Museums

Sænautasel is a remote traditional farmhouse on the Jökuldalsheiði moor, orginally erected in 1843. The place was inhabited a full century. In 1861 the moorland saw 16 such heath farms but during the Askja eruption of 1875 they mostly vanished. Sænautasel was abandoned in 1945. Among the last inhabitants was a boy of eleven who still pays tribute to his childhood dwellings in the summertime. The farm was rebuilt in 1992. It was partly damaged by heavy snowfall in 2009 but the damage has been repaired. Sænautasel served as a model for Nobel prize writer Halldór Laxness when he wrote the novel "Independent people". It is a highly interesting example of n-mid 19th century architecture and is only 5 km away from the main road. In summer refreshments are available at Sænautasel. 

 Merki í Jökuldal
701 Egilsstaðir
Sími: 855-5399 / 471-1086
Opið frá 1. júni til 10. september 9-22 og samkvæmt samkomulagi
jokulsa@centrum.is

Vatnasafn / Library of water is a long-term project conceived by Roni Horn for a former library in the coastal town of Stykkishólmur in Iceland. The building stands on a promontory overlooking the ocean and the town, and houses an exhibition which reflect Roni Horn’s intimate involvement with the singular geography, geology, climate and culture of Iceland...

Water, Selected is a constellation of 24 glass columns containing water collected from ice from some of the major glaciers around Iceland. The glass columns refract and reflect the light onto a rubber floor embedded with a field of words in Icelandic and English which relate to the weather – inside or outside. The sculpture installation offers a space for private reflection whilst accommodating a wide variety of community uses.

In a small side room, visitors can look at Roni Horn’s ongoing series of books made in Iceland, To Place and listen to a selection of people talking about the weather. Through 2005 and 2006, at the instigation of Horn, writer Oddny Eir Ævarsdóttir, her brother archaeologist Uggi Ævarsson and their father, radio broadcaster Ævar Kjartansson interviewed around a hundred individuals from Stykkishólmur and the surrounding area about the weather. Weather Reports You presents these spoken testimonies as a collective self-portrait of a country where the weather is strongly present in everyday life.

The lower floor of Vatnasafn / Library of Water is a private writers’ studio where each year writers are invited to spend a number of months living and working. The residencies alternate between Iceland-based and overseas writers, and have so far included Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir, Rebecca Solnit, Anne Carson, Oskar Arni Oskarsson and Oddny Eir Ævarsdóttir.

Commissioned and produced in 2007 by Artangel with The Town of Stykkishólmur, The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, The Ministry of Communications and the Icelandic Parliament.

Opening hours: June 1st -August 31st: 11:00-17:00

Tickets for the Library of Water are sold at the Norwegian House.

Admission 2022:

Adults ISK 830,-

Students, senior citizens and groups ISK 675,-

Free for under 18

Stykkishólmur Museum Pass - all museums:

Adults ISK 2.080,-

Ísafjörður Culture House is open as follows:
- Weekdays 12:00 - 18:00
- Saturdays 13:00 - 16:00

The Culture House is the home to the local library, archives, arts collection and photo collection. For further information please contact:

Ísafjörður Library, tel. (+354) 450-8220 bokasafn@isafjordur.is
Ísafjörður Archives, tel. (+354) 450-8226  skjalasafn@isafjordur.is
Ísafjörður Arts Collection, tel. (+354) 450-8225  listasafn@isafjordur.is
Ísafjörður Photo Collection, tel. (+354) 450-8228 myndasafn@isafjordur.is  

Open 13-18 and by agreement.

 Outvert Art Space is a non-profit organization and a dynamic, contemporary cultural arts space where varied
perspectives and issues are explored through visual arts, music, performance and other forms of media.

Outvert Art Space (Gallerí Úthverfa) was founded in 2013 by Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and Gunnar Jónsson, and collaborates closely with ArtsIceland programs.

ArtsIceland and Outvert Art Space are particularly interested in helping artists and curators achieve projects that have significant cultural impact but would be impossible to realize in a traditional gallery or museum setting. 

Opening hours: Thursday - Saturday 4 – 6 pm and by appointment.  

 Outvert Art Space is supported by the Westfjord Cultural Fund & the Municipality of Ísafjörður.  

The Þórbergur Centre was established in memory of the famous Icelandic writer Þórbergur Þórðarsson (1888 – 1974), who was born in Hali in Suðursveit. The centre includes a heritage museum and unique exhibitions of the district Sudursveit and the writer Þórbergur Þórðarson, his life and work. The Thorbergur Centre is by road number 1, the Ring Road. only 13 km further east from Jökulsárlón.

Open all year round, every day from 8-21.

Our restaurant offers local food from the farm and the Vatnajökull region.

Laufás is a renowned church site and chieftain‘s residence from the settlement (874-930). Laufás church was built in 1865, among its special items is a pulpit from 1698. The current farmhouse is a good example of a wealthy vicarage from 1853-1882 furnished with household items and utensils from the period. One of Laufás´ s characteristics is the bride´s chamber where women prepared for the big event. At the Visitor Centre you will find plenty of information about nature and history of the countryside, a handcraft and souvenir shop and a café in a cosy atmosphere. Laufás is part of The National Museum‘s Historic Buildings Collection and managed by Akureyri Museum.

Open:
June 1 - September 1: Daily 10-17

Price:
Adults (18 and older): ISK 2300
Children and youth: Free
Senior citizens ISK 1300
Handicapped: Free

The ticket is valdi throughout the year to Akureyri Museum, Laufás, Nonni's house, Akureyri Toy Museum and Davids house.

In the Vestmannaeyjar Culture House or Safnahús Vestmannaeyja, you can find a large and varied collection of museums and departments. The museum is located at Ráðhúströð and houses a library, regional archive, art museum, photography museum and Sagnheimar folk museum, as well as a special exhibition space.

Opening hours:
May 1st - September 30th: Every day from 10:00-17:00
October 1st - April 30th: Saturday from 12:00-15:00, other days closed (open upon arrangement) 

A museum on the 100 year history of motorcycles in Iceland. Motorcycles from all over, objects and artifacts relating to the historyof motorcycles in Iceland in a stunning 800 square meter building, that was especially designed for the museum.

Hours of Operation & Admission

Hours of Operation:
Sumar: June 1st - August 31st 10.00–17.00 
Winter: Sep 1st - may 31st, Sat. 15.00–19.00 Other opening hours available for groups. 
Admission:
Adult ISK 1.000, free entry for 15 years and younger

Tryggvi Ólafsson was born in 1940 in Norðfjörður. He studied at the Icelandic School of Fine Arts and Crafts 1960-61 and at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen 1961-66.

Tryggvi Ólafsson is one of Iceland's best-known contemporary artists

Open every frá 1. june to 31. august. 
Opening hours: 13:00 - 17:00.

Admission 

Adults (age 16 - 67)...............kr. 400.
Students..................................kr. 200.
Grups (10+) pr./per................kr. 300.
Children (age 0 - 15).............free.
Senior citizens (age 67+).....free.
ICOM members.....................free.

From 1.september to 31. may by appointment .

Reykjavík Art Museum (Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum) is located in three unique buildings across the city and holds some of the most distinguished works in Iceland´s artistic landscape.  The museum is Iceland´s largest network of art museums and displays both modern and contemporary art, paintings, sculptures and works in different media by established local and international artists.  

(Harbour House, Hafnarhús) is located downtown by the old harbour and houses the permanent collection of the works of Erró, one of Europe’s most notable pop artists. The temporary shows at Hafnarhús tend toward the progressive and experimental, emphasising works from established contemporary artists. The building also contains a book-and-design shop. The stylish café on the second floor is a popular lunch spot. Open daily 10-17, Thursdays 10-20.

The aim of the centre is to collect, categorize and preserve legends, rhymes, pictures and any remains connected to the settlement in the Snæfjallahreppur and Grunnavíkurhreppur parishes by making exhibitions, publishing, making a website and with conferences and various events.

Hours of Operation: Summer: July 12 - August 05

National Art Treasures

The National Gallery of Iceland is a well-known landmark by the Lake in Reykjavík. It was originally built in the early 20th century as an ice-house, and today it houses the National Gallery collections. 

New exhibitions open regularly, highlighting the best of Icelandic contemporary art as well as Icelandic art history. The gallery shop sells books in English about Icelandic art, as well as a range of gifts and souvenirs and a comfortable café welcomes guests. 

Admission to the National Gallery includes two more museums, which display the home of painter Ásgrímur Jónsson and sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson. 

