Reykjavik city guide & audio tour
Capital Region / Southwest Iceland, Iceland
About Reykjavik
Welcome to Reykjavíkurborg – Iceland’s smiling capital set on the edge of the Atlantic.
What makes this city truly stand out is that it was officially founded in 1786 when a royal Danish decree granted Reykjavík a permanent trading charter – the only Icelandic town to hold on to that privilege forever. Yet the story began much earlier: according to the 9th‑century Landnámabók, the Norse chieftain Ingólfur Arnarson set foot here around 874 AD, casting his high‑seat pillars into the bay and letting the gods decide where he would settle – a legendary “pillars‑in‑the‑bay” episode that still echoes in street names and local lore.
A tradition that keeps the city’s pulse lively is the “New Year’s fireworks frenzy.” From 28 December to 6 January Icelandic law lets anyone buy and set off fireworks, and Reykjavík’s streets, rooftops and harbor glow with private pyrotechnic displays that paint the night sky in a dazzling, community‑wide celebration. It’s a reminder that, despite its small‑town origins, the capital loves to throw a big, inclusive party – a perfect time to join locals for a hot cocoa in one of the city’s many geothermal pools and then step outside for the spectacular show.
No visit is complete without standing beneath the soaring spires of Hallgrímskirkja. This landmark, inspired by basalt lava flows, dominates the skyline and offers a high‑elevator ride to a panoramic deck where the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay and the colorful rooftops spread out below. From here you can spot everything from the modern glass façade of Harpa Concert Hall to the historic old harbour where British and American forces once anchored during World War II. Whether you’re snapping photos, sipping a locally‑roasted coffee at the café below, or simply soaking in the view, Hallgrímskirkja captures Reykjavík’s blend of rugged nature, deep history, and forward‑thinking spirit.
Top attractions in Reykjavik
Hallgrímskirkja
Rising from the hill of Skólavörðuholt like a frozen organ pipe, Hallgrímskirkja commands the Reykjavík skyline at 74.5 m (244 ft)—tall enough to be Iceland’s second‑highest building and the nation’s largest church. When the state architect Guðjón Samúelsson sketched it in 1937, he whispered that the façades should…
Harpa
The glass façade shimmering before you is more than a glittering billboard – it is a literal hymn to Iceland’s basalt lava fields, each pane cut like a fragment of ancient crackle. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects together with light‑artist Ólafur Eliasson, the 43‑metre‑tall building’s honeycomb of colored glass…
Perlan
Rising like a glass‑capped jewel from Öskjuhlíð hill, Perlan — the “Pearl” of Reykjavík — was once nothing more than a set of six hulking hot‑water tanks built between 1939 and the 1960s to pump geothermal warmth straight to the capital’s rooftops. At 61 metres above sea level each tank could hold a staggering five…
The Sun Voyager
The stainless‑steel hull of the Sun Voyager gnaws at the horizon as if it were a real longship about to set sail, its sleek, aluminum spar jutting upward like a spear of light caught in an eternal sunrise. At 18 metres long and 5 metres high, the sculpture leans forward on a circular granite base, its “prow” pointing…
National Museum of Iceland
The modest, three‑storey plaster façade that now stands at 41 Suðurgata might look like any classic Reykjavík building, its warm b79966 hue catching the low winter sun and a sleek hipped metal roof of muted 868679 capping the structure. Yet every stone and window tells a tale of perseverance: the National Museum of…
Icelandic Phallological Museum
A stone phallus crowns the modest façade at Geirsgata 2, right in the heart of Reykjavík’s bustling central district. The glass‑fronted entry is flanked by a vivid wooden sign that simply reads “Hið Íslenzka Reðasafn” in bold black letters, but the real attraction— a gleaming handful of lampshades fashioned from bull…
The Settlement Exhibition
The stone‑filled walls you’re staring at belong to one of Iceland’s oldest surviving homes—a turf‑roofed longhouse that once echoed with the crackle of a massive central hearth. Excavated in 2001 beneath the corner of Aðalstræti and Suðurgata, the hall was originally built sometime around c. 930 and was occupied for…
Tjörnin
Stretching like a liquid mirror beneath Reykjavik’s bustling heart, Suðurtjörn—literally “the southern pond”—is more than just a speck of water on a map (lat 64.1420587, lon –21.9421895). In its shallow 0.57 m average depth, the lake has barely a foot of water, yet it commands the attention of every passer‑by…
Viðey
The island just ahead—Viðey, the “Wood Island” of Iceland— pierces the cold‑blue expanse of Kollafjörður like a quiet sentinel. Though it looks modest, this 1.7 km² speck of land holds a dramatic volcanic past: two million years ago it was the center of a massive Pleistocene caldera, its rim now hidden beneath the…
Imagine Peace Tower
The flickering column of light before you is more than a dazzling trick of prisms—it’s Friðarsúlan, the “peace column” that Yoko Ono raised on Viðey Island as a living tribute to John Lennon’s timeless plea, “Imagine.” First lit on what would have been Lennon's 66th birthday, October 9 2006, the white stone podium…
Árbæjarsafn
