Country guide
Iceland holds roughly 395,000 residents, about 35% of them in Reykjavik, which makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. It lies on the Mid-Atlant...
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Iceland holds roughly 395,000 residents, about 35% of them in Reykjavik, which makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. It lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, on the rift between two tectonic plates, and that fact is the itinerary: geysers, frequent volcanic eruptions, and an interior of volcanic plateau, sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers that no one crosses casually. Almost everything a visitor reaches sits on the coastal lowlands, threaded by glacial rivers running to the sea. The Gulf Stream keeps the climate temperate at a latitude just south of the Arctic Circle, which in practice means chilly summers rather than mild winters.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Hedwig Storch · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
53 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Gamla höfnin
Reykjavik Old Harbour, known locally as Gamla höfnin, is a working harbour and visitor district on the northern edge of central Reykjavik.
Listasafn Reykjavíkur
Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhus is one of three sites comprising Listasafn Reykjavíkur, the Reykjavik Art Museum. Located at Tryggvagata 17, this harbour house occupies a former warehouse and offices building dating from the 1930s.
Sky Lagoon is a coastal geothermal bathing destination south-west of central Reykjavík, built around warm water, open air, and Iceland’s changing weather.
Laugavegur is Reykjavik's principal shopping street and one of Iceland's best-known urban thoroughfares. Running through the heart of the capital's downtown district, it functions as the city's commercial and social spine.
Tjörnin
Tjörnin is a prominent pond in central Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. The local name Tjörnin translates to the pond or the lake in Icelandic.
Hvalasýningin
Whales of Iceland is Reykjavík’s dedicated indoor whale exhibition in the harbour-side visitor area. Its signature experience is an encounter with life-sized whale models, giving visitors a clear sense of the animals’ immense scale at close range.
FlyOver Iceland is a ticketed immersive flight-ride attraction located in Reykjavik. The experience uses motion seating and sweeping aerial visuals to simulate flying over Icelandic landscapes.
Aurora Reykjavík is an educational museum and exhibition centre in Iceland's capital dedicated to the science and cultural significance of the northern lights.
Víkin
The Reykjavik Maritime Museum, known locally as Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík, is a museum dedicated to Iceland's seafaring heritage. It is located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavik.
Saga Museum in Reykjavík presents Icelandic history through lifelike historical figures and reconstructed scenes arranged as a narrative visitor route.
Hið Íslenzka Reðasafn
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is a highly specialised Reykjavík museum devoted to phallological material and its biological, historical, and cultural interpretation.
Árbæjarsafn is Reykjavík’s open-air museum in the Árbær district, where historic buildings are arranged across an outdoor setting instead of gathered inside one gallery.
Listasafn Einars Jónssonar
The Einar Jónsson Museum, locally known as Listasafn Einars Jónssonar, is an art museum in Reykjavík dedicated to the works of Iceland's first major sculptor, Einar Jónsson.
Listasafn Íslands
The National Gallery of Iceland, known locally as Listasafn Íslands, is a major art museum in Reykjavik. It serves as the country's principal institution for collecting, preserving, and exhibiting Icelandic art.
Safnahúsið
The Culture House, or Safnahúsið, is a museum and cultural venue in central Reykjavík. It belongs naturally in a city day built around museums, historic streets and other central attractions.
Höfði House is a historic building in Reykjavík, Iceland, best known as the site of the 1986 Reykjavík Summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
Alþingishúsið
Alþingishúsið is the seat of Iceland's national parliament, the Althing, which traces origins to 930 CE at Þingvellir. The current building dates to 1881 and stands on Austurvöllur square in central Reykjavík.
Dómkirkjan
Reykjavík Cathedral, or Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík, is the cathedral church of Iceland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. It stands beside Austurvöllur in the compact historic centre, where its modest scale feels closely tied to the city.
Reykjavik City Hall, known locally as Ráðhús Reykjavíkur, is a public municipal building situated on the northern shore of Tjörnin pond in central Reykjavik.
Klambratún is a public green space in central Reykjavík, used for everyday recreation, walking and time outdoors.
Ylströndin í Nauthólsvík
Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach is a purpose-built bathing beach on Reykjavík’s coast. Its lagoon uses geothermal heating to make seawater suitable for beach-style recreation despite Iceland’s cool climate, creating a distinctive combination of open coast and warm water.
Friðarsúlan
The Imagine Peace Tower is an outdoor memorial light installation on Viðey Island, reached from Reykjavík across the water. Yoko Ono conceived it as a tribute to John Lennon and a gesture for world peace.
Fjölskyldu- og húsdýragarðurinn
Reykjavik Family Park and Zoo, known locally as Fjölskyldu- og húsdýragarðurinn, is a family-oriented attraction in Iceland's capital. The facility combines recreational parkland with animal exhibits featuring domestic and farm animals typical to Icelandic rural life.
Grasagarður Reykjavíkur
Grasagarður Reykjavíkur, the Reykjavik Botanical Garden, is a municipal botanical garden in the Laugardalur valley of Iceland’s capital. It is both a calm green space and a living collection designed for education, research, and recreation.
Vesturbæjarlaug
Vesturbæjarlaug is a public geothermal swimming pool in Reykjavík’s Vesturbær district. It offers a direct way to experience Iceland’s neighbourhood bathing culture, where outdoor swimming and warm communal pools are part of everyday life.
Seven to ten days supports Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and south coast; the full Ring Road deserves at least a week of driving and preferably longer. The Westfjords or highlands should be separate additions because weather and road class can transform journey times.
Iceland is in Schengen, but visa need still depends on nationality and travel circumstances. Use Iceland’s official government guidance to identify where to apply and which documents are required; verify the rule before routing through another Schengen state.
Keflavík Airport is outside Reykjavík and is connected by coach. Scheduled buses reach selected towns, but many natural sites require a tour or rental car; check road.is and weather information before departure, and use an appropriate vehicle only where F-road access permits.
Summer offers long daylight and broader road access, while winter provides dark skies but shorter days and more disruption risk. Shoulder-season plans need the same daily road checks: a forecast for Reykjavík cannot establish conditions on a pass or exposed coast.
Icelandic króna is the currency, and card payment is common even for small purchases. Keep an alternative payment method for unattended or remote services, verify fuel-station card requirements and read the ISK total before accepting conversion.
The emergency number is 112 and sockets are Type C and F at 230 V. Mains tap water is recorded as safe; at remote facilities follow posted notices, and download road and weather information before entering areas with weak mobile coverage.
.JPG){kind=link}