Hallgrimskirkja
Hallgrimskirkja
4.5
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
12:15 PM - 8:00 PM
About
Hallgrimskirkja is the largest church in the country, and towers over the centre of Reykjavik. Its 73-metre-high tower provides a wonderful 360° view over all Reykjavik, the mountains around and the ocean streaching west to Greenland and the Americas. Because of this, the tower is among the most visited tourist destinations in Reykjavik. Tower admission Adults: ISK 1000 Children: ISK 100 (ages 7-16) Tickets are sold in the church shop. Access to the tower is only by lift. At the top there are a few steps to the open-air viewing platform. Winter (October – April): 09:00 – 17:00. Tower closes 16:30. Summer (May – September): 09:00 – 21:00. Tower closes 20:30. The tower is closed on Sundays from 10:30 – 12:15 during mass at 11:00. Hallgrimskirkja is an active, working church and sometimes we may close the church without notice, especially due to weddings or funerals. Everyone is welcome to join services and concerts, but we ask visitors to stay the whole time to avoid disturbance.
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Neighborhood: Miðborg
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See what travelers are saying
- Pam TRipley, United Kingdom315 contributionsUniqueThis is pretty unique in my experience and a must see when lit up at night. The view at the top ( charged and lift most of the way) shows you the whole of this city. The inside is brutally undecorated with the impressive organ shining magnificently. You are made welcome to stay for services but be aware of being in the tower at that time as the bell rings quite a bit.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 4, 2023
- patn03Minneapolis, Minnesota712 contributionsBeautiful church, centrally locatedBeautiful, interesting church with an amazing organ and a great view from the church tower. If you don't go up in the tower it's free, and definitely worth stopping in just to see the building. We also enjoyed going up in the tower for the city views.Visited September 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 9, 2023
- Rachael P124 contributionsPay to go up the towerYou can't miss this church if you're in iceland. It's well worth the fee to go up the tower. It is an operational church so you may have to wait to see the Sanctuary. The organ is impressive but you can't go up to the organ loft. You also don't get to go to the crypt.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 15, 2023
- deborah h5 contributionsWonderful and unique experienceFour nights, Reykjavik was incredible with so much to do and see. National museum well worth a visit and plenty of shopping opportunities. Lucky enough to see the Northern Lights. Golden Circle tour wonderful with knowledgeable guide. Blue Lagoon Spa well worth a visit, less people in morning. Great restaurants. Icelandair very efficient. Recommend Klettur hotel.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 16, 2023
- Michael KLondon, United Kingdom543 contributionsDominating setting, great viewsThis Lutheran church, named after the poet Hallgrimus Petursson, dominates the skyline for miles around. Commissioned by the state to be a landmark, and designed by the state architect Samuelsson, it was begun in 1945 but not completed until the 1980s. It resembles either a giant phallus or the Space Shuttle according to your taste. In fact its façade of tall parallel columns is in a typical Icelandic style, cf the corrugated iron-faced buildings, or the buttresses of the earlier RC cathedral. It’s one of those buildings that makes you want to approach it to see what it’s about. So in that sense, a coup for the Lutheran church, as this is one of the most visited tourist attractions in town. It is a venue for concerts and cultural events and justly so, because of its space and acoustic. It houses the biggest and best pipe organ in Iceland, a magnificent beast by Klais of Germany. Tourists sat quietly listening and watching an organist rehearse at the downstairs console during our visit. It’s also one of those buildings that’s more impressive on the outside than the inside (some are the other way round). Aside from the organ, the interior is dull. A touch of colour – a modern altar frontal or some stained glass maybe – would improve it. PS: I liked the pews that could either way, as in some trams and trains. It’s worth paying the 1000 kr to go to the (blustery) viewing gallery at the topVisited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 3, 2023
- TravelinGal2010Boise, Idaho242 contributionsLovely and Unique ChurchThis a beautiful church built to resemble the basalt columns on the south coast of Iceland. The sanctuary is nice and has a pipe organ and a bell tower. We went up in the tower and were there when the bells rang at noon. Reukjavik can be viewed from all sides of the tower.Visited October 2023Traveled with friendsWritten November 7, 2023
- CharlieYork, United Kingdom72 contributionsImpressive church at day and nightNot like any churches I’ve seen in Europe, and certainly not like any in the UK so definitely worth a walk up! Impressive both day and night so I’d suggest going back up to see it at night time too! Easy to get to, just up from Rainbow Road. We also sat at the statue at the front looking for the northern lights which were visible that night!Visited November 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 8, 2023
- tinylassSheffield, United Kingdom5,820 contributionsNice views but VERY windy and cold!The inside of the church is very nice and quite modern; not like your normal church. It was elegant and extremely clean. We paid to travel to the top to view the city from above and the views were excellent so I would recommend this. It was freezing up there and the bells rang which were deafening but it was worth it! You go up via elevator so no stairs to climb!Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 10, 2023
- Marie11 contributionsLovely placeAmazing views from the tower. Thankfully there is a small lift and then a couple of extra flights of stairs if u want to further up. The inside of the church is spectacular in a simple way. Looks lovely at nightVisited November 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 13, 2023
- rwedwards1965Isle of Man, United Kingdom10 contributionsThe heart of ReykjavikSimply stunning cathedral in the heart of Reykjavik, reminiscent in shape to a Thor hammer! Simple yet impressive design inside, and with a huge pipe organ above as you walk in. There is a charge to walk up the 80m tower, but entrance to the cathedral is ( of course) free. A bronze statue of Lief Ericsson stands proudly in front - definitely one for the photo album!Visited November 2023Traveled soloWritten November 13, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
23,106 reviews
Excellent
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2,635
Poor
274
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69
susaq12
Pencoed, UK887 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
Due to storms we only managed to get a quick visit as they were closing early.
