Reykjavík is adorned with fascinating sculptures, but it’s Jón Gunnar Árnason’s shiplike Sun Voyager (Sólfar) sculpture that seems to catch visitors’ imaginations. Scooping in a skeletal arc along the seaside, it offers a photo shoot with snowcapped mountains in the distance.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.87 MILES
The world’s oldest parliament, Althingi (pronounced ál-thingk-ee; also called Alþing) was uniquely situated at this monumental site where two tectonic…
25.36 MILES
Near the dramatic Almannagjá fault and fronted by a boardwalk is the Lögberg (Law Rock), where the Alþingi (Parliament) convened annually. This was where…
-
25.98 MILES
The Þingvellir plain is situated on a tectonic-plate boundary where North America and Europe are tearing away from each other at a rate of 1mm to 18mm per…
0.42 MILES
Reykjavík’s immense white-concrete church (1945–86), star of a thousand postcards, dominates the skyline and is visible from up to 20km away. An elevator…
0.88 MILES
Artefacts from settlement to the modern age fill the creative display spaces of Iceland's superb National Museum. Exhibits give an excellent overview of…
26.88 MILES
Housed in an imaginatively restored warehouse by the harbour, the must-see Settlement Centre offers fascinating insights into the history of Icelandic…
0.62 MILES
This fascinating archaeological ruin-museum is based around a 10th-century Viking longhouse unearthed here from 2001 to 2002 and other Settlement-Era…
0.36 MILES
With its ever-changing facets glistening on the water's edge, Reykjavík’s sparkling Harpa concert hall and cultural centre is a beauty to behold. In…
Nearby attractions
0.3 MILES
This fantastic collaboration between the National Museum, National Gallery and four other organisations creates a superbly curated exhibition covering the…
0.33 MILES
A statue of Iceland's first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, takes pride of place at Árnarhóll, a greensward that is also a central gathering place for parades…
0.36 MILES
With its ever-changing facets glistening on the water's edge, Reykjavík’s sparkling Harpa concert hall and cultural centre is a beauty to behold. In…
6. Icelandic Phallological Museum
0.37 MILES
Oh, the jokes are endless here... This unique museum houses a huge collection of penises, and it's actually very well done. From pickled pickles to…
0.39 MILES
Gazing proudly into the distance outside Hallgrímskirkja church is a statue of the Viking Leifur Eiríksson, the first European to stumble across America…
0.41 MILES
A total of 14 large flat-screens cover the walls in this vast two-storey exhibition hall. Each screen presents a three- to four-minute documentary,…