Þjóðminjasafnið

A circuit of the pond takes about twenty minutes, which makes it an easy break between the museums and shops nearby. Spring and early summer bring the most birds, including Arctic terns and their chicks; you are asked not to overfeed the ducks with bread. In winter the surface often freezes, and locals skate on the ice.

The church was designed by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, and building work stretched from the 1940s into the 1980s. It is named after the 17th-century poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson. The statue of Leifur Eiríksson in front was a gift from the United States, marking a thousand years of the Althing in 1930.

Whales of Iceland is an indoor exhibition in the Grandi harbour district, where more than twenty life-sized whale models hang and stand through a darkened hall. Walking between them, you can appreciate just how enormous creatures like blue whales and sperm whales really are. An audio guide explains the species that visit Icelandic waters.