Cathedral of Christ the King

From the street the cathedral is plain grey concrete: a Neo-Gothic outline with a flat top where a spire would be, on the high ground of the city's diplomatic quarter. The inside is the reason to go in. It is full of colour and well kept, and it stays quiet enough that people sit for long stretches. Much of the furniture came from the Ramakers workshop in Geleen, in the Netherlands: the two side altars, the St Joseph altar, the Maria altar and the pulpit. The same workshop drew a design for the main altar, and it was never delivered.

• A working cathedral. Mass may be under way when you arrive, and the nave then belongs to the congregation.
• Three languages. Services are held in Icelandic, Polish and English.
• Toilets on site, including a wheelchair-accessible one.
• The climb, not the door. The building has a wheelchair-accessible entrance; the streets around it are the part that goes uphill.
• Other names. The cathedral is also called Landakotskirkja and Kristskirkja.

The cathedral stands on high ground in the western part of Reykjavík, and the streets leading up to it climb. Parking is at the church itself, so you leave the car and walk straight to the door. The entrance is wheelchair-accessible; the streets on the approach are the harder part.

Better: outside service times, when you can walk the whole nave and look at the altars.

Avoid: arriving during Mass if you plan to photograph or move around freely.

This is a cathedral in daily use rather than a museum, and services take priority over visitors.