Iceland attractions

Perlan

Perlan is the glass-domed building on top of Öskjuhlíð hill in Reykjavík, about 2 km south of the city centre. It was built on the hot-water storage tanks that supply the city's geothermal heating, and today it houses a natural history exhibition, a planetarium, an observation deck, a restaurant, a café and a bar. The main draw is the set of exhibitions about Iceland's nature, sold together as the Wonders of Iceland ticket. It includes an indoor ice cave made from real snow and ice, a glacier exhibition, the Áróra northern lights show filmed in 8K and projected in the planetarium, a volcano show about the Geldingadalir eruption, a life-size model of the Látrabjarg bird cliff, and displays about water and the forces of nature. For families or anyone on a short trip who will not reach a glacier or see the aurora, it gives a good overview in a few hours. The observation deck around the dome gives a 360-degree view over Reykjavík, the bay, Mount Esja and the Reykjanes peninsula. On clear winter nights Öskjuhlíð is also one of the better spots in the city to watch the northern lights, since the hill is higher and darker than the centre. The exhibitions are open daily from 9:00 to 21:00; the restaurant opens from 11:30 to 18:00 and the café from 10:00 to 18:00. Adult tickets cost around 7,000 ISK, with a small discount for booking online; check current prices before you go. Allow two to three hours for the full exhibition. Perlan is a 25 to 30-minute walk from downtown, city buses stop nearby, and there is a car park at the building. The wooded paths around Öskjuhlíð lead down to Nauthólsvík geothermal beach, about 1 km away, which makes an easy combined outing.

The Icelandic Phallological Museum

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is a museum in central Reykjavík devoted to the penises of mammals, and it presents itself as the only museum in the world dedicated to phallology. It is located at Hafnartorg, between the old harbour and the city centre, a few minutes' walk from Harpa and Austurvöllur. The collection began as a private hobby of Sigurður Hjartarson, and the museum first opened in August 1997. It later spent some years in Húsavík in North Iceland before returning to Reykjavík in 2011, and it is now run by the founder's son. Figures for the collection vary between sources, but it holds several hundred specimens from well over 90 species, ranging from tiny preserved samples to the very large organs of whales, alongside artworks, carvings and folklore-themed objects. The tone mixes biology with humour. Specimens are labelled with the species they come from, many of them animals found in and around Iceland, such as whales, seals and land mammals, and the displays are frank rather than explicit in a pornographic sense. Most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour inside. It is an easy indoor option on a wet or dark day, and it pairs naturally with other small museums in the old centre. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 19:00, and adult admission is ISK 3,900; check the museum's website for reduced prices and any changes. There is a café and bistro on site serving coffee, local beer and novelty food. The address is Reykjastræti 4 at Hafnartorg, 101 Reykjavík, and it is easily reached on foot from anywhere downtown.

Friðheimar

Friðheimar is a family-run greenhouse farm in Reykholt, in the Bláskógabyggð district of South Iceland, best known for its tomatoes and the restaurant that sits among the plants. Tomatoes are grown here all year round using green energy, modern greenhouse technology, pure spring water from Fljótsbotnar and biological pest control instead of chemical sprays. The farm is run by agronomist Knútur Rafn Ármann and horticulturalist Helena Hermundardóttir, with their five children involved in the business. The main draw for most visitors is lunch in the greenhouse. The kitchen serves from 11:30 to 16:00 every day, and the signature dish is tomato soup with freshly baked bread, eaten at tables between the rows of tomato vines. A bar and a small tomato shop are open from 9:00 to 17:00, and the separate Vínstofa Friðheima wine bar and restaurant opens from 12:00 to 22:00, with the kitchen closing at 21:00. Tables can be reserved online through the Dineout booking system; menu prices are not listed on the farm's homepage, so check when you book. Friðheimar is also a horse farm. The family has bred Icelandic horses since 1995 and keeps around 40 of them, and it runs horse shows with commentary available in fourteen languages. Greenhouse tours with a talk on horticulture are offered all year for pre-booked groups. Reykholt is close to the Golden Circle route, and Friðheimar is a regular lunch stop on Golden Circle day tours. The village swimming pool is a few hundred metres away, and the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir and Faxi waterfall are both a short drive from the farm. Visits work in any season, since the dining area is inside the greenhouse.

