Perlan Wonders of Iceland
Perlan, meaning The Pearl, is a landmark building on Öskjuhlíð, the highest hill in Reykjavik. It consists of six large hot-water storage tanks, four of which still supply geothermal hot water to the city, topped by a glass dome that floods the interior with light. Inside is the Wonders of Iceland museum, home to a real indoor ice cave, an 8K planetarium northern lights show called Áróra, interactive glacier and volcano exhibitions, and a wraparound observation deck with a 360-degree panorama of the capital. An indoor geyser in the atrium shoots water 25 metres into the air.
Reykjavik's Most Distinctive Landmark, Built on Top of the City's Hot-Water Supply
The six tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill have stored Reykjavik's geothermal hot water since the mid-20th century. When it came time to renovate or demolish them in the 1990s, architect Ingimundur Sveinsson proposed capping them with a hemispherical glass dome instead, and Perlan opened in that form in 1991. Four tanks still function as hot-water storage. One was converted into a planetarium and one into the ice cave. The dome rotates slowly, and the restaurant inside, Út í bláinn, completes a full 360-degree revolution over the course of a meal. The building is one of the most recognised silhouettes in Iceland and visible from across the city and from the harbour.
The Wonders of Iceland museum inside covers Iceland's core natural phenomena through immersive, interactive exhibitions. The ice cave, built with 350 tonnes of snow and ice and kept below freezing, recreates the experience of walking through a real glacier cave and is particularly worthwhile for visitors not planning to visit a natural ice cave elsewhere in Iceland. The Áróra northern lights show uses 8K projection and 7.1 surround sound in a 150-seat planetarium and offers a guaranteed aurora experience regardless of weather or season, which makes it useful year-round. Further exhibitions cover glaciers, volcanoes, Icelandic birdlife (including a 10-metre replica of the Látrabjarg sea cliffs), and the country's water systems. The museum has been ranked in the top 1 percent of attractions worldwide on Tripadvisor for four consecutive years.
Perlan is on Öskjuhlíð hill about 30 minutes on foot from central Reykjavik, or 5 minutes by taxi. City bus route 18 serves the hill. Free parking is available on site. The building also houses a café, an ice cream parlour, a gift shop, and the fine dining restaurant. The observation deck is included in standard museum admission. Pre-booking is recommended, especially for the timed planetarium shows, which have limited seating and run at set times throughout the day.
