Major Tourist Attractions In Reykjavik

Reykjavik is rapidly gaining importance as a centre of relaxation, recreation and rejuvenation. Holidaymakers home in on the city’s open spaces, it’s monuments and museums, but mostly they come here to party. Check out the Old City in the west with its parks and playgrounds, museums and mayhem, churches and cottages, lake and loud music – this is where all the activity is centred. The Austurvöllur square specifically is the focal point of all this activity. The National Gallery where some great works of Islandic art are on display overlooks the the lovely Tjörnin Lake bordered by  Hljömskàlagararður Park.

Facing the square is the Parliament House, to the east is the Dómkirkjan Lutheran church, a street away is Reykjavik City Hall which houses the tourist office. 

On the other (northeastern) side of the square, the Lækjartorg Square across the the Austostraeti from the Austrovollur Square, is also a centre of much activity. Overlooking it, on the hill of Arnarholl, is the statue of Ingolfur Agnarsson, the interpid norseman who first settled here. Close to this are the Central Bank, the High Courts and the Library. In the vicinity is the Islenka Opera (Icelandic Opera House); an amble will take you past and perhaps into the National Theatre, the National and University Library and the National Museum, which is a treasure trove for someone interested in Nordic culture.

Other sites of note are the museum dedicated to the life and works of Listasafn Einars Jónssonar, the sculptor who rose to prominence in the 20th century. Icelandic post-impressionism lives on in the house of the late Safn Asgrims Jónsonnar, his things have lain there largely undisturbed since his death in 1958.

The extreme east, often passed up for the happening western part of the city, is a boon for visitors travelling en famille: kids will love the wide open spaces at the Laugradalur Sports Park, the Botanical gardens and the Family Park and Farm Zoo.

 Perlan or the Pearl, perched above six hot water towers on a hill in the south of the city, is a glistening multi-storeyed glass building whose higher floors afford the visitor with a visual treat of the city and its surroundings.

The Strokur, a neighbouring man made geyser, erupts in brief bursts every three minutes. Further down towards the east from the Pearl is the Árbæjarsafn, or the open-air folk museum, which showcases authentic 18th and 19th century houses. It takes a mere 20 minutes to get there from the old-city centre. Due north and slightly east of Perlan is the Reykjavik Municipal Art Museum, the Kjarvalsstaðir. Named after Jóhannes Kajrval, the painter of lava landscapes and portraits, the museum showcases his works, contemporary Icelandic art, and visiting collections sometimes of the great masters. Art aficionados should also visit the harbour side Hafnarhúsid, Reykjavik’s other art museum shares its compound with an atmospheric outdoor café and a bookstore.