Last Days in Iceland: Reykjavik

Whales of Iceland

After disembarking from the Ocean Explorer, we were spending the day and evening in Reykjavik before heading north for a few days. 

We’re not big city people and we have spent time in Reykjavik before, so we didn’t have any real plans. Plus, we had no idea what time we would actually get off the ship or how tired we would be. 

Our weather fairies had apparently jumped ship in Greenland.

Our last day in Greenland was cold and gray

The weather in Iceland was drippy, gray, blustery and somewhat unpleasant. We wouldn’t have a car until the next morning, so we just stayed close to the hotel. 

We were near the port, so there was a definite nautical feel

Scott had done a fair amount of walking around in the area prior to boarding our ship to Greenland (I hung in the hotel with all our luggage), so we had no must-dos.

We walked over to Hallgrimskirkja, which at 244 feet high, is the tallest building in Reykjavik (and probably Iceland). 

Hallgrimskirkja (literally Hallgrim Church)

We had visited it before (and photographed it in better light), but I am not sure I ever wrote much about it.

Pretty light in 2014

The church was designed in 1937 by Guðjón Samúelsson to reflect Iceland's volcanic landscape, mimicking the basalt columns found across the country. 

Basalt columns at Svartifoss, 2014

Construction began in 1945 and, amid much controversy over its cost and "modern" design, wasn't completed until 1986 (41 years!!!). The church is named after 17th-century poet Hallgrímur Pétursson.

In front of the church is a statue of Norse explorer Leif Eiríksson, who was actually born in Iceland and is renowned as the first European to reach North America, landing in "Vinland" (likely Newfoundland, Canada) around 1000 AD. 

The Leif Eiríksson statue guards the entrance; 2014

Son of Erik the Red, he was raised in Greenland, converted to Christianity in Norway and is celebrated in Icelandic Sagas. The statue was a gift from the United States in 1930 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Alþingi, Iceland’s Parliament, noted as the first such legislative body in the world.

Inside the rather stark church is a massive 49-foot-tall pipe organ built by German organ builder Johannes Klais and installed in 1992.

Hallgrimskirkja interior

Hallgrimskirkja pipe organ, 2017

While often mistaken for a cathedral, Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran parish church. Today, it is recognized as a major architectural achievement and a national sanctuary.

We walked about a bit and went up to the observation area at the top of the tower. 

Inside the tower

This view of Reykjavik shows how the weather had deteriorated

We took some photos across the street on Skólavörðustígur, widely known as the Rainbow Street, a vibrant, permanently painted street in downtown Reykjavík leading up to Hallgrímskirkja. The street was painted in 2015 to celebrate Reykjavík Pride and LGBTQ+ diversity. 

A good example for the US, which is now covering up and/or erasing such tributes

After a yummy (and pricey – it’s Iceland!) fish and chips lunch near our hotel, we decided to find something close and indoors. It was getting colder and colder.

So, we went to Whales of Iceland, a natural history museum covering Cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history. 

A fun diversion; Photo: Scott Stevens

The museum features life-sized models of 23 species along with information about their life history; displays of Whale specimens including bones, teeth and baleen; interactive exhibits on Whale biology, migration and conservation; educational videos; and a theater room where documentaries are shown.

Some of the models weigh two tons

Opened in 2015, the museum is the largest of its kind in Europe. The models were manufactured in China and shipped in pieces to Iceland, where they were assembled and hand-painted to resemble actual individual animals seen in the wild. 

Maybe these Humpbacks we saw in 2019 were models

Would I have rather seen REAL Whales? Yes. But, with the wind and rain, that wasn’t happening.

After that, we just went back to the hotel, re-sorted our luggage for the next few days and crashed.

The Reykjavik Marina Hotel on a nicer day; Photo: The Hotel Guy

The next morning, we took a cab to the in-town rental car pick-up, waiting until they finally opened their doors about 15 minutes after their advertised opening time.

Once in the car, we set off for our final Icelandic destination. We had visited the Reykjanes Peninsula and South Coast before Greenland. Now, we were going slightly north to another favorite spot (with no planned agenda): the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Brighter(ish) skies ahead

Trip dates September 5 – 30, 2025