Reykjavík · Iceland

Kálfatjarnarkirkja

Church from the early 1890s standing alone on the north coast of the Reykjanes peninsula, a short detour from the airport road. The pond beside it can mirror the aurora on a calm night, and the sea keeps the northern sky open.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Kálfatjarnarkirkja in Aurora Atlas

NL1 (25294466162)
“NL1 (25294466162)” by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View
North and west over the open sea of Faxaflói; the capital area glows to the east across the bay..
Darkness
Dark sky, grade 1 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. Little artificial light; a good place for faint aurora and the Milky Way.
Aurora
Near the edge of the auroral oval: aurora on most active nights, low in the northern sky on quiet ones.

Getting there

Distance
About 28 km by road from Reykjavík (estimate), roughly 32 min by car.
Parking
Parking by the church, off Road 420.
Coordinates
64.0155, -22.2955 · Open in OpenStreetMap

Before you go

Open to strong sea wind: hold car doors firmly, and do not walk on the pond ice.

Dress for standing still in the cold, bring a head torch with a red light, and park only where parking is allowed. A forecast is guidance, not a promise: check the road and weather warnings for Iceland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.

Spot information from visitreykjanes.is.