“Even in deep winter, one corner of Reykjavik's central pond never freezes, because the city pumps in geothermal water to keep the birds a place to swim.”
About Tjörnin
The pond has been the centre of Reykjavik since the town's earliest days, and the elegant timber houses around it date largely from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The modern city hall was built right at its edge in 1992, deliberately bringing civic life down to the water. The national gallery sits on the opposite shore.
Tjornin, simply 'the Pond', is the shallow lake at the heart of Reykjavik, ringed by colourful timber houses, the city hall and the national gallery. It is the social and visual centre of the old town, where the city meets the water and where, on a cold winter, the surface freezes hard enough to skate on.
Tjornin, simply 'the Pond', is the shallow lake at the heart of Reykjavik, ringed by colourful timber houses, the city hall and the national gallery.
The Bird Pond
Locals treat feeding the ducks, geese and swans here as a small civic ritual, and the pond stays partly unfrozen even in deep winter because the city pipes in geothermal water at one end to keep an area open for the birds. That warm patch, crowded with waterfowl while the rest of the lake ices over, is one of the small, telling details of how Reykjavik lives with its geothermal heat.
The Experience
The walk follows the perimeter in twenty minutes, past the reflections of painted houses in the water and a constant traffic of ducks, swans and arctic terns in summer. In winter, when the lake freezes, children skate across it and the open geothermal corner steams gently while the birds gather. It is the most relaxed, local spot in the city.
Why It Matters
Tjornin is the heart of old Reykjavik, the reference point the whole historic centre is built around. The warmed corner for the birds is a quiet emblem of the city's relationship with geothermal energy, which heats the houses, the pavements and even a patch of the lake.
Tjornin is the heart of old Reykjavik, the reference point the whole historic centre is built around.
Why Visit
It is the most relaxed, local corner of Reykjavik and costs nothing. Walk the loop for the reflected timber houses, watch the birds at the warmed corner, and in winter join the skaters on the ice.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Walk the full loop in about twenty minutes for the best views of the timber houses reflected in the water.
- 2
In winter, look for the geothermally warmed corner that stays open while the rest freezes.
- 3
Combine it with the city hall and the national gallery, both on the shore.