Opening hours:
May 1-Sep 30: Daily 10am-5pm
Oct 1-Apr 30: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 

Artist‘s home

Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876-1958) is one of the pioneers of Icelandic art. At his death he bequeathed to the Icelandic nation his works and belongings. 

The museum is situated in Ásgrímur‘s former home and studio and displays small exhibitions of his works. The museum is in a walking distance from the National Gallery.

Opening hours:
May 1-Sep 30: Daily 10am-5pm
Oct 1-Apr 30: Tue-Sun 10am-5pm

Reykjavík Art Museum (Harbour House, Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum) is located in three unique buildings across the city and holds some of the most distinguished works in Iceland´s artistic landscape.  The museum is Iceland´s largest network of art museums and displays both modern and contemporary art, paintings, sculptures and works in different media by established local and international artists. 

Kjarvalsstaðir houses the works of one of Iceland’s most influential and recognised artists, Jóhannes S. Kjarval (1885-1972). The exhibitions at Kjarvalsstaðir focus primarily on paintings and sculptures of the established masters of modern art. The museum also houses a newly renovated café and design-and-book store. Open daily 10-17.

Ca. 15 minutes drive eastwards from Krysuvik, by the sea is the old church Strandakirkja in Selvogur. The sea waves there are breathtaking.

This area offers some of the most awe-inspiring breaker waves that you are likely to see. The church itself has been central in Icelandic seamen’s prayers for centuries and is definitely worth a visit.

The Husavik Museum celebrates the vibrant and progressive history of the Þingeyjar Counties and is run by the District Cultural Center. The permanent exhibition “Daily Life and Nature” examines a century in the history of people whose relationship with nature was immediate and intimate in the years 1850-1950. Natural objects and man-made artefacts are displayed along with contemporary personal accounts by local people. The museum's other permanent exhibition is the Maritime Museum, which provides an insight into the evolution of fishing and boat building in the area, from the time of the rowboat to the age of the motorboat. A myriad of artefacts and a variety of boats are on display, many of which were built in Husavik. In 2021, UNESCO inscribed the Nordic clinker boat traditions on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and here you can view the craftsmanship involved in this tradition. 

Additionally, there are two galleries that hold a diverse range of multi-annual art exhibitions. The building is also home to the District Archives as well as a large collection of art and photography. 

The Husavik Museum is open to visitors all year round. 

15 May - 31 August: Every day 11-17 

1 September -14 May: Tue-Fri 13-16 and Sat 11-16

Entrance fee

Admission: 2.200 ISK

Pensioners/Students*: 1.700 ISK

Disabled*/Children: Free

Members of ICOM*: Free

Groups (10+): 1.900 ISK

*ID required

A single entry ticket gives you access to The Husavik Museum - Safnahúsið, Grenjaðarstaður - The Old Turf House, Snartarstaðir - District Folk Museum & Sauðanes - District Folk Museum once during the calendar year 2024.

Open all year upon appointment. Please call us or contact us via our Facebook site.

The Arctic Fox Centre is a non-profit research and exhibition center, focusing on the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) - the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland.

The Arctic Fox Centre was established on September 15th 2007 in Sudavik Westfjords. Founders were 42, mostly local people, tourist operators and municipalities in the Westfjords. All of which share their interest in the arctic foxes and believe in increasing ecotourism in Iceland. The idea of the Arctic Fox Centre comes from prof. Pall Hersteinsson, University of Iceland and he serves as a quality witness for the center.

The long term aim is to collect all available knowledge and material relevant to the arctic fox in past and presence. 

We house an exhibition focusing on educating material: 

• About biology and history of the arctic foxes as a species.
• About the war that has been waged between the man and the arctic fox, since the early settlement of humans in Iceland (1100 years).
• About the status and specialities of the Arctic Foxes in Iceland and other regions of its distributional range.
• About fox hunting as the oldest paid operation in Iceland, methods and materials, stories and descriptions.
• About fox farming activities and it´s consequences for the wild population throughout the decades.

We emphasize on:

• Participate in and promote research programs on Icelandic arctic fox populations, in collaboration with academic and research centers.
• Participate in developing sustainable wildlife torism in Iceland, in collaboration with the authorities and other interested parties.
• Stimulate development and manufacturing on handicraft and souvenirs, specialized for The Arctic Fox Center.

Open:

• May: 10:00-16:00
• June - July: 09:00-18:00
• September: 10:00-16:00 
• Oct 01 - May 14: Upon request

The Folk museum Byggðasafn Húnvetninga- og Strandamanna welcomes you! It was founded fifty years ago and contains a precious collection of rare objects displaying local history and culture.The museum is owned by local authorities in the Húnaflói area. On display are number of famous old boats and ships amongst them the famous shark ship Ófeigur from Ófeigsfjörður. Oil from the sharks was used to light up streetlamps in Europe before the age of electricity.

We also show inside the museum the way Icelanders used to live by dispalying the liv¬ing arrangements inside an old house named Syðsti-Hvammur which used to be near Hvammstangi.

Many more numerous spectacular pieces can be found inside the museum from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. 
New and exciting crafts from the local community will be on sale at the museum and restaurant on site.

Admission: Adults ISK 1000,

Open during summertime 09-17 request in winter time.

The Agricultural Museum of Iceland presents the agricultural heritage and seeks to explain the history of Icelandic agriculture. The museum has an extensive collection of farm artifacts. For example, the first horse-driven equipment and the first tractors imported to Iceland, as well as the more modern artifacts of current times. The museum has Iceland´s largest collection of farm machinery which goes back to 1880. The visitor center for birdlife in Andakill is part of the museum. The museum offers guidance to the history of Hvanneyri, agricultural education and information on agriculture in Iceland today, beside visit to Hvanneyri church, one of the beautiful old churches in the countryside.

Opening hours:

Open daily 15th May - 15th September from 11-17

During wintertime (16th of September - 14th of May) opening hours are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 13-17 and upon request.

The museum building "Safnahúsið" in Nordfjordur includes 3 museums:

Tryggvi Collection
An impressive introduction to the art of painter Tryggvi Ólafsson from Nordfjordur.
The exhibition offers a cross-section of the well-known artist´s career.

Jósafat Hinriksson Museum
Exhibition of Jósafat Hi nriksson´s collection and maritime and handicraft arts, located in an old graceful warehouse.

The Natural History Museum
Beautiful collection of Icelandic birds, shellfish and stones.

Safnahúsið is open every day between June 1st - August 31st from 13:00 - 17:00.

The Boat and Gift-of-Nature Museum & travel information centre tells the story of how inhabitants traditionally harvested the rich, natural resources in Breiðafjörður.

Foraging for eggs, hunting birds, collecting eider down, using seaweed and hunting seals for sustenance. Boats were essential for harvesting on the numerous islands. The timber boats displayed in the boat-building workshop feature unique Nordic design and craftsmanship adapted to navigate in the area.

A variety of local products, baked breads, coffee, tea, books and souvenirs are available at our gift shop.

Open everyday from June 1 to August 30, 11:00-18:00. Winter openings by appointment.

The Pharmacy Museum of Iceland and the Herbal Garden are located in Seltjarnarnes that is situated in a beautiful nature reserve and recreation area on the tip of the Reykjavik peninsula. It is located close to Nesstofa which was built in 1761-1767 as the official residence of Iceland’s first Director of Health (Surgeon General) and the first Pharmacist. In the Pharmacy Museum you can learn about pharmacy in the 20th century.

The Pharmacy Museum in Seltjarnarnes has collected items, photos, books and documents related to the history of pharmacy in Iceland and the intention is to continue that work. The museum displays the main tools used to make medicines, mostly from the beginning of last century. Samples of pharmacy interiors from the first decades of last century are also on display.

The Pharmacy Museum is a non-profit organization in connection with the Pharmaceutical Society of Iceland. The board of the museum consists of pharmacists, elected at the general meeting of the Society for four years at a time. The museum building is a debt-free property of all pharmacists in Iceland. 

The Herbal Garden of Nes is a medicinal and culinary garden communicating the history of herbal medicine.

Hours of Operation: From June 15 to August 18th: Saturdays and Sundays 13:00 to 17:00. Also by appointment. Admission: Free

The National and University Library of Iceland is the national library of Iceland and the library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on December 1, 1994. It is the largest library in Iceland with one million items in various collections.

