Reykjavík
Artefacts from settlement to the modern age fill the creative display spaces of Iceland's superb National Museum. Exhibits give an excellent overview of…
Must-see attractions in Greater Reykjavík
Reykjavík
This fascinating archaeological ruin-museum is based around a 10th-century Viking longhouse unearthed here from 2001 to 2002 and other Settlement-Era…
Reykjavík
The excellent Reykjavík Art Museum is split over three superbly curated sites: the large, modern, downtown Hafnarhús, focusing on contemporary art;…
Reykjavík
Largely a service harbour until recently, the Old Harbour and the neighbouring Grandi area have blossomed into tourist hot spots, with key art galleries,…
Reykjavík
The placid lake at the centre of the city is sometimes locally called the Pond. It echoes with the honks and squawks of more than 40 species of visiting…
Reykjavík
With a series of sights and interesting historic buildings, the area dubbed Old Reykjavík is the heart of the capital, and the focal point of many…
Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús
Reykjavík
Reykjavík Art Museum's Hafnarhús is a marvellously restored warehouse converted into a soaring steel-and-concrete exhibition space. Though the well…
Reykjavík
Laugardalur encompasses a verdant stretch of land 4km east of the city centre. It was once the main source of Reykjavík’s hot-water supply: it translates…
Reykjavík Art Museum – Ásmundarsafn
Reykjavík
There’s something immensely playful about the vast collection of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982) housed in the studio and museum he designed …
Greater Reykjavík
Nobel Prize–winning author Halldór Laxness (1902–98) lived in Mosfellsbær all his life. His riverside home is now the Gljúfrasteinn Laxness Museum, which…
Reykjavík
This perennially cutting-edge artist-run exhibition space is a favourite with locals, and now has an expanded gallery in the renovated Marshall House in…
Reykjavík
Reserve ahead for a tour (2pm Monday to Friday) at this full-service chocolate factory, where you'll see how cocoa beans are transformed into high-end,…
Reykjavík
Displays works by some of the country’s top modern artists, many of whom show overseas as well.
Wonders of Iceland: Glaciers & Ice Cave
Reykjavík
This permanent exhibition at Perlan begins with a vast ice cave, 100m long and built with 350 tons of snow and layers of ash from the 2010…
Reykjavík
Seltjarnarnes, 5km west of central Reykjavík, is a coastal area that feels a world away. The offshore island of Grótta boasts a red-and-white lighthouse…
Reykjavík
Iceland’s first parliament, the Alþingi, was created at Þingvellir in AD 930. After losing independence in the 13th century, the country gradually won…
Reykjavík
Two things set the statue of Ingibjörg H Bjarnason apart from other monuments in the area: it depicts a historical female figure and it is not made by…
Reykjavík
Þúfa (th-oo-fha), meaning the Tussock, was created by artist Ólöf Nordal in 2013. The 8m-tall grassy mound was constructed out of 4500 tons of gravel and…
Reykjavík
Sunny days see happy local families flocking to this children's park in Laugardalur. Don’t expect lions and tigers; think seals, foxes and farm animals in…
Reykjavík
This cultural centre fosters connections between Iceland and its Nordic neighbours with a rich program of events, a library, exhibition space and bistro.
Reykjavík
Perlan's mirrored dome, designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson, covers huge geothermal-water tanks some 2km from the city centre. Inside, the Wonders of Iceland…
Reykjavík
Sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson (1908–82) used this peaceful seafront building as a studio. Now it showcases his varied, powerful work: portrait busts,…
Reykjavík
Internationally acclaimed Icelandic-Danish artist Ólafur Elíasson was responsible for the Harpa concert hall's iconic honeycomb glass-and-steel facade…
Reykjavík
The crucial role fishing plays in Iceland's economy is celebrated through the imaginative displays in this former fish-freezing plant. The new exhibition…
Hafnarfjörður Museum – Pakkhúsið
Greater Reykjavík
Hafnarfjörður Museum is divided over several buildings. Start at the main building, Pakkhúsið, for three floors of displays on the history of…
Reykjavík
The endearingly bloodthirsty Saga Museum is where Icelandic history is brought to life by eerie silicon models and a multi-language soundtrack featuring…
Greater Reykjavík
Menningarmiðstoð Kópavogs contains Kópavogur’s Natural History Museum, where displays include an orca skeleton, stuffed animals and some of Mývatn lake’s…
Reykjavík
The small, red former home of writer, illustrator and naturalist Benedikt Gröndal beautifully evokes turn-of-the-century Reykjavic life. Gröndal lived…
Reykjavík
Grassy Austurvöllur was once part of first-settler Ingólfur Arnarson’s hay fields. Today it’s a favourite spot for cafe lounging or lunchtime picnics and…
Reykjavík
Ever strolled beneath a blue whale? This museum houses full-sized models of the 23 species of whale found off Iceland's coast. The largest museum of this…
Greater Reykjavík
The second-oldest wooden church in Iceland, Viðey Church dates from the 18th century. Look out for the original decor and the tomb of the former owner of…
Reykjavík
Around 20 quaint old buildings have been transported from their original sites to open-air Árbæjarsafn. Alongside 19th-century homes are a turf-roofed…
Reykjavík
Hljómskálagarður Park sits on Tjörnin's southeast corner and has a section dedicated to sculptures by five Icelandic women: Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir (1889…
Reykjavík
More than 5000 varieties of subarctic plants fill the city's botanic gardens, delivering a wealth of colourful seasonal flowers and plenty of birdlife,…
Reykjavík
Iceland’s main cathedral, Dómkirkja is a modest affair, but it played a vital role in the country’s conversion to Lutheranism. The current building (built…
Reykjavík
Reykjavík’s waterside Ráðhús is a beautifully positioned postmodern construction of concrete stilts, tinted windows and mossy walls rising from Tjörnin…
Greater Reykjavík
Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower (2007) is a ‘wishing well’ that blasts a dazzling column of light into the sky every night between 9 October (John Lennon’s…
Greater Reykjavík
This peaceful park is filled with lava grottoes and is apparently one of the favourite places of the huldufólk (hidden people) – the álfar (elves),…
Greater Reykjavík
In the 19th-century, merchant Bjarni Sívertsen lived in this beautiful home. He was the most important man in Hafnarfjörður and the house is decked out…
Greater Reykjavík
The western end of Viðey Island is dotted with 18 pairs of massive basalt columns. The work of environmental artist Richard Serra, they're designed to…
