In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Perlan is a glass dome on hot-water tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill. It holds a 100-metre indoor ice cave built from 350 tonnes of snow, the Áróra northern lights planetarium show and an observation deck over Reykjavik and Faxaflói bay. Book a timed Wonders of Iceland ticket on perlan.is, where the price appears when you choose a slot; the GetYourGuide voucher starts at about 6,400 ISK. Exhibitions open daily 09:00 to 21:00. Or book a tour: to combine your museum admission with transport around the capital, the hop-on hop-off bus and Wonders of Iceland packagead (from 10,900 ISK, 4.4 stars from 831 reviews) includes a 24-hour bus loop stopping directly at Perlan’s entrance.
⚠️ Choose your planetarium time when you book. You can explore the ice cave and galleries at your own pace, but the Áróra planetarium show runs at fixed times, and those fill up first on rainy days.
Perlan ticket options
Tickets are sold online for a chosen date and entry time (perlan.is), and the booking page shows the current price. The ticket covers the exhibitions, the Áróra planetarium show and the observation deck. Booking ahead secures your preferred show time.
- City Card: the Reykjavik City Card gives a discount on admission, not free entry.
- Duration: allow two to three hours for the exhibitions, the ice cave and the planetarium show.
Perlan’s dome on its hot-water tanks at Öskjuhlíð. Photo: Axel Kristinsson from Reykjavík, Iceland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Tours and transport packages for Perlan
Perlan is reached by city bus or taxi; the packages below add sightseeing transport or a day trip.
Perlan: Wonders of Iceland experience entry ticket
From 6,400 ISK · 4.7 stars from 4,458 reviews · 2 hours · instant digital voucher
Reykjavik: Perlan - Wonders of Iceland Experiencead: standard admission voucher covering the 100-metre ice cave, the Áróra planetarium show, the volcanic forces galleries, and the 360-degree observation deck. Scanned directly from your phone at the ground-floor turnstiles.
Hop-on hop-off bus and Wonders of Iceland package
From 10,900 ISK · 4.4 stars from 831 reviews · 24-hour pass + admission · city transport
Reykjavik: Hop-on/hop-off bus and Perlan Museum entry ticketad: bundles a 24-hour City Sightseeing double-decker bus pass with full admission to Perlan. The bus drops you at Perlan’s entrance gate (Stop 7), saving the cost of return taxis or city bus transfers from downtown.
Golden Circle day tour and Perlan museum combination
From 15,500 ISK · 4.6 stars from 49 reviews · 10 hours · full-day coach tour
Reykjavik: Golden Circle Tour & Perlan Museum Tourad: pairs a morning visit to Perlan’s exhibitions with an afternoon coach excursion along the Golden Circle, stopping at Þingvellir, Strokkur geyser, and Gullfoss waterfall.
Independent visit vs tour package
| Option | Best for | Transport included |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket on perlan.is | Travellers on city bus 18 or 13, or driving | No |
| GetYourGuide entry voucher, from about 6,400 ISK | A flexible booking with a cancellation window | No |
| Hop-on hop-off + Perlan, from about 10,900 ISK | First-time visitors wanting a loop of the city | Yes, 24-hour bus pass |
| Golden Circle + Perlan, from about 15,500 ISK | One day for geology and the main sights | Yes, coach |
Inside the exhibitions: what to see
- Ice cave: a 100-metre indoor ice cave built with over 350 tonnes of snow from the Blue Mountains (Bláfjöll), with a glacier exhibition beside it on how Icelandic glaciers are retreating.
- Áróra planetarium: a northern lights show projected in a 360-degree planetarium. It is the one place to see an aurora in summer, when the midnight sun rules out the real thing.
- Volcano Show and Into the Volcano: drone footage of the 2021 Geldingadalir eruption, and a chamber that takes you 2,000 metres down into a magma setting with sound and motion.
- Forces of Nature: volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal energy.
- Látrabjarg cliff: a large model of Europe’s largest seabird cliff, with the birds that nest there.
- The Ocean and Water in Icelandic Nature: an underwater film journey around Iceland, and the Icelandic Museum of Natural History’s exhibition on freshwater.
The grassy slope of Öskjuhlíð below Perlan. Photo: Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The building
Perlan (“The Pearl”) was designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson and opened in 1991. Its dome sits on hot-water storage tanks that feed the city’s heating system. Öskjuhlíð, the hill around it, is wooded with planted trees and crossed by walking paths.
The observation deck and dining
The open-air deck runs around the outside of the dome, with views over the city to Mount Esja and Faxaflói bay. On a clear day you can pick out Hallgrímskirkja and Harpa to the north-west and the airport to the south. The restaurant sits under the glass dome with a 360-degree view; the café, bar and ice cream parlour are on the same site.
Reykjavik’s rooftops and Mount Esja seen from Perlan. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Opening hours and getting there
- Exhibitions: daily 09:00 to 21:00.
- Shop: daily 10:00 to 20:00. Café: 10:00 to 18:00. Restaurant: 11:30 to 18:00. Bar: 11:30 to 21:00.
- By bus: routes 18 and 13 stop closest to Perlan. A single ride is 690 ISK; see the Reykjavik public transport guide.
- On foot: about 30 minutes from the city centre. A taxi takes about 5 minutes.
- By car: free parking right outside the building.
For another view of the city, compare the tower at Hallgrímskirkja, and for a soak afterwards see Sky Lagoon. The Reykjavik city guide links the rest of the planning.
Common questions
How much are tickets to Perlan in Reykjavik?
The Wonders of Iceland ticket covers the 100-metre ice cave, the Áróra planetarium show, the volcano exhibitions and the observation deck. Prices are shown when you pick a date and time on perlan.is; the GetYourGuide entry voucher starts at about 6,400 ISK.
Do you need to book Perlan tickets in advance?
Booking online is recommended. Tickets are sold for a chosen date and time on perlan.is or GetYourGuide, and planetarium show times fill up on rainy days and in peak summer.
Is Perlan included in the Reykjavik City Card?
No. The Reykjavik City Card does not provide free admission to Perlan. However, an active City Card gets a discount on admission.
How do you get to Perlan from central Reykjavik?
Strætó routes 18 and 13 stop closest to Perlan on Öskjuhlíð hill. The hop-on hop-off bus also stops there, and the walk from the city centre takes about 30 minutes.
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