Sights and landmarks in Reykjavík

Sights and landmarks in Reykjavík

1. See

   871±2

   The Settlement Exhibition

   Run by the Reykjavík City Museum, this exhibition in central Reykjavík was built around the oldest archaeological ruins in Iceland. As the name indicates, these ruins date to around the year 870. This interactive exhibitions brings you the early history of the area that today forms central Reykjavík.

   Daily 10:00-17:00·1000 kr, free for children under 18

2. See

   Alþingi

   On the southern edge of Austurvöllur is a small building of hewn stone, but don't let its size fool you. This is the building of the Icelandic parliament, known as Alþingi. The institution has in fact long since outgrown the building which was built in 1881 for a nation of a little over 60,000. Today the upper floors of most houses on the north and west sides of the park also house parliamentary offices. The Alþingi building today houses only the debating chamber of the unicameral institution and the party meeting rooms. When Alþingi is in session it is possible to go up to the viewing platforms and watch the debates, otherwise only groups affiliated with educational institutions are permitted to tour the inside of the building.

3. See

   Austurvöllur

   A small park (or square, depending on definitions) in the heart of Reykjavík. It's many locals' favorite place to spend sunny days, either at one of the cafés lining the north of the square or simply having a picnic on the grass. The parliament and the national cathedral both stand by Austurvöllur.

4. See

   City Hall

   Ráðhúsið

   One of the best examples of late 20th-century architecture in Iceland, built into Tjörnin (The Pond). On the ground floor, which is open to the public, there is a large relief map of the whole country as well as a café and an exhibition hall.

5. See

   Grótta

   At the far western end of the peninsula on which Reykjavík sits there is a small island. This island, called Grótta, is connected to the mainland on low tides and open to the public most of the year (closed May 1-Jul 15). Just make sure you don't get stuck on the island when the tide comes in!

6. See

   Hallgrímskirkja

   This can't miss attraction towers over the city on top of a hill. In front is a statue of Leif Ericsson (Leifur Eiríksson in Icelandic), the Norse explorer who sailed to North America in the 10th century. The United States gave this statue to Iceland in 1930, in honor of the 1,000th anniversary of the Althingi, the Iceland parliament.

   Mass: Sun 11:00; Church tower open daily 09:00-20:00·Admission to the tower: adults 1300 kr, students 1000 kr, children (7-14) 200 kr

7. See

   Harpa

   Harpa is a new concert hall and conference centre at the heart of Reykjavík. It is the home of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and regularly host to other acts as well.

   Open daily 10:00-00:00

8. See

   Hellisheiði Geothermal Plant

   Hellisheiðavirkjun

   Get a tour of the geothermal power plant that provides Reykjavik with heating and hot water.

   Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow·2100 kr adult, free for children under 12

9. See

   Icelandic Punk Museum

   Pönksafn Íslands

   A small museum devoted to the history of punk music in Iceland, located in a former underground public toilet facility. In the final room you can listen to Icelandic punk music through headphones, and there are guitars and leather jackets to try on and pose with.

   Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00, Sat Sun 12:00-22:00

10. See

    Imagine Peace Tower

    Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, projecting a "tower of light" into the air that can be seen from around Reykjavík. The tower is turned on October 9-December 8, December 21–28, December 31 and March 21–28.

11. See

    Klambratún

    Klambratún is a park just east of the city centre on an area which remained farmland while the city was built up around it. The area was later converted into one of the largest public parks in the city and often hosts various events. One of the houses of the Reykjavík Art Museum, Kjarvalsstaðir, is inside the park.

12. See

    National Gallery of Iceland

    Listasafn Íslands

    The National Gallery of Iceland is a national museum and the main emphasis of the collection is on 20th and 21st century Icelandic art, but international art is featured as well. The museum owns the most valuable collection of works by Icelandic artists in the country. The National Gallery of Iceland regularly holds exhibitions reflecting its collections as well as exhibitions by individual artists, Icelandic as well as foreign ones. The National Gallery's of Iceland buildings at Fríkirkjuvegur 7 houses four exhibition halls on three floors, a gift shop and a small café. The National Gallery is in three locations, ticket price includes admission to all three.

    Summer Daily 10:00-17:00 - Winter Open Daily 10:00-17:00 except closed Mondays·Price 2023: Adults: 2200kr; senior citizens and students 1.100 kr; Children under 18: free

13. See

    National Museum of Iceland

    Þjóðminjasafnið

    This museum, by the University of Iceland campus, takes the visitor through the history of a nation from settlement to today. Includes a café and a museum shop.

