26 Sights in Reykjavik, Iceland (with Map and Images)

Whales of Iceland is a natural history museum located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, Iceland. First opened in 2015, the museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the various cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history.

Wikipedia: Whales of Iceland (EN), Website

The Sheriff's Park is a park on Aðalstræti in downtown Reykjavík, south of the Downtown Market and east of Hotel Uppsala. The Sheriff's Park is one of the oldest public parks in Reykjavík. It is the oldest planted tree in Reykjavík, a silver rowan that was planted in 1884. The park is on the corner of Aðalstræti and Kirkjustræti, behind the National Telecom House. Today, the garden is mostly paved, but the original trees still stand. The cemetery stands on the site of the former Vík Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Reykjavík.

Wikipedia: Fógetagarðurinn (IS)

Perlan is a natural history museum in Reykjavík, Iceland. It is situated on the top of Öskjuhlíð hill. It was initially only a cluster of hot water tanks, but on June 21st, 1991, the building was opened to the public. The building consists of a glass dome resting on top of six district heating tanks. Four of them are still in use, one hosts an ice cave, and one has been turned into a planetarium.

Wikipedia: Perlan (EN), Website

Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The opening concert was held on 4 May 2011. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland.

Wikipedia: Harpa (concert hall) (EN), Website

Arnarhóll is a hill next to the centre of Reykjavík, Iceland's capital city. It is named after Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson. Icelandic ministries are situated near it and events take place on it.

Wikipedia: Arnarhóll (EN)

The Icelandic Phallological Museum, located in Reykjavík, Iceland, houses the world's largest display of penises and penile parts. As of early 2020 the museum moved to a new location in Hafnartorg, three times the size of the previous one, and the collection holds well over 300 penises from more than 100 species of mammal. The museum also holds 22 penises from creatures and peoples of Icelandic folklore.

Wikipedia: Icelandic Phallological Museum (EN), Website

The Imagine Peace Tower is a memorial to John Lennon from his widow, Yoko Ono, located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. Installed in 2007, it consists of a tall tower of light, projected from a white stone monument that has the words "Imagine Peace" carved into it in 24 languages. These words, and the name of the tower, are a reference to Lennon's campaign for peace, and his 1971 song "Imagine".

Wikipedia: Imagine Peace Tower (EN), Website

Höfði is a house in Reykjavík, Iceland, built in 1909, and best known as the location for the 1986 Reykjavík Summit meeting of President Ronald Reagan of the United States and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. This meeting was an important step towards ending of the Cold War. Within the building, the flags of the United States and the Soviet Union are cross-hung to commemorate the meeting.

Wikipedia: Höfði (EN)

Landakotskirkja, officially named Basilika Krists konungs and often referred to as Kristskirkja, is a Catholic basilica in the western part of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík and is the cathedral of the Diocese of Reykjavík. It is the sole Catholic cathedral in Iceland.

Wikipedia: Christ the King Cathedral (Reykjavík) (EN)

ICGV Óðinn is a decommissioned offshore patrol vessel formerly operated by the Icelandic Coast Guard. She is the oldest ship in the coastguard's fleet, and it is believed that her Burmeister & Wain engines are the only such engines that are still serviceable in the world today. Since her withdrawal from active duty, she has served as a floating exhibit at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum in Reykjavík Harbour. The ship is still maintained, and operative as of June 2022.

Wikipedia: ICGV Óðinn (EN)

The Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík 871±2 is an exhibition on the settlement of Reykjavík, Iceland, created by the Reykjavik City Museum. The exhibition is based on the archaeological excavation of the ruin of one of the first houses in Iceland and findings from other excavations in the city centre. The exhibition is located in 101 Reykjavík, on Aðalstræti 16, on the corner of Aðalstræti and Suðurgata.

Wikipedia: The Settlement Exhibition (EN)

The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland. The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic director of The National Theatre is Magnús Geir Þórðarsson.

Wikipedia: National Theatre of Iceland (EN), Website

Árbæjarsafn is the historical museum of the city of Reykjavík as well as an open-air museum and a regional museum. Its purpose is to give the public an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Reykjavík in earlier times.

Wikipedia: Árbæjarsafn (EN), Website En, Website Is

The Reykjavik Maritime Museum, formerly Víkin Maritime Museum, is a maritime museum located by the old harbour in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík and run by Reykjavik City. The museum was established in 2005, and it is now one of five sites belonging to Reykjavik City Museum. There are seven exhibitions at the museum displaying Icelandic maritime history from the early settlements to the late 20th century. An important part of the museum is the Coast Guard and rescue vessel Óðinn. In 2008, the ship was transformed into a museum exhibit about the cod wars in the 1950s and 1970s. The ship also tells about its own history. The museum focuses on the history of fishing in Iceland but also displays temporary exhibitions related to the sea.

Wikipedia: Reykjavík Maritime Museum (EN)

Safnahúsið, formerly Þjóðmenningarhúsið, is an exhibition space in Reykjavík, Iceland, which houses an exhibition, Points of View, drawn from various national museums and other cultural institutions. It has been part of the National Museum of Iceland since 2013. The director is Markús Þór Andrésson. The building, Hverfisgata 15, was constructed to house the National Library and at one time also housed a number of other museums.

