What is the Reykjavik outdoor escape game?
The Reykjavik outdoor escape game is an escape room turned inside out: the puzzles sit in the city's landmarks and you work on them from your phone, reading the details in front of you and reasoning your way to each answer. Set aside about 2 hours, of which 41 minutes go on walking 3.1 km between the 10 stops, and pick whichever day suits you.
Puzzles are waiting at the Sun Voyager on the shore, the glass panels of Harpa, the stone Parliament House, the City Hall on Lake Tjörnin and the painted stripes of Rainbow Street. Each one stands alone, so no plot has to be followed, and three levels of hints are there when one resists. Reykjavik fits the format because the centre is small: harbour, lake and shopping streets lie minutes apart.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 41 min · 3.1 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese
What you do on the escape game
Puzzle it out
At every landmark the answer comes out of what stands in front of you. Logic and attention are enough, with no background reading required.
Read the surroundings
Façades, inscriptions, sculptures and street details carry the clues, which is why play happens outside rather than in a room.
Walk on
Google Maps points the way from stop to stop, 41 minutes of walking in all across 3.1 km.
Set your own pace
Nothing counts down. Call up a hint, break for a coffee, pick the game up an hour later or on another day.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who it suits
Groups of friends
Everyone gets a say in each solution, and not knowing the city puts nobody at a disadvantage.
Couples
A small challenge to share between one landmark and the next, with no clock pushing you along.
Team building
Teams of up to 5 each follow the game on their own phones, and a larger group splits into several teams.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- Best started in daylight, so you can see the details the puzzles ask about.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
Puzzle route: from the Sun Voyager to Hallgrímskirkja
10 stops · about 41 min walking · start: Sun Voyager (Sólfar) · finish: Hallgrímskirkja
The opening puzzle stands by the Sun Voyager on the waterfront and the last one at Hallgrímskirkja. In between come Harpa, the statue of Ingólfur Arnarson on the Arnarhóll hill, the Culture House, Reykjavík Cathedral, the Parliament House, the City Hall by Lake Tjörnin, the National Gallery of Iceland and Rainbow Street. Start in daylight, since everything is solved outdoors and wind or rain slow the walk. The app lets you reorder the stops, Google Maps handles the navigation, and entry tickets never come into it.
Open the route map ↗
1Sun Voyager (Sólfar)Start
This stainless steel sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason was unveiled on the seafront in 1990 and looks like the skeleton of a Viking ship. The artist, however, described it as a dream boat and an ode to the sun. Across the bay behind it rises Mount Esja.
Read the full story →
2Harpa
Harpa concert hall and conference centre opened in 2011 by the old harbour and is home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Its glass façade, designed by Henning Larsen Architects with the artist Olafur Eliasson, is made of geometric panels inspired by basalt columns that reflect the sky and the sea.
3Ingólfur Arnarson Statue
On the grassy hill of Arnarhóll stands the statue of Ingólfur Arnarson, traditionally regarded as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland in the 870s. It was made by the sculptor Einar Jónsson and unveiled in 1924. According to the sagas, Ingólfur settled where his high-seat pillars, thrown overboard, washed ashore.
Read the full story →
4Culture House (Safnahúsið)
This stately building was completed in 1908 to house the National Library and the National Archives of Iceland. Look up at the façade, where the names of great Icelandic writers and scholars such as Snorri Sturluson are carved. Today it hosts exhibitions on Icelandic art and cultural heritage.
5Reykjavík Cathedral (Dómkirkjan)
This small Lutheran cathedral, consecrated in 1796, is the seat of the Bishop of Iceland. Each year the opening of parliament begins with a service here, after which the members walk next door to the Parliament House.
6Parliament House (Alþingishúsið)
Iceland's parliament, the Althing, was founded in 930 at Þingvellir and is one of the oldest parliaments in the world. Since 1881 it has met in this building of dressed Icelandic stone, designed by the Danish architect Ferdinand Meldahl. In front lies Austurvöllur square with a statue of the independence leader Jón Sigurðsson.
7City Hall (Ráðhús)
Reykjavík's City Hall, designed by Studio Granda and opened in 1992, stands on the northern shore of Lake Tjörnin and seems to rise straight out of the water. Inside the concrete and glass building is a large relief map of Iceland.
8National Gallery of Iceland
Founded in 1884, the National Gallery holds Iceland's national art collection, with a focus on Icelandic artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its white building beside Lake Tjörnin was built in the early 20th century as an ice house that stored ice cut from the lake.
9Rainbow Street (Skólavörðustígur)
Skólavörðustígur was first painted in rainbow colours in 2015 for Reykjavík Pride, and the stripes were kept as a sign of the city's support for LGBTQ+ rights. Lined with design shops, galleries and cafés, the street climbs towards Hallgrímskirkja.
Read the full story →
10HallgrímskirkjaFinish
Designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson, this Lutheran church was begun in 1945 and completed in 1986, and at about 74 metres it is one of the tallest buildings in Iceland. Its stepped concrete façade is said to recall basalt columns. In front stands a statue of Leif Erikson, a gift from the United States in 1930.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Ruby– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Not expensive, interactive and fun, got you seeing memorable landmarks around Reykjavik and finding out some local history. So much better than booking a tour guide as you could explore the city at your own pace, stop and have a drink, spend time at the different landmarks to suit you. Would even be good if you were in a larger group and split into teams to see who could solve the clues quicker! Really enjoyed it and would recommend.
ulrike– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
eine sehr gute M?glichkeit, die Stadt kennen zu lernen., Ohne zeitlich gebunden zu sein. Man kann zwischendurch Pause machen, Kaffee trinken, shoppen gehen und dann weiter machen. Die wesentlichen Sehensw?rdigkeiten sind enthalten, leider sind die Fragen teilweise nicht erkennbar, so dass man sie nicht beantworten kann.