    General admission: 2500 kr, senior citizens and students: 1200 kr, children under 18: free

14. See

    Perlan

    The Pearl

    An iconic building on top of a wooded hill called Öskjuhlíð, to the southeast of the city centre. Perlan is built on top of five hot water storage tanks and offers fantastic views of the entire city from a viewing platform open to the public and from a rotating restaurant at the top. If the restaurant is too expensive for you (it is for most), there is also a small cafeteria on the same floor as the viewing platform. For the price of admission, one can view and interact with exhibits related to the geology, geological history, and natural history of Iceland. There are some shows related to these topics as well covered with the tickets.

    Open now · closes 9 pm

15. See

    Reykjavik Museum of Photography

    Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur

    A very small museum with a nice library and reading room where you can find some older (but good) books about photography and current and past issues of photography magazines. It also has a huge collection of Icelandic photographs.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00; Sat Sun 13:00-17:00

16. See

    Reykjavík Art Museum - Hafnarhús

    By the old harbour in Reykjavík, Hafnarhúsið hosts a rotating exhibitions of the work of Icelandic artist Erró and temporary exhibitions often showcase other local artists.

    Thu 10:00-20:00, Fri-Wed 10:00-17:00·Adults: 2200 kr, students: 1370 kr, children under 18: free. Price includes all three art museums, Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn.

17. See

    Reykjavík Art Museum - Kjarvalsstaðir

    It is safe to say that Jóhannes Kjarval (1885-1972) is the single biggest name in Icelandic painting. Kjarvalsstaðir hosts a collection of his work, as well as hosting other temporary exhibitions.

    Adults: 2200 kr, students: 1370 kr, children under 18: free. Price includes all three art museums, Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn

18. See

    Reykjavík Botanical Gardens

    Grasagarður Reykavíkur

    The Reykjavík Botanical Gardens are not large, but they're nice for a short stroll and a good place to see some of the plants that grow in Iceland.

    Free

19. See

    Reykjavík Cathedral

    Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík

    The church beside the parliament is Reykjavík Cathedral, the mother church of the Church of Iceland, the country's national church and part of the Lutheran denomination. Similarly deceptive in size, it has been beautifully renovated both inside and out to reflect its original 18th-century architecture.

20. See

    Reykjavík City Museum

    Árbæjarsafn

    In the suburb of Árbær, and frequently called Árbæjarsafn (Árbær museum), this open air museum contains both the old farm of Árbær and many buildings from central Reykjavík that were moved there to make way for construction. The result is a village of old buildings where the staff take you through the story of a city. The staff are dressed in old Icelandic clothing styles and trained in various traditional techniques, for example in making dairy products or preparing wool.

    1 Jun-31 Aug: daily 10:00-17:00; during winter there are guided tours Mon Wed Fri at 13:00·2220 kr for adults, 1370 kr for students, free for children under 18

21. See

    The House of Collections

    Safnahúsið

    The House of Collections, built in 1906, has housed all the major Icelandic collections at some point. It houses the semi-permanent exhibition Resistance which is an interdisciplinary exhibition that bridges the gap between visual arts and science. The works include some of the pearls of Icelandic art from the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland. The House of Collections is one of three locations of the National Gallery of Iceland, ticket price includes admission to all three.

    Summer: daily 10:00-17:00; winter: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00·Adult 2200 kr; senior citizens and students 1,100 kr, child under 18: free

22. See

    Tjörnin

    The Pond

    A small lake in the centre of the city where young and old often gather to feed the ducks. The Icelandic name, Tjörnin, literally means "The Pond". Tjörnin is mostly surrounded by a park called Hljómskálagarðurinn (Music Pavilion Park) which gets very popular in good weather. The southern end of Tjörnin links it to the Vatnsmýri swamp, a small bird reserve with paths open to the public except during egg hatching season. Built into Tjörnin on the northern side is Reykjavík City Hall.

23. See

    Viðey

    Viðey is a large island in Kollafjörður, the fjord to the north of Reykjavík. It used to be inhabited, and in the early 20th century it had a small fishing village. Nobody lives there anymore apart from the birds, but it's a popular way to get away from the city without leaving it. During the summer, a café is operated in one of the houses on the island. The building was built for Skúli Magnússon, an 18th-century politician often called "the founder of Reykjavík" and designed by the same man as the royal palace in Copenhagen - although it is not quite of the same scale. Among its more modern architecture, Viðey is home to the Imagine Peace Tower by Yoko Ono (see below). To get to Viðey you must take a ferry from Sundahöfn, some distance from central Reykjavík (on bus route 5). The schedule and prices can be found here.

24. See Not mapped

    The Icelandic Phallological Museum

    Hið Íslenzka Reðasafn

    A museum dedicated to Phallology, the study of penises. This museum features phalluses of numerous animals from various whales to a human specimen.

    Daily 10:00-19:00·3000 kr/adult

25. See

    Christ the King Cathedral

    Landakotskirkja

    The Catholic cathedral of Iceland.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Reykjavík (CC BY-SA 4.0).