FlyOver Iceland

FlyOver Iceland is an indoor flying-theatre attraction in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, at Fiskislóð 43. Visitors sit in full-motion seats suspended in front of a 20-metre spherical screen, which shows a simulated flight over Icelandic landscapes, with wind, mist, scents and music timed to the film. It is a practical way to see a lot of the country's scenery in one sitting, especially on a stormy day or if you only have a short stopover in the city. The visit takes about 35 minutes in total. It begins with two pre-show rooms: The Longhouse, where a Viking storyteller introduces Icelandic folklore and Norse mythology, and The Well of Time, an immersive presentation on the country's natural history. After a short briefing comes the main ride, which lasts about 8.5 minutes. A second film, Believe Chicago, is also shown on the same system. The attraction is open daily from 9:00 to 18:30. Adult tickets cost 5,690 ISK when booked online and 6,250 ISK at the door; children's tickets are available, and booking ahead secures a time slot in busy periods. Riders must be at least 100 cm tall, and anyone aged 13 or under must be accompanied by an adult or guardian aged 14 or over. FlyOver Iceland sits among the other museums and restaurants of Grandi, so it combines easily with a walk around the Old Harbour, a visit to Whales of Iceland or the Saga Museum, or a whale-watching trip from the harbour. Several combination tickets pair the flight with whale watching or a northern lights cruise.

National Museum of Iceland

The National Museum of Iceland (Þjóðminjasafn Íslands) is the country's main museum of cultural history, at Suðurgata 41 in central Reykjavík, close to the University of Iceland and the Tjörnin pond. It was founded in 1863 and has been in its current building since 1950. The core of a visit is the permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation: Heritage and History in Iceland. It sets out around 2,000 objects in chronological order, from the Viking Age settlement through the medieval period and the Reformation to the 20th century, so you can follow how life on the island changed over more than a thousand years. Well-known pieces include a small bronze figure thought to represent the god Thor and the carved medieval church door from Valþjófsstaður, decorated with a knight-and-lion legend and runic writing. Temporary exhibitions run alongside the permanent display. The museum is a good first stop in Reykjavík before travelling around the country, because it gives context for the sagas, turf houses, churches and farming and fishing life you will see elsewhere. It is also an easy indoor option on a wet or dark winter day. Allow about two hours to see the permanent exhibition properly. The museum lists its opening hours as 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is 3,300 ISK for adults and 1,600 ISK for students and seniors, and entry is free for children under 18 and people with disabilities. The museum shop is open during museum hours, but the café is currently closed. Hours can change on public holidays and between seasons, so check the museum's website before you go. It is a short walk from the city centre.

Whales of Iceland

Whales of Iceland is an indoor exhibition of life-size whale models at Fiskislóð 23–25 in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, about a 15-minute walk from the city centre. It opened in 2015 and describes itself as the largest whale exhibition in Europe. The hall holds 23 man-made, life-size models of whale species that have been found in Icelandic waters, including a blue whale about 25 metres long, a full-size sperm whale and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The models are based on real individuals, and standing next to them gives a sense of scale that is hard to get from a boat. Information panels cover each species, an audio guide is available, and whale documentaries play on a large screen through the day. Live guided tours run daily at 11:00 and 15:00. The exhibition is a good choice for families and for a wet or windy day, and it pairs well with a whale-watching trip from the Old Harbour, since it helps you recognise the animals you might see at sea. Some whale-watching tours from Reykjavík include admission. Grandi also has several other attractions within a short walk. Whales of Iceland is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 all year, including holidays. Tickets currently cost 4,000 ISK for adults and 2,000 ISK for children aged 7 to 15, with under-7s free and a family ticket for two adults and two children at 8,000 ISK. A multipass valid for ten visits within two years is also sold.

