Marcel Burger - Third time's the charm

The Hallgrimskirkja (cathedral) of 1986 with a 73-metre-high tower, July 2025.

The northernmost capital in the world, and Europe's most western capital. That is Reykjavik. The centre of the main city of Iceland is easy to navigate, with perhaps the Hallgrimskirkja (cathedral) as its main landmark. But there are other small and bigger jams in the heart of the city.

A very nice way to discover the city is to start in the harbour area — as a way to stay connected to the fishing industry and the ocean that is intertwined with Iceland's societal history, and from there walk your way through the city centre towards the cathedral and beyond.

All photos from my visit in July 2025.

Inside the Reykjavik Harbour area and the waterfront

Þúfa, the small hill that was created by artist Ólöf Norda, harbour area.

Small historic boat ST 13 Fridel.

Historic trawler RE 38 Gullborg of the Icelandic Maritime Museum.

The coastal oil tanker Keilir.

The tugboat Magni (2985)

Icelandic whaling ships Hvalur 8 (built 1948) and Hvalur 9 (built 1952).

A maintenance man working on a green ship.

Icelandic fresher whitefish trawler named Þórunn Sveinsdóttir (VE-401) in maintenance.

Icelandair De Havilland Canada (Bombardier) DHC-8-200 with registration TF-FXH on final approach to Reykjavik Domestic Airport — passing over the harbour area.

The Swedish LNG/BioLNG-powered Thun Venern dual-fuel oil and chemical tanker.

The waterfront of Reykjavik, with at the end (on the right-hand side) the Harpa Concert Hall.

The statue Sun Voyager (1990) by Jón Gunnar Árnason

The Höfði Lighthouse.

A series of a European herring gull (Larus argentatus) flying alongside the waterfront boulevard of Reykjavik.

The historic Höfði Hous from 1909. The older generation might remember the location of the important meeting of US President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986, at the height of the Cold War between Western Europa and Soviet occupied Eastern Europe.

The island of Viðey with the Viðey House restaurant against the background of the Reykjavíkurborg mountains can be seen in the distance from the Reykjavik waterfront.

The Harpa Concert Hall

The Harpa Concert Hall opened in May 2011, and was built under the leadership of the renowned Henning Larsen Architects from Denmark. The Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson is behind the façade design, for which he let himself be inspired by the basalt rocks that are so typical for parts of the Icelandic landscape. The Harpa is 43 metres (141 ft) tall and has a floor space of 28,000 square metres (300,000 sq ft). The main hall can accommodate up to 1,800 spectators.

During my visit to Reykjavik in July 2025, one of the windows was being replaced — a nice seen to watch.

Tug boat Magni (2985) with the Harpa Concert Hall in the background.

Window replacement at the Harpa Concert Hall.

More photos of the centre of Reykjavik coming soon ...