Wikipedia: Safnahúsið (EN)

Reykjavik Art Museum is the largest visual art institution in Iceland. It occupies three locations in Reykjavík; Hafnarhús by the old harbour (64.1490°N 21.9406°W), Kjarvalsstaðir by Klambratún (64.1378°N 21.9135°W) and Ásmundarsafn in Laugardalur (64.1416°N 21.8853°W).

Wikipedia: Reykjavik Art Museum (EN), Website

The National Gallery of Iceland is an art museum in Reykjavík which contains a collection of Icelandic art. The gallery features artwork of famous Icelandic artists and artwork that helps explain the traditional Icelandic culture.

Wikipedia: National Gallery of Iceland (EN)

Reykjavík Cathedral is a cathedral church in Reykjavík, Iceland, the seat of the Bishop of Iceland and mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, as well as the parish church of the old city centre and environs. It is located at Austurvöllur, and next to it is Alþingishúsið. Since Iceland's parliament, the Alþingi, was resurrected in 1845, each session of parliament has begun with a Mass at the cathedral, and from there the dean of the cathedral leads the members of parliament to the parliament house.

Wikipedia: Reykjavík Cathedral (EN)

Reykjavík Museum of Photography, in Reykjavík, Iceland, preserves about five million photographs by professional and amateur photographers, from around 1870 to the present century. The collection includes studio portraits, and industrial, advertising, press, landscape and family photographs.

Wikipedia: Reykjavík Museum of Photography (EN)

Klambratún is an outdoor recreation area in the Hlíðahverfi district of Reykjavík. The area is roughly rectangular and about 10 hectares in size. It is bounded by Rauðarárstígur to the west, Flókagata to the north, Lönguhlíð to the east and Miklabraut to the south. In the northern part of Klambratún stands Kjarvalsstaðir, an art museum dedicated to the art of Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval.

Wikipedia: Klambratún (IS)

Hljómskálagarður is a botanical garden in the center of Reykjavík, named after the Hljómskáli that stands in it. A part of the pond is also within the park. There are several statues in Hljómskálagarður, including a statue of Jónas Hallgrímsson, which previously stood on Lækjargata, and another of Bertel Thorvaldsen, which originally stood in Austurvöllur. There are facilities in the garden for barbecuing and a playground for children.

Wikipedia: Hljómskálagarðurinn (IS)

Háteigskirkja is located at the intersection of Háteigsvegur and Lönguhlíð / Nóatún in Reykjavík and is the church of the Háteigsscongregation. Háteigsprestakall was established by law on July 17, 1952, but in 1963 the parish boundaries changed with the establishment of Grensás Presbytery. Háteigskirkja was consecrated during Advent in 1965.

Wikipedia: Háteigskirkja (IS)

The stone dock is a sloping pier loaded with a stone, which now lies for the most part under Tryggvagata. The part that was previously under the parking lot next to the Customs House near Central Bakki in Reykjavik Harbor has been made visible in connection with construction of Hafnartorg. The dock walked out of the Post Office Street near the house of Eimskipafélag Íslands. The stone dock was clearly visible until the Second World War. The Steinbryggan was originally built by the Reykjavík Municipal Fund in 1884 and was then very expensive, but was a improvement compared to the small wooden docks out of the Reykjavík Fjords lamb, which were privately owned by merchants. Nine years later, in 1893, the pier was damaged in the storm and Tryggvi Gunnarsson was hired to work on repairs. After that, the pier was often called Tryggvasker. The stoneback was the first point of arrival of those who came to the country after it was built and in the early 20th century. When Fridrik 8 came to the country in 1907 he went to land on the stone bridge. Thirteen years later when Kristján 10. King of Iceland and Denmark and Queen Alexandrina came to visit in 1921, they went to land on a red dragon after the stone bridge.

Wikipedia: Steinbryggjan (IS)

Landakotstún is an open area in the western part of Reykjavík. On the west side of the field is the main Catholic base in Iceland, Landakot Church with a parish hall and priests' apartments. By the field there is also Landakotsskóli and Landakotsspítali, which the church founded but is now part of the Landspítali University Hospital. The field itself is grassy, with trees and bushes, and there are walking paths and a swing court. Finally, there is a parking space in the northeast corner of the field. Around it are houses at Hávallagata to the south, Hólavallagata to the east and Túngata to the north, the latter of which is named after the field.

Wikipedia: Landakotstún (IS)

Kiev Square is a small square in the West Side of Reykjavík at the intersection of Garðastræti and Túngata. The square was originally created as a monument to the cooperation between Iceland and the Baltic countries.

Wikipedia: Kænugarðstorg (IS)

The Parliament Park is a decorative garden behind the Parliament House. The park is one of the first organized ornamental gardens in Iceland. It was approved in 1893 and a year later the construction was mostly completed.

Wikipedia: Alþingishúsgarðurinn (IS)