Reykjavik Hotel Recommendation: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik

Post date: 2025-08-19 | Categories: Iceland Travel

Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik (Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre) was another hotel we stayed at during our Iceland self-drive tour last year. Like the Reykjavík Residence Hotel introduced in the previous article, this hotel is situated in the most bustling part of Reykjavik’s city center, offering an ultra-convenient location. With its high quality and distinctive design, it is a stylish and fashionable boutique hotel. Operated by the renowned Hilton hotel group, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik became our second choice of accommodation in Reykjavik and is another highly recommended hotel in the city.

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Reykjavik’s city center is relatively small, with the most vibrant areas concentrated around Lake Tjörnin and Hallgrimskirkja, particularly along the main shopping street Laugavegur. Whether you’re exploring the city, shopping, or dining, everything is centered here. Therefore, if you’re looking for a Reykjavik hotel recommendation, we suggest staying in the city center.

During our stay in Reykjavik, we stayed at two hotels: one is the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik introduced in this article, and the other is the Reykjavík Residence Hotel mentioned in the previous article. Both hotels are located in the heart of Reykjavik, just steps away from the bustling Laugavegur Street, making them very convenient.

However, there’s one thing to note when choosing a hotel in Reykjavik: since buildings in Iceland are typically low-rise, especially in the city center, many hotels in Reykjavik do not have elevators. If an elevator is a must for you, make sure to check the hotel’s facilities section to confirm whether one is available.

The first hotel we stayed at in Reykjavik, “Reykjavík Residence Hotel,” had a great location and quality but no elevator, while “Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik” does have an elevator, making it more convenient.

Apart from “Reykjavík Residence Hotel” and “Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik,” which we highly recommend, there are many other hotels and guesthouses in Reykjavik’s city center. You can use the following tool to search for other options that might better suit your preferences or offer better value for money.

>> Search for Reykjavik Hotels

Reykjavik Hotel Recommendation: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik – Accommodation Review

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Hotel Name: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik (Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre)

Check-in Date: July 2018

Duration of Stay: 2 nights

Room Type: King Heritage Room

Accommodation Cost: US$820, averaging US$410 per night

Hotel Website: https://www.hilton.com/

Booking Channels: Klook | Trip.com | Hotels.com

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1. Location and Transportation of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik

Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is situated between the bustling Laugavegur Street and the adjacent Hverfisgata Street, right in the heart of Reykjavik’s tourist district. In terms of location, it is an excellent choice. However, since Icelanders love to gather and party at restaurants and bars along Laugavegur Street on weekend nights, and Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik has a bar on its ground floor, the hotel area can get quite noisy on Fridays and Saturdays, with the noise from the bar audible even in the rooms.

Map of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik’s Location

View the location of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik on a larger map

The main entrance of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is located on Smiðjustígur, a small street connecting Laugavegur Street and Hverfisgata Street. The following three photos show the view of Smiðjustígur Street from Laugavegur Street and Hverfisgata Street. The black building in the middle is the main entrance of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik.

↓ Below are photos of a section of Laugavegur Street near Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik ↓

You can also reach Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik from Laugavegur Street by walking past the 66°North store, bypassing the main entrance on Smiðjustígur Street and directly accessing the guest rooms through the second-floor restaurant.

In addition to being located on the bustling Laugavegur shopping street, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is also close to key attractions in Reykjavik, such as Harpa Concert Hall, City Hall, Lake Tjörnin, Hallgrimskirkja, and the Sun Voyager sculpture. The farthest of these attractions is no more than a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Note: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is very close to Reykjavík Residence Hotel, with a distance of only about 200 meters between them. The previous article, “Reykjavik Accommodation Recommendation: Reykjavík Residence Hotel, an Ideal Choice in a Lively Yet Quiet Location,” provided a detailed introduction to the surrounding downtown area, including Laugavegur Street, Skólavörðustígur Street, Hallgrimskirkja, Lake Tjörnin, City Hall, Harpa Concert Hall, the Sun Voyager sculpture, the popular hot dog stand Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, and the Bónus supermarket. Therefore, this article will not repeat those details. If you’re interested, please refer to the previous article.

Travel to and from Keflavík International Airport

Flybus and Airport Direct are two airport bus companies that operate between Reykjavik city center and Keflavík International Airport (Keflavíkurflugvöllur). If you’re not renting a car for self-driving, you’ll need to take an airport bus to reach Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik. Due to the narrow roads in the city center, airport buses do not enter directly. Instead, they first go to a bus terminal on the outskirts of Reykjavik, where passengers transfer to a shuttle bus to reach the city center. For trips from the city center to the airport, you’ll need to take a shuttle bus to the terminal first and then transfer to the airport bus.

The shuttle bus does not drop you off directly at the hotel entrance but stops at designated bus stops. The nearest bus stop to Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is Bus stop 7, which is right next to the hotel, making it very convenient.

Parking

Hotels in Reykjavik’s city center generally do not have their own parking lots, and Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is no exception. However, there is an indoor public parking lot called Traðarkot across from the hotel, but the fees are relatively high.

