Churches in Iceland

Hallgrimskirkja

Hallgrímskirkja is the Lutheran parish church on top of Skólavörðuholt hill in central Reykjavík, and at 74.5 meters it's the largest church in Iceland. You can see the white concrete tower from almost anywhere in the city, which makes it the easiest landmark to navigate by. The church is named after the 17th-century poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson. State architect Guðjón Samúelsson got the commission in 1937, building started in 1945, and the church wasn't consecrated until 1986. His stepped facade is meant to recall the basalt columns found across Iceland, and you see the effect best from the bottom of Skólavörðustígur. Inside, the nave is plain and bright, and the eye goes straight to the Klais concert organ installed in 1992, with 5,275 pipes and a height of about 15 meters. Out front, the statue of Leif Erikson was a gift from the United States in 1930, marking 1,000 years of the Alþingi parliament. For most visitors, the real draw of Hallgrímskirkja church is the tower. An elevator takes you up to the viewing level, where windows face every direction over the colored roofs, Faxaflói Bay and Mount Esja. Tickets are sold only in the church shop to the left of the lobby, can't be booked ahead, and cost 1,500 ISK for adults, 1,300 ISK for students and disabled visitors and 200 ISK for children aged 7 to 16. Entry to the church itself is free. From September 1 it's open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last tower ride at 4:45 p.m., and in summer the hours run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. On most Sundays the church and tower close for the morning service, roughly 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and concerts can also limit access, so allow 30 to 45 minutes plus any wait for the elevator.

Búðakirkja

Búðakirkja is a small wooden church at Búðir on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, painted pitch black and standing almost alone at the edge of the Búðahraun lava field. It is the black church Iceland's photographers drive hours to frame, with the coast on one side and the Snæfellsjökull glacier on the skyline. Seeing the outside costs nothing, and the grounds are open at any hour. Búðir is a short detour off Road 54, about two hours and 15 minutes by car from Reykjavík, and the churchyard is a few minutes' walk from where you park. A church first stood here in 1703, a small turf building for a parish of about 120 people, but a royal letter abolished it in 1816 because of its poor condition. Steinunn Sveinsdóttir, a widow living at Búðir, then pressed church authorities to let her rebuild and paid for the wooden church herself. It was finished in 1848, and she is buried in the cemetery beside it. Local people and experts from the National Museum of Iceland restored the building to its 1848 form in 1987. Inside, a single room of roughly 5 by 9 meters seats about 50, with an organ and no heating. Búðakirkja is still a parish church, so the door is usually locked outside events. Visits inside and black church weddings are arranged by email with the church keeper, and the house rules ask you to keep the cemetery gates closed and stay off the walls. Most visitors spend 20 to 30 minutes at the Búðir black church, longer if they walk out onto the lava. Summer evening light is the classic time for photos, and the stop fits easily between the seals at Ytri Tunga and the cliffs at Arnarstapi.

Cathedral of Christ the King

The Cathedral of Christ the King, known locally as Landakotskirkja, is the Catholic cathedral in Reykjavík, on Landakot hill in the old west side of downtown. It is the seat of the Catholic Church in Iceland and the only Catholic cathedral in the country, a short uphill walk from Tjörnin pond and the Alþingi parliament building. Most visitors assume Hallgrímskirkja is the big cathedral in Reykjavík, but the city has two cathedrals, and this is the one people walk past without knowing it. Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect behind Hallgrímskirkja and Akureyrarkirkja, designed it in a neo-Gothic style that stands out among Iceland's churches. It was consecrated on July 23, 1929, and was the largest church in the country at the time. Look up at the tower: it ends in a flat top instead of a spire, which makes the building easy to pick out from Tjörnin. Inside, the nave is bright and simple, with pointed arches and stained glass, and much of the furniture came from a Dutch workshop. The congregation has grown fast in recent decades, mostly through immigration, so Mass is said in Icelandic, Polish and English. If you want to attend, the English Mass is on Sunday evenings at 6 PM, but check the parish schedule first because times can change. Entry is free, and the church is usually open from early morning until about 6:30 PM on weekdays, with longer hours on weekends. Tourists should not walk around during services, so time your visit between Masses and keep your voice down. Fifteen to 20 minutes is enough, and it pairs well with a loop past Tjörnin, Austurvöllur square and the Settlement Exhibition.

Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík

Reykjavík Cathedral (Dómkirkjan) is a small white Lutheran cathedral on the south side of Austurvöllur square in downtown Reykjavík, right next to the Parliament House. It was the city's main church long before Hallgrímskirkja rose over the skyline, and each new session of the Alþingi still begins here. Work on the building started in 1787, and it was consecrated in 1796 to a neoclassical design by the Danish architect Andreas Kirkerup. It went up after the bishop's seat moved from Skálholt to Reykjavík, which is why a small trading town got a cathedral. Between 1847 and 1848 it was enlarged to plans by Winstrup, giving it the shape you see today, and it was restored in 1999 and 2000. Inside, Dómkirkjan is plain and full of light, with wooden galleries around the nave. Look for the baptismal font by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, a Dane of Icelandic descent, and the altarpiece painted in 1847 by the Danish artist Wegener. Because the building is small, 15 to 20 minutes is enough, and it fits easily into a walk past City Hall and Tjörnin pond. Reykjavík Cathedral is open to visitors on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and no admission fee is listed. It closes to sightseers during funerals, weddings and other events, so check the cathedral's official website on the day if the visit matters to you. Sunday mass is at 11 a.m. all year. On Tuesday evenings a half-hour Bach concert starts at 8 p.m., which is a calm way to hear the 1985 Schuke organ, and visitors are welcome. During any service, stay seated and skip the photos.

Lutheran Free Church

The Lutheran Free Church, known in Icelandic as Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík, is a white timber church with a green roof on Fríkirkjuvegur, on the east bank of Tjörnin pond in central Reykjavík. Seen from the opposite shore, with the spire and old houses mirrored in the water, it is one of the most photographed views in the city. Icelanders who wanted a Lutheran congregation independent of the state church founded it in the fall of 1899. Their quarrel was with how the national church was run rather than with its doctrine, and they took their cue from free churches in Norway and among Icelandic emigrants in North America. The church was consecrated on February 22, 1903, and enlarged soon after to plans by the architect Rögnvaldur Ólafsson. Inside, the space is plain timber with an organ. Good acoustics have made Fríkirkjan a favorite concert venue, including during the Iceland Airwaves festival, and the church currently lists Sunday services at 14:00 and lunchtime concerts on Thursdays at noon. No daytime visiting hours are published, so a service or concert is the realistic way inside. Seeing the exterior costs nothing and takes ten minutes, and it fits neatly into a walk around Tjörnin that also passes City Hall and Dómkirkjan cathedral. Most central hotels are within walking distance, and street parking in the center is paid during the day.

Akureyrarkirkja

Akureyrarkirkja is the Lutheran parish church of Akureyri in North Iceland, standing at the top of a long stone stairway above the town center. Its twin stepped towers were designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect who also drew Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík, and the church was consecrated in 1940. If the towers look familiar, that's because both churches carry his signature style. Inside, look for the stained-glass window above the altar, long said to have come from Coventry Cathedral in England, though that story has since been questioned. The Akureyri church also has a large pipe organ with around 3,200 pipes and a baptismal font copied from a work by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. You'll find the church on Eyrarlandsvegur, right above the town center and an easy walk from the harbor where cruise ships dock. Climbing the steps takes a few minutes, and the top gives a good view over the rooftops to Eyjafjörður. Akureyri itself is about five hours' drive from Reykjavík on the Ring Road, or a short domestic flight. Visitor hours change with the season, and the church closes during funerals and other services, which are posted on the door. If seeing the interior matters to you, check the parish's current hours before you go. Half an hour is enough for the church and the stairway, and it pairs well with a walk through the town center.