Kolaportið

Kolaportið is Reykjavík's weekend flea market, held indoors on the ground floor of the old Customs House at Tryggvagata 19, between the city centre and the Old Harbour. It is the only market of its kind in the city and has been a Saturday and Sunday fixture for locals for decades, which makes it a good place to see a less polished side of Reykjavík. More than 50 vendors take part. Stalls sell second-hand and vintage clothing, Icelandic wool sweaters, antiques, books, records, crafts, design items and general bric-a-brac, alongside some cheap souvenirs. Prices on used goods are often lower than in the shops on Laugavegur, and a hand-knitted lopapeysa or an old record can turn up if you have time to look. The food section is one of the easiest places in Reykjavík to try traditional Icelandic foods in small amounts. Vendors sell harðfiskur (dried fish), fermented shark (hákarl), rye bread, smoked and cured fish and local sweets from Icelandic producers, so you can try several things without ordering a full restaurant meal. Kolaportið is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 17:00 and admission is free. It is closed on weekdays, so plan it for a weekend. Bring a card or cash, since smaller stalls vary in how they take payment. Most visitors spend 30 minutes to an hour browsing. The market is a five-minute walk from Harpa, the Reykjavík Art Museum at Hafnarhús and Austurvöllur square, so it fits easily into a walk around the harbour and old town. The building is recognisable from the large mosaic mural on its Tryggvagata façade.

Glaumbær Turf Farm & Museum

Glaumbær is a preserved turf farmhouse in Skagafjörður, North Iceland, run as part of the Skagafjörður Heritage Museum and belonging to the National Museum of Iceland's historic buildings collection. It stands beside Road 75 a short drive north of Varmahlíð and the Ring Road, on the way to Sauðárkrókur. The site has been farmed for centuries, and the present buildings date mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries; people lived in them until 1947. The farm is a row of gabled turf-and-timber houses joined by a long central passage, a layout typical of wealthier Icelandic farms of the period. Inside you walk through the kitchen, pantries, storerooms and the baðstofa, the communal room where the household slept, ate and worked by lamplight. The rooms are furnished with tools, utensils and textiles from the museum's collection, and exhibitions cover life in the turf houses and Icelandic national costume. Next to the farm are two 19th-century timber houses, Áshús, which contains a café, and Gilsstofa, along with the small Glaumbær church. From 20 May to 20 September the museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. From 21 September to 20 October and from 1 April to 19 May it opens on weekdays from 10:00 to 16:00, and from 21 October to 31 March visits are by appointment. Admission in 2026 is ISK 2,200, or ISK 1,900 for students, seniors, disabled visitors and groups of six or more; under-18s enter free. A combined ticket with Víðimýri turf church near Varmahlíð is available, and 20-minute guided tours can be booked. Allow about an hour. Glaumbær fits well into a Ring Road day between Akureyri and Blönduós, and it is a good stop in poor weather. Nearby are the swimming pool and services in Varmahlíð, horse farms offering riding across the valley, and the historic bishopric at Hólar in Hjaltadalur about 40 minutes away.

Aurora Reykjavík - The Northern Lights Center

Aurora Reykjavík, the Northern Lights Center, is a small museum about the aurora borealis at Fiskislóð 53 in the Grandi harbour area of Reykjavík. It explains what the northern lights are, why they appear and how to photograph them, and it shows them on screen and in virtual reality for visitors who do not get to see them in the sky. The centre's main feature is what it calls the world's first 360° northern lights VR experience, built from real aurora footage. Around it is an interactive exhibition covering the mythology and science of the lights, the solar cycle and aurora photography, and a 30-minute film, Iceland Under the Northern Lights. Audio guides are available in eight languages. It is most useful in two situations: in summer, when the nights are too bright for any aurora, and in winter before a northern lights tour, when it helps you understand the forecast and what you are looking for. It also works as an indoor stop on a cloudy or stormy evening, since it stays open into the evening. The centre also sells combination tickets with sightseeing, the Lava Show or whale watching. The centre lists its hours as 10:00 to 19:00, with the last entry recommended 30 minutes before closing; hours can vary with the season, so check before you go. Admission is 3,900 ISK for adults, 3,500 ISK for students with ID and 1,900 ISK for children aged 6 to 16. A typical visit takes 45 to 60 minutes. The gift shop and café, which serves coffee and Icelandic pastries, can be visited without a ticket. Other Grandi attractions, including Whales of Iceland and FlyOver Iceland, are close by.

