Rainbow Street is the nickname of Skólavörðustígur, the shopping street that climbs from Laugavegur up the hill to Hallgrímskirkja in central Reykjavík. Its lower stretch is painted in the colours of the rainbow, first for Reykjavík Pride in 2015, and the city has since decided to keep the rainbow for good. With the church tower closing the view at the top, it is one of the city's favourite photo spots.
Rainbow Street at a glance
- Where: Skólavörðustígur, between Laugavegur and Hallgrímskirkja in central Reykjavík; the rainbow is on the lower part of the street.
- Created: first painted in 2015 for Reykjavík Pride; in 2023 the city decided to make it a permanent part of the street.
- What it is today: a busy street of wool, craft and design shops, galleries and cafés, and a public symbol of support for LGBTQ+ people.
- Time needed: 10 minutes for photos, 30–60 minutes if you browse the shops on the way up to the church.
From a cairn path to a rainbow
The street's name means 'path of the school cairn'. In 1793 a stone cairn, the Skólavarða, was built on the hill above the small town, and the track leading up to it became Skólavörðustígur. The hill, Skólavörðuholt, is now crowned by Hallgrímskirkja, and the statue of Leifur Eiríksson stands where the cairn once was. In the 1870s Reykjavík's prison, Hegningarhúsið, was built at number 9. It also served as a courthouse for some decades and held its last inmates in June 2016.
The rainbow on Skólavörðustígur was first painted in 2015 for Reykjavík Pride, as a temporary decoration. In 2019 the city council decided that it should stay if it fitted the planned redesign of the street, and on 7 June 2023 the city's environment and planning council voted unanimously to keep it permanently and to lay it in a hard-wearing material as part of that redesign. In August 2023 vandals covered part of the rainbow with white paint; city workers began cleaning it the same day, and the colours were soon back.
What to look for
- The rainbow itself: broad stripes of colour running along the road surface, best seen from the lower end of the street looking uphill.
- Hallgrímskirkja at the top of the street: the concrete church by the state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, whose stepped tower is often compared to Iceland's basalt columns.
- Hegningarhúsið at Skólavörðustígur 9: the low 19th-century building of the old prison, which locals sometimes call 'Nían', the Nine, after its house number.
- The statue of Leifur Eiríksson in front of the church, a gift from the United States for the 1930 millennium of the Althing, Iceland's parliament.
- Shop windows full of Icelandic wool sweaters, ceramics, jewellery and design, with small galleries in between.
A symbol of Reykjavík Pride
Reykjavík Pride, Hinsegin dagar in Icelandic, takes place every August and is one of the biggest events of the city's year, with a parade through the centre. The rainbow on Skólavörðustígur grew out of it. When the city made the rainbow permanent in 2023, the chair of the planning council called it a symbol of Reykjavík as a human rights city, and Samtökin '78, Iceland's national LGBTQ+ organisation, welcomed the decision. Today it is also a place where locals meet visitors: you will see people from all over the world posing in the middle of it.
Tips for your visit
- For the classic photo, stand near the bottom of the street with the rainbow leading up to the church tower. Early morning is the quietest time.
- Look out for vehicles before you step into the road for a picture, and do not block the way for long.
- In winter the street can be wet, icy or covered in snow, and the colours fade into grey slush; good shoes help on the slope.
- Walk up to Hallgrímskirkja first, then come back down: the view of the rainbow from above is just as good.
Nearby
- Hallgrímskirkja: Iceland's largest church, at the top of the street, with a tower you can go up for views over the coloured roofs of Reykjavík.
- Einar Jónsson Museum: the house-museum of the sculptor Einar Jónsson next to the church, with a sculpture garden you can walk into from the street.
- Laugavegur: Reykjavík's main shopping street, at the bottom of Skólavörðustígur, lined with shops, bars and restaurants.
- Tjörnin: the city pond beside City Hall, a short walk away, with ducks, swans and old wooden houses on its banks.
See Reykjavík with World City Trail
Our Reykjavík scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 41 minutes of walking. It includes Hallgrímskirkja, the church at the top of Rainbow Street.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Reykjavík.
Play the Reykjavík scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Reykjavík →
Play the outdoor escape game in Reykjavík →
Facts checked in October 2026.