24 Best Sights in Reykjavík, Iceland

Completed in 1986 after more than 40 years of construction, the church is named for the 17th-century hymn writer Hallgrímur Pétursson. It has a stylized concrete facade recalling both organ pipes and the distinctive columnar basalt formations you can see around Iceland. For ISK 1,000, you can climb to the top of the church for incredible views of greater Reykjavík. You may luck into hearing a performance or practice on the church's huge pipe organ. In front of Hallgrímskirkja is a statue of Leif Erikson, the Icelander who discovered America 500 years before Columbus. (Leif's father was Eric the Red, who discovered Greenland.) The statue, by American sculptor Alexander Calder, was presented to Iceland by the United States in 1930 to mark the millennium of the Alþing parliament.

Established in 1984, there are now more than 100 members creating work in the Icelandic Printmakers Association community. This is their gallery, studio, and event space, which is located inside of the Reykjavik Art Museum and has a bustling calendar of exhibitions, workshops, and studio hours.

A powerful light installation on Viðey Island, created by Yoko Ono, the Imagine Peace Tower is dedicated to the vision of world peace the artist passionately shared with her late husband, John Lennon. The artwork features a large stone wishing well with the words "imagine peace" etched into its white, shiny surface in countless languages. Inside the well are 15 powerful beams that merge into a magnificent force of light when switched on. Yoko visits every year on John's birthday (October 9) to lead the lighting ceremony, where about 2,000 people gather to watch and sing along to Lennon's "Imagine." The impressive tower of light illuminates the skyline until the date of John Lennon's death on December 8th. Yoko provides a free ferry service for those who wish to attend the annual lighting ceremony. The ferry departs from Skarfabakki pier, less than a 10-minute drive from the city center.

Actually several parks in one large area, Laugardalur Park has one of the best swimming pools in the city as well as a recreational expanse that includes picnic and barbecue areas. There's also an amusement park and a botanic garden with an extensive outdoor collection of native and exotic plants.

Glittering like the upper hemisphere of a giant disco ball, Perlan (the Pearl) is a grand construction of steel and mirrored glass. Perched atop Öskjuhlíð, the hill overlooking Reykjavík Airport, it's also one of the first landmarks to greet visitors when they arrive to the city. Supported by six massive water tanks and illuminated by 1,900 light bulbs, this impressive building opened in 1991 as a monument to Iceland's invaluable geothermal water supplies. It has since become a major tourist attraction, offering guests a host of amenities beneath its shiny surface, including souvenir shops, a café, an ice cave, a massive exhibition space, and a viewing platform with telescopes. Its crowning glory, though, is its revolving restaurant—it's pricey, but the panoramic views of the city and beyond are second to none.

Also known as Hafnarhús, this former warehouse of the Port of Reykjavík now houses the city's main art museum. The six galleries occupy two floors, and there's a courtyard and "multipurpose" space. The museum's permanent collection includes a large number of works donated by the contemporary Icelandic artist Erró. There are also regular temporary exhibitions. Admission is free with the Reykjavík City Card.

In addition to exhibits that explore important moments throughout Iceland's history, this museum also lets you try on clothing from Viking times. The wax models illustrating events of the Sagas are oddly endearing.

At the Open-Air Municipal Museum, 19th- and 20th-century houses furnished in period style display authentic household utensils and tools for cottage industries and farming. During the summer you can see demonstrations of farm activities and taste piping-hot lummur (chewy pancakes) cooked over an old farmhouse stove. To get to the museum, take Bus 12 or 19.

Some of Ásmundur Sveinsson's original sculptures, depicting ordinary working people, myths, and folktale episodes, are exhibited in the museum's gallery and studio and in the surrounding garden. It's on the southwest edge of Laugardalur Park, opposite the traffic circle at its entrance. Entrance is free with the Reykjavík City Card.

An absolute must-see for northern lights seekers, here visitors get to play with technology simulating the intensity and color spectrum of the auroras while panels explain the physical variations. A high-definition movie of the extraordinary lights in action over Iceland is the highlight of the exhibition, but perhaps even more useful is the practice booth where you can (with the help of detailed instructions) learn the exact settings required to successfully photograph the northern lights.

