The Best View in Reykjavik: Hallgrímskirkja Church

In Reykjavik’s city center, most tourists use the white tips of the  Hallgrímskirkja Church to help find their way around – you’re never lost in the city if you can find the “big white church” (a nickname much easier to pronounce).

The church is a Lutheran church and is the sixth tallest building in Iceland. It was designed in 1938 to resemble the basalt lava flows of the country and inside you’ll find a massive pipe organ with over 5000 pipes. Though the interior and exterior of the church are both quite interesting, the main reason most tourists visit is to ride the elevator to the top, for one of the best views in Iceland.

From the top of the tower you can see pretty much the entire city of Reykjavik, the brightly-colored aluminum-sided houses the below, the bay and snow-topped mountains in the distance. The platform is open to the elements and can be quite windy (so windy that the hands on the clock above it are often blown off course) so dress warmly.

Admission to the church is free, but the ride to the top for the view will cost 400 ISK per adult (and well worth it). Viewing hours are from 9am to 8pm every day.

Photo by meg nicol