Hallgrimskirkja Church tower

View of Reykjavik from Hallgrímskirkja

The well known church towering above Reykjavik is called Hallgrimskirkja or the chruch of Hallgrímur.
It was named after Hallgrímur Pétursson One of our most famous religious poets. 
It was commissioned in 1938 and was completed in 1992 meaning that it took 48 years to build.

The tower has been a popular place to visit both for tourists and locals because on a good day the view is spectacular and you can see for miles around.

I took the following pictures not so long ago on a family outing to the tower.
Yes, it's fascinating for locals too.

North Iceland

Home of Akureyri, Myvatn, Grimsey island, and so much more.

Of course we can't see all that from the tower but we do see the mountain Esja, a favorite hiking spot for those living in Reykjavik. 

If you look closely you can see the shadow of the tower looming over the city.

There are some pretty nice, yet barren, islands between Reykjavik and Esja, the most interesting one is Viðey, you can catch a boat from the old harbor to spend a day in Viðey where there is a small church, a café and horse rental as well as Yoko Ono's Peace Light.

South Iceland

Who hasn't heard of the Blue Lagoon, well, that's where you'll find it. Along with Keflavik International Airport, the Golden circle route boasting Gullfoss and Geysir, and one of our national parks, Þingvellir where the parliament of Iceland Alþingi was held in Viking days.

From Hallgrimskirkja tower you get a view over Bessastaðir, the home of the President of Iceland since we declared our independence in 1944. Closer at hand you can see Nauthólsvík, a geothermally heated beach which Icelanders like to visit every now and then. It has warmish waters and a hot pool for those not willing to risk a swim in the Atlantic ocean. Admission  is free, so bring a towel.

East Iceland

That is where you will find the Icelandic reindeer, jumping about eating the heather in the highlands. You may also want to stop at Egilsstadir on the banks of Lagarfljót lagoon and Hallormsstaðarskógur the biggest forested area in Iceland.


From the tower you can see over most of Reykjavik as it stretches inland from the harbor. Though it is a tightly packed city with lots of houses there are plenty of nice green areas in between where the locals like to spend sunny days.

West Iceland

Where my mom lives.
And it also has the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Snæfellsnes Glacier, Reykholt, beautiful nature and Borgarnes which is a surprisingly interesting little town that I am sure to mention again and again.

Reykjavik is the Northenmost capital in the world and from this part of the tower we have great view of the city center. It is full of life with the Harpa music hall, the National museum of Iceland, which you can see if you squint, the University of Iceland and more.

From the top of Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik harbor is visible in the background. In the high season of the Icelandic summer the harbor is visited by many cruse ships bringing visitors to Iceland.