Reykjavik is a frequent stopover for travelers departing on Arctic cruises or road-tripping through Iceland’s glacier-topped mountains, fields of bubbling hot springs and lava-lined coves. Yet even with a regional population of only 250,000, Iceland’s capital is an unexpected hub of art and culture that’s worth taking time to experience.

With its central location overlooking Reykjavik harbor, the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Reykjavik EDITION makes an excellent home base for art-oriented visitors. This contemporary hotel is set next door to the landmark Harpa Concert Hall (more on this below) and is within walking distance of many of the city’s cultural attractions.

As you plan your arts itinerary, consider purchasing the Reykjavik City Card. Available for 24, 48 or 72 hours, it covers admission to 17 museums, eight of the city’s public swimming pools, unlimited city bus rides and the ferry to Videy Island.

Go Back in Time

Start your cultural adventures at the National Museum of Iceland. This modern multimedia gallery walks you through Iceland’s history, beginning when the first settlers from Norway arrived in the late ninth century to the present day. Artifacts that date back centuries, ancient manuscripts, traditional clothing and even a “modern” computer bring this heritage alive. The English-language audio guide, included with your admission, fills in historical and cultural details.

The Art Highlights

Reykjavik’s multiple museums showcase different aspects of the city’s art scene.

Overlooking Tjörnin, the pond near the city center, the National Gallery of Iceland exhibits Icelandic art from the late 1800s to today. Most of the exhibitions in this former-icehouse-turned-art-space spotlight Icelandic artists, though some feature international creators as well. The works are varied, too — you might find video installations by famed Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk or an exhibit of masks where you can become part of the show, wearing digital versions of your own.

The National Gallery has a second location, dubbed the House of Collections, in a stately white heritage building originally constructed in 1908 to house the country’s national library, archives and natural history collections. While it looks traditional from the exterior, the changing exhibits might take you from trolls and elves to interpretations of Icelandic landscapes depicted in paintings, photos or sculptures of swirling lights.

If you’re strolling downtown, it’s hard to miss Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús, one of the museum’s three locations in the city. Its exterior wall declares its name in bold black-and-white graphics. Among the eclectic pieces on view in this cavernous modern space is a collection by Erró, a noted Icelandic artist who designs oversized, cartoon-like political works. Check the museum’s online events calendar for gallery tours, art walks and other art-centered activities.

The Reykjavik Museum of Photography is on the same street as Hafnarhús, on the sixth floor of the Reykjavik library. This small yet intriguing photo gallery mounts changing exhibits by Icelandic photographers from the 19th century to the current day. The museum shop carries books by Icelandic photographers, as well as photo postcards, many with historic scenes from around the country that make tiny but distinctive souvenirs.

More Artful Options

Both the National Gallery and the Reykjavik Art Museum have additional locations that focus on individual artists or organize diverse exhibits.

The Einar Jónsson Museum highlights the work of this Icelandic sculptor who lived from 1874 to 1954. Operated by the National Gallery, the museum occupies the building where the artist and his wife once lived, directly across the street from the celebrated Hallgrímskirkja Church. His sculptures fill the warren of small rooms, with more works outdoors in a free sculpture garden.

Set in Klambratún Park, one of the city’s largest urban parklands, the Reykjavik Art Museum’s Kjarvalsstadir location shows paintings by Jóhannes S. Kjarval, considered one of Iceland’s most noted artists. The museum’s two galleries also host changing exhibits of paintings and sculpture by Icelandic and international artists. Stop for coffee and cake at the museum’s Klambrar Bistro, which looks out to the park.

Ásmundarsafn, the Reykjavik Art Museum’s third facility, displays the work of Icelandic sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson. He designed and built the building, which resembles a white dome flanked by two pyramids, as his home and art studio. More of his sculptures, some figurative and others abstract, are set outdoors in the surrounding park-like grounds. The museum also exhibits works by contemporary Icelandic artists.

Art Walking

Not all of Reykjavik’s art is indoors. You’ll find more than 200 outdoor pieces throughout the city’s parks, along its streets and beside the harborfront walkways.

The Reykjavik Art Museum has developed an Art Walk app that offers free audio guides for self-guided sculpture treks. One of these walks leads you through the collection of public art around the Tjörnin pond, including several works by Icelandic women artists, collectively known as “The String of Pearls.”

Another art walk follows the harbor from the Harpa Concert Hall to the Höfdi Lighthouse, passing the city’s most photographed outdoor artwork, The Sun Voyager, a ship-shaped steel sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason overlooking the harbor.

Art on an Island

A short ferry ride across the harbor takes you to Videy Island. While this verdant island makes a lovely spot for a hike and a picnic on a sunny day, art lovers have two additional reasons to make the trip. Installed on the island is Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower, which the artist created in memory of her late husband, musician John Lennon. The words “Imagine Peace” are engraved on this white tower, shaped like a wishing well, in two dozen languages. Every year, from October 9 (Lennon’s birthday) into December, the tower is illuminated nightly.

Also on the island is Áfangar, an installation by the late American abstract artist Richard Serra. Completed in 1990, the work includes 18 basalt columns that stand in pairs around Videy’s western end.

Elding, a tour boat operator, runs ferries to Videy Island daily from mid-May through August and on Saturdays and Sundays the rest of the year.

A Concert Hall and a Musical Church

Two of Reykjavik’s landmark buildings are both architectural attractions and destinations for concerts and other events.

The Harpa Concert Hall, a dramatic glass structure on the city’s waterfront, opened in 2011. Working with Henning Larsen Architects, the Icelandic-Danish artist Ólafur Elíasson designed the building’s sparkling glass façade, its shapes mirroring the hexagonal basalt formations found on Iceland’s coast. You can wander into the building’s public spaces or, if you’re keen to learn more about the structure’s history and construction, join one of the 45-minute guided tours, which also take you into the main concert hall.

Of course, the best way to appreciate the building is to see a concert. Check the Harpa website for an events calendar and ticketing options. A new exhibition, “World of Icelandic Music,” is slated to open there this year.

Nearly 240 feet high, the tower of Hallgrímskirkja Church is visible throughout the city; this Lutheran house of worship is Reykjavik’s tallest structure. Visitors are welcome to enter and admire the church’s striking design and ascend the tower for views across the metro area to the sea. The building hosts roughly 40 concerts every year, including summer organ shows on its 50-foot-tall Klais organ, the largest such instrument in Iceland.

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