The organist was playing in the most beautiful church where we sat and listened for a while.
We then paid 1,000ISK to go up in the lift each to look at the views from the four sides of the building. The views were spectacular and each one showed a different part of the area.
We then climbed the few stairs to the highest viewpoint which was so windy I only spent a couple of minutes there (I’m not good with heights!)
It’s so pretty here and well worth a visit.
The organist was playing in the most beautiful church where we sat and listened for a while.
We then paid 1,000ISK to go up in the lift each to look at the views from the four sides of the building. The views were spectacular and each one showed a different part of the area.
We then climbed the few stairs to the highest viewpoint which was so windy I only spent a couple of minutes there (I’m not good with heights!)
It’s so pretty here and well worth a visit.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon H
Salisbury, UK449 contributions
Mar 2020
Architecturally designed with Icelands nature in mind, lava pillars and when viewed from the street an outline of a geysir. The organ needs to be seen over 5000 pipes! 1000 per person to go up the tower, it was very windy and very very cold, but it was winter. Great views and photo ops when up there!
Written March 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
11Alicat
Sheffield, UK265 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Entrance is free. Beautiful modern church not sure if it was built to look like organ pipes, but that's what it looked like to me, very clever if so.
Talking of which there was someone beautifully playing the organ as we arrived and so it gave me an emotional entrance to a stunning building.
The organ pipes inside were incredible.
For £6 you can go up the clock tower and see amazing 360 views of Reykjavik. It was a lovely clear day and we took some fab photos of the city. The clock struck 11:45 while we were up there, we all jumped out of our skin, then burst out laughing at ourselves for being so daft. Queue of about 25 people in front of us, but as the lift takes 6 at a time it was only a few minutes wait and worth it.
I'm not religious but I would recommend a visit.
Talking of which there was someone beautifully playing the organ as we arrived and so it gave me an emotional entrance to a stunning building.
The organ pipes inside were incredible.
For £6 you can go up the clock tower and see amazing 360 views of Reykjavik. It was a lovely clear day and we took some fab photos of the city. The clock struck 11:45 while we were up there, we all jumped out of our skin, then burst out laughing at ourselves for being so daft. Queue of about 25 people in front of us, but as the lift takes 6 at a time it was only a few minutes wait and worth it.
I'm not religious but I would recommend a visit.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eifioncymru
Caernarfon, United Kingdom331 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Lovely looking church which is a must do photo opportunity. Relatively plain inside but with a magnificent organ and as free to enter worth the walk up the hill. You can pay about £5 to go up to the top of the tower in the lift for great view of the city and beyond but due to the weather we didn’t go up the tower.
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon
Romiley, UK226 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The church is fairly central in Reykjavik, up a gentle hill through some colourful streets. It is very imposing and I'm fairly certain like no other church you'll have seen before! It is really appropriate to it's place... very Icelandic! The strong rock feel continues inside, where everything is beautifully modern and minimalistic, but still very impressive and free to enter.
There's a large organ, a nice simple altar with sweeping views out to snow capped mountains, and a tower with stunning panoramas in every direction. It was only 1000isk per adult when we visited in February 2020 which is about £6, so don't be tempted to pay in GBP because then it's £7! The only way up is by lift to floor 8 (via floor 20!) from where you get decent views from glazed windows, but for the best views carry on up the stairs from there and you can see out of tall thin slits with no glass so uninterrupted. There are boxes to stand on up there for shorter people!
