Harpa Concert Hall
Harpa
Region: Reykjavík Capital AreaCoordinates: 64.1503° N, 21.9325° W
Harpa is Reykjavík's concert hall and conference centre on the Old Harbour waterfront, designed by Henning Larsen Architects with a honeycomb-patterned coloured-glass facade created by artist Olafur Eliasson and inspired by Iceland's basalt column landscapes. It is home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and hosts concerts, conferences, and, from 2026, the Icelandic Opera.
Plan the stop
- Who it suits
- All ages
- Open public building suitable for all ages to explore; specific concerts may carry their own age guidance depending on the performance.
- Allow
- 45 min
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Full
- Elevators connect the parking garage to all public floors, concert halls have designated wheelchair spaces reservable in advance, and the building offers accessible restrooms and wheelchair rental.
- Limited mobility · Full
- Indoor elevator access, seating, and central harbor location make a building visit low effort.
- Sensory · Partial
- Glass reflections, open atrium acoustics, event crowds, and concert sound levels vary by time and performance; Harpa also offers visual-navigation assistance by advance arrangement and hearing-loop/infrared equipment in the main halls.
- Cognitive · Partial
- Public areas are manageable, but event-day crowds and multiple halls can make wayfinding harder.
Why it matters
Opened in 2011, Harpa was Iceland's first purpose-built concert hall; construction continued through the 2008 financial crash after the government stepped in to fund its completion, making it something of a symbol of post-crisis recovery. It won the European Union's Mies van der Rohe Award for contemporary architecture in 2013.