Hornstrandir Nature Reserve

Iceland

　　Craggy mountains, precarious sea cliffs and plunging waterfalls make up Hornstrandir, one of Europe’s last true wilderness areas, covering some of the most extreme parts of Iceland. It’s a fantastic destination for hiking, with challenging terrain and excellent opportunities for spotting Arctic foxes, seals, whales and teeming bird life. It...

Snæfellsjökull National Park

Iceland

　　Snæfellsjökull National Park encompasses much of the western tip of Snæfellsnes Peninsula, and wraps around the rugged slopes of the glacier Snæfellsjökull, the icy fist at the end of the long Snæfellsnes arm. Around its flanks lie lava tubes, protected lava fields, which are home to native Icelandic fauna, and...

Vatnajökull National Park

Iceland

　　Vast, varied and spectacular, Vatnajökull National Park was founded in 2008, when authorities created a megapark by joining the 8300-sq-km Vatnajökull ice cap with two previously established national parks: Skaftafell in southeast Iceland and Jökulsárgljúfur in the northeast. The park measures over 14,100 sq km, occupying approximately 14% of the...

Avalanche Monument

Seyðisfjörður

　　The monument near the church dates from the 1996 avalanche, and is made from twisted girders from the factory demolished by the event. The girders were painted white and erected as they were found. ...

Tækniminjasafn Austurlands

Seyðisfjörður

　　For insight into the town’s fishing and telecommunications history, stop by this worthwhile technical museum. It’s housed in two buildings on Hafnargata: the impressive 1894 home of Norwegian shipowner Otto Wathne (the old telegraph station), and a mechanical workshop from 1907. ...

Skaftfell – Center for Visual Art

Seyðisfjörður

　　It's well worth a look in this gallery space above the Skaftfell Bistro. Skaftfell is a visual art centre with a focus on contemporary art, and it stages exhibitions and events, hosts workshops, and facilitates artist residencies. See the website for more. ...

Bláa Kirkjan

Seyðisfjörður

　　The star of many a tourist photo, the Blue Church has a dramatic mountain backdrop to add to its highly photogenic exterior. It's often locked, but opens for weekly summer concerts. ...

Tvisöngur

Seyðisfjörður

　　A favourite walk takes explorers from a parking area south of Tækniminjasafn Austurlands about 15 or 20 minutes uphill to the 'sound sculpture' Tvísöngur, a concrete installation created by German artist Lukas Kühne. The piece comprises five interconnected domes of different sizes, and each is designed to resonate at a...

Rainbow Street

Seyðisfjörður

　　This street is supremely photogenic: a rainbow is painted on the pavement, and the Blue Church serves as a sweet backdrop. It features in many advertising campaigns and is a popular tourist photo opp. ...

Whalebone Arch

Ísafjörður

　　Of minor interest is the whalebone arch made from a whale’s jawbone in the central town park. ...

Seamen's Monument

Ísafjörður

　　Ísafjörður's big bronze Seaman's Monument depicts two fishermen with their nets and commemorates those who've lost their lives at sea. ...

Ísafjarðarkirkja

Ísafjörður

　　More than 740 clay birds, arranged in flight soar above the altarpiece of this modernist church.They were made by locals during a group art project. Look out too for the brass plaques showing the sites of graves that were covered by the current church, when it was rebuilt after a...

Old Town

Ísafjörður

　　Ísafjörður's historic quarter borders it's eastern edges. Start explorations in Tangagata to see gabled, tin-clad homes, often brightly painted in patriotic russet red or blue, trimmed with white. Look out for the dates from the late 1890s and early 1900s above the doors. ...

Culture House

Ísafjörður

　　The intensely close-knit nature of Westfjords life is evoked in the 2nd-floor displays in what was once the town hospital. Look out for vintage scales for newborns, a disturbing hacksaw and an eye-watering enema device, and the touching testimonies of former patients. 　　The ground floor is occupied by the town...