There are many roadside parking spaces in Reykjavik’s city center, which are usually free from 6 PM to 9 AM the next day, so most people park their cars in these spaces. For more details about parking in Iceland, refer to the eighth section, “Parking and Fees in Iceland,” in the article “Iceland Self-Drive Guide: Traffic Rules, Road Conditions, Parking, Fueling, and Other Important Tips.”

2. Environment and Facilities of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik

Canopy by Hilton is a relatively new brand under the Hilton hotel group, offering a youthful, stylish, and trendy boutique hotel experience that integrates guests into the local community. There are currently over twenty Canopy by Hilton hotels worldwide, and Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is the first of its kind.

↓ The design of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik’s main entrance is quite minimalist and understated ↓

The lobby of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik also follows a Nordic minimalist style, with the check-in counter being a simple wooden desk.

The lobby also features a cozy lounge area, perfect for small groups to relax and chat. The lounge’s ceiling is open to the second floor, creating a spacious feel, and the walls are adorned with a two-story-high bookshelf, giving it a scholarly ambiance.

There is a staircase here that leads directly to the second-floor restaurant.

One of the advantages of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is that it has an elevator. The elevator in the lobby is cleverly hidden within this bookshelf, making the design both unique and discreet.

Another surprise awaits when the elevator doors open—the walls are designed to mimic the exterior of traditional Icelandic houses, giving off a strong industrial vibe.

If your room is on the second floor and located on the side farther from the lobby, you’ll need to walk through the restaurant to reach it, as the restaurant occupies the middle of the second floor.

One of the unique features of Canopy by Hilton is that they offer bicycles for guests to rent.

Breakfast is included in your stay at Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik, though the quality is just average.

3. The Rooms at Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik

The main building of Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is a newly constructed structure with a black exterior, standing 3 to 5 stories tall. Due to the hotel’s location on a slope, the height varies across different sections.

The hotel offers various room types, including Twin Room, Twin Premium Room, Queen Room, King Room, King Premium Room, King Heritage Room, King Junior Suite, King One Bedroom Suite, and Loft Suite. The rooms are designed in a stylish, minimalist Nordic style.

In addition to the new black main building, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik also includes a traditional Icelandic house built in the 1950s. This house was originally the residence of a furniture merchant and his architect son. The hotel has preserved the design features of the house and its rooms, transforming it into the King Heritage Room, which showcases traditional Icelandic charm. In the photo below, the red and gray stone houses in the middle are part of this historic residence, while the black building on the left is a section of the new main structure.

We originally booked a King Premium Room but were upgraded to a King Heritage Room at check-in. The King Heritage Room is slightly more expensive, so this was a nice upgrade for us.

This is the passage connecting the main building to the traditional house, decorated with Chinese vases.

The staircase in this house now serves primarily as an emergency exit.

The interior of the house retains its original decor, which contrasts sharply with the modern design of the main hotel building.

The King Heritage Room is quite spacious, making it perfect for the final leg of our Iceland trip, as there was plenty of room to unpack two large suitcases. However, each King Heritage Room varies in size, shape, and layout—what you see here is just the one we stayed in.

The area near the entrance looked a bit messy because we had so much stuff.

This is the desk and TV area. The TV is quite far from the bed, but that wasn’t an issue since we don’t watch much TV.

The walls of the King Heritage Room are adorned with wallpaper commonly used in traditional Icelandic homes, along with vintage photos of Reykjavik.

The most distinctive feature of the room is the bed—not only unique but also incredibly comfortable, with a small sofa at the foot.

The sofa chair in the room is also quite unique—apparently designed by the original owner.

The bathroom and shower are designed similarly to other rooms, featuring a shower stall. However, the shower controls follow an old-fashioned design with separate hot and cold water knobs, requiring manual temperature adjustment—a bit inconvenient.

The open wardrobe offers limited space.

↓ Basic amenities include a fridge, safe, electric kettle, coffee machine, iron, and ironing board. ↓

From our room, we had a view of Hverfisgata Street, with the airport shuttle bus stop right below.

Free WiFi is available in the rooms at Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik, but you’ll need to log in with your name and email address first. The speed is decent, averaging around 10Mbps.

4. Summary of Our Stay at Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik

In terms of location, transportation, and quality, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is undoubtedly one of the best hotels in downtown Reykjavik. Situated right in the heart of the city’s tourist district, it’s next to the main shopping street, Laugavegur, and the airport shuttle stop is just outside—making it incredibly convenient for travelers.

As for quality, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik is part of the Hilton hotel group, so the management and standards are top-notch. The design is stylish, and the photos speak for themselves. Additionally, it’s one of the few hotels in downtown Reykjavik with elevators, a major plus for guests who don’t want to lug their luggage up and down stairs.

However, there’s one significant downside: the hotel is located above a bar. For nightlife lovers, this might be a perk, but for most travelers, it’s a drawback. If you’re staying from Sunday to Thursday, it’s not a big issue, but on Fridays and Saturdays, it can get quite noisy. So, if you’re visiting midweek, we highly recommend Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik. But for weekend stays, you might want to consider the Reykjavík Residence Hotel we mentioned earlier.

If you’d like to book Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik, you can do so through the following platforms: Klook | Trip.com | Hotels.com