Which Reykjavik hostel has the best rooftop bar?

Loft Hostel — actual fifth-floor terrace with 360° views toward Mount Esja and Hallgrímskirkja. Happy hour 16:00-19:00 at €7/pint, live music Thursday and Friday nights. Heated outdoor seating extends usability into October.

Are Reykjavik rooftop bars open year-round?

Most operate weather-dependent from late May through early September. Loft's rooftop has heated outdoor seating and stays usable later into October. KEX's top-floor lounge is indoor, so it works year-round.

Do you need a reservation for Loft rooftop?

No, but it fills by 18:30 on summer weekends. Arrive at 17:00 for heated outdoor seats, or after 21:00 when the after-dinner crowd shifts downstairs.

What's the view from KEX's top floor?

Fourth-floor lounge with industrial-glass windows framing the Sun Voyager sculpture and the Old Harbour. Best at 21:00 when Harpa concert hall lights up across the bay.

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Reykjavik Rooftop BarRanked guide

Best Reykjavik Hostels with Rooftop Bars

Reykjavik isn't a city of towers — the tallest hostel is four storeys — so 'rooftop bar' here means fifth-floor terrace with a view rather than 20th-floor skyline. Five of our shortlist hostels have rooftop or top-floor bars that matter: Loft has the actual rooftop terrace with Esja views that locals come up for, KEX's top-floor lounge frames the Old Harbour, Dalur has the on-site bar that spills onto a summer terrace, Hostel B47 has a small top-floor common room with a panoramic view, and B14's rooftop access is summer-only weather permitting. The Loft rooftop is the only one we'd fly to Reykjavik to drink at.

◉ Ranking · 5 picks

01Loft - HI Eco Hostel€54
02B14 Hostel€45
03Dalur - HI Eco Hostel€48
04KEX Hostel€50
05Hostel B47€47

§ 01 — Traveler's take

“A Reykjavik rooftop-happy-hour circuit in summer: start at Loft's rooftop bar 17:00 for golden hour over the bay (midnight sun makes this phase last until 22:30 in late June). Move to KEX for the 20:30-22:30 live-music set with bay views from the fourth floor. Finish at Kaldi Bar or Skúli Craft on Laugavegur for the late-night crowd. Total €30-35 per person across four drinks and two venues, all with a view.”

§ 02 — The ranked list

Our Top 5 Picks

★ 8.51,819 reviews€54/night

Loft - HI Eco Hostel

Loft is the top-of-Laugavegur party hostel that's actually rated well (8.5 from 1,819 reviews). Rooftop bar with Esja-mountain views and weekly live music, shared kitchen big enough to cook a lamb stew, and the single most central address in 101 Reykjavik — at Bankastræti 7, the moment Laugavegur changes its name as it hits Parliament.

Most central hostel address in Reykjavik — Bankastræti 7, the exact top of Laugavegur where it meets the pedestrianised shopping street and the Parliament building
Rooftop bar open late with 360° views of Esja mountain and the Old Harbour — locals come up here for the sunset, not just guests
Weekly live acoustic sessions on Thursday and Friday nights — Icelandic indie acts, free for guests, €10 for the public, one of the city's underrated scenes
8.5 rating from 1,819 reviews — the most reviewed hostel in our Reykjavik set, which means this score is earned across thousands of real stays

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★ 8.5552 reviews€45/night

B14 Hostel

B14 is the 108 Reykjavik hostel backpackers with a rental car pick over 101 hostels — free parking, spotless dorms, and €45 beds that cost 15-20% less than Laugavegur equivalents. 8.5 from 552 reviews, with guests flagging cleanliness, self check-in, and staff manager Jackielyn by name. 20 min to Laugavegur by bus, 12 min walk to Laugardalslaug pool.

