The place to check is vedur.is, the website of Iceland's Met Office. You will find the weather forecast and observations (including aurora) as well as earthquake observations etc.
Check covid.is for the current Covid situation in Iceland.
To participate in the workshop (without quarantining first) you need a vaccination or recovery certificate. In addition, you must present a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result from home (not older than 72 hours) and preregister online. Check island.is.
Accommodation is generally expensive in Greater Reykjavik and Iceland in general and not necessarily of the best quality for what you pay. It is something that you simply have to put up with. Use booking.com or airbnb, read reviews, and choose the location carefully.
Public buses are infrequent and expensive. So even if your hotel is not very far, if it is not walking distance from the university, you may be in mild trouble. (Notice that you need Reykjavik University, not the University of Iceland; both are located next to the domestic airport, but at opposite ends).
In general, any location in Reykjavik districts 101 (102) is fine and 105 and 107 too. (Residents of Greater Reykjavik tend to identify city districts by postal codes.)
Hotel Natura is between the center and the university, also very close to the terminals of Reykjavik Excursions at BSÍ and AirportDirect at Skógarhlíð.
No-one uses cash in Iceland. We recommend that you do not exchange currency or withdraw Icelandic cash from an ATM.
The Keflavík international airport (KEF) is next to the town of Reykjanesbær some 50 kms from Reykjavik.
You get to the city with one of the two commercial operators Reykjavik Excursions and AirportDirect. The transfer costs about 3500 ISK one way. If you add a connection to your hotel/guesthouse, that is another 1000 ISK. The operators are comparable, but Reykjavik Excursions does not publish their schedule, ask when the bus goes before you buy the ticket. There are ticket booths in the arrivals hall and buses depart straight in front of the entrance door. There is no need to book the ticket in advance on the way to Reykjavik. (On the way back to the airport you might want an advance booking, including a pickup from your accommodation.)
There is also the line 55 of the Icelandic public bus system Strætó. The ride costs 1960 ISK one way. The bus stop is a bit hidden next to the airport hotel. This bus is infrequent, but you can check the schedules.
Unless you are Norwegian, you do not want to think of taking a taxi from/to the airport.
The center is small. For places a bit further, you may need to use buses of Strætó. A single ticket costs 490 ISK, it is valid for changes in the Greater Reykjavik area during 75 mins. For buying a ticket, the easiest is the Strætó app (if you get it to work with your credit card). Otherwise, you can buy paper tickets at any 10-11 convenience store or any public swimming pool. The paper ticket has to be dropped in a box by the driver. If you need to change to another bus, you have to ask the driver to give you a "transfer ticket".
Nearly all bus stops were renamed some months ago. You see both old and new stop names in use, which can be very confusing.
From the center to the university you can get with bus 8 from Gamla Hringbraut (formerly, BSÍ) to HR (formerly, Nauthóll - HR). This is just 2 stops, but it is a walk of 20 mins along the perimeter of the domestic airport. To Gamla Hringbraut, you have to walk or take some other bus (1, 3, 5, 6, 15), depending on where you are staying.
In evenings and on weekends, one gets to/from HR with bus 5 instead. This route starts in a far-out suburb in the East of Reyjavik, stops at Ártún (a major stop for changing between lines), passes through Laugardalur, stops at Hlemmur (the main hub for Reykjavik's city buses) and Gamla Hringbraut.
Eating out is expensive, but nicer restaurants are nice, no doubt.
The useful foodstore chains are Bónus, Krónan and Nettó. Opening times vary, some stores open later and close earlier than you would expect. At 10-11 and Krambúð stores (open long or round the clock) you will find a limited selection and high prices.
The best and also the cheapest fun in Reykjavik are the geothermal swimming pools. The main ones in the city are Laugardalslaug, Sundhöll Reykjavíkur and Vesturbæjarlaug. You get an outdoor swimming pool (25 m in most places, 50 m in Laugardalslaug; the water temperature is 26 C all year round), hotpots (38-42 C) and steam saunas. Sundhöll Reykjavíkur is the most central one, but has an odd system of locking lockers (you have to bring your own padlock, which won't fit, or buy one). Laugardalslaug (with a much more reasonable locker system) is the biggest and most fun. A single ticket costs 1060 ISK.
All swimming pools are open from early morning until 22.00 and this means you can stay in the pool until 22.00 and then have 15 extra minutes to change and rush out.
Just next to Reykjavik University, there is the Nauthólsvík geothermal beach. Here the fun consists in a hotpot and dips in the ocean (seawater ~5 C), there is also a steam sauna. This place is open 11-19 daily, until 16 on Sat, closed Sun. A single ticket is 710 ISK.
There is also the Blue Lagoon if you want to pay a lot more. It is closer to the airport than to Greater Reykjavik and you will need a whole morning or afternoon to go there. There is also the brand new spa in Kópavogur.
If you are into this type of thing, take your swimming gear with you!
We plan to take you to the Geldingadalir (Fagradalsfjall) volcano that started erupting 19 March 2021 and was very busy producing spectacular lava fountains and rivers for months but has now been quiet for 5 weeks.
Because of wind and cold, you need warm wind- and waterproof clothing, including a cap, a scarf and gloves, and above all good hiking boots since the terrain is not particularly difficult, but very uneven, so you may inadvertently damage your ancle. The trail can also be slippery and muddy.
Here is eruption information from the municipality. Here is the advisory (updated daily) by Search and Rescue. The full walk (trail C) is 3-4 kms one way depending on the starting point; we may not be able to go all the way.
Last update 28 October 2021