Most of Reykjavik's must-see list is buildings you can walk between, many of them churches, and what follows sticks to the ones that carry the city's story. The range runs from 1787, when Reykjavík Cathedral was built, to 2007 and the Imagine Peace Tower, a memorial to John Lennon near the city. In between are a building that hosted the 1986 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland, a national theatre, and an exhibition house that holds exhibits from several national museums. Most of these sit in the 101 postal area, which suits walkers with a free afternoon far better than anyone hoping for one big ticketed sight. A few picks fall outside that core: Perlan and Höfði are both in 105, and Kópavogskirkja is in Kópavogur, postal code 200. Read the history before you go, take your time inside, and let the city's small scale work for you.
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1 Hallgrímskirkja
1 Hallgrímstorg, Reykjavík, 101A church open every day from 09:00 to 20:00
From 09:00 to 20:00, seven days a week, the doors at 1 Hallgrímstorg in the 101 postal area belong to Hallgrímskirkja. It is younger than its fame suggests, dating only from 1986, and it remains a working church in Reykjavík, not a monument with a few pews left in. Skip the midday crush and come at 09:00, or in the last hour before 20:00, when the people inside came to look rather than to queue. Give the room ten quiet minutes, keep your voice down, and check the church's own website before you go.
Dates from 1986
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-20:00
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2 Perlan
1 Varmahlíð, Reykjavík, 105A landmark and museum open until 21:00
From 09:00 until 21:00, Perlan stays open long enough to finish a day rather than start one, and it works as both a landmark and a museum. You'll find it at 1 Varmahlíð in the 105 postal area, dating from 1991. Don't squeeze it into a crowded morning. The evening hours are when it earns its place, once the day's legwork is done and there is nothing left to rush toward. Check the official website before you give it an evening, then take your time.
Dates from 1991
Hours: 09:00-21:00
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3 Imagine Peace Tower
A memorial to John Lennon, dating from 2007
The Imagine Peace Tower has stood near Reykjavík since 2007 as a memorial to John Lennon, and its location tells you something from the start: it sits near the city rather than in it, so this is a deliberate outing, not a detour between coffees. Ignore the souvenir-shop kitsch that trades on famous names. The memorial carries more weight if you arrive having thought about why a tribute to John Lennon was placed here at all, so check the official site before you set out and leave room for a slow look rather than a quick photo.
Dates from 2007
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4 Höfði
Félagstún 1, 105 ReykjavíkThe building that hosted the 1986 Reykjavík Summit between Reagan and Gorbachev
Höfði was the setting for the Reykjavík Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986, but the building is much older than that meeting: it dates from 1909 and stands at 1 Félagstún in the 105 postal area. Skip the guided-tour patter. Read a page about the summit before you come, and the building does the rest. Knowing the history beforehand changes what you see: an ordinary-looking building in Iceland where two leaders met in 1986. Stand outside for a few minutes and let that sink in.
Dates from 1909
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5 Landakotskirkja
13 Túngata, Reykjavík, 101The cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland
At number 13 on Túngata in the 101 postal area, Landakotskirkja is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland, dating from 1929. Locals prefer it to the better-known churches for the very reason visitors pass it by: no queue, no show, just a cathedral doing what cathedrals do. Go outside service times, keep your camera low, and sit in a pew for a few minutes. If you have time for one quiet interior on this trip, this is a strong candidate.
Dates from 1929
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6 National Theatre of Iceland
19 Hverfisgata, Reykjavík, 101An evening at Iceland's national theatre, which dates from 1950
When the house lights fade at the National Theatre of Iceland, 19 Hverfisgata in the 101 postal area, you are sitting in a theatre that dates from 1950. Skip the daytime photo stop outside. A theatre like this makes its case at night, with a ticket in your hand. Check the programme on the official website before you book, and pick something whose staging you can follow even if the language is new to you. An evening here shows you a side of the city that the sightseeing circuit never reaches.
Dates from 1950
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7 Reykjavík Cathedral
16 Kirkjustræti, Reykjavík, 101The city's cathedral church, dating from 1787
Reykjavík Cathedral, at 16 Kirkjustræti in the 101 postal area, has served as the cathedral church of Reykjavík since 1787. Don't tick it off from the doorway. A few minutes inside tell you more than a photograph from the street ever will, so come early in the day, find a seat, and let the building's long presence in this city settle around you: it has stood here since 1787.
Dates from 1787
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8 Kópavogskirkja
2 Hamraborg, Kópavogur, 200A church that takes this list beyond Reykjavík to Kópavogur
Kópavogskirkja stands at 2 Hamraborg in Kópavogur, postal code 200, a church in Kópavogur, Iceland that suits travellers who have covered the central sights and want to see a little further. Don't treat it as a quick add-on squeezed between other stops. Make it a deliberate outing, go in without rushing, and you'll get a quieter visit than any of the headline churches can offer. Confirm the address at 2 Hamraborg before you set out.
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9 Culture House
15 Hverfisgata, Reykjavík, 101Exhibits from several national museums and other cultural institutions under one roof
The Culture House at 15 Hverfisgata in the 101 postal area brings exhibits from various national museums and other cultural institutions under one roof, in a building that dates from 1908 and opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00. On a short trip, it is not worth the fatigue of visiting every national museum separately. This is the efficient call: one roof, several collections. Arrive soon after 10:00, give yourself a couple of unhurried hours, and you will leave with a better sense of the country than a day of rushing between buildings would have given you.
Dates from 1908
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
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10 Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík
5 Fríkirkjuvegur, 101A smaller church in Reykjavík, at 5 Fríkirkjuvegur
Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík is at 5 Fríkirkjuvegur in the 101 postal area, a church in Reykjavík that works for the visitor who has seen the headline sights and wants something smaller and quieter. Locals come here for services, not sightseeing, and that is the spirit to bring: step in, sit for a while, and leave without fuss. Don't come with a checklist. Come with ten spare minutes and nowhere else you need to be.
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11 Háteigskirkja
27 Háteigsvegur, 105A church dating from 1965, which adds a mid-century chapter to the list
Háteigskirkja, dating from 1965, stands at 27 Háteigsvegur in the 105 postal area. If you have only one morning in the city, skip it. A week is another matter: a church from 1965 brings a mid-century chapter to what is usually a list of much older buildings, and that earns an hour once you have already covered the obvious sights and want somewhere that asks nothing more of you than a little time. Look at the outside properly before you step in, then sit for a few minutes.
Dates from 1965
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12 Landakotsskóli
15 Túngata, 101An Icelandic private school on the same street as the Catholic cathedral
A school, not a museum: Landakotsskóli is an Icelandic private school at 15 Túngata in the 101 postal area. There is no point trying to go inside, because pupils learn here, and the right way to see it is from the pavement, briefly and with respect. It carries context for a visitor, and it shares Túngata with the Catholic cathedral at number 13, which makes pairing the two a natural short walk. Look, take in the street, and move on before the school day notices you.
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