A striking city symbol

Word to the wise: As an active church expect services daily, with Sunday Mass held at 11am. They also have a programme of concerts, played on the country's biggest organ, that are worth catching.

Dominating the Reykjavik skyline, this epic Lutheran church is one of the city's most unique and prominent landmarks. In a beautiful marrying of nature and modernity, the 244ft concrete tower shooting up into the blue sky was designed to resemble the basalt lava flows that shape Iceland’s rugged landscape.

Named after an Icelandic poet and clergyman it was commissioned in 1929, but took nearly 60 years to complete. While the inside is more demure, head up the tower for a spectacular view from the observation deck. Gaze down upon the rooftops of Reykjavik while taking in the snow-glazed mountains ringing the city.