Best Reykjavík places for selfies
Selfies. We all take them. Sometimes you want to remember yourself in a place you find beautiful. This is how good memories are made, we can go to them when feeling down or dreaming of places we visited and hope to return to one day. To make the Tiptoe Reykjavík video, we scoured the best locations where selfies are a must. Walk there, use an electric scooter. Now it's your turn to find your favourite site in Reykjavík.
Skólavörðustígur: The Rainbow walking street and Hallgrímskirkja
At the bottom of Skólavörðustígur, where it merges with Laugavegur, you'll find the start of the world-famous Rainbow walking street. You have no doubt seen countless photos on Instagram of travellers and locals taking selfies on the colourful street celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. At the top, face-to-face with a Viking legend, stands the statue of Leifur Eiríksson. It was a gift from the United States to Iceland in 1930 on the 1000-year anniversary of parliament. Behind him, Hallgrímskirkja - the largest church in Iceland and the tallest building in Reykjavík. Entry to the church is free, and for a small fee you can take the elevator up the 73-metre tower, where rooftops, mountains, and the ocean stretching toward Greenland unfold all around you.
Tiptoe Top Tip: About halfway up the Rainbow walking street, you can get a fantastic picture of yourself and Hallgrímskirkja in the distance.
The rooftop at Hotel Reykjavík Saga — and higher still
Smile for the camera on one of the two large roof terraces at Hotel Reykjavík Saga, an elegant 4-star hotel on Lækjargata designed with a nod to Icelandic tradition, right in the heart of the city centre.
You might also like to try: SKÝ Lounge & Bar on the eighth floor of Center Hotels Arnarhvoll, or step outside altogether at Perlan, perched atop Öskjuhlíð, Reykjavík's tallest hill, where a wraparound observation deck delivers an uninterrupted 360° panorama of the city, the ocean, and the distant mountains. On a clear day, it feels like Iceland laid out just for you.
Helgufoss
Tucked into a lush ravine in the Mosfellsdalur valley, just a short drive from downtown Reykjavík, Helgufoss is the kind of selfie backdrop that makes people ask: Where is that?! The hike takes about 20 minutes from the car park, winding through moss-covered rocks before the waterfall appears - and when it does, it earns every one of those steps. Named, according to one local tradition, after Helga, daughter of the half-giant Bárður Snæfellsás, it sits within the small nature reserve Bringur alongside ancient farm ruins connected by a marked trail.
You might also like to try: Hike to the summit of Mount Úlfarsfell or take on Mount Esja. Both reward you with sweeping views over Reykjavík and Faxaflói Bay.
Árbæjarsafn — Open air museum
Step off the bus and step back in time. Árbæjarsafn is the city's official open-air museum, a living snapshot of old Reykjavík built around a farm that dates back well into the 20th century. More than 20 buildings (most relocated from the city centre) form a town square, a village, and a farm. In summer, domestic animals roam the grounds, craftspeople demonstrate old trades, and the whole place breathes with a quiet, unhurried life that the city outside has long since moved past. Dress up, lean against a turf wall, pose in the town square.
You might also like to try: The Saga Museum, where Iceland's Viking-age figures come startlingly to life through wax figures and storytelling you won't forget.
Viking Village — Hafnarfjörður
A 20-minute bus ride from downtown Reykjavík, the town of Hafnarfjörður wears its viking roots proudly. At the heart of it all is Fjörukráin, or the Viking Village, a themed hotel and restaurant. The town itself is built on ancient lava flows, earning it the nickname 'The Lava Town', and its historic centre is a winding pleasure of corrugated-iron houses, independent cafés, and public art tied to Norse mythology. Locals believe the nearby park Hellisgerði, with its moss-covered lava rocks and bubbling springs, is home to huldufólk - Iceland's hidden people. Whether or not you believe in elves, it photographs beautifully.
Tiptoe Top Tip: Go on an easy hike and hunt out the heart sculptures in Hafnarfjörður, those small, warm landmarks that make your own heart grow a little bigger.
Grótta Lighthouse
At the very tip of the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula, where the land finally gives up and yields to the North Atlantic, stands Grótta Lighthouse, guiding ships through Faxaflói Bay since 1947. When the tide is low, a sandy path leads across the tidal flats to the island itself, where birdlife thrives and waves crash on black beaches. The area has been a designated nature reserve since 1974, a haven for arctic terns, eiders, oystercatchers, and more during migratory season. In winter, it's one of the city's prime spots for watching the northern lights with an open horizon and almost no light pollution in your way.
You might also like to try: Ráðagerði, a charming timber house restaurant nearby, serves Italian-inspired dishes with panoramic sea views.
Sky Lagoon — Kópavogur
A few minutes from the city centre, at Kársnes Harbour in Kópavogur, Sky Lagoon sits at the edge of the ocean and, let's just say, you won't be putting putting your phone away here. Opened in 2021, the geothermal spa's infinity-edge pool stretches toward the North Atlantic with distant mountain peaks and glaciers on the horizon (Snæfellsjökull on a clear day, Keilir every day). Plus, Hallgrímskirkja catches your eye before you even get inside. In winter, if you stay long enough and solar activity, timing, and clear skies cooperate, you just might catch the northern lights.
You might also like to try: Hvammsvík Hot Springs, for a wilder, more remote geothermal experience out along the fjords.
Sun Voyager
Standing on the granite shoreline of Sæbraut, facing the sea and Mt. Esja, the Sun Voyager is any selfie-seeker's dream. Artist and sculptor Jón Gunnar Árnason designed the piece, which was unveiled in 1990 to mark Reykjavík's 200th anniversary. Though it's often mistaken for a viking ship, it's really a dreamboat - an ode to the sun, symbolising hope, freedom, and the promise of undiscovered territory. At sunset, the sculpture glows gold and in summer the midnight sun creates light that no filter can do justice. You get the idea.
You might also like to try: Þúfa, a small, grass-covered hillock by the Old Harbour, topped with a traditional fish-drying hut, offering yet another brilliant view back across the city.