Reykjanes

is an attractive town located at the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest of Iceland. It was established in the year 1994 when Keflavík, Njarðvík and Hafnir merged into one municipality, and now bears the name as the capital of Reykjanes. The Town of Reykjanes is only a few minutes drive from Iceland's international airport, with the famous Blue Lagoon in the neighbourhood. But the unique geothermal spa is not the only thing that awaits the traveller, because the area is known for its amazing natural beauty, variety of out-door activities, a lively atmosphere and fine service for tourists.

Surrounded by lava fields, mountains and rugged wilderness, the area is very interesting to explore and ideal for walking tours. The Town of Reykjanes offers series of sightseeing trips around the area and a map with various hiking tours is available. The rocky coastline is also a magnificent natural attraction worth visiting with its amazing view and spectacular cliffs where thousands of seabirds live and breed. The Town of Reykjanes also offers a variety of organized sailing tours where you can spot whales and dolphins in their natural environment as well as going deep-sea angling and cruise to the island Eldey, which is home to the worlds biggest gannet colony.

For those who want to practice sports, one of Iceland's best golf courses, Leira, is in the area along with outdoor thermal swimming pools with hot tubs. The pools are open all year around and the water is geothermally heated, making use of the natural resource that exists in the area.

Enjoy a historical journey in a classic example of the roughly built turf, stone and timber cottage type houses once common on the Reykjanes penisula. Following its restoration Stekkjarkot provides a telling insight into how houses of this type looked.

The cluster of buildings that make up Duus Art Center are among Iceland´s most remarkable and historic man-made structures. Today the complex includes three exhibition centres:

The Reykjanes Maritime Museum: model collection of captein Grímur Karlsson

Museum of Art: regular art exhibitions

Museum of Heritage: exhibitions from the region´s history

Out to sea, the jagged lines of the Reykjanes Ridge, one of the world's major fault lines, disappear abruptly beneath the waves past the flat-topped island of Eldey, while ashore on the valley floor, the tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America split, the Old World meets the New, and the visitor can, quite literally, stand astride two continents.

The possibilities are endless. The viking ship Íslendingur, the stone church in Njarðvík as well as various interesting museums, fine restaurants and quality hotels and guesthouse accommodations are only a few examples of what the town has to offer. It is guaranteed that everyone should find something of interest in the town of Reykjanes.