A local Reykjavik guide — neighbourhoods, where to stay, the pools locals actually use, where to eat, the day trips worth doing, and the small stuff visitors usually miss.

What Icelanders actually eat, where to eat it, and what to skip — from kjötsúpa and plokkfiskur to Bæjarins Beztu, Sægreifinn, and Dill, with supermarket prices and Reykjavik venues verified on the ground.

Iceland has thirteen Yule Lads, not one Santa. A twelfth-century troll mother. A cat that inspects your wardrobe. And a national book flood on Christmas Eve. A proper guide to Icelandic Christmas — the 26-day calendar, the food, the traditions, what to actually do in Reykjavik, and how to handle Gamlarskvold.