There are quite a few great museums in the Reykjavík area. I don’t think any trip to Iceland is really complete without a museum visit. So often, I come across people who give themselves a couple of hours to ‘do’ Reykjavík, which is nowhere near enough. My advice is set aside some time in your itinerary to visit the intriguing museums, where you will get a great feel for the culture and history. I promise you, you will be glad you did.
Saga Museum
This museum will take you on a journey back to Iceland’s settlement age. Lifelike figures from the Icelandic Sagas are part of the displays that bring pivotal moments from the nation’s Viking history back to life. Learn the stories, and how people persevered through volcanic eruptions, famines and the Black Death. Audio guidance.
Prices: Adult $20 – Over 67 / Disabled / Student $16 – Child under 18 $8
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands
Thjodminjasafn is the National Museum of Iceland. From the moment you step onto the main floor, you will be surrounded by Iceland’s national treasures. Everything from fishing and sustenance, to the development of politics and governance, agriculture, domestic life and society. There is fascinating information from the Pagan past, and the times of conversion to Catholicism, and later to Lutheranism. Gravitate towards what interests you most or spend a few hours. Upstairs, you will find beautiful costumes and items from recent centuries. Audio guidance.
Prices: Adult $16 – Over 67 / Student $8 – Disabled / Child under 18 free A $16 annual pass will also gain you entry to the Culture House on Hverfisgata
Opening hours: 16th September to 30th April, 10am to 5pm, daily except Mondays 1st May to 15th September, 10am to 5pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Perlan Museum
The indoor ice cave where you can touch the ice and witness your breath leaving white clouds in the -15°C air is beyond fabulous. Wonders of Iceland continues with more augmented reality geological exhibitions as the forces of nature engage you. Plate tectonics, earthquakes, surging volcanoes, geothermal power, the amazing Látrabjarg bird cliff, water and the underwater world and creatures of the deep. Incredible!
The Áróra Northern Lights Planetarium Show is an amazing 360° experience showing the magic of the night sky blessed by the most majestic aurora display. The state of the art projected imagery and wraparound sound are truly magnificent.
Prices: Wonders of Iceland – Adult $32 – Child 6 to 17 $16 Áróra Northern Lights Planetarium Show – Adult $22 – Child 6 to 17 $12 Wonders of Iceland & Áróra Northern Lights Planetarium Show – Adult $36 – Child 6 to 17 $20 – family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) $80.
Opening hours: 9am to 10pm, daily – last entry at 9pm.
See their website for the location and full details.
The Settlement Exhibition
The centrepiece of this exhibition is the excavated and restored living quarters that the museum building has been constructed around. This is a real Viking age Reykjavík homestead – how amazing is that? There is also a wealth of information pertaining to the development of this land and its nature.
Prices: Adult $14 – Student with card $9 – Over 67 / Disabled / Child under 18 free.
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Árbær Open Air Museum
When you want to see how the Icelanders lived a few generations ago, this museum is just the place. See real houses and buildings where people lived, farmed and traded, together with the domestic and farming implements the people used. Guided tours take place daily at 1 pm – no extra cost.
Prices: Adult $14 – Student with card $9 – Over 67 / Disabled / Child under 18 free.
Opening hours: June to August 10 to 17, daily – September to May 13 to 17, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Maritime Museum
Situated in an old fish factory, the Maritime Museum is home to the highly informative fish and folk exhibition. The role of the ocean, and especially of fish, in the lives and diet of the Icelanders over the last 150 years is celebrated. Photographs, films, interviews of fish workers, interactive displays and items related to the everyday lives of fishermen and fisherwomen are on show. Fisherwomen who went to sea? Yes, absolutely, a few did! Explore and learn about Ódinn, the Coast Guard vessel that participated in three cod wars. Go below deck and see how the sailors lived and operated the ship.
Prices: Museum and Óðinn – Adult $21.50 – Disabled / Child under 18 free Maritime Museum – Adult $14 – Student with card $9 – Disabled / Child under 18 free Tour of Óðinn – Adult $11 – Student with card $9 – Child under 18 free
Opening hours: 10am to 5pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum
This has got to be the most unusual museum in the world! Over 215 penises or penile parts are on display. These belonged to whales, walruses, seals, and all manner of ocean and land creatures. There is even a penis from an errant polar bear. All of the exhibits have been collated by the present phallologist, and his father, the historian who began the collection. Feast your eyes and enjoy a light-hearted time.
Prices: Adult $14 – Over 67 / Disabled $8 – Accompanied child under 13 free.
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Safnahúsið – The Culture House Museum
This is the place to take a visual journey through an eclectic mix of Icelandic culture over more than one thousand years. Follow the cultural thread from the Viking settlers and the age of saga to modern art. The exhibition houses items sourced from six Icelandic institutions, and collated by renowned Iceland experts. Free audio guide.
Prices: Adult $16 – Over 67 / Student $8 – Disabled / Child under 18 free.
Free to all who have a valid ticket for Þjóðminjasafnið or an annual pass.
Opening hours: 16th September to 30th April 10am to 5pm, daily except Mondays 1st May to 15th September 10 to 17, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Whales of Iceland
A huge amount of research went into creating the life-size, anatomically accurate models of the largest mammals on earth. The 23 models are stunningly real, and the information provided about each one is so interesting.
Prices: Adult $23 – Child 7 to 15 $12 – Child under 6 free Family ticket $46 (2 adults and 2 children)
Opening hours: 10am to 5pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Flyover Iceland
Not a museum, but I couldn’t leave out this amazing virtual flight show. The wraparound scenery will make you feel you are really flying, as your seat tilts and you swoop like a bird over Iceland’s most dramatic scenery. The Creation of Iceland presentation beforehand is fun too (included).
Prices: Adult $36 – Child 12 and under $18
Opening hours: 10am to 9pm, daily.
See their website for the location and full details.
Most of the museums have a café and a gift shop. Reykjavík’s art galleries also have some lovely cafés.
Please note: Prices may change if currencies fluctuate.