This museum and exhibition space was put together by the National Museum of Iceland and the Reykjavík City Museum to help celebrate the country's 100th anniversary as a sovereign state. Aðalstræti 10 is the beginning of a five-location museum that covers Icelandic life through the ages and includes turf houses.

Adjacent to Laugardalur Park, Fjölskyldugarðurinn has rides and games, such as Crazy Bikes—a driving school complete with miniature traffic lights—and a scale model of a Viking ship. You can also purchase joint admission to both the Farm Animal Park and Family Park.

The free Grasagarður botanic garden in Laugardalur Park has an extensive outdoor collection of native and exotic plants. Coffee, cakes, and other snacks are sold at the cozy Flóran Café, which is open only in summer and on weekends in December.

This free botanic garden in Laugardalur Park has an extensive outdoor collection of native and exotic plants. Coffee, cakes, and other snacks are sold at the cozy Flóran Café, which is open only in summer and on weekends in December.

Ingólfur Arnarson is renowned as the first Nordic settler in Iceland. Beyond this statue lies the city's architectural mélange: 18th-century stone houses, small 19th-century wooden houses, and office blocks from the 1930s and '40s.

Inside this modernist building you'll find an impressive permanent exhibit dedicated to the life and works of Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (1885–1972), one of Iceland's most beloved landscape painters. In addition to Kjarval's key works, there's also a rotation of temporary exhibits featuring the works of both local and international artists. Entrance is free with the Reykjavík City Card.

At Reykjavík’s geothermal beach at Nauthólsvík, where runoff from the city’s hot water supply is used to heat a small lagoon of seawater, temperatures can reach up to 22°C (71.6°F) during the summer. Facilities include changing rooms; showers; hot tubs; a steam room; a barbecue grill; and a small shop selling swimwear, light snacks, and refreshments. Access to the beach and lagoon is free all year round, but the use of the beach facilities is free only between May and September. A small fee (ISK 740) is charged for winter services, with significantly reduced opening hours. Lifeguards are on-site during open hours only.

Also known as the Living Art Museum, Nýló is located inside the Marshall House and displays some of the more experimental works by local artists. Media range from paint and plant-flavored ice cream to video and sculpture.

The core exhibit here features the remains of a Viking longhouse dating from around 871. Unearthed in 2001 during the construction of the Hotel Centrum, this remarkable find was preserved in situ and now occupies an oval-shaped basement designed specially to frame the excavation site. A large, backlit panoramic image, showing how Reykjavík might have looked during the age of settlement, encircles the longhouse, and an illuminated strip installed in the surrounding walls marks the layer of tephra used to determine the approximate date of the remnants. Sounds and aromas add a multisensory dynamic to the experience, while high-tech media installations provide historical insight into life in Iceland's Saga Age.

Housed in an old fish freezing plant with great views of the harbor, the city's maritime museum has exhibits on Icelandic fisheries and trading vessels. There's also a whole Coast Guard vessel that can be explored.

At this museum you can explore thousands of photographs from both amateur and professional photographers, dating back as far as 1860. This is a unique opportunity to explore more than a hundred years of Reykjavík—and Iceland—through a variety of perspectives.

Crests on the facade of the impressive former Landsbókasafnið (Old National Library) name significant Icelandic literary figures; the renovated building now houses interesting cultural displays and art exhibits. Erected between 1906 and 1908, it was primarily a library for most of the 20th century, but its book collection has been moved to the Þjóðarbókhlaðan at the National and University Library of Iceland. A free guided tour in English is offered Tuesday through Sunday at 2 pm, September through May, and weekdays (except Wednesday) between June and August.

This natural pond by the City Hall is popular among ice-skaters in winter and attracts birds (and bird lovers) year-round. Visitors are discouraged from feeding the birds during nesting season, as it attracts seagulls who like to feast on young waterfowl.

Blue whales, fin whales, humpbacks, and belugas are just some of the 23 different species featured in this great pod of life-size models at the Whales of Iceland exhibition. Located in an old industrial area close to Grandi Harbor—an area undergoing revitalization by an influx of thriving culture—this family-friendly exhibition, which claims to be "the largest whale exhibition in Europe and perhaps even the world," is designed to both educate and foster support of whale tourism, as opposed to whale hunting.