Things to Do in Tjörnin Pond

Walking loop around Tjörnin

The full circuit runs about 1.4 kilometres on flat paved paths. You'll likely finish in twenty minutes if you don't stop, an hour if you do. The southern end opens onto Hljómskálagarður park with its scattered sculptures, while the northern edge drops you straight into the old town grid behind City Hall. Grey skies suit it. On overcast days the water turns gunmetal grey and the timber houses on Tjarnargata look almost theatrical.

Bird feeding at the northern shore

Head to the stretch in front of Ráðhúsið (City Hall). That's where the ducks concentrate. On weekend mornings you'll find half of Reykjavík's under-fives doing the same thing. Over forty bird species have been recorded here. Most days it's mallards, greylag geese, and the punkish-looking tufted ducks. Bring grain or oats from a supermarket, not bread. The city actively discourages it.

Skating on the frozen pond

Between roughly late December and mid-March, when the ice runs thick enough, the city posts green flags around the pond. Reykjavíkers turn up with hockey sticks, sleds, and old-fashioned wooden skates. The ice creaks audibly underfoot. Alarming at first, then somehow reassuring. Floodlights stay on until 10 PM and the steam from the geothermal corner gives the whole scene a faintly otherworldly feel.

Hljómskálagarður park sculpture walk

The park sloping down from the pond's southern end holds Iceland's oldest public sculpture collection. Bronze figures by Einar Jónsson and Ásmundur Sveinsson sit tucked among birch trees and clipped lawns. It tends to be quieter than the pond itself, with benches that catch the afternoon sun and a small bandstand that hosts free concerts on summer Sundays. Feels like a Scandinavian secret. Yet Parliament is two minutes away.

Reykjavík City Hall exhibition and 3D map

Ráðhúsið juts out over the pond's north shore on concrete pilings. Inside, you'll find a massive three-dimensional relief map of Iceland. Strangely mesmerising. All the fjords and glaciers laid out at eye level. The main hall usually houses a rotating photography or design exhibition, and the café does decent coffee with one of the better views in central Reykjavík. Free Wi-Fi, clean bathrooms. That's more useful than it sounds when you're three hours into a walking day.

Þingholt: the streets immediately east of the pond. Full of restored timber houses. Walking distance to everything.

Old Harbour sits 15 minutes north. Slightly cheaper area. Whale-watching boats leave from here.

Skólavörðustígur is the rainbow-painted street running up to Hallgrímskirkja. Busy but central.

Vesturbær is the quieter, residential west side, with the Vesturbæjarlaug thermal pool. Where locals live.

Laugavegur is Reykjavík's main shopping spine. Convenient. But louder on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hlemmur sits east of the centre near the food hall. Modern hotels and easier bus connections.