Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre

Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre

Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre at the heart of Reykjavik is an award-winning building situated at the old harbour. Harpa opened its doors in 2011 and boasts a wide variety of hosted events where all musical genres play a part. Harpa won the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2013 for architecture. Harpa was designed by Olafur Eliasson, Henning Larssen architects and Batteri architects. Harpa is the residency of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, The Icelandic Opera and the Reykjavik Big Band. Harpa is a state of the art conference centre. Harpa was awarded the prestigious MICE Report award for best conference centre in Northern Europe. Harpa is also the home of several regular shows: - How to become Icelandic in 60 minutes - Pearls of Icelandic Songs - Icelandic Sagas: The Greatest Hits - Reykjavík Classics - Mulinn Jazz Club - The Tin Drum Series - Bowie: The Session - The Icelandic Emigration Center's Exhibit
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Miðborg
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • EnglandTraveller2007
    Yorkshire, United Kingdom228 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Impressive architecture in an uninspiring city
    Looks fantastic from the outside with the glass panels depicting fish scales. Mirrored ceiling panals inside look cool. Nothing worth seeing inside really unless you book a concert. A great opportunity to take photos of a building in reykjavik which in itself, architecturaly, is quite bland and some what drab . Lots of buildings of different shades of gray which does actually look like one large out of town shopping/Industrial unit complex
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 November 2023
  • tinylass
    Sheffield, United Kingdom5,820 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    I bet the acoustics are awesome
    Large glass building on the harbour. It is very smart looking and fancy shapes of glass and coloured blocks make it very unique. We didn't venture inside nor see a concert but I imagine it would be worth it for the acoustics. Worth seeing it, especially at night.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 November 2023
  • mtangulo
    Washington DC, District of Columbia944 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Majestic Space
    This building is by the Bay Area and it’s the music conservatory. It’s architectural beauty is in the windows which are like a bee hive. The light reflects beautifully inside and out, they are also are illuminated at night. They have all type of daily musical programs. You can also just go and visit the spaces. There’s is a fancy restaurant at the top floor and a bar, cafe and restaurant at the lobby area. We visited a temporal exhibition called Circuleight. Do not miss.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 November 2023
  • Ričards Edijs
    Latvia430 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Newest Jewel of Reykjavik
    Located in a very scenic place, Harpa continues to be an admirable venue where to go and see some exhibitions during the daytime, see a concert in the evening, or observe the plays of lights reflecting on the facade during the night. Eldborg, the main hall, seems a bit futuristic since it quite gradually differs from other similar venues. Nevertheless, the acoustic is fantastic and being there already makes you feel more enlightened.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 17 December 2023
  • Linda_Laleston
    Bridgend, United Kingdom407 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fab-u-lous!
    Popped in to see what the Harpa was all about only to be invited to attend a free concert by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra playing Christmas music 🎶. It was incredible. The shop and Cafe are pretty amazing too. A must visit place if you’re in the city.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 December 2023
  • Mavsters
    1,223 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Glass Honeycomb
    Great modern architectural building. We spent 20mins walking round. Lucky enough to hear a pianist playing in one of the lobbies. Be warned - toilets on lower floor require cash/card payment before turnstile allows you to enter. I paid, turnstile wouldn’t turn so I paid again. Each payment was £1.18!! You spend more than a penny!
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 January 2024
  • Chris D
    Truro, United Kingdom33 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning architecture
    Only had a walk around the main public areas as the main Hall was closed and upstairs had a private function. But omg the building has the wow factor!! I would definitley recommend a walk around to be stunned by the architecture 😍
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 16 February 2024
  • ClaireWithLove
    2,151 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Step inside this stunning tribute to the arts
    Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre is a stunning green glass building, which is open to the public to walk in. Bathrooms on the 2nd floor and gift shop and restaurant on the main level. It is a gorgeous building inside and out. Looking out through the glass through the honeycomb, it reminded me of being in an Escher painting. Check the calendar to see if you can attend a concert or performance here. There are also guided tours available.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 March 2024
  • MarcusLozano
    Union City, New Jersey30 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Building
    I went to Harpa to see the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. Sitting right on the water, Harpa is in a perfect location. The building is absolutely beautiful. It is all glass, so lots of light enters the building. The music was beautiful but it doesn't really matter what you listen to while you're there due to the beauty of the building. The price of the tickets is very fair and it seems to have a variety of events happening. I would highly recommend you at least enter Harpa and walk around for a bit.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 8 April 2024
  • WeeTravellingScots
    Perth, United Kingdom112 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An impressive building on the outskirts of the city
    An impressive building on the outskirts of the city centre overlooking the ocean. The multi faceted glass facade means that the light impacts the inside and the outside of the building, particularly at sunset. We didn’t venture inside but can only imagine how brilliant it must be to hear and see a music act!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles8,921 reviews
Excellent
5,409
Very good
2,784
Average
591
Poor
89
Terrible
48

richard w
Llandysul, UK12 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
It is a remarkable piece of architecture but the charge for the tour is prohibitive. We went to the 360 degrees cinema and that was truly daft. 4 projectors shining at each other made for very dim images and you can't look 4 ways at once .The focus was not sharp either so definitely a waste of money.
Written 24 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Taylor W
Davisburg, MI731 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Couples
The Harpa is a gorgeous building right on the water in Reykjavik.

