Skólavörðustígur — Rainbow Street to Hallgrímskirkja
Colourful central Reykjavík street leading uphill to Hallgrímskirkja.
Stuttlega
Heimsóknartími
15–30 min walk + stops
Besta árstíð
Mornings before crowds arrive
Leiðarvísir
From Laugavegur junction to Hallgrímstorg
GPS
64.1435, -21.9323
Um
Um Skólavörðustígur — Rainbow Street to Hallgrímskirkja
Colourful central Reykjavík street leading uphill to Hallgrímskirkja.
A natural walking route between Laugavegur and Hallgrímskirkja with one of downtown Reykjavík’s most colourful streetscapes.
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Myndir
Myndavefur
Bakgrunnur
Saga og bakgrunnur
The street name dates from the era when a Latin school stood on the hill where Hallgrímskirkja now rises. A stone cairn (vörður) marked the route, and the street was known as the 'School Cairn Road'. When Hallgrímskirkja was built 1945–1986, Skólavörðustígur became the ceremonial approach to Iceland's most iconic building. The rainbow paint was added in 2015 during Reykjavík Pride.
Skólavörðustígur is one of Reykjavík’s most recognisable walking streets, running uphill toward Hallgrímskirkja. Its rainbow-painted section has become a popular photo stop, while the surrounding blocks mix galleries, design shops, cafés and everyday city life. Traffic arrangements and paint layouts can change, so treat the street as a living part of downtown rather than a fixed installation.
Þjóðsögur
Saga og þjóðsögur
The street’s strong visual identity comes from the combination of its slope toward Hallgrímskirkja, colourful pavement and dense mix of small city-centre businesses.
Visstu að?
500m long, 12% gradient hill
Staðbundin þjóðsaga
The Rainbow to Heaven
Locals joke that the rainbow street is the road to heaven — and heaven is Hallgrímskirkja at the top, where you can see all of Iceland spread out before you.
Menning
Sögur og þjóðsögur
Íslenskar sögur og þjóðsögur frá þessum slóðum
Engey
Engey is a historic location in Iceland mentioned in "Njáls saga", one of the ancient Íslendingasögur (Sagas of Icelanders). These medieval narratives preserve the history of Iceland's Viking Age settlement.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is a historic location in Iceland mentioned in "Harðar saga og Hólmverja", one of the ancient Íslendingasögur (Sagas of Icelanders). These medieval narratives preserve the history of Iceland's Viking Age settlement.
Skuggabaldur – The Shadow Creature
Skuggabaldur: A phantom dog guarding forgotten paths.
Höfði House – Reykjavík's Haunted Mansion
Höfði House: Reykjavík's historic mansion with a chilling paranormal past.
Kanna
Falin gimsteinar í nágrenninu
i8 Gallery
Iceland's leading contemporary art gallery is halfway up the hill on the right — free entry and always worth a look.
The View Down
Everyone photographs looking up to the church. Turn around halfway up and photograph looking down over the colourful rooftops — it's just as beautiful.
Hjálp
Algengar spurningar
Staðsetning
Staðsetning
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Places from our database within 5.0 km — all data from Sanity
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