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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.

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Reykjavík, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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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 MondaysPrice 2023: Adults: 2200kr; senior citizens and students 1.100 kr; Children under 18: free
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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.
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Vesturport
This experimental theatre group has toured the world and won many prizes for its daring productions which include Romeo and Juliet, and Woyczek. They have also made films including the acclaimed Children and Parents, in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
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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.