Museum of Everyday Life

Ísafjörður

　　Celebrating the magic of the mundane is the aim of the powerful, creative displays here, where shoes, books and mini-movies each come with personal narratives and story fragments. As an intriguing insight into life in the Westfjords it's poetic, thought-provoking and beautifully done. ...

Westfjords Heritage Museum

Ísafjörður

　　Part of a cluster of historic wooden buildings by the harbour, this museum is in the Turnhús (1784), which was originally a warehouse. It's crammed with fishing and nautical exhibits, tools from the whaling days, fascinating old photos depicting town life over the centuries, and accordions. To the right is...

Sagnheimar Byggðasafn

Heimaey

　　Housed in the city library, this interactive folk museum tells the story of Heimaey from the era of marauding pirates up to the 1973 eruption and beyond. Displays also shed light on local sports heroes, religion, volcanic activity and native bird life. ...

Landlyst

Heimaey

　　Shockingly, three out of four of Heimaey’s babies once died of tetanus, due to water deficiency and contaminated soil. In the 1840s an island woman, Sólveig, was sent abroad to be trained as a midwife. The tiny wooden house Landlyst was Sólveig’s maternity hospital (and is the second-oldest building on...

Stóraklif & Heimaklettur

Heimaey

　　The top of the craggy precipice Stóraklif is a treacherous 30-minute climb from behind the N1 petrol station at the harbour. The trail starts on the obvious 4WD track; as it gets steeper you’re ‘assisted’ by ropes and chains (but don’t trust them completely). If you can bear the terror,...

Sæheimar

Heimaey

　　The Aquarium & Natural History Museum has an interesting collection of stuffed birds and animals, videos on puffins and catfish, and fish tanks of Icelandic fish. It’s great fun for the family, and there’s often a puffin wobbling about. The museum is an informal bird hospital as well. ...

Eldfellshraun

Heimaey

　　Known as Eldfellshraun, the Mars-like land created by the 1973 lava flow is now criss-crossed with a maze of otherworldly hiking tracks that run down to the Skansinn fort and the area where the lava meets the town's houses, and all around the bulge of the raw, red eastern coast....

Skansinn

Heimaey

　　This lovely green area by the sea has several unique historical sights. The oldest structure on the island, Skansinn was a 15th-century fort built to defend the harbour (not too successfully, however – when Algerian pirates arrived in 1627 they simply landed on the other side of the island). Its...

Eldheimar

Heimaey

　　More than 400 buildings lie buried under lava from the 1973 eruption, and on the edge of the flow ‘Pompeii of the North’ is a museum revolving around one house excavated from 50m of pumice. It was once home to Gerður Sigurðardóttir and Guðni Ólafsson, their two children and baby....

Eldfell

Heimaey

　　The 221m-high volcanic cone Eldfell appeared from nowhere in the early hours of 23 January 1973. Once the fireworks finished, heat from the volcano provided Heimaey with geothermal energy from 1976 to 1985. Today the ground is still hot enough in places to bake bread or char wood. Eldfell is...

Catholic Church

Akureyri

　　The Catholic church is an attractive old red-and-white house built in 1912 and acquired by the church in 1952. On the nearby roundabout is Einar Jónsson’s sculpture Útlaginn (the Outlaw). ...

Akureyri Museum

Akureyri

　　This sweet, well-curated museum houses art and historical items relating to town life, including maps, photos and recreations of early Icelandic homes. The museum garden became the first place in Iceland to cultivate trees when a nursery was established here in 1899. Next door is a tiny, black-tarred timber church...

Nonnahús

Akureyri

　　The most interesting of the artists’ residences in Akureyri, Nonnahús was the childhood home of renowned children’s writer Reverend Jón Sveinsson (1857–1944), known to most as Nonni. His old-fashioned tales of derring-do have a rich local flavour. The house dates from 1850; its cramped rooms and simple furnishings provide a...

Into the Arctic

Akureyri

　　Akureyri's newest entry on the exhibition scene, Into the Arctic displays cover the great north's wildlife, settlement, explorers and culture, from dog sledding and aviation to handicrafts. The founders' extensive map collection is on display as well. ...

