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Perlan is one of Reykjavík's most-visited attractions, a museum experience built around the Wonders of Iceland exhibition. The site welcomes more than 500,000 visitors each year and has held Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Best of the Best for four straight years. Inside, you'll find a 100-meter (328 ft) indoor ice cave, the Áróra 8K Northern Lights planetarium, the Volcano Show, a 10-meter (33 ft) replica of Látrabjarg cliff, and a wraparound 360° observation deck over the city. Plan 2 to 3 hours at Perlan, as the central Reykjavík location makes it easy to slot into any city itinerary.
Perlan stands on top of Öskjuhlíð hill in central Reykjavík, the highest point in the inner capital area. The walk from downtown takes about 30 minutes through forested paths, mostly uphill but gentle. City buses 13 and 18 stop closest to the building, and Perlan offers free parking right outside. A taxi from the city center takes about five minutes. The elevated position is part of the appeal, and the 360° observation deck inside puts those views within reach.
Hot water from these tanks heated Reykjavík for decades before the dome arrived in 1991. Photo: Perlan
Perlan began as part of Reykjavík's geothermal infrastructure. The first hot-water storage tank was built on Öskjuhlíð hill in 1939, with five more added over the following decades to supply district heating across the capital. By the late 1980s, the original tanks were torn down and replaced with six new ones under the direction of then-mayor Davíð Oddsson, who turned the working infrastructure into a public space.
The glass dome that now caps the six tanks was designed by architect Ingimundur Sveinsson, and the building opened in June 1991. Ingimundur designed the architecture only; the museum and the Wonders of Iceland exhibition came later, developed with leading museum designers and natural-science educators. Four of the six tanks still store geothermal water for the city, one now contains the indoor ice cave, and another houses the Áróra planetarium. The Wonders of Iceland opened in stages, starting with the Ice Cave and Glaciers exhibition in 2017 and growing with new displays, including the recently opened Volcano Show.
Iceland sits along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where two tectonic plates pull apart. Photo: Perlan
The Wonders of Iceland exhibition is the heart of the Perlan experience, bringing Iceland's landscapes, weather, and wildlife indoors through interactive displays, real ice, and full-dome cinematic projection. The headline exhibits include the Ice Cave and Glaciers Exhibition, the Áróra 8K Northern Lights planetarium, the Volcano Show, the Látrabjarg cliff replica, and the Perlan Observation Deck. Additional rooms cover the country’s oceans through marine-life displays, the country's freshwater systems, and a walk-through geological timeline showing how the island formed along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The restaurant, café, bar, and ice cream parlor sit under the dome on the upper floors, with panoramic city views.
A wool sweater is enough inside the cave, where the temperature sits at glacier level year-round. Photo: Perlan
Minutes from downtown Reykjavík, you can step into a 100-meter (328 ft) indoor ice cave built from real snow: over 350 tons of it, packed in from Bláfjöll (Blue Mountains). The temperature inside stays around -10°C (14°F), and the corridors are lit deep blue, so you get the feel of an Icelandic glacier without the long drive to Vatnajökull glacier. Dress warmly: it's notably colder inside the cave than in the rest of the museum.The adjoining Perlan’s glacier exhibition explains how the country’s ice caps form, how they shape the landscape, and what current research says about their accelerating retreat. The centerpiece is an immersive Vatnajökull installation that puts you on top of Europe's largest glacier, with interactive maps tracing how the ice has receded and what it could look like by the end of the century.
The full-dome screen wraps overhead so the aurora fills your peripheral vision the way it does outdoors. Photo: Perlan
Perlan's planetarium is the first of its kind in Iceland and ranks among the most advanced installations of its size. The 150-seat dome was built inside one of the six water tanks that anchor the building, with 8K projection and surround sound. The signature show, Áróra, plays the Northern Lights across the full curved screen, with scientific narration on how the aurora forms and where to look for it. From the comfort of a cinema seat, you watch the lights dance overhead in cinematic detail, without ever leaving the dome. Áróra works as a strong backup for travelers who don't catch the real aurora during their trip, and as a useful sneak peek if you're planning a Northern Lights tour yourself.
The screen wraps around the seating, so the eruption fills the room instead of one wall. Photo: Perlan
The Volcano Show is one of Perlan's recently opened exhibits, designed to showcase Iceland's volcanic activity through immersive video and audio. The current show centers on the Geldingadalir eruption that began on March 19, 2021, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the first eruption in the area in more than 800 years. You'll see footage of lava flows, learn how volcanoes form along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and get a sense of why the Reykjanes system continues to erupt in cycles. Volcanoes have shaped the country's landscape, language, and folklore, so this room is a useful stop for any traveler who wants to understand Iceland beyond the picture-postcard view.
At the real cliff you stand above the birds, but here you stand below them looking up. Photo: Perlan
The Látrabjarg Cliff exhibit recreates one of Iceland's most famous bird cliffs inside Perlan. Standing 10 meters (33 ft) tall, the replica is studded with lifelike puffins and other seabird models, placed at roughly the heights each species actually nests in the wild. The real Látrabjarg, in the remote Westfjords, is one of Europe's largest seabird cliffs. For travelers without time to drive up to the Westfjords (a long day each way from Reykjavík), this is the closest you'll get to standing under one of Iceland's great seabird colonies.
Panels around the deck name the mountains, landmarks, and glaciers visible in each direction. Photo: Perlan
The Perlan Observation Deck wraps around the upper floor of the glass dome and gives 360° views over Reykjavík and beyond. From here, you can pick out the city's main landmarks, follow the coastline north and south, and trace the mountains and glaciers that frame the capital area: Mount Esja, Snæfellsjökull glacier (about 100 km west) on a clear day, and the Reykjanes Peninsula. It's one of Reykjavík's standout viewpoints, especially as a final stop after the indoor exhibits, the Volcano Show, and the Áróra planetarium. Photographers should aim for golden hour or, in winter, the blue-hour twilight that bookends short days. Access to the deck is included with every ticket.
