Everyone photographs the Sun Voyager assuming it is a Viking ship. The sculptor said it was nothing of the sort: a dream boat and an ode to the sun.
About Sun Voyager
Jon Gunnar Arnason won a 1986 competition to mark the 200th anniversary of Reykjavik becoming a city. He designed Sun Voyager as an abstract dreamboat carrying its crew toward the light. He died in 1989, before it was installed, and the work was unveiled in 1990 on the Saebraut shoreline path.
Sun Voyager in short
Sun Voyager (Solfar) is a steel sculpture on the Reykjavik seafront that looks, at first glance, like a stylised Viking longship pointing out to sea. It is one of the most photographed objects in the city, set on a low plinth beside the bay with the mountains of Esja across the water.
Not a Viking Ship
The resemblance to a Viking ship is the great misunderstanding about it. The sculptor, Jon Gunnar Arnason, insisted it was not a vessel of conquest or history at all but a dream boat, an ode to the sun and a vision of light, hope and undiscovered territory. He made it as the city approached its 200th anniversary, and it was unveiled in 1990, shortly after his death.
The Experience
It sits right on the waterfront promenade, so you walk up to it along the sea with the open bay and Mount Esja behind. At golden hour the polished steel catches the low sun and the whole frame seems to lift off its base. In summer the midnight sun keeps that glow going past midnight, which is when photographers crowd in.
Why It Matters
Sun Voyager has become an unofficial emblem of Reykjavik, a fixed point on every walking route along the coast. It captures the way the city likes to see itself, looking outward and toward the light rather than back at the sagas, which is exactly the opposite of the Viking reading most visitors give it.
Why Visit
It is a free, two-minute stop on the seafront walk and the city's signature photo. Come at golden hour, frame Mount Esja behind it, and you have the definitive Reykjavik shot.
Best Season
🌤 Open and free at all times. Summer's midnight sun gives the longest golden-hour window; winter offers a chance of aurora behind the steel frame on clear nights.
Quick Facts
Best time to visit
Open and free at all times. Summer's midnight sun gives the longest golden-hour window; winter offers a chance of aurora behind the steel frame on clear nights.
Getting there
In Reykjavík, Iceland; reach Reykjavík first, then continue to the site.
What's nearby
Harpa Concert Hall, Hallgrímskirkja and Tjörnin are also in the area.
Location
Reykjavík, Iceland
Type
attraction
Coordinates
64.1476°, -21.9223°
Insider Tips
- 1
Visit at sunrise or sunset for the light on the steel; midday flattens it.
- 2
It is a short walk along the seafront from Harpa, so pair the two.
- 3
Frame the shot with Mount Esja across the bay behind the sculpture.
- 4
It is not a Viking ship; the artist called it a dream boat and an ode to the sun.