Akureyri Art Museum

Akureyri

　　Stimulate your senses at the Akureyri Art Museum, which hosts eclectic, innovative exhibitions – from graphic design to portraiture – and is surrounded by a handful of local galleries. At the time of research, it was undergoing a major extension and renovation, including a museum shop and cafe. ...

Akureyrarkirkja

Akureyri

　　Dominating the town from high on a hill, Akureyri’s landmark church was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the architect responsible for Reykjavík’s Hallgrímskirkja. Although the basalt theme connects them, Akureyrarkirkja looks more like a stylised 1920s US skyscraper than its big-city sibling. 　　Built in 1940, the church contains a large 3200-pipe...

Lystigarðurinn

Akureyri

　　The most northerly botanical garden in the world makes a delightful spot for a fragrant wander on sunny days. The wealth of plant life on display is truly astonishing considering the gardens’ proximity to the Arctic Circle. You’ll find examples of every species native to Iceland, as well as a...

Einar Jónsson Sculpture Garden

Reykjavík

　　The garden behind the Einar Jónsson Museum contains 26 bronze casts of Iceland's first sculptor, the symbolist Einar Jónsson. ...

Nordic House

Reykjavík

　　This cultural centre fosters connections between Iceland and its Nordic neighbours with a rich program of events, a library, exhibition space and bistro. ...

Tjörnin

Reykjavík

　　The placid lake at the centre of the city is sometimes locally called the Pond. It echoes with the honks and squawks of more than 40 species of visiting birds, including swans, geese and Arctic terns; feeding the ducks is a popular pastime for the under-fives. Pretty sculpture-dotted parks like...

Old Harbour

Reykjavík

　　Largely a service harbour until recently, the Old Harbour and the neighbouring Grandi area have blossomed into tourist hot spots, with key art galleries, several museums, volcano and Northern Lights films, and excellent restaurants. Whale-watching and puffin-viewing trips depart from the pier. Photo ops abound with views of fishing boats,...

Reykjavík Art Museum

Reykjavík

　　The excellent Reykjavík Art Museum is split over three superbly curated sites: the large, modern, downtown Hafnarhús, focusing on contemporary art; Kjarvalsstaðir, in a park just east of Snorrabraut which displays rotating exhibits of modern art; and Ásmundarsafn, a peaceful haven near Laugardalur for viewing sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson. One...

Icelandic Phallological Museum

Reykjavík

　　Oh, the jokes are endless here... This unique museum houses a huge collection of penises, and it's actually very well done. From pickled pickles to petrified wood, there are 286 different members on display, representing all Icelandic mammals and beyond. Featured items include contributions from sperm whales and a polar...

Harpa

Reykjavík

　　With its ever-changing facets glistening on the water's edge, Reykjavík’s sparkling Harpa concert hall and cultural centre is a beauty to behold. In addition to a season of top-notch shows (some free), the shimmering interior with harbour vistas is worth stopping in for, or take a highly recommended, 30-minute guided...

Settlement Exhibition

Reykjavík

　　This fascinating archaeological ruin-museum is based around a 10th-century Viking longhouse unearthed here from 2001 to 2002 and other Settlement-Era finds from central Reykjavík. It imaginatively combines technological wizardry and archaeology to give a glimpse into early Icelandic life. Don't miss the fragment of boundary wall at the back of...

National Museum

Reykjavík

　　Artefacts from settlement to the modern age fill the creative display spaces of Iceland's superb National Museum. Exhibits give an excellent overview of Iceland’s history and culture, and the free smartphone audio guide adds a wealth of detail. The strongest section describes the Settlement Era – including the rule of...

Hallgrímskirkja

Reykjavík

　　Reykjavík’s immense white-concrete church (1945–86), star of a thousand postcards, dominates the skyline and is visible from up to 20km away. An elevator trip up the 74.5m-high tower reveals an unmissable view of the city. In contrast to the high drama outside, the Lutheran church’s interior is quite plain. The...