Reykjavik is Iceland's capital, and its museums cluster mainly in the downtown centre and the Grandi harbour district. Reykjavik City Museum, known as Borgarsogusafn, is an umbrella body that operates several sites, including the Settlement Exhibition, the Maritime Museum and Arbaer Open Air Museum. Many central Reykjavik museums are within walking distance of one another, which makes it easy to combine several in a day.
History museums that tell Iceland's story
The National Museum of Iceland was founded in 1863 and sits at Sudurgata 41 in Reykjavik. Its permanent exhibition is called Making of a Nation and traces Icelandic history from the settlement era to the present. A highlight of the National Museum is the Valthjofsstadur door, a medieval carved church door. The Settlement Exhibition stands at Adalstraeti 16 in central Reykjavik and is built around the ruins of a Viking-age longhouse in its original location. A wall fragment at the Settlement Exhibition is dated to around 871 CE, with a margin of 2 years, using a layer of volcanic ash. The Saga Museum is at Grandagardur 2 in the Grandi district and recreates 17 scenes from Icelandic history using lifelike silicone figures. The Saga Museum's scenes run from the first settler Ingolfur Arnarson arriving around 874 to the killing of Snorri Sturluson in 1241.
Where to see Icelandic art and sculpture
Reykjavik Art Museum was founded in 1973 and is spread across 3 separate buildings. Hafnarhus opened in 2000 near the old harbour and permanently shows work by the Icelandic pop artist Erro. Kjarvalsstadir opened in 1973 and is named after the painter Johannes S. Kjarval, who lived from 1885 to 1972. Asmundarsafn opened in 1983 and is dedicated to the sculptor Asmundur Sveinsson, who lived from 1893 to 1982, and it has an outdoor sculpture garden. The National Gallery of Iceland was founded in 1884 and moved to its main building at Frikirkjuvegur 7, beside the Tjornin pond, in 1987. The Einar Jonsson Museum opened in 1923 as Iceland's first public art museum and stands next to Hallgrimskirkja church. Its sculpture garden displays 26 bronze casts of the artist's work.
Nature, science and maritime museums by the harbour
Perlan sits on Oskjuhlid hill on top of 6 former hot-water storage tanks and opened to the public in 1991. Its Wonders of Iceland exhibition includes a man-made ice cave about 100 meters long, a planetarium, and a 360 degree observation deck. Whales of Iceland in the Grandi district is billed as the largest whale exhibition in Europe and holds 23 life-size whale models. The centrepiece of Whales of Iceland is a 25 meter model of a blue whale. The Reykjavik Maritime Museum opened in 2005 by the old harbour, and its centrepiece is the coast guard vessel Odinn, which was built in 1959. Arbaer Open Air Museum opened in 1957 and gathers more than 20 historic buildings, including turf houses, on the site of an old farm.
Planning your museum days around Reykjavik daylight and weather
Museums are a good indoor option on wet or windy days, when outdoor sightseeing is less pleasant. Around the winter solstice in December Reykjavik receives only about 4 to 5 hours of daylight, while around the summer solstice in June it has close to 21 hours. Use the Daylight Calculator to help plan your trip.
Comparing guided museum tours and city passes
You can compare Reykjavik tours to see the current options.
