. The focus here is therefore on an archaeological settlement, not a present-day institutional function.

Bessastaðir is the residence of the President of Iceland and an important historic site that has played a significant role in the country’s history. Unlike Hofsstaðir, it combines a present-day institutional function with historical significance. So if you want to explore the area’s history, these two sites offer different perspectives.

Swimming pool and tasting tour

Álftaneslaug swimming pool has Iceland’s only wave pool, two water slides, hot tubs and a children’s pool. These facilities make the pool a clearly defined leisure option when deciding where to stay. Facilities may change during renovations, so check the current status before visiting if the pool is important to your plans.

Eimverk Distillery offers a guided tasting tour that includes insights into the distillation process and a tasting. It lasts just over an hour and is available by prior appointment only. Plan this activity as a set appointment and arrange it with the provider in advance.

Bus routes for planning your trip

Bus routes 1, 22, 23 and 24 serve Garðabær and Álftanes. As routes may change, check the current service before travelling and compare it with your plans. This lets you take public transport into account without treating the bus routes as a substitute for planning your individual activities.

Discover more destinations: Mosfellsbær, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjavik, Seltjarnarnes, Kópavogur.

Return to the main travel overview: Höfuðborgarsvæðið.