Hofskirkja Turf Church

Hofskirkja is a small turf church at Hof in Öræfi, Southeast Iceland, just off Route 1 between Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. Built between 1883 and 1885, it has stone side walls, a turf-covered roof and a timber gable facing the churchyard, so from the road it looks more like a grassy mound with a front door than a church. Records of a church at Hof go back to 1343, when it was a farm church dedicated to Saint Clement. The current building was made by Páll Pálsson, a carpenter from the nearby farm Hörgsdal, and it measures only 9.8 by 4.5 meters. By the middle of the 20th century the Hof church was in poor shape, so the National Museum of Iceland took ownership in return for paying for the repairs. It was taken down and rebuilt in its original form in 1953 and 1954. The setting adds to the visit. Around the church is a churchyard with raised, grass-covered graves in the old style, and behind it the slopes of Öræfajökull rise above the farms of Hof. Look closely at the east gable, which still has old timber siding, while the interior was finished later. Hof is about 20 km (some 20 minutes) east of the Skaftafell visitor center and about 38 km west of Jökulsárlón. From Reykjavík it's roughly 340 km, a drive of about four and a half to five hours. The National Museum opens the church to view at any time but only from the outside, so plan on 15 to 20 minutes for a walk around the building and the churchyard. Summer is when the roof is at its greenest, but the Hofskirkja turf church makes a quiet stop on a Ring Road drive in any season. It pairs well with a hike in Skaftafell or an afternoon at the glacier lagoons farther east.

Hvalsneskirkja

Hvalsneskirkja is a stone church on the Reykjanes Peninsula, standing almost alone on the flat coast south of Sandgerði, about 15 minutes by car from Keflavík Airport. The dark stone walls and the bright red and yellow bell tower make it easy to spot from the road. For a building this small, Hvalsneskirkja carries a lot of Icelandic history. It was built from cut stone quarried on the nearby Miðnes heath and consecrated on Christmas Day 1887, paid for by Ketill Ketilsson, the farmer and ship owner who owned the Hvalsnes estate. It's still a working parish church, with services held in the same rough-walled nave. The main story inside belongs to Hallgrímur Pétursson, Iceland's best-known hymn writer, who was the priest at Hvalsnes from 1644 to 1651. His daughter Steinunn died here in 1649, aged four, and her gravestone is kept in the church. Tradition says he carved it himself, and the stone was found in 1964 after years of use in the path to the church. From Reykjavík the drive takes roughly 50 minutes, and there's parking beside the churchyard. The Hvalsnes church fits easily into a first or last day near the airport. Visiting hours aren't posted, so plan on the exterior and the churchyard, and treat a look inside as a bonus.

Ingjaldshólskirkja

Ingjaldshólskirkja is a white concrete church with a red roof on a grassy rise just outside Hellissandur, at the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland. Built in 1903, it's usually described as the oldest concrete church in Iceland, and you can spot it from far along the coast road. The hill has held a church far longer than the current building. Records put one at Ingjaldshóll from 1317, and for centuries it was among the largest churches in the country, serving a big parish and the crowds who came for the fishing seasons. Old cornerstones in the churchyard still hint at its size. The best-known story here involves Christopher Columbus. Local legend says he spent the winter of 1477 at Ingjaldshóll, and a painting in the church shows him with the local priest, though no historical record confirms the visit. More recently the building has picked up an online nickname as the eye-test church, since many people think it looks like the little house in optometrists' vision machines. Ingjaldshólskirkja stands beside the road between Hellissandur and Rif, about 1 km from Hellissandur and under three hours' drive from Reykjavík. There's room to park by the churchyard, and 15 to 20 minutes is plenty for photos and a walk around. Saxhóll crater and Snæfellsjökull National Park are both a short drive away.

