Smáratorg Tower
Iceland's tallest building is not a cathedral — it's a 20-floor office block in Kópavogur.
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At 77.6 metres (255 ft), Smáratorg 3 outranks Hallgrímskirkja as Iceland's tallest building. Designed by Arkís architects and opened in February 2008, it is a matter-of-fact piece of contemporary Icelandic construction sitting beside a shopping mall — which makes it more interesting, not less. The building holds fourth place among all structures in the country, beaten only by three radio masts.
What to look for
- The full 20-floor silhouette rising to 77.6 metres — a height that beats every church and civic tower in the country
- Smáralind shopping mall directly adjacent, sharing the Kirkjuvellir 3 site in Kópavogur
- The Arkís-designed facade — construction ran 2003 to 2007, with the doors opening 11 February 2008
Located at Kirkjuvellir 3, Kópavogur — a separate municipality south of central Reykjavik, reachable by bus along the Ring Road corridor.
Smáratorg Tower is one of 17 sights worth the detour in Reykjavik, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Reykjavik pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Reykjavik
- HallgrímskirkjaA 74-metre church modeled on Iceland's volcanic basalt columns — 41 years in the making, visible from nearly anywhere in the city.
- Icelandic Phallological MuseumOne exhibit needs a magnifying glass; another once measured 170 cm. Both are real.
- LaugardalsvöllurThe city that dreamed of a sporting venue in 1871 — when Reykjavík held just 2,000 people — finally opened a football stadium here in 1959.
- National Museum of IcelandA carved wooden door where a knight slays a dragon and gains a lion as his companion — and that is the headline object.
- Bessastaðir — Presidential ResidenceSnorri Sturluson farmed here in the 1200s. Turkish slave raiders attacked in 1627. Today the president of Iceland calls it home.
- Imagine Peace TowerA column of light rises 4,000 metres into the Arctic sky from a wishing well on a small island — Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, running on geothermal power.