Imagine stepping onto a quiet meadow where Reykjavík once brushed past on dusty horse‑drawn wagons, the scent of pine and sea‑salt mingling with the faint rustle of old timber. This is Árbæjarsafn, the city’s living time‑capsule, planted in the 1950s on the abandoned farmstead of Árbær—once the go‑to rest stop for…
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Let your eyes settle on the sturdy concrete façade at Grandagarður 8, and you’ll be looking at a building that once hummed with the deafening clang of industrial machinery. Constructed in 1947 on the Grandi landfill, this former fish‑freezing plant was the beating heart of Iceland’s redfish filleting industry until…
National Gallery of Iceland
At first glance, the stately brick façade on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 may look like any other Reykjavik building—but it once husked the island’s fish and krill like a frozen‑food factory. Designed in 1916 by Iceland’s pioneering architect Guðjón Samúelsson, the structure was later cladded in sleek glass and gentle angles by…
Reykjavik Art Museum
Imagine a sturdy brick warehouse, its iron doors once swinging to welcome trucks laden with fish and fish‑hooked nets, now opening onto a vivid universe of color and critique. That’s Hafnarhús – the newest jewel of the Reykjavík Art Museum, reborn in April 2000 after a painstaking renovation that lovingly preserved…
Rauðhólar
Imagine standing before a bright‑red swirl of cones, their cliffs滴ed in rust‑colored ash, rising sharply from a flat, moss‑dotted plain—this is Rauðhólar. These striking pseudocraters aren’t true volcanic vents but the dramatic footprints of an ancient lava river that burst over a stagnant lake about 4,500 years ago.…
Höfði
Hafnarborg
Gljúfrasteinn
National and University Library of Iceland
Hvalfjörður
Self-guided walking tour of Reykjavik
Classic Reykjavik in one day — a 7–8 hour walking + short-ride route that hits the city’s signature sights: the towering Hallgrímskirkja, the waterfront sculptures and Harpa concert hall, the engaging Whales of Iceland exhibit and Aurora Reykjavik, the Settlement Exhibition in the old town, the peaceful Tjörnin pond and Town Hall, finishing with panoramic views and the Perlan museum. Good…
- Hallgrímskirkja – Start at Hallgrímskirkja. Visit the nave and take the elevator up the tower for a sweeping view of the city — best first thing to orient yourself. Allow 30–45 minutes. Note: tower opening hours vary and can close in high winds; cashless…
- The Sun Voyager – Walk to the Sun Voyager (Sólfar) sculpture on the waterfront. Great photo opportunity; best at sunrise or sunset but pleasant any time. Expect wind — dress warmly. 15–25 minutes including walk/photos.
- Harpa – Cross along the waterfront to Harpa concert hall. Admire the glass façade and pop into the main lobby and gift shop; check for short exhibitions. 20–30 minutes. If a concert is scheduled you may only be able to enter with a ticket.
- The Settlement Exhibition – Settlement Exhibition (Reykjavík 871±2) — archaeological museum built over a Viking-age longhouse. Timed entry is often used; allow 45–60 minutes to see the multimedia displays and ruins beneath the museum.
- Tjörnin – Tjörnin / Suðurtjörn pond — a short peaceful walk around the pond and quick birdwatching (especially ducks and swans). Ideal mid- or late-afternoon breather (15–25 minutes).
Facts about Reykjavik
- World's northernmost capital of a sovereign state At latitude about 64°08′ N, Reykjavík is the northernmost capital of an independent sovereign state in the world.
- Viking-era settlement origin According to tradition recorded in the Landnámabók, Ingólfur Arnarson established the first permanent Norse settlement at Reykjavík around AD 874.
- Official founding in 1786 Reykjavík was officially founded as a trading town in 1786 when Denmark granted it a permanent trading charter, a date now regarded as the city's founding year.
- Geothermal city Volcanic activity supplies geothermal district heating that heats roughly 90% of buildings and powers public pools, snow-melting pavements, and other city systems.
- UNESCO literary and manuscript heritage Reykjavík is a UNESCO City of Literature (2011) and hosts the Arnamagnæan manuscript collection, which is listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World.
- Stage for Cold War diplomacy Höfði House in Reykjavík was the site of the 1986 Reykjavík Summit where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in a pivotal Cold War negotiation.
- City airport inside urban area Reykjavík Airport sits within the city limits and handles domestic and short-haul flights, a location that has been controversial since the 1960s due to its central urban footprint.
- Explosive New Year tradition Icelandic law allows the purchase and use of fireworks between 28 December and 6 January, leading to spectacular city-wide fireworks displays every New Year's Eve.
- Late beer legalisation Beer was legally banned in Iceland until 1 March 1989, a quirky fact often recalled about Reykjavík's modern drinking culture.
- Rapidly diversifying population By 2024 immigrants of the first and second generation made up about 24.6% of Reykjavík's population, reflecting fast-growing diversity over recent decades.
Explore Reykjavik with the GuideX app
Audio stories for every place, an interactive map and personal walking routes. Free to download on iOS and Android.