Primarily a concert hall and conference center - it also has a restaurant, shops, etc inside.

And also a public bathroom if you need a quick break!

The building itself is pretty amazing, the way the light glows off the windows is fantastic to watch.
During the evening hours the Harpa is lit up with lights glowing in the windows projecting different colors and patterns, and even the Icelandic flag.

Even if you don’t venture inside I definitely recommend stopping by to check out the outside of the building.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HelenRotast
South Yarmouth, MA18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
I toured on a day the Icelandic Symphony orchestra was rehersing for that night's performance. That sound was amazing. The Harpa is immense, overlooks the harbor, and the views are spectacular. the tour guide was knowledgeable and even gave an a capella performance to demonstrate the acoustics. She had a lovely voice.
Written 13 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christine S
8 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Because of bad weather we went here to see the advertised film on the delights of Iceland but it was a lot of money for a very short, boring film. There were only two other people watching with us and only about 12 chairs in the room so it is obviously not popular. The building has a gift shop as does everywhere you go but not a lot going for it during the day!
Written 23 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NWtraveler969
Seattle, WA350 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2021
Unfortunately due to Covid or remodeling, the hours to visit inside are severely restricted (for example 12 PM - 4 PM) compared to what is written in current guidebooks. Check their website for updated opening hours. We were disappointed that we could not go inside during our short stay in Reykjavik.
On a gray evening in mid June, with very long daylight, it didn't look as magical as it does in photos online.
Written 3 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laughingbear
Wigan, UK780 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Located within minutes walk of the city centre, the Harpa is well worth a visit, even if its not to see a specific event that may be taking place. It's free to wander around the ground floor and onto a few elevators. The structure is very impressive with the large glass cubes forming the exterior walls. The place is spotlessly clean and there are 2-3 little shops where one can buy souveniers or practical goods with an Icelandic theme. Happy to return or to recommend to others.
Next time we visit we will pre-book tickets for a show.
Written 22 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

carrie w
Ipswich, UK1,623 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Couples
The architecture inside and outside this building is stunning.
Travel up all the floors to get a view over the city.
You can get the the Harpa centre easily on many buses and is the first and last stop for the hop on and hop off city sightseeing bus
There is a cute little cafe.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian T
London, UK8,046 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
This angular, geometric, box-like piece of modernism dominates the foreshore of Reykjavik.

Opened in 2011, its design was a collaboration between Danish-Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson, and the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects.

The structure consists of a steel framework clad with geometric shaped glass panels of different colours, particularly shades of green, grey and blue. The design apparently was influenced by Iceland‘s exceptional and dramatic nature, particularly the greens and greys of the moss covered lava that covers a lot of the country. Situated on the boundary between land and sea, the building is a gleaming sculpture reflecting both sky and harbor, as well as the vibrant life of the city.

Inspired by basalt crystals, the faceted glass scatters reflections of the surrounding harbour and sky, and presents a glittering wall of light after dark.

I didn’t find the structure particularly beautiful, nor do I think it’s going to occupy a place in the world’s list of iconic cultural buildings in the same way that the likes of the Sydney Opera House does. But it is worth a peek inside. Whilst we didn’t visit the concert theatre, the vast foyer with light streaming in was quite lovely to see; the light streaming through the glass panels creates an interesting kaleidoscope of colour on the floor of this space. It’s even better from the balconies at higher levels. We didn’t take the cinema experience; it’s just too expensive for a short film about what’s on in Iceland, and seemed a bit gimmicky.
Written 19 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KimN75
Forney, TX8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
What a neat building. We didn't attend a concert, but it was a neat building. On the plane flight home, I saw they have a show where 2 actors portray all the characters in all the sagas in a brief amount of time. I would have enjoyed that had I known beforehand.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jun David
Toronto, Canada850 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
I've been to many buildings in the world, but this is one of the most impressive design.

This is an iconic landmark which is located near the harbor. This is a concert hall but the facade and sides of the building makes it very unique. You have to go inside to see the awesome interior of the building.

At night, the building is beautifully lighted with different colors.

This is a must see building when in Reykjavik, one of its kind.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 6,933
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Reykjavik HotelsReykjavik Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Reykjavik
All things to do in Reykjavik
Day Trips in Reykjavik
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars