Öskjuhlíð forest + Perlan dome

Most people do not know Reykjavík has a proper forest. Öskjuhlíð is the wooded hill in the middle of the city — eight kilometres of groomed trails through pine, birch, and mountain ash, moss and lupine between the trees, and if you know where to look, a half-buried concrete World War II bunker or two. It is quiet and almost suspiciously easy.

Wind up the hill to Perlan — the glass dome built on top of six old hot-water tanks. The observation deck wraps 360° around the dome with the whole city and Faxaflói bay laid out underneath. Free access to the deck; the exhibitions (glacier ice cave, northern lights planetarium) are paid if you want them.

Finish with an ice cream or a coffee at the Perlan café and walk back down the hill by a different path. This is the underrated Reykjavík date.