With long days in the summer and stunning Northern Lights in the winter, coupled with dramatic landscapes and cute architecture Iceland is a photographer’s dream.
The majority of Iceland’s photography locations are located outside the capital, Reykjavik, along the Golden Circle, by waterfalls, and the country’s neat natural formations. They don’t call it the Land of Fire and Ice for nothing! But, that doesn’t mean Reykjavik is void of photo opps.
From the capital’s charming and colorful architecture, neat streets and street art, surrounding mountains, and unique landmarks, there are plenty of cool photography locations in Reykjavik.
If you’re looking for where to go to snap Instagram-worthy pictures of Reykjavik, you’ll want to add these five stops to your travel itinerary!
5 most Instagrammable spots in Reykjavik
1. The Sun Voyager
The Sun Voyager is located along the waterway, not too far from the Harpa Concert Hall, and is an ode to the sun. This dreamboat sculpture has the perfect backdrop of Mt. Esja and makes for a great subject of your Reykjavik photos.
Obviously, as the statue is public art, it is completely free to visit and worth the walk to find it!
2. Hallgrimskirkja
Not only is this iconic church cool to photograph from the outside, it’s also the perfect place to get a gorgeous aerial view of the city and surrounding waterways and mountain ranges. The tower rises about 240 ft. above the city and the facade was built in a modern style, as well as bringing in natural elements of the Icelandic landscapes, especially the basalt columns.
Be sure to get the Leif Erikson statue in your photographs as well! Fun fact: the statue was a gift from the US to Iceland. The statue also has an identical twin that even used the same plaster casts for its build and stands guard at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport, Virginia.
The church is free to enter but it will cost you about 1,000 ISK (or about $7.50 USD) to go up the tower.
3. Perlan (the Pearl)
This dome-shaped building is home to an observation platform atop six gigantic geothermal water tanks that offers incredible panoramic views of Reykjavik. There’s also an on-site restaurant that makes a full rotation every two hours, as well as a big balcony with an unobstructed view. This dazzling structure also makes a good subject for your photographs once you’re done capturing the city.
4. Harpa Concert Hall
You can’t miss this building, located by the harbor. Done in multi-colored glass, this large venue is beautiful both on the inside and outside. It’s got conference hall and concert space as well as an inviting interior. It was actually the meeting point for our food tour!
5. Grotta Lighthouse
If you want great pictures of the city and the optimal view point for the Northern Lights and midnight sun in summer, head to Grotta Island! This Reykjavik photography location is also well known for its cool lighthouse and frequent bird populations. During low tide you can actually walk to the island before the tidewater comes back in.
Interested in what to do in Reykjavik? Check out our one-day travel itinerary!