The National and University Library most books, periodicals and audio-visual material published in Iceland can be found. The library is also the largest academic library in Iceland. On the library‘s website various databases and e-journals can be accessed. The website also offers general information on the library and its services The library hosts a number of exhibitions all year round, both from its own collections and in collaboration with others.  

For opening hours, please click here.
To visit our website, please click here .

The Living Art Museum (Nýlistasafnið) is a non-profit, artist-run museum and association, venue for events, exhibitions, performances, discussions and research. The museum was founded in 1978 in reaction to Icelandic art authorities disregard for contemporary art practices. The 27 founders, who met at an open meeting to discuss the then current situation in Icelandic cultural politics, were a diverse group at various stages of their artistic careers; some had been members of the SÚM movement, while others were still art students in the academy.

The Living Art Museum aims to:
•promote critical discourse and progressive practice in the field of visual art
•encourage and support emerging artists
•collect and preserve work by artists who are part of the museum’s history
•collect and preserve documents and data related to the museum’s history and collection
•collect and preserve documents relating to the parallel history of visual art, focusing on artist-run initiatives and performance art in Iceland
•continuously review its own institutional direction

Exhibition Space, Bookstore, Archives and Offices:
Marshallhúsið
Grandagarði 20
101 Reykjavík

Open:
Open Tuesdays to Sundays 12.00 – 18.00 (the museum itself is open Wed-Sun 12:00-18:00)
Longer openings on the last Thursday of each month: 12.00 – 21.00
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Office can be reached by phone on Tuesdays 11:00-15:00

Collection & Archive, Project Space
Völvufelli 13 – 21
111 Reykjavík

Open by an appointment 

In the oldest part of Akureyri (known as the Inner town), stands the Akureyri Museum. Here we find many interesting and well set up exhibitions, which we have no hesitation in recommending for adults and children alike. 
Those with a thirst for knowledge, and who wish to find out about Akureyri in a more innovative way, we recommend a visit to the exhibition "Akureyri, the Town by the Pool”. Here you will find a trader’s store, a parlour, a playroom and numerous photographs capturing life in the town throughout the years – and all of which make up an enjoyable tour through Akureyri’s history as a centre of trade and industry. The remains of a burial mound containing boats, mediaeval trading goods, a warp-weighted loom and information on settlement in Eyjafjörður, are among the things of interest to be found on the top floor of the premises, in the exhibition "Eyjafjörður in the Early Period". Each year there is also a summer exhibition. 
Akureyri Museum has on offer historical walks for groups through the old part of town, the Oddeyri and/or Glerárþorp district, as well as soirées in the Museum Church where you are taken on a journey of prose and song into the world of Icelandic music, from the Middle Ages to the present day. 
The garden surrounding Akureyri Museum is more than a century old and makes a pleasant stopping place on your journey round town. Within the garden stands a church built in 1846, which is rented out for various kinds of ceremonies. 

Akureyri Museum was awarded the Icelandic Museum Awards in 2022.

Open:
June 1 - September 30: Daily 10-17
October 1 - May 31: Daily 13-16

Price:
Adults (18 and older): ISK 1800
Children and youth: Free
Senior citizens ISK 900
Handicapped: Free

Pass for 5 museums: ISK 2200

The Herring Era Museum is Iceland’s largest maritime and industrial museum, where visitors have the opportunity to get to know the herring fishery and processing industry that underpinned Iceland’s economy for much of the twentieth century.

Three very different museum buildings provide visitors with an insight into the magnificent and captivating herring industry. The Róaldsbrakki is a Norwegian herring station dating back to 1907. Most of this building is as it was in the past, when herring girls lived in the building throughout the summer. Grána is an example of a small herring factory of the 1930s and visitors can see the workings of the reduction industry, which has long been seen as Iceland’s first major industry. The Boathouse seeks to recreate a portion of a herring port, with the fleet alongside one evening in 1950 and allows visitors to mull over what it must have been like to walk the quaysides around the middle of the last century.
More information: www.herringmuseum.com

Opening hours:
May and September: 13 – 17
June, July, August: 10 – 17
Winter: By arrangement

Siglufjörður is only and hour drive from Akureyri!

 HÆLIÐ the great White Plague center.

A visual exhibition about loss, sorrow and despair but also about hope, serenity and lust for life.

Opening hours:
June-August: Daily 13:00-18:00
May and September: Saturdays and Sundays 14:00-17:00
Also open for groups upon request.

Litlibær was built in 1895 by two families who originally lived in separate parts of the house, which was then divided in the middle with a wall.

The house is made of timber with stone side walls and grass on the roof. Around 20 people lived in Litlibær at one point. From the year 1917 only one family lived on the farm. Litlibær was inhabited until 1969.

Location: Skötufjörður in Ísafjarðardjúp.
Tel: Hvítanes farm (+354) 456 4809, (+354) 894 4809
Opening hours: 15. may – 15. Sept. 10-17 every day
Admission fee: Free donation.

From the time of the earliest settlers, history is brought to life in a unique and exciting way. The Saga Museum intimately recreates key moments in Icelandic history, moments that have determined the fate of our people and which gives a compelling view into how Icelanders have lived for more than a millennium.

Throughout the period of settlement, everyday life in Iceland must have been very difficult due to hard circumstances. Eruptions, earthquakes, avalanches and other natural catastrophes are some of the things the Icelanders had to endure. They were also subject to the notorious Black Death that led to the destruction of more than a third of the population. However, none of this deterred those who lived here and they leave behind them a remarkable culture and literature that equals that of any other country in Europe.

The unique and remarkable history of the occupation period in Iceland 1940-45 unfolds at the War and Peace Museum. Our exhibition tells the story of how a peaceful countryside was transformed, in the context of world events and its importance to the victory of the Allies in World War 2. Here you can explore our high-quality collection of artifacts and feel the memories from this fateful time of upheaval.

During your stop you can relax in our cozy café "The White Falcon", which serves light meals and Icelandic delicacies and check out our collection of souvenirs in the gift shop.

Open 1st June - 26th August: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 13:00 to 17:00, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Large camping ground for tents and campers. Electric outlets are available and the camping ground has two large charcoal grills, a playground for the children and good restroom facilities. Showers are available and dishwashing facilities as well. The area also offers a dumping station for portable toilets. The camping site is open from June 1st - August 26th.

 Samúel Jónsson (1884-1969) has been called "the simple-hearted artist". When he received old-age pension, he built an art museum and a church, made models of distant landmark buildings, and painted works of art in Selárdalur, without having had any training in art. At Brautarholt in Selárdalur he made statues of seals, lions, a seahorse, ducks

with their young on their backs and of Leif Ericsson. Not only that; he built a church he intended to preserve an altarpiece he had made that the parish church had rejected. Over the past two decades, the Association of the Samúel Jónsson Art Museum of has restored the sculptures and buildings by Samúel and rebuilt his residence in Brautarholt. The museum is open to visitors during the summer season and everyone is welcome to have coffee in the house of Samúel.  

The Public library in Suðurnesjabær is located nex to the swimming pool in Sandgerði.

In most travel books referred to as the Maritime Museum. Fisheries have always been the most important economic activity in the Westfjords, and the museum gives a unique insight into the rich maritime history and culture of the area.

Open:
15. May - 31. Aug. 10:00-17:00.
1. Sept - 15. Sept. 11:00-15:00.

Admission fee: Adults - ISK. 1.600,-
Seniors    ISK. 1.200,-

Discover what life was like

Glaumbær – the historic turf farm in Skagafjörður

The old turf buildings at Glaumbær are a fine example of building construction on the larger farms in Iceland in times past. See the household of bygone era in their natural setting. In the farmhouse are bedrooms, living room, kitchen, pantry, storage rooms and smithy. The living room is most recent, dating from the 1879.

The sagas relate that Snorri Þorfinnson, son of Þorfinnur karlsefni and Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir farmed at Glaumbær in 11th Century. He was born in the wilds of Vin-land, the first child born to European parents in the New World. He built the first church at Glaumbær.

There are two old timber houses near Glaumbær, also open for visitors. Gilsstofa is a reception house from 1849. It was reconstructed at Glaumbær in 1997. In Áshús, built 1883 -1886, are exhibitions and Tea room. If you fancy a pancake and hot chocolate in a cozy old tearoom, you should visit Áshús.

