Things to Do in Hallgrímskirkja

Tower ascent for 360-degree views

The elevator shoots you up 8 floors. You then climb narrow metal stairs into biting wind that carries exhaust from Skólavörðustígur below. From here, Reykjavík's toy-like tin roofs spread out, the harbor glints silver, and on clear days the white dome of Snæfellsjökull glacier floats across the water. The viewing platform's metal mesh floor lets you stare straight down at ant-sized walkers.

Sunday morning organ concert

At 11am Sundays, Bach's chords thunder off stone walls and the pews tremble beneath you. The organist clicks stops with mechanical satisfaction, stacking sound from delicate flutes to floor-shaking bass. Light pours through tall windows, throwing moving shadows as clouds drift.

Leifur Eiríksson statue photography

The Viking explorer statue guards the church steps. His bronze cloak shows verdigris streaks from Reykjavík's salty air. Winter mornings around 8am hit the bronze well, carving long shadows across the plaza. Camera clicks mix with puffins cooing from tower crevices high above.

Basalt column exploration

Drag your fingers along the exterior columns. Tiny pockmarks from freeze-thaw cycles pepper the concrete. It expands and contracts like natural basalt. Each column throws shifting triangular shadows throughout the day. The pattern hypnotizes best from across the street at Hannesarholt cultural house.

Evening choir rehearsals

Tuesday evenings around 7pm, the youth choir rehearses. Voices drift into the vaulted ceiling. Slip into a back pew. The acoustics turn whispers into ether. Candle wax and damp stone scent the air. Outside, traffic on Hringbraut hums faintly.

Skólavörðustígur's boutique guesthouses. Church bells wake you. Brauð & Co.'s fresh bread scent drifts in.

Laugavegur's design hotels perch above vintage shops. Seagulls and weekend drunks party until 3am.

Quiet residential streets east of the church. Kids march to school past candy-colored corrugated houses.

Old harbor's converted warehouses lofts. Ten minutes downhill. Salt spray slaps you on windy days.

Hverfisgata's apartment rentals above record stores and tattoo parlors. Gritty, central, loud.

Vatnsmýri's eco-hotels near the university. Modern calm. But buses haul you to nightlife.