Sightseeing OverviewReykjavik is a very easy city to negotiate on foot so the best initial advice is to head for the Tourist Information Center and stock up on some maps and recommended walking routes.
Reykjavik has two landmarks that offer views over the city to aid orientation:
Perlan (the Pearl), on Öskjuhlíd Hill, and the 75m-high (230ft)
Hallgrímskirkja church in the center of town. A visit to the top of either of these is the best way for visitors to become acquainted with the city's layout.
The very heart of Reykjavik lies
between the Atlantic Ocean and the pleasant
Tjörnin Lake to the north. In-between lies the center of the city with flat, wide streets housing bars, cafes, hotels, museums and art galleries. The modern
Icelandic National Gallery lies right on the edge of the lake, while the
National Museum sits just to the south.
Just north of Tjörnin is
Austurvollur, an attractive square popular with sunworshippers in the warmer months and also home to the
Althing, the Icelandic parliament. Also in the city center are the three branches of the
Reykjavik Art Museum: the
Harbour House,
Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum and
Kjarvalsstadethir.
Heading east and uphill on
Laugavegur, the city's main thoroughfare, are many of the city's best shops, cafes, restaurants and bars.
Outside the city center but easily accessible by bus are the
Árbaer Open-Air Folk Museum and the
Sigurjon Olafsson Museum. Dotted around the city are six
geothermal swimming baths that come complete with hot pots, which make the perfect venue to relax in after a hard day's sightseeing at any time of year.
Tourist InformationTourist Information Center
Adalstraeti 2
Tel: 590 1550.
Website:
www.visitreykjavik.isOpening hours: Daily 0830-1900 (summer); Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-1400 (winter).
PassesAvailable for one, two or three days, the
Reykjavik Card offers unlimited transport on city buses, as well as admission to seven geothermal swimming pools and most museums and galleries. It can be purchased from the Tourist Information Center, the BSI central bus station, hotels, guest houses, museums and pools.
Key Attractions:Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrímur)
Reykjavik's highest and most imposing structure, Hallgrímskirkja, is visible from over 20km (12 miles) away. Begun in the late 1940s and completed in 1986, with its stark, light-filled interior and architectural resemblance to basaltic lava, it elicits mixed reactions. Most people visit it for the chance to view the city from the tower: the panorama is superb.
Skólavörðuholti
Tel: 510 1000.
Website:
www.hallgrimskirkja.is (Icelandic only)
Free admission (church); charge for the tower.
Perlan (The Pearl)
A walk through landscaped gardens (including an artificial geyser) leads to the top of Öskjuhlíd Hill and Reykjavik's architectural masterpiece - the Pearl. This magnificent glass structure, which houses a revolving restaurant perched atop hot water tanks, is an engineering feat. The fourth level has an outside viewing deck offering views of the city, as it sprawls out below. On the ground floor is the
Saga Museum, a multi-dimensional display depicting key moments in Icelandic history, and giving a compelling insight into how Icelanders lived from the settlement of the island at the end of the 9th century through to the Reformation period. The dioramas use eerily realistic silicone rubber figures, whose features were borrowed from Reykjavik residents, so don't be surprised if you recognize a familiar face on the streets of the capital.
Öskjuhlíd Hill
Tel: 562 0200.
Website:
www.perlan.is Free admission.
Saga Museum
Tel: 511 1517
or 694 3096.
Website:
www.sagamuseum.is Admission charge.
Listasafn Íslands (National Gallery of Iceland)
Iceland's National Gallery
houses a permanent collection of paintings and sculpture by Icelandic and international artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. It also stages temporary exhibitions of Icelandic art. Housed in a modernist building that was originally built for ice storage, it comprises four exhibition rooms, a cafe, lecture hall, art library and bookshop.
Fríkirkjuvegur 7
Tel: 515 9600.
Website:
www.listasafn.is Free admission.
Listasafn Reykjavikur (Reykjavik Art Museum)
Known collectively as the Reykjavik Art Museum and housed in three locations around the city (Harbour House or Hafnarhúsid, Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum and the Kjarval Collection)
the museum offers up a wealth of Icelandic culture. The Harbour House lays claim to the Erró Collection, the Architectural Museum and the Reykjavik Art Collection
. Located near the harbor, as its name indicates, the building also
boasts six exhibition halls, a multi-purpose space, an outdoor courtyard, bookshop and cafe. It houses changing exhibitions of work by modern Icelandic and international artists in a variety of media. Dedicated to the sculptures and drawings of Ásmundur Sveinsson, the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum collection is housed in the artist's former home and studio. The Kjarvalsstadethir gallery houses works by leading Icelandic and international artists of the 20th century. The gallery has a shop and a cafe overlooking the Miklatún Park and the Perlan.
Website:
www.listasafnreykjavikur.is Admission charge (daily ticket to all three museums); free Mon.
Harbour House
Tryggvagötu 17
Tel: 590 1200.
Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum
Sigtún
Tel: 553 2155.
Kjarvalsstadethir
Flókagata
Tel: 517 1290.
