Gazing proudly into the distance outside Hallgrímskirkja church is a statue of the Viking Leifur Eiríksson, the first European to stumble across America. Designed by Alexander Stirling Calder (1870–1945), it was a present from the US on the 1000th anniversary of the Alþingi (Parliament) in 1930.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Hallgrímskirkja

0.04 MILES

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…

2. Einar Jónsson Museum

0.06 MILES

Einar Jónsson (1874–1954) is one of Iceland’s foremost sculptors, famous for intense symbolist works. Chiselled representations of Hope, Earth and Death…

3. Einar Jónsson Sculpture Garden

0.07 MILES

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

4. Ekkisens – Art Space

0.23 MILES

Artist-run and housed in a former basement apartment, this gallery features up-and-coming Icelandic artists.

5. Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection

0.24 MILES

Iceland's first professional painter, Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876–1958) was the son of a farmer. He lived and worked here, and you can visit his former atelier…

6. Tales from Iceland

0.32 MILES

A total of 14 large flat-screens cover the walls in this vast two-storey exhibition hall. Each screen presents a three- to four-minute documentary,…

7. Listamenn

0.33 MILES

This small gallery shows an interesting array of Icelandic contemporary art.

8. National Gallery of Iceland

0.36 MILES

This pretty stack of marble atriums and spacious galleries overlooking Tjörnin offers ever-changing exhibits drawn from a 10,000-piece collection. The…