There are no toilets in the church so go before or after.
Highly recommended.
There's a large organ, a nice simple altar with sweeping views out to snow capped mountains, and a tower with stunning panoramas in every direction. It was only 1000isk per adult when we visited in February 2020 which is about £6, so don't be tempted to pay in GBP because then it's £7! The only way up is by lift to floor 8 (via floor 20!) from where you get decent views from glazed windows, but for the best views carry on up the stairs from there and you can see out of tall thin slits with no glass so uninterrupted. There are boxes to stand on up there for shorter people!
There are no toilets in the church so go before or after.
Highly recommended.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael B
61 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We arrived into Reykjavík on a red eye out of Toronto. Left the airport and headed straight here. We ate bfast at Cafe’ Loki across the street and had a beautiful view of the church with the lights still on inside. Got into it early and hardly no wait to go upstairs to the top. Was about $8usd. Great views of the city scape. Could get pics of each side of city. Would recommend getting here early as more and more people showed up the later it got. Church has free parking all the time. Park there if you can and won’t have to pay to park on streets in area. Enjoy
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bjohnson3730
Olathe, KS4 contributions
Jan 2020
I recently visited Reykjavík and Hallgrimskirkja was on my must-do list. I actually walked here from my hotel, which was on the outskirts of the touristy part of the city. Because the street directions change in this area, it took me longer than I thought it would, given the sheer size of the building, to actually find this place.
Be aware this is an actual, functioning church, so please respect people who are worshiping. Also, the lift to the viewing area does cost a little, but it is well worth the price.
Be aware this is an actual, functioning church, so please respect people who are worshiping. Also, the lift to the viewing area does cost a little, but it is well worth the price.
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JillG411
London, UK84 contributions
Feb 2020
This is a beautiful minimalist church and well worth a visit as its shape is so dramatic. The charge to get to the top is quite expensive, which came as a shock. There are no toilets and when we asked, we were directed to the town hall- which is a long way off- not helpful. It is quite good to get an overview of the city from the top but if you are short on funds( and everything is expensive in Iceland) then you could skip the trip to the top and it wouldn't matter.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindai75
Halle, Belgium25 contributions
Feb 2020
Beautiful church inside and out, you can buy tickets to go to the tower and enjoy the beautiful view. Tickets cost up to 8 € per person. Inside, there was a lady who played the organ with beautiful music. Fun included. Sometimes there are light shows at night when it is dark, should be very beautiful!
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neatpete
Newbury, UK93 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Having taken around 40 years to build due to using a local firm consisting of the builder and his son, it was definitely worth the wait for the completion of this unique landmark building. Very striking with its famous winged frontage, inside the church is a model of minimalism making it a very peaceful place to reflect and contemplate. The only exception to the beautiful simplicity inside is the enormous pipe organ.
I recommend going up to the tower for some fabulous 360 degree views across the whole of Reykjavik, the sea and the snow capped mountains beyond.
I recommend going up to the tower for some fabulous 360 degree views across the whole of Reykjavik, the sea and the snow capped mountains beyond.
Written January 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much does it cost to go to the top of the church?
Written June 2, 2019
We were just there 1000 for adults kids at least 7amd 13 were free
Written July 3, 2019
Is there a place to find a list of events? I saw someone mention a children's chorus singing one day.
Written January 14, 2019
If the above doesn't help just try their website hallgrimskirkja.is
Opt for the English (unless you read Icelandic) and go to the information tab where you'll find events.
Written January 14, 2019
It was free to park at the church, but I don't know if that would apply for overnight parking.
Written June 12, 2018
Are there specific times that individuals practice on the organ in Hallgrimskirkja, or do you have to be lucky to time it? I would love to hear the organ in action.
Written May 16, 2018
I didn’t see any schedule posted. We were there Saturday around noon and he was going strong.
Written May 23, 2018
Is parking available outside?
Written January 29, 2018
As per previous reviews, very limited parking. Better to park elsewhere and walk up.
Written February 16, 2018
When you purchase a ticket is it just for one visit or could we go up twice in one day
Written October 26, 2017
No one took our tickets either. It was the honor system. If it was me, I would just ask them when I bought the ticket and go with what they said. I bet they would say it was fine.
Written October 26, 2017
How late does this church open until ? In the summer time, the sun does not set until midnight, I wonder if we have time to visit this church late evening. Thanks!
Written June 24, 2017
It is only open until 9pm. We got there right when it opened-less tourists.
Written June 24, 2017
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