Perlan has just one ticket type, and it includes admission to every exhibition and show, plus access to the 360° observation deck. There are no family discounts or partial-access tickets. Children 4 and under enter free, and booking online saves 400 ISK per ticket.
Perlan ticket prices as of May 2026
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Ticket type |
Online price |
On-site price |
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Adult (13+) |
6,890 ISK ($56 / €48) |
7,290 ISK ($60 / €51) |
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Child (5–12) |
4,890 ISK ($40 / €34) |
5,290 ISK ($43 / €37) |
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Children 4 and under |
Free |
Free |
Tickets lock in a specific date and time slot, so arriving outside that window doesn’t guarantee entry.
Standard opening hours
Special hours apply on Icelandic public holidays, so check Perlan’s official site before you go.
The forest around Perlan is Öskjuhlíð, the closest of these attractions and a free, quiet add-on. Photo: Perlan
Perlan sits at the southern edge of central Reykjavík, with most of the city's main attractions within a 30-minute walk.
Closest highlights, with distances and rough walking times from Perlan
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Attraction |
Key feature |
Distance from Perlan |
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Öskjuhlíð |
Small forest, walking trails, city views, and nature paths around Perlan |
On-site / 0–5 min walk |
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Kringlan Shopping Mall |
Reykjavík's largest shopping mall, with shops, dining, cinema, and services |
About 2 km (1.2 miles); 25-min walk |
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Nauthólsvík geothermal beach |
Geothermal beach with hot tubs, steam baths, and a sea-swimming area |
About 1.5 km (1 mile); 20-min walk |
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Kjarvalsstaðir |
The Reykjavík Art Museum that focuses on modern Icelandic art |
About 1.3 km (0.8 miles); 20-min walk |
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Klambratún park |
Large public park with green space, play areas, sports areas, and access to Kjarvalsstaðir |
About 1.3 km (0.8 miles); 20-min walk |
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Hallgrímskirkja church |
Reykjavík's iconic church with striking architecture and a tower viewpoint |
About 2.1 km (1.3 miles); 30-min walk |
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Skólavörðustígur |
Colorful central street known for shops, cafés, galleries, and the Rainbow Street view toward Hallgrímskirkja |
About 2.5 km (1.6 miles); 35-min walk |
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Laugavegur |
Reykjavík's main shopping street, with boutiques, restaurants, cafés, and bars |
About 2.2 km (1.4 miles); 30-min walk |
Walking times are measured from Perlan's main entrance and assume snow-free paths, so allow extra time in winter.
Perlan easily fits into a Reykjavík half-day itinerary. After your visit, walk north through Öskjuhlíð woodland and up Skólavörðustígur to Hallgrímskirkja for a full afternoon on foot. In winter, do Perlan first and end at the observation deck just before sunset, when the blue-hour light over Reykjavík makes it one of the city's best low-effort viewpoints. In summer, reverse the order and close at Perlan with a drink at the upper-floor bar.
Yes, Perlan is worth visiting if you want to understand Iceland's nature without giving up a full day to glacier or volcano tours. It's especially useful on rainy or windy days, in winter when daylight is short, or as a first-day primer before you head into the countryside. Travelers on tight schedules often use Perlan as a one-stop substitute for missed glacier and aurora plans.
Perlan houses Iceland's largest indoor nature exhibition under one roof, the Wonders of Iceland. Inside, you can walk through a real-snow ice cave, watch the Northern Lights at the Áróra 8K planetarium, see the Volcano Show, stand under a 10-meter Látrabjarg cliff replica, and take in the 360° views of Reykjavík from the observation deck. The ice cave and the planetarium are the most distinctive of the group, with the cave built from real snow held at -10°C (14°F) and the planetarium being the first of its kind in Iceland.
Plan 2 to 3 hours for the full visit, plus another hour if you eat at the restaurant or stop at the bar. Two parts of the experience are scheduled, so book carefully. Your entry ticket is locked to a specific date and time slot, and the Áróra planetarium runs on set showtimes throughout the day. Families with younger children often stay closer to the longer end because the exhibits are interactive.
Perlan is located on Öskjuhlíð hill in central Reykjavík, on the southern edge of the city center. The hill itself is a small forested park with walking trails, and the elevated position gives Perlan its 360° views. Kringlan shopping mall, Nauthólsvík geothermal beach, and the Kjarvalsstaðir art museum all sit within a 25-minute walk. Most visitors arrive on foot from downtown in about 30 minutes, on city buses 13 and 18, or by car (free parking is right outside).
Yes, you can see artificial northern lights in Perlan, indoors. Áróra is a full-dome 8K planetarium show that recreates the Northern Lights in cinema quality. Unlike the real aurora, the show runs year-round and plays at every scheduled time. In summer (May to August), it's the only way to experience the lights in Iceland, when the midnight sun keeps the sky too bright for real aurora viewing. From September to April, Áróra works best as a complement to a real Northern Lights tour, not a replacement for one.
The Perlan ice cave is man-made, but built from real snow and ice, with over 350 tons of snow hauled in from Iceland's Bláfjöll, a mountain range outside Reykjavík. The inside temperature stays around -10°C (14°F), and the corridors are sculpted to mimic the chambers you'd find inside a glacier like Vatnajökull or Langjökull. It isn't a natural glacier cave, but it's the closest year-round version available in Reykjavík, and the only way to experience an ice cave in summer, when real glacier caves are closed.
