Sun Voyager (Sólfar)
On Gingerguide's self-guided Reykjavík audio tour, Sun Voyager (Sólfar) is a stop worth about ~20 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type monument
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Reykjavík Reykjavík guide
About Sun Voyager (Sólfar)
Often mistaken for a Viking ship, this gleaming steel sculpture beside the sea is really Jón Gunnar Árnason's 'dreamboat', an ode to the sun pointed toward the bay.
The Sun Voyager (Sólfar) is a stainless-steel sculpture by the Icelandic artist Jón Gunnar Árnason (1931–1989), set on a granite platform beside the Sæbraut shoreline road on Reykjavík's northern seafront. Its skeletal, rib-like form is often mistaken for a Viking ship, but Árnason conceived it as a 'dreamboat' and an ode to the sun, symbolising the promise of undiscovered territory and a dream of hope, progress and freedom.
The design won a 1986 competition funded by a local district association to mark Reykjavík's 200th anniversary as a chartered town, and the work was unveiled on that anniversary, 18 August 1990. Árnason died in 1989 and did not live to see it installed. Though its shape suggests a westward voyage toward the setting sun, the sculpture as placed faces north, looking out over Faxaflói bay, a favourite spot for photographs at sunset and under the midnight sun.
Did you know? It looks like a Viking longship, but it isn't one. The official city description calls it a dreamboat and an ode to the sun; the artist imagined a vessel carrying hope, not warriors.
How much time do you need at Sun Voyager (Sólfar)?
Around ~20 min works well for Sun Voyager (Sólfar) — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Sun Voyager (Sólfar)?
Yes — Sun Voyager (Sólfar) made the cut as one of 18 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Reykjavík. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Reykjavík
Day 1 of the Reykjavík in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Sun Voyager (Sólfar)
Preview the Reykjavík tour free in the Gingerguide app.