Openin hours:
May 20 - September 20: daily 10:00 - 18:00
September 21 - October 20: weekdays 10:00 - 16:00
October 21 - March 31: by appointment
April1 - May 19: weekdays 10:00 - 16:00

Admisson fee 2023 and 2024:
Adults (18 years and older): ISK 2.000
Groups (6+), students, senior citizens, disabled: ISK 1.700
Children (17 and younger): free

Free admission for members of FÍSOS, ICOM og ICOMOS (please show a valid membership id) 

A guided tour of the area for groups: ISK 2.000
A private guided tour (max 12 persons): ISK 15.000 plus admission fee.

Private visit outside opening hours (must be booked in advance): ISK 15.000 plus admission fee.

Combo-tickets for Glaumbær and Víðimýri Church :
Adults (18 years and older): ISK 2.300
Groups (6+), students, senior citizens, disabled: ISK 2.000
Children (17 and younger): free 

The combo tickets can be purchased at Víðimýrarkirkja or Glaumbær. Valid for same-day visits to both locations.

In a small village on the east coast of Iceland, The Icelandic House of the Northern Lights opened in May 2016. You can enjoy the northern lights exhibition in Wathne´s House (Auroras Iceland). The exhibition is based on the magnificent photos shot by Jónína and Jóhanna and is called "Dance With the Mountains." The photos are shot in Fáskrúðsfjörður where majestic mountains circle the fjord and make the northern lights experience unique.

Everyone is welcome to enjoy this wonderful exhibition. 

Hallgrímskirkja stands guard over Reykjavík. The church is both a parish church and a national sanctuary in Iceland. Its stepped concrete facade is an ode to modernism and a reminder of the Icelandic landscape. The church is named after the 17th-century clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson, author of Hymns of the Passion. 

Hallgrímskirkja is an Evangelical-Lutheran church and is a part of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Iceland. Hallgrímskirkja is one of the most visited places by tourists in Iceland. Every day thousands of people visit the church. 

Admission to the church is free. Opening hours during the summer (May 16-Sept 30) is: 10:00-20:00 every day. 

Admission to the tower is ISK 1.200 for adults and ISK 200 for the children (7-14). Opening hours during the summer (May 16-Sept 30) is 10:00-19:30 every day. 

Hnjótur Museum in Örlygshöfn in Patreksfjörður, displays a unique collection of old items from the Southern Westfjords.

The museum shows the history of fishing, farming and everyday life in the area.

At the museum is an exhibition about the rescue of the British trawler Dhoon that stranded at Látrabjarg cliffs in 1947.

At the museum is an attractive cafeteria, souvenir shop and information center.

Opening hours: Daily from 10:00 - 18:00, May 1st to September 30th.

Please contact for visits outside scheduled opening hours (museum@hnjotur.is or 456 1511)

The historic settlement of Grenjaðarstaður in Aðaldalur is one of Iceland’s largest turf houses, situated 30 km south of Husavik. In its heyday Grenjaðarstaður was a prosperous vicarage and the oldest part of the existing turf house was built in 1865 and inhabited until 1949. The house is unique, primarily insulated with lava rocks, which are abundant in the surrounding area, and the interior is panelled with driftwood.

Grenjaðarstaður has been a folk museum since 1958, and through the approximately 2000 objects and artefacts on display, guests will gain an understanding of what the living conditions were like when living in the turf house in the past centuries as well the vicarages progress through time.

There is also a functional Lutheran church built in 1865 at Grenjaðarstaður. In the cemetery, visitors can see a rune-stone dating back to the Middle Ages. The old, renovated barn houses the museum´s reception, restrooms, cafe and locally made handicrafts can be purchased.

The turf house at Grenjaðarstaður belongs to The National Museum of Iceland but is run by the District Cultural Center.

Grenjaðarstaður is open to visitors in the summer.

1 June - 15 August: Every day 11-17 

Entrance fee

Admission: 2.200 ISK

Pensioners/Students*: 1.700 ISK

Disabled*/Children: Free

Members of ICOM*: Free

Groups (10+): 1.900 ISK

*ID required

A single entry ticket gives you access to The Husavik Museum - Safnahúsið, Grenjaðarstaður - The Old Turf House, Snartarstaðir - District Folk Museum & Sauðaneshús - District Folk Museum once during the calendar year 2024.  

Please note:

· Children must be accompanied by an adult due to the age and fracturable nature of the museum

· Due to the age of the house the floors are uneven and staircases steep, therefore access is challenging for people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users and some areas are inaccessible.

Ósvör maritime Museum is a replica of an old Icelandic fishing station from the19th century that stands on the east side of Bolungarvík down by the sea.

On display are the rowing boat Ölver, a crew hut with tools and equipment, a salt house and a drying hut.

The curator welcomes guests in a traditional fisherman outfit. 

Opening hours 2023:

Week days:

Saturdays:

Sundays:

June 1st - August 20th:

09:00-17:00

10:00-17:00

10:00-17:00

Winter 2023-2024:

By appointment

By appointment

By appointment     

Admission fee:

Adults ……………………………………………………………………… 1.200 ISK

16 years and younger………………………………………………....free

Ólafsdalur by Gilsfjörður, history of 1000 years

Ólafsdalur is a small valley, surrounded by high mountains, where the first acriculture school in Iceland was established in 1880. The beautiful school-building is from 1896. Remains of many other buildings and man made remains from 1880-1900. Recently found remains of a Viking longhouse from 9-10th century. 

Opening hours: 12:00-17:00 from July 25th - August 15th.

Ólafsdalur family festival will be held August 14th.   

 Jörundur Jónsson,
called Shark-Jörundur, built the house in 1885-86, using timber
from Norwegian ships which ran ashore at Hrísey in 1884. In 1917 the house
was moved down the hill, to its current site, but a statue of Shark-Jörundur
commemorates the spot where the house was originally build. 

The house now holds an exhibition and
items related to shark fishing as well as the history of the island. You
will also find The Tourist Information Center in Hrísey.  

Hours of Operation:
Summer: Open daily 13:00 - 17:00
Winter: by appointment   

Reykjanesbær Heritage Museum - Where the past is reflected in the present

Reykjanesbær Heritage Museum offers visitors the opportunity to explore the local history and find out what makes this area unique. The exhibitions look at influential factors on life and the environment through a modern-day perspective.

Reykjanesbær Heritage Museum is located in the historical Harbor House, Duusgata 2-8 in Reykjanesbær. Opening hours: Closed Mondays - open 12:00-17:00 tuesday till sunday.

Lokað er á mánudögum. Opið er þriðjudaga tl sunnudaga frá kl: 12:00-17:00.

Current exhibitions:

Trash or Treasure?

In the late 20th century and the early 21st, merchandising became common in the promotion of businesses, organisations and causes. This is an opportunity to take a walk down memory lane and reflect upon how graphics and logos have changed through time.

Countenance

The museum has a large collection of photographs that have arrived in their original frame. Photographs that are selected to be framed and displayed usually have a special value in the eyes of the owner. Fondness, pride, and longing are among the emotions that are expressed in this way.

To sew a fine seam

Sewing used to be a task for women in the home and considered a fine craft. The invention of the sewing machine was a revolution at the time. It was said that having a sewing machine was equal to one maid. Some women became known for their craftsmanship and the sewing machine made it possible for them to earn their own living.

Stekkjarkot, Innri-Njarðvík

Stekkjarkot is a reconstructed turf house, typical for the many cottages that were inhabited by fishermen and their families in the area in the 19^th Century. Stekkjarkot was on rented land and the inhabitants had to rely on fishing as they were prohibited to keep livestock. The original Stekkjarkot was in use 1885-1887 and again in 1917-1923.

Stekkjarkot is open by appointment only.

Tré og list is a fun place with a lot of art and history. One of the main attractions is a piano orgel that is originally from Landakirkja that was transported after the volcanic eruption in 1973. Often we play the orgel for visitors. 

We can open upon request outside our normal opening hours.

Akranes Library was founded on the 6th of November 1864, originally as a book club. The library has wonderful facilities at Dalbraut 1 and shares its space with Akranes' district archives and the photograph archive. The library has a wide range of books, magazines, CDs, videos and other media.

The Vintage Auto Museum at Stóragerði in Skagafjörður formally opened in 2004. The museum has on exhibition around 100 vehicles; cars, buses, motorcycles, snowmobiles, agricultural machinery, and a lot of small knickknacks tied to the Icelandic transportation heritage. At least 250-300 vehicles and machinery in various condition are on dispay outside the museum, which intrigues the museum's guests.

