🇮🇸Iceland · Places to discover
What to see in Reykjavik?
20 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Reykjavik operates at a human scale few capitals permit themselves: 130,000 inhabitants, coloured streets around Laugavegur, and a cultural scene contained within a few city blocks. The city's character emerges from the permanent tension between geographical isolation and unbridled creativity, visible in galleries, neighbourhood bars and the brutalist architecture of Hallgrímskirkja church, which dominates everything.
The ideal window falls between June and August for the white nights, or January to February for the northern lights, but avoid spending fewer than three days: the city reveals itself slowly. You'll move on foot in the centre, by bus or bicycle for the outer neighbourhoods. The classic trap: spending your budget in the touristy waterfront restaurants when the best addresses lie one street back.
Landmarks & heritage
4 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
Hallgrímskirkja
The iconic Lutheran church of Reykjavik, whose basalt façade evokes Icelandic lava columns. Climb the bell tower for an unparalleled panoramic view over the city and Faxaflói Bay.
2Wikimedia CommonsLandmark
Landnámssýningin – Settlement Exhibition
An underground museum built around the in-situ ruins of a 10th-century Viking farm. An immersive journey into Reykjavik's origins, featuring striking digital reconstructions.
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Landmark
Landmark
Harpa Concert Hall
Concert hall and conference centre opened in 2011, designed by Henning Larsen and Olafur Eliasson. Its geometric glass façade reflects the sea and Arctic light in spectacular fashion.
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Landmark
Landmark
Perlan
Former geothermal hot water reservoir transformed into a museum and viewpoint. The glacier and Icelandic natural forces museum is one of the best designed in the country, with a 360° view over Reykjavik.
Museums
4 places
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Museum
Listasafn Íslands – National Gallery of Iceland
Housed in a 19th-century ice warehouse, it contains Iceland's largest collection of Icelandic art. Entry is free on Wednesday evenings, the perfect time to spot local artists.
6Wikimedia CommonsMuseum
Reykjavik Art Museum – Hafnarhús
Converted harbourside warehouse now serving as a contemporary art museum, housing the artist Erró's permanent collection and international quality temporary exhibitions. The industrial building itself is a work of art.
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
National Museum of Iceland
The best introduction to Icelandic history, from the first Viking settlers to modern times. The collection of carved wooden medieval objects and ancient textiles is particularly remarkable.
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Museum
Museum
Ásmundarsafn – Ásmundur Sveinsson Museum
The studio-museum of sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson, whose white domed house is itself a work of art. The outdoor sculpture garden is freely accessible and worth a detour.
Nature
5 places
9Wikimedia CommonsNature
Elliðaárdalur – Elliðaá River Valley
Lush valley crossed by a salmon-filled river in the middle of the city. An exceptional natural space where Reykjavík residents fish, cycle and spot Arctic foxes.
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Nature
Esja – Mount Esjan
Reykjavik's guardian mountain, visible from almost everywhere in the city, with several marked hiking trails. The climb to Þverfellshorn (780 m) offers a striking view over the bay and the capital.
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Nature
Öskjuhlíð
Wooded hill in the heart of Reykjavik, covered with pine trees and hiking trails. Locals come to jog, picnic and enjoy the tranquillity just ten minutes from the city centre.
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Nature
Tjörnin
The small lake at the heart of the city, surrounded by colourful houses and institutional buildings. Locals come to feed ducks and swans, an authentic place to walk away from tourist circuits.
13Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Nature
Viðey – Viðey Island
Small island accessible by ferry from Reykjavík port, home to Iceland's oldest stone house and Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower. Peaceful walks and breathtaking views of the city and Mount Esja.
Activities
5 places
14Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Activity
Kolaportið – Reykjavik Flea Market
The city's only genuine flea market, open weekends only in a harbour shed. You'll find Icelandic vinyl records, secondhand lopapeysa woollen jumpers and marinated herring at local prices.
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 1.0Activity
Laugardalslaug
Reykjavík's main geothermal pool, featuring multiple outdoor basins, a water slide and hot pots at various temperatures. A daily ritual for thousands of residents, it's where genuine Icelandic conversations happen.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Activity
Sundhöllin
Reykjavík's oldest geothermal pool, renovated in 2017, housed in an Art Deco building in the city centre. Less crowded than Laugardalslaug, this is where true Reykjavík residents come to put the world to rights in the hot pots.
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Activity
Activity
Gamla Bíó – Historic Concert Venue
A 1920s Art Deco cinema converted into an intimate concert hall hosting Iceland's finest musicians. Eclectic programming, outstanding acoustics and an incomparable atmosphere.
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Activity
Activity
Kringlan – Mál og Menning Bookshop
Iceland's largest independent bookshop, a veritable cultural institution with an integrated café and thousands of Icelandic titles. A refuge for understanding the literary culture of a country that publishes more books per capita than any other.
Beaches
1 place
- 19
Beach
Beach
Nauthólsvík – Geothermal Beach
A golden sand beach artificially heated by geothermal water, with a lagoon reaching 18–20°C in summer. Locals swim here year-round, creating a relaxed and authentically local atmosphere.
More to discover
1 place
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Place
Place
Skólavörðustígur – Shopping Street
The main uphill thoroughfare linking the town centre to Hallgrímskirkja, lined with independent Icelandic designers, galleries and cafés. Skip the mass-produced souvenirs and seek out the local designer studios tucked away in interior courtyards.
Also 🇮🇸 in Iceland