Seyðisfjörður Blue Church

The Seyðisfjörður Blue Church (Seyðisfjarðarkirkja) is a pale blue wooden church in the center of Seyðisfjörður, a fjord town in East Iceland about 30 minutes' drive from Egilsstaðir. It stands at the top of a short street painted in rainbow stripes, and the pair is the picture most travelers bring home from the Eastfjords. The church has moved more than most. It first stood at the farm Dvergasteinn, was moved to Vestdalseyri in 1882 and blown over by a storm in 1894, then rebuilt and later moved again to the town center, where the current church was consecrated in 1922. A fire during renovation work in 1989 damaged the building and destroyed its organ, which has since been replaced with one of the same type. The Seyðisfjörður rainbow street is Norðurgata, the short road that leads up to the church door. Residents and town staff first painted it on a summer evening in 2016, and locals have repainted it every summer since, with visitors welcome to pick up a brush. Many photos of the rainbow road in Iceland are taken right here. In summer the Blue Church hosts an evening concert series, which in 2026 ran on July evenings starting at 8:30 pm. If you're in town then, check the current program on the series' official website. Seyðisfjörður is about 27 kilometers from Egilsstaðir on Route 93, which crosses a mountain pass that can be snowy outside summer, so check road conditions before you set out. The Norröna ferry from Denmark docks here too. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the church and the street, longer if you stop at one of the cafés nearby.

Stykkishólmskirkja

Stykkishólmskirkja is the white concrete church in Stykkishólmur, on the north side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, and its tall, arched bell tower can be seen from almost anywhere in town. Up close, the sweeping walls and open bell arch look closer to sculpture than to a parish church, and they make the old timber houses around the harbor look tiny. The Stykkishólmur church was designed by architect Jón Haraldsson, who died in 1989, the year before it was consecrated on May 6, 1990. Inside, the space is bright and simple, with seats for 300 people. The altarpiece, Mary with the Child by Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir, is a large oil painting that came to the church in 1999. A Klais pipe organ built in Germany, with 22 stops and 1,220 pipes, was inaugurated in January 2012. The church is known for its acoustics and hosts concerts as well as services. The church stands on Borgarbraut, a short walk uphill from the harbor and the town center, with views out over Breiðafjörður from the rocks around it. Stykkishólmur is about 2.5 hours by car from Reykjavík. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you catch a service or a concert. Down in the old town at Aðalgata 5 stands the church it replaced, consecrated in 1879 and restored in 1998. That old church is a protected building and is not open to the public, though viewings can be arranged through the Norwegian House museum. Visiting hours for the new church are not posted, so call ahead if seeing the interior matters to your plans.

Víkurkirkja (Vík Church)

Vík church (Víkurkirkja) is a small white church with a red roof on a grassy hill above Vík í Mýrdal, the southernmost village on Iceland's mainland. From its door you look down over the rooftops to the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, and it is the landmark most people photograph on the drive through Vík. The church was consecrated in 1934 and designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the state architect who later drew Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík. It is a small concrete building with seats for about 160 people. Inside, the altarpiece is a copy of Carl Bloch's Gethsemane, and the front windows have stained glass by Hrafnhildur Ágústsdóttir. The hilltop site has a practical side too. Vík lies below Mýrdalsjökull and the Katla volcano, and the church is thought to be the only building in the village high enough to escape a major flood from an eruption under the ice. That makes the church on the hill the place residents are told to head for if Katla erupts. Vík sits on Route 1, about 180 kilometers or roughly two and a half hours' drive southeast of Reykjavík. A short road climbs from the village to the church, and you can pull in beside it. Since it is an active parish church, don't count on the doors being open. Early summer is the classic time to come, when purple lupines usually cover the slope below the church in June and early July. In winter, snow on the hill and low sun over the sea give a very different picture. Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty for the view, so it fits easily into a stop for lunch in Vík or a visit to Reynisfjara just west of town.