The museum was built by Gunnar Kr. Þórðarson and his wife, Sólveig Jónasdóttir. Gunnar had masters in Auto Mechanic and Sólveig is a primary school teacher. Gunnar always carried a passion for the transportation heritage and collected from a young age a large proportion of the showpieces. Gunnar also, througout the years, remodeled both vehicles and machinery with great success. But to ensure the best possible preservation of the showpieces of various sizes he had collected throughout the years, a warehouse had to be built, resulting in the opening of this magnificent museum for all to enjoy!

It is worth mentioning that aftert he museum opened, a few of the guests have donated both cars and machines to the museum in near to impeccable condition, and generous gifts like that are completely priceless. Gunnar's brothers, Sigurmon Þórðarson from Hofsós and Páll Hólm Þórðarson from Kópavogur have throughout the years been very helpful with the remodeling of various objects and in collecting showpieces across the country.

The official opening of the museum is during the summer months from June 1st through September 30th. Opening hours are daily from 11 am to 6 pm. Groups are welcomed by appointment during winter.

The Geothermal Exhibition is situated inside of Iceland’s largest geothermal power plant: the Hellisheiði Geothermal Plant (Hellisheiðarvirkjun), owned and operated by ON Power. This power plant produces electricity for Iceland’s
national grid and hot water for the capital region. When combined with the other geothermal plants in Iceland, geothermal power supplies 30% of all electricity and 90% of all space heating on the island. Geothermal resources
have been intertwined with Iceland’s culture, history, and heritage for over 1000 years and the renewable energy that they provide today is an important part of this continuous timeline. 

Visitors see into an operational power plant and learn all about the geothermal production and distribution of the plant. The exhibition also features information, exhibits, and displays about Iceland’s unique geology, history,
art, and the many exciting innovation projects happening in and around the power plant, including Carbfix, where CO₂ is turned into stone.  

The Geothermal Exhibition is open every day of the year except December 25 and January 1. 

Winter opening hours: November 1 - March 31: 09:00-16:00. 

Summer opening hours: April 1 - October 31: 09:00 - 17:00. 

We invite you to experience our world-leading green power production up close and personal. Feel the engine room humming with energy, learn about geothermal ingenuity, and experience the sights, sounds, and even smells behind the power of Mother Nature.  

The exhibition is interactive and based on multimedia technology, allowing guests to explore and experience among other things: 

• Visual explanation of the process of geothermal energy production and distribution  
• The history of geothermal energy in Iceland 
• A view into our turbine halls 
• The Carbfix method – we turn CO₂ into stone 
• Insight into the Geothermal Culture of the island 
• An Icelandic rocks & minerals collection 
• Our Curiosity Corner – where visitors of all ages can explore the geothermal process in a fun and colourful way 

Larger parties (10 people or more) and those interested in Carbfix tours are encouraged to send us an email to syning@or.is
– we kindly ask that you include the group size and preferred date and time of the visit.  

Kvikan is the cultural house of Grindavík. Diverse cultural activities take place in Kvikan e.g., events, performances, lectures, choir rehearsals and so much more. Kvikan announces its events on its Facebook page.

On the second floor of the building is the exhibition “Saltfish in the history of the nation”. The exhibition should be interesting for foreign tourists, informative for schoolers, and enjoyable for all who want to know about the industry here.

As the 18th century progressed, and deck ships began to replace rowing ships, salted cod became Iceland's main export. Until then, wading and crawling had been the basis of foreign trade. With the advent of trawlers, salted cod processing became an important industry, and salted cod has ever since played a very significant role in the economy's performance. The exhibition takes you through the history of the salted cod and lets you experience the journey of all the stages involved to make and transport the product.

Informative:

• Texts in the exhibition are in both Icelandic and English
• Coffee and tea (including bathroom fee) – 250 kr.
• Bathroom fee – 100 kr.
• No entry fee for the exhibition

Opening hours

15. May – 31. August      Every day from 11:00am – 17:00pm

1. September – 14. May Everyday but Sunday from 11:00am – 17:00pm

It is also possible for groups to come outside of opening hours by arangement.

Víðimýrarkirkja Church is one of the few preserved turf churches in Iceland. At the beginning of the 20th century its fate was uncertain, but thankfully the immense cultural value of the building was recognized in time, and the National Museum of Iceland became responsible for its renovation. The church was built in 1834 and has turf walls, but timber gables both back and front.

Opening hours:
1. June – 31. August: Tuesdays - Sundays 12:00 – 18.00, closed on Mondays. 

Admission for 2023 and 2024:
Adults (18+): ISK 1.000
Groups (6+), students, seniors and disabled: ISK 700
Children (17 and younger): free

Combo-ticket for Víðimýri Church and Glaumbær :
Adults (18+): ISK 2.300
Groups (6+), students, seniors and disabled: ISK 2.000
Children (17 and younger): free 

The tickets can be purchased at Víðimýrarkirkja or Glaumbær. Valid for same-day visits to both locations.

The museum collects and celebrates work by artists who have been seen as outside the cultural mainstream, often described as naïve artists who have a real and direct connection to an original creative spirit. The collection consists of artworks by over 300 people, dating from the mid-19th century to the present. The museum hosts annual exhibitions of this rich part of Icelandic art and facilitates events, publications and research.

The museum is located on the North Atlantic Way, in Eyjafjörður, about 10 minutes’ drive from the town of Akureyri.

Opening hours: 10am – 5pm from the second Sunday in May until the second Sunday in September and otherwise by appointment.

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Our unique and private museum loft apartment is in a traditional wooden house, adjacent to the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum. There is one private bedroom with a double bed, and an open space with twin single beds beside the dining room. The loft has a spacious dining area, a writing desk, a kitchenette, and a bathroom for private use. The apartment is a self-contained unit, guests have full access with a private entrance and private parking.

The apartment is furnished and decorated with objects from the collection of the folk museum, which gives a cozy and unique living experience. Next to the apartment, crossing a small stream by footbridge, there is a public birch forest with picnic facilities, which our guests are welcome to enjoy.

The apartment is open for bookings year-round.

Þuríðar´s cottage was rebuilt in 1949 in Stokkseyri but cottages such as this were numerous all along the coastline in the past. They were the shelters of the crews, where they lived, slept ant ate during the winter fishing season. Þuríðarbúð was erected in memory of Þuríður Einarsdóttir and old working procedures.Þuríður was a woman, born 1777 died 1863, who was captain in 50 years.

Þuríðarbúð is always open for visitors and the entrance is free of charge.

Vikingaheimar is the home of the Viking Ship Íslendingur (the Icelander). Built in 1996, Icelander is an exact replica of the famous Gokstad
ship, a remarkable archaeological find of an almost completely intact Viking ship, excavated in Norway in 1882.
Captain Gunnar Marel Eggertsson was inspired to build a replica of this beautiful ship based on his own background as shipbuilder and sailor. He copied the original nail for nail. In the year 2000, with a grant from the Leifur Eiríksson Commission of Iceland, he sailed from Iceland to New York, a journey of 4200 nautical miles. His voyage brought world-wide attention to Leif Eiriksson's and Bjarni Herjólfsson's discovery of America, dated, according to the Icelandic sagas, to exactly 1000 A.D.
Building Icelander was an extraordinary achievement;at 23 metres long, 5.25 meters wide and with a holding capacity of 80 tons (by modern standards), it took 2 years of effort.

The sail is 130 square meters and the mast is 18 meters in length. Made from pine and oak, scholars believe this was the most common type of ship in use during the Viking Age.
Vikingaheimar is also a home to the exhibition The North Atlantic
Viking Saga, originally shown at the Smithsonian Institution during the summer of 2000. Launched in Washington D.C. by King Hakon of Norway, and with a State Dinner at the White House, it then traveling to 6 other cities throughout North America. This exhibition, like the sailing of Icelander, celebrated the millennium anniversary of the Viking discovery of North America, shedding light on the latest scholarly research into the Norse settlement and explorations of unknown lands.
Gunnar Marel and his crew of 8 left Iceland on Icelandic Independence day, the 17th of June, with a send off from the Prime Minister of Iceland. When it finally arrived in New York on October 5th-where it was greeted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mayor Rudolf Guiliani--the ship had made stops at 22 harbors. In addition to the festivities with kings, queens, presidents and mayors, when the ship arrived, visitors also streamed to see it while it was docked at each location, all told about 450,000 people came on board.
These two fine projects, both celebrating Iceland's central role in the discovery of North America 1000 years ago by the Norse Vikings, have now found a permanent home in Vikinga Aldan (Viking Wave), the central building on the Vikingaheimar grounds. A spectacular modern building, it also offers beautiful views of the surrounding bay, Faxaflói.

