7 Stunning Architecture Landmarks in Reykjavik
7 landmarks with verified facts and stories
Alþingishúsið (Parliament House)
Austurvöllur, Reykjavik
Alþingishúsið is Iceland's parliament building — a relatively modest two-storey basalt-and-rhyolite stone house on Austurvöllur square completed in 1881, housing the Alþingi (one of the oldest parliaments in the world, founded in 930 AD at Þingvellir and moved to Reykjavik in 1844 after centuries of Danish rule).
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímstorg 101, 101 Reykjavík
Hallgrímskirkja is Iceland's largest church and Reykjavik's most recognisable landmark — a 74.
Harpa Concert Hall
2 Austurbakki, Miðbær, Reykjavík, 101, Ísland
Harpa is Reykjavik's most striking modern building — a concert hall and conference centre on the harbour front designed by Henning Larsen Architects and Ólafur Elíasson (the Icelandic-Danish artist whose light installations have appeared in major museums worldwide).
Höfði House
Borgartún, Tún, Reykjavík, 105, Iceland
Höfði House is a white wooden mansion on the north shore of Reykjavik — best known internationally as the site of the 1986 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev that helped end the Cold War.
Perlan (The Pearl)
Varmahlíð 1, 105 Reykjavík
Perlan is a glass dome built on top of six geothermal water storage tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill — a museum, observation deck, and planetarium that provides both a 360-degree view of Reykjavik and an immersive education in Iceland's geology, glaciology, and natural phenomena.
Reykjavik Cathedral (Dómkirkjan)
Austurvöllur, Reykjavik
Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík — the Reykjavik Cathedral — is Iceland's national Lutheran cathedral and, unlike Hallgrímskirkja (which is more famous as a landmark), is the church most Icelanders still consider the spiritual heart of the capital.
Reykjavik's Colourful Houses
Various streets, 101 Reykjavík
Reykjavik's colourful corrugated-iron houses are the city's visual signature — small, brightly painted buildings with tin roofs and cladding that were built from the late 19th century onward and give the city centre its distinctive toytown appearance.
Explore architecture in Reykjavik
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.