Free on-site parking — the deciding factor if you're driving the Ring Road, since 101 hostels charge €20-30/day or have no parking at all
8.5 from 552 reviews — 9.4 cleanliness, 9.0 staff, with reviewers naming manager Jackielyn by name in review after review
Twelve-minute walk to Laugardalslaug geothermal pool — the biggest pool in Reykjavik, €11 entry, open until 22:00 most days
Self check-in 24/7 via code-lock — land at Keflavik at 02:00 and you're in a dorm by 04:30 with no reception fuss

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★ 8.22,626 reviews€48/night

Dalur - HI Eco Hostel

Dalur (formerly Reykjavik City Hostel) is the most-reviewed hostel in the city — 8.2 from 2,626 reviews, set next to Iceland's biggest geothermal pool and the family-activity park in Laugardalur. Bikes to rent, campsite next door, and a proper restaurant-bar on site. 15 min bus to Laugavegur, 12 min to Bus Stop 11 for Flybus.

Next door to Laugardalslaug — the biggest geothermal pool in Reykjavik (€11 entry, open until 22:00), a 3-minute walk from reception
2,626 reviews at 8.2 — the most-reviewed hostel in our Reykjavik set, which means this score is statistically bulletproof
On-site bar and restaurant with breakfast buffet (€13) — the only hostel in our Reykjavik set with a proper sit-down breakfast
Bike rental on site (€20/day), plus the Laugardalur Family Park and Reykjavik Zoo a 5-minute walk — the family-friendliest hostel in town

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★ 8.14,198 reviews€50/night

KEX Hostel

KEX is Iceland's most famous hostel — a converted biscuit factory on the waterfront with a gastropub-restaurant that Rough Guides and Lonely Planet both feature, 4,198 reviews at 8.1, and a design aesthetic every other hostel in town has tried to copy. Live music three nights a week, proper brunch until 14:00, and the Esja mountain and Harpa concert hall framed in every window.

4,198 reviews at 8.1 — the most-reviewed hostel in Iceland, an aggregate that cannot be faked or gamed
On-site gastropub-restaurant serves brunch until 14:00 (locals' favourite), dinner mains €18-28, and live music three nights a week
Waterfront location on Skúlagata — every north-facing dorm has a view of Esja mountain across the bay, sunsets over Harpa
Converted 1930s biscuit factory (hence the name — 'kex' is Icelandic for biscuit) with polished-concrete-and-steel interior every designer hostel in Europe has copied

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★ 8.14,645 reviews€47/night

Hostel B47

Hostel B47 is the 4,645-review workhorse of 101 Reykjavik — a converted residential building on Baronstigur, 3 min on foot from Hallgrímskirkja, with self check-in, free on-street parking, and €47 dorm beds that run €5-7 under KEX and Loft for a similar 101 location. 8.1 rating, clean, functional, staff-light — the smart-saver pick for a long Reykjavik stay.

4,645 reviews at 8.1 — the second-most-reviewed hostel in our Reykjavik set, statistically robust data across 5+ years of backpackers
Three-minute walk to Hallgrímskirkja and the Skólavörðustígur rainbow-painted street — closest 101 hostel to the iconic photo spots
Free on-street parking on Baronstigur and adjacent blocks — rare in 101, saves €20-30/day that other central hostels charge
Self check-in 24/7 via a code-lock entry — matches Nordic Hostel on late-night airport arrivals

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§ 03 — Tips

Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Rooftop Bar in Reykjavik

Tip Nº 01

Loft rooftop opens at 17:00 and fills by 18:30 on summer weekends — get there at 17:00 if you want a table on the heated outdoor seating

Tip Nº 02

The midnight sun in late June means Loft rooftop stays golden-hour-lit until 22:30, and technically sunset doesn't happen for about 72 hours — plan a single rooftop evening to coincide with peak solstice

Tip Nº 03

KEX's 4th-floor lounge is indoor-only, so it works year-round — the view through the industrial glass is best at 21:00 when Harpa's lights come on across the harbour

Tip Nº 04

Dalur's summer terrace closes in September as the evenings cool — check with reception before counting on it for an evening drink

§ 04 — Other vibes