Nordic Hostel
Reykjavik's top-rated hostel (9.3), four minutes from the airport shuttle stop, built around a Scandi-design common room most hostels would frame as a boutique lobby.
Nordic Hostel is Reykjavik's highest-rated hostel (9.3 from 1,150 reviews) and the one reviewers actually describe with the word 'Scandi' unironically — modern, minimalist, spotlessly clean. It sits on Snorrabraut on the 101/105 border, four minutes on foot from the Flybus Stop 11 pickup point that most guests care about more than any bar list.
Nordic Hostel is the address everyone in the 101/105 crowd quietly recommends once they've compared prices. Snorrabraut 56 is a 15-minute walk from Hallgrímskirkja, a 20-minute stroll to the Old Harbour and Harpa, and — more to the point — four minutes on foot from Bus Stop 11, the Flybus and Gray Line pickup that every airport transfer in Reykjavik routes through. You can sleep until 08:50 and still make a 09:30 airport shuttle.
The design is the thing reviewers name. The common room looks like an IKEA catalogue that started taking itself seriously — felt pendant lamps, pale wood, Icelandic wool throws, a long shared table people actually use for working. Dorms have curtained bunks, reading lights, USB ports in each berth, and full-height lockers. The 9.5 cleanliness score is visible: the shared kitchen gets wiped down between breakfast and dinner, and the showers are pressure-washed, not just mopped.
What you do not get here is a bar crawl. There is no in-house pub, no DJ night, no reception-led rúntur. Reception will hand you the Appy Hour list and point you at Kaldi Bar, Skúli Craft or Lebowski Bar on Laugavegur — 15-20 minutes on foot. If you want a party hostel, KEX and Loft are where you go; if you want to actually catch a 07:30 Golden Circle bus the next morning without a hangover, Nordic is the pick. The dorm rate looks steep by Prague standards and is dead-average by Reykjavik's.
- 019.3 on 1,150 reviews with every subscore above 9.4 — cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities all land above the city's 8.2 average for hostels
- 02Four minutes to Flybus Stop 11 — if you're flying into or out of Iceland, this is the single most practical fact on the page
- 03Scandi-design common room with long work tables, good WiFi, and Icelandic wool throws — the best hostel workspace in the city for digital nomads on short stops
- 04Reviewers consistently name Jackielyn (reception) and the housekeeping team — the 9.48 staff score is the highest of any hostel in our Reykjavik set
- 9.3 overall from 1,150 reviews — Iceland's top-rated hostel, with staff 9.5, facilities 9.5, cleanliness 9.5 and comfort 9.5 all above the city average
- Four-minute walk to Bus Stop 11 — the Flybus and Reykjavik Excursions airport shuttle pickup point, the single most useful fact for any Iceland traveller
- Dorms with curtained bunks, reading lights, USB charging and lockers big enough for a 65L pack — the Scandi-design lobby is part of the atmosphere, not an add-on
- Bus stops 11 and 12 within 4-12 min walk connect to the Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle tour pickup and the BSÍ terminal for long-distance buses
“Great location, 15 min walk to BSÍ terminal, 2 min walk to bus stop 11. Very nice facilities, lots of bathrooms and showers. Staff was super helpful with the Flybus booking.”
“Everything about this stay was exceptional. The hostel has a fantastic, modern Scandi design that feels both stylish and welcoming. The rooms were impeccably clean and the shared kitchen had everything we needed.”
“Location was good: Bus stop 11 just 4 min walk, bus stop 12 just 12 min walk — these are the pickup and drop-off points if you arrange airport transfers. Super clean, quiet at night.”
- Bus Stop 11 (Flybus pickup)350 m / 4 min walk
- Laugardalslaug geothermal pool900 m / 12 min walk
- Hallgrímskirkja (iconic church)1.2 km / 15 min walk
- Laugavegur main drag (bars, restaurants)1.0 km / 13 min walk
- Bónus supermarket (Laugavegur 164)450 m / 6 min walk
- BSÍ main bus terminal1.6 km / 20 min walk