Saga Museum

The Saga Museum is a small history museum in Reykjavík that tells the story of Iceland from the arrival of the first Norse settlers in the late 9th century to the Reformation, using life-size silicone figures set in reconstructed scenes. It is at Grandagarður 2 in the Grandi harbour district, a few minutes' walk west of the Old Harbour. The museum was originally housed inside Perlan but moved to its current building in the harbour area, so older guidebooks that place it at Perlan are out of date. The exhibition is a self-guided walk through a series of scenes. They include the settlement of Ingólfur Arnarson, the founding of the Alþingi at Þingvellir, Leif Erikson's voyage to North America, the conversion to Christianity in the year 1000, saga figures such as Egill Skallagrímsson, and later episodes like the execution of Bishop Jón Arason in 1550 and the Black Death. An audio guide narrates each scene and is available in Icelandic, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Swedish, with written guides in Italian and Polish. At the end there is a dress-up area with replica Viking clothing and weapons for photos. A visit takes around 30 minutes, which makes it easy to combine with other sights in Grandi such as the Reykjavík Maritime Museum, Whales of Iceland and FlyOver Iceland, or with a whale-watching trip from the Old Harbour. It works well on a rainy or dark winter day and is suited to families with children who enjoy the costumes. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is ISK 4,000 for adults, ISK 3,400 for students and seniors (60+), ISK 1,200 for children aged 6 to 12, and ISK 9,200 for a family ticket covering two adults and two children. Prices can change, so check before you go. Groups should contact the museum for group rates.

The Settlement Exhibition

The Settlement Exhibition, also known simply as Aðalstræti, is part of Reykjavík City Museum and sits underground in the city centre at Aðalstræti 16. It is built around the remains of a 10th-century Viking Age longhouse that archaeologists uncovered in 2001 and preserved where it was found. The longhouse ruin is the centrepiece. North of it lies a wall fragment that is older still, dating from before 871, which makes it one of the oldest archaeological remains in Iceland. Displays around the ruin explain how the first settlers built their homes and lived in the Viking Age. The exhibition continues underground from Aðalstræti 16 to Aðalstræti 10, built in 1762 as part of the Innréttingar workshops and one of the oldest buildings in Reykjavík. A section opened in May 2022 takes the story from settlement to the present day, following Reykjavík from a farm to a village, a town and then a city. There is a museum shop at Aðalstræti 16. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00, so it works well on a rainy day or in winter. Admission has been listed at 2,900 ISK for adults, with free entry for children, seniors, disabled visitors and Reykjavík City Card holders; check the museum's price list before you go. Guided tours are offered, and groups of ten or more can book by arrangement. Most visitors spend about an hour here. It is a short walk from Austurvöllur square, the Parliament House and City Hall.

Árbær Open Air Museum

Árbær Open Air Museum (Árbæjarsafn) is part of Reykjavík City Museum and the largest open-air museum of its kind in Iceland. It is in the eastern suburbs of Reykjavík and brings together a collection of historic buildings, most of them moved here from the city centre, to show how people in Reykjavík lived and worked in earlier times. You walk between the old houses, many of them furnished to show domestic life in different periods. There is a museum church that is still used for events, the Krambúðin old-style sweet shop and Dillon's café. Give yourself a couple of hours if you want to look inside most of the buildings. A guided tour in English starts every day at 13:00 and lasts just over an hour; it does not run on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday or Easter Day. From June to August the museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and from September to May daily from 13:00 to 17:00, so in winter the tour is a good way to make the most of the shorter hours. In the weeks before Christmas the museum holds a Christmas programme with traditional Icelandic activities. Adult admission has been listed at 2,550 ISK, with free entry for children, disabled visitors and Reykjavík City Card holders; check the museum's price list for current fees. Árbæjarlaug swimming pool is nearby, and the visit combines well with the other Reykjavík City Museum sites, including the Settlement Exhibition in the city centre.

