Downtown / 101 (Miðbær)

Downtown 101 is the main tourist area with good safety, English everywhere, and lots of cafes. Expensive but easy to navigate. All major attractions are walking distance.

Downtown Reykjavík, called '101' after its postal code, is where most tourists stay and where the colorful corrugated-iron buildings line Laugavegur shopping street. There are more tourists than locals, especially in summer. People eat alone in cafes all the time without anyone caring. Bars get busy late on weekends - Icelanders don't go out until after midnight. Hallgrímskirkja church is visible from most streets and you can go up the 74.5-meter tower for city views. English works everywhere since the area runs on tourism. Prices are high - $5 coffee, $45 dinner, $8 beer. The area is safe, even late at night. Austurvöllur Park gets drunk crowds on weekend nights but it's mild compared to most cities. Street lighting is good, you'll see police around, and violent crime basically doesn't happen. It feels more like a small town than a capital.