Tall church on the hill, Reykjavík, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran church on Skólavörðuholt hill in Reykjavík, and at 74.5 metres it is the tallest church in Iceland. Its stepped concrete tower can be seen from much of the city, and the lift to the top gives a wide view over the rooftops. It is named after the 17th-century poet and priest Hallgrímur Pétursson.

The story behind it

The hill is called Skólavörðuholt, roughly "the hill of the school cairn", after a stone cairn that students built on the summit. Travellers coming to Reykjavík from the east used it as a waymark. When a site was needed for a church honouring Hallgrímur Pétursson, this hill was chosen. Hallgrímur wrote the Passion Hymns, which were hugely popular in Iceland. They are still recited in many homes during Lent and have been heard on the radio.

The church was designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson, whose design is often said to echo the basalt columns found in Icelandic lava. Building began in 1945 and the church was not finished until 1986, so it took decades to complete. The statue out front is often mistaken for Hallgrímur, but it shows Leifur Eiríksson. It was a gift from the United States. The sagas tell of Leifur as a Norse explorer who reached North America around the year 1000, about 500 years before Columbus. Many visitors also assume this is Reykjavík's cathedral. It is not: the cathedral, Dómkirkjan, is a modest church beside the Parliament.

What to look for

• The stepped, ribbed facade rising to the tower, which recalls columns of cooled basalt.
• The statue of Leifur Eiríksson on the square in front, with the church rising behind it.
• The view from the tower over Reykjavík's colourful roofs, the harbour and the mountains across the bay.
• The plain, bright white interior of the nave, which contrasts with the dramatic exterior and is dominated by a large organ.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 30 to 45 minutes for the square, the statue and a look inside, and a little longer if you go up the tower.
• The tower is reached by lift. Check current opening hours and ticket details before you go, as they change.
• Choose a clear day for the view. Soft evening light is lovely on the concrete facade.
• Walk down the street Skólavörðustígur towards the main shopping street for cafés and small shops, and the Einar Jónsson sculpture museum and garden is close by.

See it on a quest

Discover the key to Reykjavik is a good way to see the church as one stop on a longer route on foot. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot, so you look closely at what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Highlights of Reykjavík: Viking Trails suits this hill well, given the Norse explorer whose statue stands outside. You walk to the church as part of a wider route through the city, hear about each place as you reach it and solve a puzzle there. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.