These two fine projects, both celebrating Iceland's central role in the discovery of North America 1000 years ago by the Norse Vikings, have now found a permanent home in Vikinga Aldan (Viking Wave), the central building on the Vikingaheimar grounds. A spectacular modern building, it also offers beautiful views of the surrounding bay, Faxaflói.

Soffia´s Toy Museum consists of Óskar Elínar Jóhannesdóttur toy collection and the toy collection formerly found at Iðnó, in addition to toys donated by patriots.

The museum is open to everyone who enjoys old toys but we ask guests not to touch the pieces found in the museum.

Donations to further the museum are greatly appreciated.

The oldest stone house in Þingeyjar Counties, Sauðaneshús, is located 7 km´s north of the town of Þórshöfn. Today, it serves as the home of the region’s folk museum, which tells the story of life in Langanes Peninsula and how its residents have used their prosperous surroundings to endure through the ages in this unforgiving yet spectacular environment. A new exhibition opened in 2022, curated by two Icelandic artists who are the caretakers at Sauðaneshús during the summer as well.

Open from 15th of June to 15th of August, 13-17. Closed on Mondays. 

Entrance fee

Admission: 1.500 ISK

Pensioners/Students*: 1.100 ISK

Disabled*/Children: Free

Members of ICOM*: Free

Groups (10+): 1.300 ISK

*ID required

It is also possible to buy an entry ticket (2.200 ISK) that gives you access to The Husavik Museum - Safnahúsið, Grenjaðarstaður - The Old Turf House, Snartarstaðir - District Folk Museum & Sauðaneshús - District Folk Museum once during the calendar year 2024. 

Reykjanes Art Museum presents several new art exhibitions every year. The museum is located in Duus Museum, the Art and Cultural Center of Reykjanesbær along with Reykjanes Maritime Center and Reykjanes Heritage Museum.

Reykjanes Art Museum presents visual arts through diverse exhibitions, lectures, guidance, publications and their website www.reykjanesbaer.is/listasafn.

The museum is open everyday from 12pm – 5pm.

Located at Snartarstaðir farm, two kilometers from the village of Kópasker, this museum presents a unique collection of local objects showing dayli life in the 19th and 20th centuries.

There is a wide array of embroidery, woven goods, knitted clothing and many other unique, interesting handicrafts.  In addition the museum contains a variety of quite different objects: toys, a firefighting chart, guns, wood carvings, blacksmith products and much, much more.

Open from 15th of June to 15th of August, 13-17. Closed on Tuesdays.

Entrance fee

Admission: 1.500 ISK

Pensioners/Students*: 1.100 ISK

Disabled*/Children: Free

Members of ICOM*: Free

Groups (10+): 1.300 ISK

*ID required

It is also possible to buy an entry ticket (2.200 ISK) that gives you access to The Husavik Museum - Safnahúsið, Grenjaðarstaður - The Old Turf House, Snartarstaðir - District Folk Museum & Sauðaneshús - District Folk Museum once during the calendar year 2024.  

Reykjavík Museum of Photography is the only independent museum of photography in Iceland. The aim of the museum is to shape a unique vision and to be leading in its field. The museum preserves various photo collections from professional and amateur photographers, around 5 Million photographs from the period around 1870 to 2002. The collection´s themes are diverse. One can find family photographs, photos from portrait studios, industrial- and advertising photographs, press photography, landscape photographs and more.

Stekkjarkot is a classic example of the roughly built turf, stone and timber cottage-type houses once common on the Reykjanes peninsula and other coastal areas of Iceland, Stekkjarkot was opened to the public in 1993 by Iceland’s then-president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, following a year of restorations.

The older part of the cottage, with its open hearth, dates back to the 19th century, and is said to have been home to a maidservant with an infant daughter who slept on the earthen floor. The newer part dates from the farm’s last days of habitation, by which time floorboards covered the living room and kitchen, a coal-fired stove provided both cooking facilities and heat, and conditions for those who lived there do not seem to have been too bad.

Stekkjarkot is open on request and there is free admission.

Please contact byggdasafn@reykjanesbaer.is for further information. 

The Museum of Design and Applies Art is a dynamic museum that enhances awareness, inspires and creates opportunities related to Icelandic design by collecting, archiving and sharing Icelandic design from the year 1900 to the present day. The museum serves as a platform for a community that is involved in these mattes and utilizes access to the knowledge and facilities of the museum. This community actively participates in shaping the museum along with our guest and staff.  

Items in the museum store are related to the museum´s collection, exhibitions and events. Here you will find a great collection of work by Icelandic designers. 

Hours of Operation: Open Tue. - Sun. 12-5pm. 
Closed on Mon. Direction from Reykjavik: To Keflavik Airport and the Blue Lagoon Access by car: Route 40 and 41. Bus: # 1, stop: „Ásgarður“
Admission:
Adults: 1000 kr 
Senior citizens: 500 kr 
Disabled: Free 
Students: Free
Free for children 16 years and younger and ICOM members.

In the heart of Hafnarfjörður, there stands Hafnarborg – The Hafnarfjörður Centre of Culture and Fine Art, which houses a variety of cultural events, art exhibitions, concerts, workshops and lectures.

The museum has two exhibition galleries, featuring about a dozen different exhibitions each year. The exhibitions explore works both by leading Icelandic and international artists, featuring contemporary artists as well as established artists from the early 20th century. The Hafnarborg Collection currently counts around 1,500 works, with a notable contribution from Eiríkur Smith (1925-2016), a leading 20th century artist in Iceland. Exhibitions from the Collection are a regular part of the museum programme. Guided tours are available in English and Icelandic, upon request. 

Opening Hours
12:00–17:00 all days, except Tuesdays

Wilderness Center of Iceland - Center of Recreation

The Wilderness Center is an authentic and peaceful hideaway, located right on the edge of Northern Europe´s most extensive wilderness.

One can experience the spirit of the past through a variety of services, such as unique accommodation, local food, exhibitions, horse riding and hiking, stargazing/Aurora station, day tours, escorted tours, super jeep tours, and tailor-made tours.

The center's tranquil and pleasant location, as well as the distinct choice of accommodation and unique setting both indoors and out, will draw guests into adventures of the past and offer a unique atmosphere.

Delicious food from local ingredients is cooked from scratch in the open home-style kitchen. Cakes and bread are also home-made.

The Center offers a variety of activity and services. One can go hiking along waterfalls, cross the river on a cable-bridge, go horseback riding, rent mountain bikes, go fishing, gaze at the stars in the stargazing hut or visit the creative museum about the history of the Icelandic wilderness, where one can walk into the adventures of the Icelandic wilderness and be touched by the dramatic struggle between the forces of nature and the Icelander´s fight to survive.

Many different day tours can be made from the Wilderness Center either self-drive or escorted. For example to Hengifoss, Laugarfell hot springs, Snæfell area, Hafrahvammagljúfur canyons and many more. Multi-day, tailormade tours can also be arranged, all year around.

MUSEUM - HIKING - RIDING - MOUNTAIN BIKING - FISHING - STARGAZING - ACCOMMODATION - LOCAL FOOD - GUIDED TOURS

TEL: +354 440 8822 / info@wilderness.is / www.wilderness.is

The Center for Art and Culture in Fljotsdalsherad (MMF) is located in Slaturhusid, Egilsstadir. As a Center for Performing Arts we are inspired every day to create, share, teach, excite and perform for our community. Although performing arts are our main focus we also host art exhibitions.

Director of MMF is Ragnhildur Asvaldsdottir

About 8 kilometers from Reykhólar on the Reykjanes peninsula in East Barðastrandarsýsla district is the church Staðarkirkja.

In previous years there was a major farm there as well as the Catholic church Ólafskirkja. A vicarage was at Staður until 1948 when it was moved to Reykhólar, where there had formerly been a subsidiary church belonging to Staður. Staðarkirkja church was built in 1864 by Daníel Hjaltason, goldsmith, local official and farmer.

Opening hours
-April 1 - September 30: Daily 11:00-18:00
-October, November, February, March: Weekends 11:00 - 18:00
-December, January: Closed.

The exhibition focuses on the 1973 volcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar, without a doubt one of Iceland´s biggest natural disaster. Visitors get a glimpse into peoples lives on Heimaey before the eruption that would change their lives forever. The people of Heimaey had to leave their homes in the middle of the night and evacuate the island, many of them never saw their homes or any of their belongings ever again.

