8. July 2025
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Places & Sights

Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavic – Church and View from Tower

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavik

1000 ISK
Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavik
4.5

Rating

 4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Likely the best view of Reykjavik
  • Comparably cheap admission
  • Free entrance to church

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Might have waiting times at elevator

The unique architecture, the significant height of 75 meters and its location on top of the hill right in the city center of Reykjavik made the Hallgrimskirkja have a safe spot quite at the top of the bucket list for many Iceland tourists. Finally, you can also go up to the tower of the church and have a great view over the Nordic capital city. Simply too many reasons to visit this place, even if you are not religious at all. Here is my review of the visit.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – Location & Admission

Hallgrimskirkja is really in the heart of Reykjavik. Practically, all central attractions are in walking distance. As mentioned above, the area is a bit hilly, but easy to do. There several public parking lots around. The area is of course also well-connected by public transport. Several bus lines make it close to the chruch. There is, however, no bus stop in front of the building. You may, for example opt for bus lines 5 and 15 to Heilsuverndarstödin.

In summer months (April to October), the church is open from 9:00 to 21:00 hrs daily. The opening times reduce with the amount of sunlight in Iceland. The opening times at the time of writing (January), for example, are 11:00 to 16:00 hrs only. You can enter the church for free. However, there is a charge per adult of 1,000 ISK, roughly seven Euro.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – Look Inside The Church

Not too surprisingly, the church is a rather modern building. It has been completed and consecrated in 1986. Remarkably, construction started in 1945, so that the whole construction time was 41 years. The tower thereby has been completed before the remaining building. The Leif Erikson statue in front of the building is even older than the church itself. The church feels rather Nordic (a bit of neutral…) from the inside. I would say that the organ and the nice symmetries are the most fascinating parts of the building to me.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – Visiting The Tower

You buy a ticket for the elevator in the gift shop before you head to the tower. In fact, the elevator just takes you to the level of the clocks on the tower – you should definitely already enjoy the view from there. You reach the “real” observation platform (which is then also a bit of windy) after climbing some more steps. There are boxes, so that especially kids can also enjoy the view from above. Even during higher visitor levels, the Hallgrim’s Chruch is typically a rather relaxed place. Covid-19 restrictions may lead to some delays and waiting when you want to go up or down with the elevator.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – Services

The ticket shop is also selling souvenirs. In line with the place, they have quite a lot of items with religious background as well.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – Views from The Tower

I felt to give you some views of Reykjavik from the Hallgrimskirkja tower. Thereby, I used the major picture size I typically include to my Pictured Stories posting. On a clear day, the view is really cool, as you are in fact very close. I also loved the view over Reykjavik Domestic Airport (RKV) or the lovely new Perlan Museum. The view over the Bay of Reykjavik is also breathtaking. The first pictures are taken from the church clock level.

Here are my snaps from the upper / highest level of the tower of Hallgrimskirkja.

 

Hallgrimskirkja – My View

If you have a somehow clear day during your time in Reykjavik, that’s a memorable place to visit. Indeed, the view from Perlan nowadays is also a good one. But Hallgrim’s Church is just special. An the proximity to the domestic airport and city center simply creates great moments. I definitely love to be there. Top Pick! – no doubt.

 

Flyctory.com Views from Above

Here are all postings tagged as Views from Above, dealing with any kind up-in-the-air viewpoints:

 

Flyctory.com and Iceland

Here are all my postings related to Iceland:

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