Reykjavík Park and Zoo

The Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo (Fjölskyldu- og húsdýragarðurinn) is a small zoo and amusement park in Laugardalur, the green recreation valley east of the city centre. Rather than exotic big animals, it focuses on Icelandic farm and wild animals: cows, pigs, sheep and chickens, alongside seals, reindeer, arctic foxes and mink, plus a small number of exotic species. It is one of the easiest ways for families to see Icelandic animals up close without leaving the city. A daily schedule of animal activities is posted at the entrance, and children can pet many of the farm animals. The family park half has play areas and fun rides; the larger staffed rides run every day from 1 June to 18 August and at weekends in spring and autumn when the weather allows. A cafeteria is open every day of the year. The park is open daily all year from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is 2,800 ISK for adults and 1,600 ISK for children aged 6 to 17; children aged 5 and under and people with disabilities enter free, and annual passes are sold. Personal pets are not allowed, apart from registered service dogs on Wednesdays, and scooters, skates and skateboards are not permitted inside. The address is Múlavegur 2 in Laugardalur. Buses 2, 5 and 15 stop at Laugardalshöll nearby, and there is free parking shared with the Skautahöllin ice rink, as well as walking and cycling paths from all directions. Summer is the best time for the full experience with all rides running, but the animals can be seen year-round. The Reykjavík Botanic Garden is next door and Laugardalslaug, the city's largest pool, is a short walk away, so it is easy to make a full family day of it.

The Geothermal Exhibition

The Geothermal Exhibition is a visitor centre inside the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant (Hellisheiðarvirkjun), operated by ON Power near Mount Hengill. It lies just off Route 1 about 25 km east of Reykjavík and 30 km west of Selfoss, so it is easy to add to a drive to the South Coast, the Golden Circle or Hveragerði. The power plant is the largest geothermal plant in Iceland, and the exhibition lets you see geothermal energy used at industrial scale. The exhibition explains how steam and hot water are drawn from deep underground and turned into electricity and hot water for district heating. A self-guided audio tour takes 45 to 60 minutes and leads to viewing decks over the turbine halls and working areas, with 3D models of the heat exchangers and turbines. Science communicators are on hand to answer questions, and guided tours, including tours about the Carbfix carbon-storage project, are available for groups. It is a good indoor stop in any season and in bad weather, and it pairs well with outdoor geothermal sights nearby such as the Reykjadalur hot river valley above Hveragerði. The exhibition is open every day except 25 December and 1 January: from 1 April to 31 October 09:00 to 17:00, and from 1 November to 31 March 09:00 to 16:00. Tickets are booked online, and the price is not shown on the main page, so check when booking. Parking is free. The Kaffi Orka café sells coffee, soft drinks, pastries and locally geothermally brewed beer.

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

The Reykjavík Maritime Museum (Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík) is a harbour museum at Grandagarður 8, on the Old Harbour in the Grandi district, and one of the five sites of the Reykjavík City Museum. The building itself belongs to the story it tells: in 1969 it housed the Reykjavík Fisheries, where women worked processing fish. The permanent exhibition, Fish & Folk: 150 Years of Fisheries, follows Icelandic fishing from the late 19th century onwards, from rowing boats to modern fishing vessels. It uses plenty of photographs and interactive displays. A second exhibition, A View of the North, tells how the disappearance of a French naval vessel became part of Icelandic history, and temporary shows are held in the Engine Room and Pier Room. Moored outside are two floating exhibits. The coast guard vessel Óðinn took part in the Cod Wars and in many rescues, and guided tours on board run daily at 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 from 1 March to 31 October. The tugboat Magni is the first steel ship built in Iceland. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission prices, including tickets for Óðinn and any combined ticket, are set out in the City Museum's price list, so check it before your visit. The museum is a short walk from whale-watching departures at the Old Harbour and from the other Grandi attractions, such as Whales of Iceland and Aurora Reykjavík, so it fits easily into a half day around the harbour. It is a good indoor choice on a windy day.

Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús

Hafnarhús is the contemporary art branch of Reykjavík Art Museum, at Tryggvagata 17 by the old harbour in central Reykjavík. The building was once the harbour's warehouse, and after a complete renovation that kept its original architecture it opened as a museum in April 2000, the newest of the art museum's three sites. The permanent draw is the work of Erró, the Icelandic pop artist born in 1932 who has lived and worked in Paris for decades. He donated a large collection to the city and has kept adding to it, and part of it is always on show at Hafnarhús. The rest of the building is given over to changing exhibitions of Icelandic and international contemporary art, spread across six galleries and a courtyard, and a multi-purpose room hosts events that range from concerts to poetry readings. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and until 22:00 on Thursdays, with special hours around Christmas, New Year and Easter. An adult ticket costs 2,550 ISK and students pay 1,550 ISK, while under-18s and disabled visitors enter free. The ticket is valid for 24 hours at all three Reykjavík Art Museum sites, so it also covers Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn, and the Reykjavík City Card gives free entry. The building has wheelchair access, automatic doors, lifts and accessible toilets, and guide dogs are welcome. There is a café area on the second floor. Hafnarhús is a few minutes' walk from the Settlement Exhibition, Austurvöllur square, the Kolaportið flea market and Harpa concert hall, so it fits easily into a day in the city centre, and the Thursday late opening makes it a good option for an evening visit.

The Icelandic Punk Museum

The Icelandic Punk Museum is a small exhibition in central Reykjavík devoted to the country's punk scene between 1978 and 1992. The story runs from the formation of the band Fræbbblarnir to the break-up of The Sugarcubes. It was created by a group of mostly anonymous Icelandic punk musicians and fans, and John Lydon of the Sex Pistols opened it on 11 November 2016. The setting is part of the appeal. The museum sits underground at Bankastræti 0, in a former men's public toilet that was in use from 1930 to 2000 and then stood empty for 16 years. Locals know it as Núllið, 'the Zero', after its street number. Inside, a one-way route takes you through the period in order, with a scrapbook look of newspaper clippings, posters, polaroids, clothing, instruments and video screens. Headphones hang from the ceiling so you can listen to the bands as you read, and visitors can try on leather jackets and play some of the instruments. Because the space is tiny, most people spend 30 minutes to an hour. The museum is in the heart of the city centre, a few hundred metres from Austurvöllur square, the Reykjavík Cathedral and the Kolaportið flea market, so it fits easily into a walk around town. Published opening hours and ticket prices differ between sources; admission has been reported at around 2,000 ISK for adults, so check the current hours and price before you go. It is an indoor visit, which makes it a good option on a wet or dark winter day.

Grasagarður Botanical Garden

Grasagarður Reykjavíkur, the Reykjavík Botanic Garden, is a free outdoor garden in Laugardalur, the large green valley east of the city centre that also holds the city's biggest swimming pool and the Park and Zoo. The city founded it in 1961, when it received a gift of 200 Icelandic plants to conserve, and that collection of Iceland's native flora is still the oldest part of the garden. Today the garden conserves around 3,000 plant species, subspecies and cultivars in eight collections, covering plants that grow in northern temperate climates. The garden serves conservation, education and research, but for visitors it is simply a well-kept place to walk among labelled beds, trees and shrubs and see what can be grown this far north. Summer is the best time to visit, when the outdoor beds are in growth and the café and guided tours are running. The grounds can be visited at any time and entry is free. The display greenhouse is open from 10:00 to 19:00 in summer and from 10:00 to 15:00 in winter. The garden café, Flóran, sits in the greenhouse and serves food and drinks using ingredients grown in the garden; it operates in the summer season, so check its hours before planning a visit around it. From June to August there are free guided tours in English every Friday at 12:40, and the garden holds events through the summer. The garden is accessible for wheelchair users. It is easy to combine with a swim at Laugardalslaug, a visit to the Park and Zoo next door, or the old washing pools in the valley.

