Bessastaðir is the official residence of the president of Iceland, on the Álftanes peninsula in Garðabær, about 15 kilometres from Reykjavík. The white residence and the church beside it stand on open ground above Faxaflói Bay. The site was first settled in 1000, was one of Snorri Sturluson's farms in the 13th century, then a royal stronghold, briefly a school and later a farm. Sigurður Jónasson bought it in 1940 and gave it to the state in 1941. Visitors park at the site and walk up to the buildings.
Bessastaðir
The official residence of the president of Iceland has a free car park at the door and no checkpoint between it and the house.
- Entrance
- No admission charge and no ticket desk; visitors walk up from the car park.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance and toilet.
- Parking
- Free car park at the site, beside the residence.
- Transport
- Self-drive — 15 km from Reykjavík
- Address
- Bessastaðir, 225 Álftanes
What makes it special
Iceland's president lives and works here, and nothing stops you walking up to the house. There is no checkpoint, no queue and no security cordon: people park, photograph the white buildings and drive on. The residence and the church beside it (Bessastaðakirkja) stand together as one white group on a low peninsula, with the ground open to Faxaflói Bay behind them. On clear days the view runs over the water to mountains on the far side. The contrast with the site's history is the point. This was a royal stronghold under the Norwegian crown and the seat of the king's highest officers in Iceland, and it held off an attack by Turkish slave raiders in July 1627.
Good to know
- A working residence. The president lives and works here. The visit is the grounds and the outside of the buildings, not the interior.
- All of it is outdoors. There is no shelter at the buildings, so rain or wind off the bay cuts the stop short.
- Toilets are on site at the residence.
- The usual visit is a walk round the buildings and the church, a photograph, and back to the car.
Getting there
Bessastaðir is on the Álftanes peninsula in Garðabær, about 15 kilometres from Reykjavík. The road runs to the site itself: you drive up and park in the lot beside the residence. From the car park it is a walk along the drive to the house and the church, with no checkpoint and no ticket desk in between.
Best time to visit
Better: a clear day, when the view carries across Faxaflói Bay to the ocean and the mountains beyond.
Avoid: wet or windy weather, because the whole visit is outdoors and there is nowhere to wait it out.
The buildings look much the same in any light. What changes is the water and the mountains behind them, and on a grey day that half of the visit disappears.
Sun & daylight
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Frequently asked questions
Can you go inside Bessastaðir?
Not as a walk-in visitor. The buildings are the president's home and offices. The ordinary visit is the grounds and the exterior of the residence and the church.How far is Bessastaðir from Reykjavík?
About 15 kilometres, on the Álftanes peninsula in Garðabær. The road runs to the site itself, so you drive the whole way.How old is the site?
Bessastaðir was first settled in 1000. It was one of Snorri Sturluson's farms in the 13th century, and after his murder in September 1241 the King of Norway claimed it as a royal stronghold. In the late 18th century it was a school for a few years, then a farm.How did it become the president's residence?
Sigurður Jónasson bought Bessastaðir in 1940 and donated it to the state in 1941, as a residence for the Regent and later for the president.What else is there to see?
The church next to the residence, and the view over Faxaflói Bay — the ocean and, on clear days, the mountains across the water.