Áfangar

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 emphasise the island's contours, and provide a series of shifting frames for the landscape that alter as you walk around.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Greater Reykjavík attractions

1. Peace Tower

0.48 MILES

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…

2. Viðey Church

0.58 MILES

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…

3. Viðeyarstofa

0.59 MILES

Just up from Viðey's harbour sits Viðeyarstofa, Iceland's oldest stone house. Icelandic Treasurer Skúli Magnússon was given the island in 1751 and he…

4. Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum

1.5 MILES

Sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson (1908–82) used this peaceful seafront building as a studio. Now it showcases his varied, powerful work: portrait busts,…

5. Laugardalur

2.05 MILES

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…

6. Reykjavík Art Museum – Ásmundarsafn

2.13 MILES

There’s something immensely playful about the vast collection of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982) housed in the studio and museum he designed …

7. Reykjavík Botanic Gardens

2.17 MILES

More than 5000 varieties of subarctic plants fill the city's botanic gardens, delivering a wealth of colourful seasonal flowers and plenty of birdlife,…

8. Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park

2.25 MILES

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…