Mount Esja
Esja
Reykjavík’s “home mountain.” From the car park, you can reach a viewpoint in half a day and look down over the whole city across the bay.
Mount Esja rises across the bay to the north of Reykjavík. It is the city’s favourite hiking mountain, about 20 minutes’ drive from the city centre. The most popular route starts from the Esjustofa car park at the foot of the mountain and climbs the Þverfellshorn trail to a viewpoint at about 780 meters. The round trip is about 6–7 kilometers and takes 3–4 hours. The final section is a steep scramble over loose rock, so you can turn back at the “Stone” (Steinn) just below. Along the way you can look down over Reykjavík and Faxaflói Bay. The weather is changeable, so wear waterproof hiking boots. In winter, ordinary visitors are not advised to attempt the summit.
Opening hours
All day (daytime recommended)
Nearby sights
- Árbær Open Air Museum
- Viðey Island
- Höfði House
- Þríhnúkagígur (Inside the Volcano)
- Sun Voyager
- Perlan
- Laugavegur
- Hallgrímskirkja