Þúfa

Þúfa is a large outdoor artwork by the Icelandic artist Ólöf Nordal at the entrance to Reykjavík's harbour, out on the Grandi peninsula. The fish-processing company HB Grandi commissioned it in 2013, and it is one of the biggest artworks ever made in Iceland. The Icelandic word þúfa means a tussock, but it can also mean a hillock or a small mountain. The piece is a grass-covered, dome-shaped mound 8 metres high and 26 metres across, built from around 4,500 tonnes of gravel. Steps set into the turf spiral up to the top, where a small wooden shed is used for drying fish, a nod to a traditional Icelandic way of preserving the catch. The walk up takes only a few minutes. Most people come for the view and the contrast. From the top you look back across the harbour to the city, while the working fishing port carries on around the base. The commissioners intended it as a contemplative space amid the harbour's activity, and it is a quieter counterpoint to the busier sights of the Old Harbour. Þúfa is public art in the open air, with no admission fee, no booking and no set opening hours. To reach it, walk west along the harbour onto Grandi, a fishing and fish-processing district, and continue out to the point where the mound stands. The grass and steps can be slippery or icy in wet and winter weather, so wear good shoes and take care near the harbour edge.

The House of Collections

The House of Collections (Safnahúsið), also known in English as the Culture House, is a museum building at Hverfisgata 15 in central Reykjavík, next to the National Theatre and a short walk from Harpa and Laugavegur. It was built in 1906 to 1908 to designs by the Danish architect Johannes Magdahl Nielsen, and when it opened in 1908 it housed the National Library, the National Archives, the natural history collection and the antiquities collection. It is one of the finest early 20th-century public buildings in the city, and the historic interior is part of the visit. Today the building is one of the venues of the National Gallery of Iceland. The long-running exhibition Resistance, shown until March 2028, draws on the gallery's collection to explore themes such as opposition, consumption and climate action through Icelandic art from different periods. A second exhibition, Stay and Turn to Stone! Folklore in Icelandic Art, runs from 1 February to 31 December 2026 and looks at how Icelandic folk tales and legends appear in the country's art. The building also has a museum shop and meeting rooms for hire, and the gallery runs a monthly children's club. The House of Collections is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission has been ISK 2,400 for adults and ISK 1,200 for students and seniors, with free entry for under-18s, and the ticket also covers the main National Gallery building on Fríkirkjuvegur by Tjörnin, about seven minutes' walk away. Check current prices before your visit. Plan on about an hour to see the exhibitions and the historic interior. It is a good indoor stop on a rainy day in Reykjavík, and it combines easily with Arnarhóll hill, Harpa, the Old Harbour and the shops on Laugavegur. Paid street parking and several city car parks are nearby, but most visitors arrive on foot.

Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir

Kjarvalsstaðir is one of the three buildings of the Reykjavík Art Museum, at Flókagata 24 on the edge of the Klambratún park, east of the city centre. It opened to the public in 1973 and is named after Jóhannes S. Kjarval (1885–1972), one of Iceland's best-loved painters. The museum regularly shows Kjarval's work alongside changing exhibitions of Icelandic and international art. The building is on a single ground floor arranged around a central courtyard. There is a creative workshop space for children and families, and guided tours are offered, including sessions in sign language and sessions adapted for people with autism or sensory processing needs. It suits anyone who wants to understand how Icelandic artists have seen their own landscape, and it pairs well with a walk in Klambratún or a visit to the other two museum sites. One ticket is valid for 24 hours at Kjarvalsstaðir, Hafnarhús by the old harbour and Ásmundarsafn, so you can see all three in one day. Kjarvalsstaðir is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. It is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December, 1 January and Easter Sunday, and opens from 13:00 on 26 December. Admission is 2,550 ISK for adults and 1,550 ISK for students, and free for under-18s and disabled visitors; the Reykjavík City Card also gives entry. Klambrar Bistrø inside the building serves food and coffee. There is parking in front of the building, with two disabled spaces at the main entrance, and bike racks in the courtyard.