Árbæjarsafn (Árbær Open-Air Folk Museum)
Árbæjarsafn is Reykjavík's folk museum, and the largest open-air museum in Iceland. It comprises about 30 buildings, most of them brought to the museum site from downtown Reykjavík. They date from the period 1820-1920. In the houses, reconstructions of homes and workshops and special exhibitions may be seen. Events are scheduled every Sunday, with live accordion music. Craftspeople demonstrate traditional tasks almost every day in the museum. Milking takes place at 1630 every day and is always a popular event with children. There are also children's horse rides on Saturdays.
Árbæjarsafn v/Kistuhyl
Tel: 411 6300.
Website:
www.arbaejarsafn.isAdmission charge.
Thjódminjasafn Íslands (National Museum)
Founded in 1863, the National Museum
has a huge range of relics and tools spanning Reykjavik's 11 centuries of history. It houses everything from medieval altar cloths through to its star attraction - a 12th-century door depicting a Norse battle scene. The museum covers all aspects of Icelandic life, from the time of the settlements to the present day. Featured at the museum are archaeological finds buried in the eruption at Mount Hekla in 1106, the first bible printed in Icelandic, a history of Icelandic witchcraft, and items such as the census of 1703, with detailed accounts of people and livestock across Iceland.
Sudurgata 41
Tel: 530 2200.
Website:
www.natmus.is Admission charge, free Wed. Guided tours available.
Heita Potturinn (Hot Pots)
Geothermal swimming pools and hot pots
play a major part in Icelandic life as swimming lessons are mandatory and students cannot graduate without passing a swimming test. The hottest pools have controlled temperatures of up to 44°C (108°F) and are said to have certain medical benefits. As the pools are not heavily chlorinated, it is compulsory to take a nude shower and wash thoroughly before entering. The largest is
Laugardalslaug, which has a 50m (150ft) pool, curved waterslide, five hot pots of differing temperatures and a steam bath. Many locals pop in between 0800 and 0900 to relax before work and catch up on the gossip, making it a good time for curious visitors to join in. If you are planning on spending a few days in Reykjavik, it is possible to purchase a 10-visit season ticket, which is valid for all the city pools.
Laugardalur, Sundlaugavegur
Tel: 553 4039.
Website:
www.spacity.isAdmission charge.
Further Distractions:Hafnarfjörður (Harbour-fjord)
Hafnarfjörður has long been known as the ‘Town in the Lava' - due to its location right on top of the Burfell lava formation, which dates back to an eruption 7,000 years ago. Nestled in the arc of a natural harbor, it has become a suburb of Reykjavik. In previous centuries, it gained status as a trading center and, today, its reputation is as a center for culture. Highlights include a sculpture garden on Vidistadir, a lighthouse and an archaeological site from pre-Lutheran times. It is also home to the
Icelandic Maritime Museum, the
Museum of Local History and the
Museum of Postal and Telecommunications. The town also has two geothermally heated pools and the
Keilier Golf Club.
Hafnarfjörður Tourist Information Office
Strandgata 6, Hafnarfjörður
Tel: 585 5555.
Website:
www.hafnarfjordur.is Sigurjon Olafsson Museum
The idiosyncratic Sigurjon Olafsson Museum is devoted to the life's work of one artist, Sigurjon Olafsson (1908-1982), who was born and lived in Iceland. The sleek wooden floors and starched white walls are the perfect setting for his avant-garde work. Olafsson used a collage of wood, metal, plaster, stone and concrete in his work and his striking forms combined abstract styles with inspiration from the Icelandic Sagas. The museum is not one that many tourists go to or even know about but is much beloved of the locals and well worth a visit. During summer there are concerts in the museum on Tuesday evenings and there is also a cafe with lovely views over the ocean.
Laugarnestangi 70
Tel: 553 2906.
Website:
www.lso.is Free admission.
Reykjavik Maritime Museum
Visting Iceland without learning something about its maritime tradition is like going to England and ignoring its royalty. Fishing and fish-related industries have been the mainstay of the Icelandic economy for centuries. It is only in the last two generations that the economy has become somewhat more diversified. The most interesting place to learn about the country's fishing traditions is at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. The museum is the only one in the country to chronicle various aspects of maritime life from the 20th century to the present day. Housed in an old freezing plant by the harbor, it is the perfect location to watch the fishing vessels and whale-watching boats go about their business in Reykavík harbor.
Grandagardur 8
Tel: 517 9400.
Website:
www.sjominjasafn.is Admission charge.
Reykjavik Park and Zoo
The Reykjavik Park and Zoo is an ideal place for a family outing. The zoo has 150 animals of 19 species, which includes both domestic and wild animals, and an aquarium. The seals feeding times are particularly popular with younger visitors, and horse-riding is another activity on offer. After viewing the animals at close quarters, the children can enjoy the rides and activities in the adjacent Family Park.
Hafrafell by Engjavegur
Tel: 575 7800.
Website:
www.husdyragardur.is/in-englishAdmission charge.
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