The eruption started in the early hours of January 23rd 1973 on the island of Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyjar islands and it lasted for 5 months. Lava and ash destroyed almost 400 homes and businesses, a third of all buildings on Heimaey. While the eruption lasted no one knew if the island would ever be populated again.

Exhibition on fisheries and nature by the Glacier -  coffee and cakes 

In the Fishermen’s Garden you will find a collection of items reminding one of the local community’s connection to the ocean and how its inhabitants dealt with a life that revolved around fishing in days gone by.

Icelandic Lava Show is the first and only live lava show in the world.
The show is located at Víkurbraut 5 in the beautiful village of Vík on the South Coast, in the heart of Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, surrounded by volcanoes, glaciers, beautiful nature, and black sand beaches. It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to drive from Reykjavík to Vík without stopping. We recommend that you arrive at the Icelandic Lava Show no later than 15 minutes before the show starts. 

The show begins with a short opening from the show‘s host and then delves into a short educational video about Icelandic volcanism and why Iceland is such an active volcano island. Then Katla UNESCO GEOPARK and the volcanoes surrounding Vík are highlighted with a good explanation of why these volcanoes are considered among the most dangerous on the planet. After that, the show takes the audience 100 years back in time with a dramatic story about the catastrophic Katla volcano eruption in 1918.

The highlight of the show is when everyone is advised to put on their security goggles and the lava starts pouring into the showroom. The bright orange color as the lava starts flowing into the room is like sunrise and as the lava starts gliding over the ice it starts to bubble and crackle. The most surprising aspect, however, is the intense heat that radiates from the lava and the temperature in the showroom quickly rises. For a few moments, the only thing you want to do is sit there transfixed on the lava, mesmerized by the sensory onslaught as you watch the lava cool in front of your eyes, slowly turning from bright orange to grey to black. It is an experience unlike anything else you have ever experienced. 

Soon after the lava flows into the room, the show‘s host starts playing with the lava, explaining the different aspects of it and what it really was that you just witnessed. As the lava continues to cool down, the host is able to demonstrate some really interesting aspects and wonders of lava and encourages the audience into an interactive Q&A session. 

In the end, when the doors to the showroom are opened, it is usually a bright-eyed and flushed group of audience that walks out of the room, still wrapping their heads around the remarkable experience they just had in this wonderland of ice and fire. Most agree that Icelandic Lava Show is a must-see for everyone visiting Iceland.

See our video here  

The  Blackmsith’s Workshop was founded in 1913 and was the first of its kind in Iceland. It is still operating in its original shape, now as a living museum. An amazing atmosphere for all ages.

Opened on 4 March 1983, Gerðuberg is an all-round cultural centre run by the City of Reykjavík, offering a varied programme of cultural events for people of all ages. Its aim is to be a venue of ambitious and high-quality cultural activities of all types and a place where good ideas and new creative ventures can find expression. Easy access for citizens of all ages is a priority. Forthcoming cultural events are listed in the survey of the City‘s Cultural Affairs and Tourism Division each year; they are also to be found on Gerðuberg’s homepage and in a printed calendar of events that is published twice a year.

The Natural History Museum of Kopavogur hosts one of the largest exhibitions of preserved animals in Iceland, alongside a diverse rock collection.

The exhibition “Home” provides an immersive insight into Iceland's wildlife within its natural habitats. We travel from the sea along the coasts of Iceland and up through the landscape to the highlands, giving us a clear picture of the biodiversity in Icelandic nature.

The “Between tectonic plates” exhibit takes us on a journey to understand the extraordinary volcanic activity that characterizes Iceland, resulting in eruptions occurring approximately every five years. An assortment of rocks and minerals found throughout Iceland are on display, alongside a collection of Icelandic fossils.

Opening hours:

Weekdays: 8:00- 18:00
Saturday: 11:00 -17:00
Sunday: Closed 

Pálshús, one of the oldest houses in Ólafsfjörður, is today a museum and a cultural centre, located at Strandgata 4 in Ólafsfjörður. The oldest part of the house was built in 1892. The house is named after Páli Bergssyni, one of the main instigators of the fishing enterprises in Ólafsfjörður and who, together with his wife Svanhildi Jörundsdóttur, finished building the house in the form we know today.

Pálshús hosts the Natural Museum of Ólafsfjörður and a wonderful exhibition called "The Desire to Fly". This exhibition covers Icelandic bird flora and examines the human desire to fly. A great exhibition for children as it has a high educational value while being entertaining and fun.

In addition, Pálshús hosts private collections and diverse music and/or art exhibitions.

Opening hours:
May 15 - September 15: daily 13.00-17.00 

Open for groups outside business hours.

Admission 2022:
Adults: ISK 1.500
Children 12 - 18 years: ISK 1000
Senior citizens: ISK 1000
Disabled: ISK 1000
Free for children under 12 years.  

The Technical Museum of East Iceland has opened again and with the exhibition

Búðareyri: A story of transformations

The exhibition explores the history of Búðareyri from 1880 to the present day and the transformations of settlement, industry, society, and nature that have taken place there. These changes tell not only a local story, but also reflect on a much larger history of technological advancements and societal changes in Iceland and beyond over the past 150 years.

The exhibition is housed in and around the premises of Vélsmiðja Seyðisfjarðar (Seyðisfjörður Mechanical Shop). After the company ceased operations in 1993, the space has been used for exhibitions by the Technical Museum of East Iceland.

The history of Búðareyri is characterized by significant transformations, which are explored through several themes, overlapping with each other:

• The beginning of settlement
• The Mechanical Shop
• Communications and the telegraph
• The occupation years
• The harbor and the fjord
• Trade and commerce
• Natural conditions and landslides

Opening hours
May - August
Mondays - Saturdays at 10 - 17

Saptember

Mondays - Fridays at 10 - 16

October - April
By agreement : tekmus@tekmus.is

Admission fee
Adults: 1500 kr
Children: 1500 kr
Pensioners and students: 1000kr

Ghosts, trolls and sorcerers

To Icelanders the Strandir region is wrapped in an aura of mystery. According to lore it’s not only home to ghosts, elves and trolls, but many thought witchcraft was rampant here, used for both good and evil.
Hotel Laugarholl is a peaceful and comfortable family-run country hotel located in the green and sparsely populated valley Bjarnarfjordur, perfectly situated for exploring the remote and beautiful wilderness of mysterious Strandir.

We have single, double and triple rooms with private or shared facilities, a cosy living room with free internet access and a restaurant with special emphasis on fresh and tasty homemade local food as well as global cuisine.

Next to the hotel you will find The Pool of Gvendur the good, a naturally warm geothermal outdoor swimming pool (32°C) and adjacent natural hot pool (42°C), perfect for relaxing after a long day on the road or hiking in the wilderness.

The camping site is open from 1. June - 1. September

From Reykjavik 258 km, from Stykkishólmur 190 km, from Ísafjörður 250 km, from Akureyri 360 km.

Skógar Museum was founded in 1949 and nowadays hosts a collection of more than 18,000 regional artifacts, exhibited in three different spaces. It is located 150 km east of Reykjavík, just off Ring Road 1, and 30 km west of Vík. The Museum was especially known for the curator Þórður Tómasson.

Skógar Museum is divided into three parts:
-The Folk Museum offers a huge variety of artifacts displayed on three floors: fishing, agriculture, textile, and natural history, as well as artifacts dating back to the Viking Age.
-The Open Air Museum, where visitors can catch the atmosphere of times long gone and experience how Icelanders lived through the centuries in farms made from turf and stone.
-The Technical Museum tells the story of technology and transportation and its development in Iceland in the 19th and 20th century. It also houses a souvenir shop and the Skógakaffi cafeteria.

Guided tours are available upon reservation in English, German and Icelandic for groups of ten people or more. Sometimes there is the possibility to have guided tours in French, Spanish, Norwegian, and Danish.“

Skogar Museum is open 364 days of the year
June - August: 09:00 - 18:00
September - October: 10:00 – 17:00
November – April: 10:00 – 16:00
May: 10:00 – 17:00

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Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) was Iceland´s first sculptor. When The Einar Jónsson Museum opened in 1923 it became the first public art museum in Iceland. The museum´s foundation can be traced back to 1909, when Einar gave his sculptures to the Icelandic nation with a stipulation that a museum be built to display them. Today the building is protected as a listed structure.

Einar was influenced by Nordic symbolism and the museum contains close to 300 of his artwork. At the beginning of his career the artist drew inspiration from folklore and mythology. His introduction to theosophy in 1910 had a great impact on both his life and art.