Reykjavík Art Museum Ásmundarsafn

Ásmundarsafn is the branch of Reykjavík Art Museum devoted to the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982), one of the pioneers of Icelandic sculpture. It is at Sigtún 105 in the Laugardalur area of Reykjavík, in the house and studio that Ásmundur designed and built himself between 1942 and 1959. The building is part of the attraction: Ásmundur designed its domed form himself, and it served as his home and studio before becoming a museum. Inside, the exhibition hall shows changing displays built around his sculpture, and the museum also runs workshops and guided tours, including special tours for visitors with autism or sensory processing disorders. The garden around the museum holds many of Ásmundur's works, some enlarged or made especially for outdoor display. Walking round the garden is a good way to see how his forms work at full scale and in the open air. The museum is open every day from 13:00 to 17:00, with special closures over Christmas and New Year and on Easter Sunday. An adult ticket costs 2,550 ISK and students pay 1,550 ISK, while under-18s and disabled visitors enter free. The ticket is valid for 24 hours at all three Reykjavík Art Museum sites, so you can also visit Hafnarhús and Kjarvalsstaðir on the same ticket, and the Reykjavík City Card also gives free entry. The entrance has automatic doors, there is an accessible toilet and marked disabled parking, but there is currently no lift to the exhibition hall. Laugardalslaug pool, the Botanic Garden and the Reykjavík Park and Zoo are all a short walk away.

Lucky Records

Lucky Records is a record shop at Rauðarárstígur 10 in Reykjavík, a short walk east of the Hlemmur end of Laugavegur, which describes itself as Iceland's biggest record store. It sells new and second-hand vinyl, CDs and band merchandise, and is one of the best places in the city to look for Icelandic music on physical formats. The shop started in 2005 as a stall at Kolaportið, the weekend flea market by the old harbour, before moving into its own premises. The stock covers a wide spread of genres, from jazz, soul, funk and Afrobeat to rock, punk, electronic and classical, with sections of Icelandic releases that range from vintage pressings of older albums to records by newer local artists. Staff know both the local and international scenes and can point visitors towards Icelandic bands they have not heard of. For visitors, the main reasons to come are to pick up music as a souvenir, to browse used records that are hard to find elsewhere, and to get a sense of how active Reykjavík's music scene is. Allow at least half an hour if you like digging through crates. Remember that vinyl is heavy and fragile in luggage, so pack it flat and protected. Opening hours are published differently by different sources and change over the year, so check the shop's own website or social media before making a special trip. There is no charge to browse. Lucky Records is about 300 metres from Laugavegur and a few minutes' walk from Sundhöllin swimming pool, and Hallgrímskirkja is less than half a kilometre away, so it fits easily into a walk around the eastern side of the city centre.

Iðnó

Iðnó is a historic wooden house on the north shore of Tjörnin, the pond in central Reykjavík, next to City Hall. It was built in 1897 by the Reykjavík Craftsmen's Association, and its name comes from iðnaður, the Icelandic word for industry and crafts. The same year, the Reykjavík Theatre Company was founded and made the house its home, which makes Iðnó the birthplace of professional theatre in Iceland. For most of the twentieth century Iðnó was one of the town's main meeting places, hosting plays, dances, public meetings and concerts. The theatre company stayed until 1989, when it moved to the new City Theatre. The building mixes neoclassical detailing with traditional Icelandic timber construction. Today the house has been restored and works as a cultural venue and café. The café is open most days from 11:00 to 16:00, serving coffee, cakes and pastries in the old rooms overlooking the pond, although hours can change when events are on. In the evenings Iðnó hosts concerts, theatre, readings and festival events, and the halls are also hired out for dinners and private parties, so check the programme if you want to see a show. Iðnó is at Vonarstræti 3, a few minutes' walk from Austurvöllur, Alþingi and the rest of the city centre, so it fits easily into a walk around Tjörnin. Entry to the café is free; tickets for concerts and shows are sold per event. The café is a convenient place to warm up on a winter walk around the pond.