2 Best Sights in City Center East, Reykjavík

This statue perched atop a hill (also named for Ingólfur) commemorates the Norse settler credited with being the first to set down roots in Reykjavík around 874 AD. Legend has it that Ingólfur cast two pillars of his chieftain's seat into the sea upon his approach to Iceland, and then sent two enslaved people on a three-year search to find them. They were found in what is now present-day Reykjavík. Ingólfur's story is central to Icelandic history and celebrated throughout the city’s culture and landmarks.

Designed by Jón Gunnar Árnason and unveiled in 1990, Sólfar is a gleaming stainless steel sculpture resembling a Viking ship. Located along Reykjavík’s Sæbraut waterfront, it symbolizes hope, exploration, and the sun. Often photographed at sunrise or sunset, visiting the sculpture's platform offers stunning views of Mt. Esja and Faxaflói Bay.