Perlan
Perlan ("The Pearl") is a distinctive glass-domed building atop Öskjuhlíð hill in Reykjavík, built on six large hot-water storage tanks that still supply part of the city's geothermal district heating system. It now operates as a natural history museum and observation deck, with exhibits including a 100-metre man-made ice cave, a planetarium with a Northern Lights show, and displays on Iceland's glaciers, volcanoes, and wildlife.
Region
Reykjavík Capital Area
Coordinates
64.1292° N, 21.9192° W
Plan the stop
- Allow
- 3 hrs
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Full
- The museum has lifts to every floor, wide accessible pathways through exhibits including the man-made ice cave, a wheelchair-accessible planetarium and 360° observation deck, plus accessible parking and restrooms near the entrance.
- Limited mobility · Full
- Elevators, indoor seating, accessible parking, and compact exhibit circulation make this one of the easier major attractions for limited stamina.
- Sensory · Partial
- The ice cave, planetarium, and immersive exhibits can involve darkness, cold, projection, sound, and crowds.
- Cognitive · Partial
- Exhibits are organized indoors with staff support, but multi-sensory rooms and a multi-floor layout may require pacing.
Why it matters
The first storage tank on the site was built in 1939 as part of Reykjavík's pioneering geothermal heating network, with five more added over the following decades; the tanks were capped with the glass dome and opened to the public as Perlan in 1991. It is a modern landmark rather than a historic site, valued mainly as a symbol of Iceland's geothermal infrastructure and as one of Reykjavík's most recognizable silhouettes.