Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Viðey is a small, car-free island about a kilometre off Reykjavík, with Iceland's oldest stone house, Richard Serra's Milestones sculptures and Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower. A short ferry ride takes you there, from Skarfabakki (about 5 minutes) or the Old Harbour (about 20 minutes, summer only). Allow 2–4 hours.
Viðey is a green, low island in Kollafjörður bay, close enough to see from the city centre. It is made up of two parts, the main island and Vesturey (West Island), joined by a narrow isthmus. It is quiet, open and windy, with well-marked grassy paths, old ruins and sea views back to Esja mountain and the Reykjavík skyline. There are no cars and no permanent residents: people lived here for centuries, but the last of them left in the 1940s.
The island has a long history. Archaeologists have found evidence of settlement from the 10th century, and there was once a monastery here. In the 18th century Skúli Magnússon, often called the father of Reykjavík, lived on the island. His house, Viðeyjarstofa, was finished in 1755 and is the oldest stone building in Iceland, and the church next to it is nearly as old. The island was given to the city of Reykjavík in 1986.
Today Viðey is a place for easy walking, birdwatching and public art. Around 30 bird species breed on the island, including eider ducks, fulmars and oystercatchers, and about 156 species of wild plants have been counted. At only 1.7 square kilometres, it is small enough to walk round in an afternoon.
The Imagine Peace Tower was conceived by Yoko Ono as a memorial to her late husband, John Lennon of the Beatles, and to the vision of a world at peace that they shared. It is a beam of light shining into the sky from a white stone base carved with the words 'Imagine Peace' in 24 languages. It is powered by geothermal energy and is lit each year from 9 October, Lennon's birthday, until early in December, and again on a few special dates, including around New Year's Eve.
Áfangar, or Milestones, by the American sculptor Richard Serra was installed in 1990. It is made of nine pairs of basalt columns placed around Vesturey, the western part of the island, each pair set so that it frames a landmark across the water.
Ferry days and times change with the season. Bad weather can cancel crossings, so check before you set off.
Viðey is small and mostly flat, and the paths are well marked. A long walk is the best way to see it.
Paths are mostly gravel and grass. Wear windproof clothing, even in summer.
Check the ferry timetable for the exact days and dates for the season.
Viðeyjarstofa has a restaurant and event space, and there are toilets on the island. Paths are mostly flat but unpaved, so accessibility is limited. There are no shops.
Stay in central Reykjavík, close to the Old Harbour ferry and to buses to Skarfabakki. There are no places to stay on the island itself.
By ferry. The main route is from Skarfabakki (about 5 minutes), and in summer there is also a longer crossing from the Old Harbour (about 20 minutes).
Allow 2–4 hours, depending on how much you walk and whether you have a meal.
Each year from 9 October, John Lennon's birthday, into December, and on a few other peace-related dates. Check the official schedule for exact hours.
Yes, in Viðeyjarstofa, the historic house near the landing. Opening times vary by season.
Yes, but ferries usually only run at weekends, and weather can cancel sailings.
No. The island was inhabited for centuries, but it has had no permanent residents since the 1940s.
The nine pairs of basalt columns of Áfangar stand around Vesturey, the western part of the island, a walk across the isthmus from the landing.
