Top 10 Viewpoints in Iceland
Iceland's viewpoint landscape is almost entirely volcanic and largely treeless, which means unobstructed sightlines across lava fields, glacier tongues, and coastal cliffs that would be hidden elsewhere by forest. These ten are the country's best.
1. Hallgrímskirkja Tower, Reykjavik — 74.5 m
The tower lift of Hallgrímskirkja church rises to 74.5 metres above Reykjavik's centre, providing a 360-degree view over the city's coloured corrugated-iron rooftops, the Faxaflói bay to the west, and the Esja mountain (914 m) directly north across the water. The interior lift is open daily, with a small fee. The view is particularly useful for reading the layout of the city before exploring it on foot — the compactness of the capital and the scale of the surrounding landscape are both visible from the tower. At midsummer (June), the sun is still above the horizon at midnight from this viewpoint; in winter, northern lights are visible looking north over the bay when the aurora is active.
2. Dyrhólaey Arch View, South Coast — 120 m
Dyrhólaey is a promontory on Iceland's south coast rising to 120 metres with a natural basalt arch (the name means "door hole island") large enough for a small boat to pass through. The upper viewpoint — accessible by gravel road to the top of the promontory — faces south over the arch to the open North Atlantic and west toward the black sand of Reynisfjara and the sea stacks of Reynisdrangar. The arch from above, with the waves breaking through it, is one of the most dramatic coastal views in Iceland. The promontory is closed April through June during arctic tern nesting season; the closure is actively enforced by rangers. Dyrhólaey is 180 km from Reykjavik; most visitors combine it with Reynisfjara on the same day.
3. Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach from Above
The basalt sea stacks of Reynisdrangar rise 66 metres from the sea at Reynisfjara, Iceland's most visited black sand beach. The classic view of them is from the beach level, but the higher view — from the Dyrhólaey promontory to the west or from the hill immediately east of the parking area (a 15-minute scramble) — provides the full context: the basalt column cliffs of Hálsanef on the right, the dark sand, and the three sea stacks silhouetted against the Atlantic. The waves at Reynisfjara are categorically dangerous for beach walking close to the waterline; several tourists have been swept out by sneaker waves. View from the Hálsanef cliff top (stairs from the car park) is safe and gives a different perspective.
4. Háifoss Waterfall Viewpoint, Þjórsá Valley — 122 m
Háifoss is Iceland's second-highest waterfall at 122 metres, dropping from the Fossá canyon into the Þjórsá river valley. The viewpoint is on the canyon rim directly across from the falls — a gravel car park from which both Háifoss and the shorter adjacent Granni waterfall (46 m) are visible simultaneously. The canyon between them is a narrow basalt gorge, making the double-waterfall view exceptional. Access via the F225 mountain road (4WD required in wet conditions); approximately 2 hours from Reykjavik. The best light falls on the falls in the afternoon when the sun is to the southwest. Overnight flooding from subglacial volcanic activity occasionally closes the road; check conditions.
5. Gullfoss Platform, Golden Circle — canyon 70 m deep
Gullfoss (Golden Falls) drops in two stages into a 70-metre-deep basalt canyon before the Hvítá river turns and disappears from sight, creating the illusion that the river falls directly into the earth. The main platform is directly above the upper falls on the south bank, with a lower path reaching to within spray distance of the cascade. The view is both west (upstream) and down into the canyon. The lower path gives the most dramatic physical proximity to the falls; the upper platform gives the landscape context. Gullfoss faces southwest and produces rainbows in the spray on sunny afternoons. Part of the standard Golden Circle day trip from Reykjavik (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss).
6. Þingvellir Continental Rift Overlook, Southwest Iceland
Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park contains the visible surface expression of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: the Almannagjá rift valley, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart at approximately 2 centimetres per year. The overlook from the Hakid viewpoint on the western rift wall looks east across the rift valley floor to the eastern scarp wall, with Þingvallavatn lake beyond — a panorama that is simultaneously geological history (the world's oldest parliament, the Althing, met on the valley floor from 930 CE) and active plate tectonics. UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
7. Brimketill Natural Pool, Reykjanes Peninsula
Brimketill is a natural lava pool on the Reykjanes coast, roughly 10 metres in diameter, filled with cold seawater and carved by wave action from the basalt flow. The viewpoint from the surrounding lava field looks down into the pool with the open Atlantic behind it. More intimate than Iceland's larger panoramas, Brimketill is best photographed with a long lens from the rim of the pool during storm conditions when the waves break over the lava into and around the pool. The Reykjanes peninsula road is open year-round; the 45-minute drive from Reykjavik passes geothermal vents and lava fields from the 2021-2024 Fagradalsfjall eruption series. Check current road conditions near Grindavík.
8. Kirkjufell, Snæfellsnes Peninsula — 463 m
Kirkjufell is an isolated 463-metre mountain with a distinctive arrowhead profile rising directly from Grundarfjörður bay on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The classic view from the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall parking area frames the mountain between two waterfalls in the foreground. The mountain's form — steep symmetrical faces, no easy route to the summit — makes it primarily a viewing and photography subject rather than a hiking destination, though an unofficial scrambling route exists. The north-facing orientation means the mountain is lit from the side in summer and silhouetted at winter sunrise. Widely recognised from its appearance in Game of Thrones and in Northern Lights photography.
9. Stokksnes — Vestrahorn (Batman Mountain), East Iceland — 454 m
The Vestrahorn massif at Stokksnes on Iceland's southeast coast rises 454 metres directly from a black sand spit that curves into the sea, creating a reflection view of the mountain in the shallow lagoon at high tide. The spit is accessed via a private farm road with a small fee. The mountain's jagged granite profile (nicknamed "Batman Mountain" for its silhouette) faces north into prevailing weather from the Denmark Strait, producing dramatic cloud formations against the peaks. The reflection view from the spit at low wind, in the first or last hour of daylight, is one of the most-photographed compositions in Iceland.
10. Mýrdalsjökull Glacier Views, South Coast
Mýrdalsjökull is a 596-square-kilometre ice cap covering the Katla supervolcano on Iceland's south coast. The glacier tongue at Sólheimajökull — a 2.7-kilometre walk from the parking area — is the most accessible ice-front view in Iceland, showing active retreat with meltwater lake and blue-green ice faces. The upper glacier views from the mountain access road toward Þórsmörk (the F249, accessible only with a high-clearance 4WD) show the full scale of the icecap from below the southward-facing outlet glaciers. Guided glacier walks on Sólheimajökull run year-round and take two hours from the car park to the ice.
Planning Iceland Travel
Iceland's tourist infrastructure is largely concentrated along the Ring Road (Route 1), and the viewpoints on this list can be divided into the south coast (entries 2-5, 9-10, accessible on Ring Road), Reykjavik and surrounds (1, 6, 7), and Snæfellsnes (8). All viewpoints are on the map with road type and seasonal access information.