On the waterfront, only a few minutes from Harpa sits the most famous sculpture in Iceland, the Sólfarið or the Sun Voyager. Made of steel and resembling a Viking ship — although this was not the artist's intention — the Sun Voyager is, according to its creator Jón Gunnar Árnason, an ode to the sun, a dreamboat symbolising the promise of undiscovered territory, the dream of hope, progress, and freedom. This is also one of the best spots for a picture in Reykjavík, with Mount Esja providing the perfect backdrop.

Simply put, Iceland’s famous Golden Circle is a popular route between three of the island's most visited attractions. Usually done as a day trip, the route starts in Reykjavik and takes you south and inland, to the Þingvellir National Park. There you enter the Geyser geothermal area with the Strokkur Geyser being most eager of the bunch. Finally, you arrive at to the 32-metre tall Gullfoss waterfall in the canyon of the roaring Hvítá river. Many tour agents and travellers themselves like to make extra stops along the way to see a geothermal power plant or spend a few hours at one of the spas. You could rent a car and drive between the landmarks at your own speed. In summer, you could even use the long daylight hours to avoid the crowds that tend to come earlier in the day. If you can pick your own route, don't miss the Kerid Crater Lake — a scenic lake that occupies a 3,000 years old volcanic crater that you can easily reach on foot.

Palazzo Ferretti hosts the National Archaeological Museum which contains many relics dating back to the Palaeolithic and Iron Ages, as well as Greek sculptures and Roman mosaics and sculptures.