Hallgrímskirkja

You'll find it before you've even started looking. From almost anywhere in central Reykjavík, look up the hill and there it is: a wall of grey concrete columns stepping up to a tall, pale tower, like a mountain that got a building permit. Everyone navigates by it. Locals give directions with it.

Hallgrímskirkja (anglicised Hallgrimskirkja) is the Lutheran parish church of Reykjavík and the biggest church in Iceland, rising 74.5 metres at the top of Skólavörðuholt hill. State architect Guðjón Samúelsson designed it to echo the basalt columns you'll see all over the Iceland countryside, and it took a long time to build: work started in 1945 and the church was consecrated in 1986. It's named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, a 17th-century priest and poet whose Passion Hymns are still read in Iceland every Lent.

Tours that visit Hallgrímskirkja

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What to see at Hallgrímskirkja

Inside, it's the opposite of the outside: tall, white, bright and almost bare, with plain windows and quite a lot of silence. It's free to walk in when the church is open, and no one minds if you sit for a while. At the back is the great pipe organ, the largest in the country, which is worth hearing if you catch a concert or a service.

Outside the front door stands Leifur Eiríksson, better known as Leif Erikson, the Norse explorer who reached North America around the year 1000. The statue was a gift from the United States, and it's older than the church behind it.

Hallgrímskirkja tower: tickets and the lift

The tower is the reason most people come. You do need a ticket, and you buy it in the church shop just to the left inside the entrance, on the day. You can't book it in advance, and the ticket is only valid once. A lift takes you most of the way up, then there are a few steps to the viewing level, where windows on all four sides look out over the colourful roofs of the city, the harbour, Mount Esja and, on a clear day, far out across the bay. It's the best view of Reykjavík there is.

Opening hours change with the seasons, holidays and church events, and the tower closes during Sunday morning mass, so check hallgrimskirkja.is before you go.

Pro tip: the lift is small, so on summer afternoons, when the cruise passengers and walking tours all arrive at once, the queue can build quickly. Come soon after opening, and only on a day when the cloud is high. If you can't see Mount Esja from the street, you won't see much from the top either.

How to get to Hallgrímskirkja

Hallgrímskirkja is in the centre of Reykjavík, a short uphill walk from Laugavegur, and at the top of Skólavörðustígur, the street with the rainbow painted on it. It's about 15 minutes on foot from the Old Harbour or Harpa. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the church and the tower. Sundhöllin, the city's oldest public swimming pool, is just round the corner if you want to finish with a soak.

Most Reykjavík walking tours start at or pass by Hallgrímskirkja, including small-group city walks, food walks and architecture walks. Tours that include Hallgrímskirkja are below.