Near downtown Reykjavik is the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre – or Harpa – which opened in 2011. Since then it has won several awards since then, including the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, which is very prestigious.

Harpa’s façade is primarily made of glass. The side facing the city is the most interesting as it uses hexagonal pieces, some of which are coloured glass to give the building a more interesting design and texture.

While we were there, we decided to go to the Volcano Express, which is an immersive cinematic experience that takes you deep into Iceland’s most volcanically active areas. In a 10-minute show (for 2681 ISK, $22 USD, £16.32, €18.75 per adult) you explore the volcanic areas of southwestern Iceland, the continental divide, the geological history and Iceland’s geothermal energy/power stations. No CGI is used during the entire production (everything was filmed between 2021 and 2024); it is a 5D experience with air (via pipes) and movement (via movement seeats) that make you feel like you are flying above the ground, diving into cracks and exploring the place for yourself.

Unfortunately for the Volcano Express, no photography was allowed. While the experience was overall positive, I felt like it mostly contained tourist information rather than being substantial. That said, the videography was amazing and you did feel like you were in the middle of the experience the entire time. I just felt like it could have gone a lot more in-depth. Also that price for a 9-minute experience was steep.

In addition to the Volcano Express (which is in the basement), Harpa also has a couple of shops, several conference halls and venues for performances, spaces for interactive experiences, and an upscale restaurant.

Harpa is located on the old harbour in Rekyjavik out of which many of the whale-watching companies operate boats. It is also near the Sun Voyager, a modern art scultpure of a viking longboat made out of runic staffs.

You can get there easily as it sits on Route 41, a major route into and out of the capital. There are a lot of parking garages in the area as well. Please be careful with payment as several of these garages are connected underground; however the payment procedures, machines, and apps that you can pay with differ between each.

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