The museum was also the artist´s studio and home. Einar and Anna, his wife and first director of the museum, lived in the penthouse apartment, now a part of the museum. In the sculpture garden, behind the museum, are 26 bronze casts of Einar’s sculptures. The garden is open all year round and is a popular spot in the city.

Opening Hours
Tuesday–Sunday, 12:00-17:00. Closed on Mondays.
The sculpture garden is always open. 
Guided tours for groups by arrangement. 

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Reykjavík Art Museum (Harbour House, Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum) is located in three unique buildings across the city and holds some of the most distinguished works in Iceland´s artistic landscape.  The museum is Iceland´s largest network of art museums and displays both modern and contemporary art, paintings, sculptures and works in different media by established local and international artists. 

Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum is the former home and workshop of the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982). The museum serves to preserve his work and life, and displays the largest collection of his sculptures both inside and outside the building. The museum also houses a museum´s shop.

Kört is a small museum in Trékyllisvík in Strandir. There you can find an impressive display of old artifacts from the area, as well as local arts and crafts for sale. The house is situated in the beautiful creek Trékyllisvík where it is surrounded by mountains, sea, birds, seals and a rocky coast. The owner Valgeir Benediktsson built the house out of driftwood from the coast over his collection of old things from the area in 1997. He is an artist and uses driftwood and other Icelandic wood in his pieces that are sold in Kört along with art and craft from local people. Kört also offers guided tours in and around Trékyllisvík. Coffee and light refreshments are available. Open 11 to 17 hrs. every day from 1st of June until 31st of August.

The Exploration Museum is dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space.

The main exhibition room features photographs and artifacts from the Apollo Astronaut Training near Húsavík in 1965 and 1967. Other exhibition rooms features the history of Viking Exploration, Arctic explorers and a timeline of exploration history.

The old blacksmith shop in Bíldudalur dates back to 1895 to when Pétur Thorsteinsson, one of the most sucessfull entrepreneur for business in Iceland, built his empire here in Bíldudalur.

The shop was used for over a 100 years and today guests are welcome to visit the shop and get a feel on how life was here in the old fishing village years ago. 

Hafnarfjörður Museum is a museum of cultural artifacts and photographs of Hafnarfjörður town. Its objective is to collect, document, preserve, protect and study objects and artifacts of the regions cultural history and present them to the public.

Opening hours:
June 1st - August 31st open daily 11:00-17:00
September 1st. – May 31st open on weekends, Saturdays and Sundays 11:00-17:00

Also open on request for groups.
Admission is free of charge.

Center for CONTEMPORARY ART -  20 min. from AKUREYRI, North Iceland 1500 m2 exhibition space in an old historical HERRING FACTORY

OPEN daily from 14:00 to 17:00 EXCEPT Mondays. Admission: FREE

Sigurgeir´s Bird Museum was opened on the 17th of August 2008. The goal of the Museum is to educate the visitors about birds, the biota in Lake Mývatn, and how people in the area used the lake for transport and to survive. In the Museum you can find almost all of the Icelandic nesting birds, plus about 100 of the eggs, and in a seperate exhibiton, tools that were used to fish in Lake Mývatn.

Opening hours:
June 1-ug 31: 12:00-17:00 every day
Sept 1-May 31: 14:00-16:00 every day 

If groups are traveling during other hours it is always possible to call us and check if we can open.

Menningarstofa Fjarðabyggðar (Fjardabyggd Cultural Center) was established in 2017, and its role is to support and promote cultural activities in Fjarðabyggð. Menningarstofa workss with people in cultural life and helps them and encourages good work.

Menningarstofa Fjarðabyggðar is committed to ensuring all residents´access to culture and arts, regardless of residence, origin, and socioeconomic status. Menningarstofa is connected with grassroots organizations in culture, such as amateur theatre companies and choirs, and promotes good access to local housing events.

Menningarstofa connects theatre, primary and music schools, museums, and other municipal institutions with professionals from creative industries. Menningarstofa works to increase access to innovative learning and work in collaboration with educational directors, sports and leisure representatives, and the Fjarðabyggð Museum-Institute. Furthermore, the Menningarstofa encourages creative processes in schools, cultural and leisure activities in Fjarðabyggð.

Tónlistarmiðstöð Austurlands is operated by Menningarstofa Fjarðabyggðar. Its Concert Hall, located in Eskifjörður, is very popular for most types of concerts. The music center is well equipped, and the house´s soundtrack is excellent. but the design of the building creates visual and acoustic intimacy between performers and concert goers.

The place is also very convenient for various exhibitions, any conference, and meetings. However, the Events of Tónlistarmiðstöð Austurlands are not confined to the hall in Eskifjörður at all, as Menningarstofa Fjarðabyggðar is responsible for music-related events in all of Fjarðabyggð.

The woman’s college heritage centre was founded by the friends of the woman’s college with support from the local culture fund. The aim of the heritage center is to preserve the history and artifacts from the college that was run for almost a hundred years, from 1879 until 1978. About 3500 girls attended the college and parts of the building have been restored to its original state. Most of the items found in the collection were donated by former students as well as the relatives of Elín Briem who was the colleges first principal. Guided tours of the house and exhibitions are available.

Hours of Operation: 13-17 weekdays in July. Also on request for groups. 
Admission: ISK 700 kr. 

LÁ Art Museum (Listasafn Árnesinga) welcomes you. It runs ambitious and various shows of contemporary as well as modern art in its four spacious exhibitions rooms. The exhibitions reflect our cultural heritage and our contemporary change.

The bright seating area offers visitors the chance to relax in a peaceful setting whilst browsing through art related reading material supplied. The Museum also houses a small café and the children´s corner gives the museum´s younger visitors a chance to enjoy themselves.

The Museum is owned by the eight Municipalities in Árnesinga County and supported by the Museum Council of Iceland. 

LÁ Art Museum on Facebook

Opening hours:

May - August – every day: 12:00-17:00
September - April – every day except Monday: 12:00-17:00

This centre houses memorabilia of the 11th World Chess Champion BOBBY FISCHER and the Selfoss Chess Club. The American Bobby Fischer became the World Chess Champion when he defeated the Soviet grandmaster and reigning World Champion  Boris Spassky in Reykjavík in the summer of 1972.  The match is generally referred to as the Match of the Century. It took place at the height of the Cold War, mirroring the tense relations between the two superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Since 1948 Soviet chess players had held the World Championship title - uninterrupted for 25 years. On display at the Bobby Fischer centre in  Selfoss are among other things  Spassky´s and Fischer´s scoresheets, a printout from the radiation measurements demanded by Spassky´s delegation after the 17th game and a replica of the chessboard used during the match, which was staged in Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík.  In addition, there are many curious items related to Bobby Fischer‘s stay in Iceland during his last years (2005-2008), for example, his chair from the antiquarian bookshop Bókin in Reykjavík. He died on 17th January 2008 at the age of 64.  Bobby Fischer´s final resting place is at Laugardælir cemetery, a few hundred metres away from the Bobby Fischer centre.

Open from 13:00-17:00 every day, from 1 June to 22 August.

Skaftfell Center for Visual Art was founded in the year 1998 by a group of art enthusiasts, the Skaftfell Group. The Skaftfell Group was formed by friends of the artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998) who had regularly spent time in Seyðisfjörður during the last decade of his life in Seyðisfjörður and had a strong influence on the town´s artistic life. 

The art center is situated in Austurvegur 42 in Seyðisfjörður, in a grand house built in 1907, which was donated to the Skaftfell Group by Garðar Eymundsson and Karólína Þorsteinsdóttir. Today the building contains the Skaftfell gallery and bookshop on the middle floor, an artist residency apartment on the top floor, and the Skaftfell Bistro and library on the ground floor.

Skaftfell´s role is to present, discuss and encourage the development of contemporary art. The art center is an importan meeting point for artists and locals, and its activities involve exhibitions and events throughout the year, an international artist residency program and an art education program. Skaftfell is also the guardian of a minuscule house in Seyðisfjörður, Geirahús, previously owned by the local naive artist Ásgeir Emilsson (1931-1999). Now a tiny museum, Geirahús can be visited by appointment. Another artwork to visit is Tvísöngur , a sound sculpture on the hills of the fjord, developed by Lukas Kühne with Skaftfell in 2012. 

In 2013 Skaftfell received the Icelandic Eyrarrósin award for outstanding cultural leadership in a rural area.

For opening hours please visit our website skaftfell.is  

For more information please contact us: skaftfell@skaftfell.is 

Nonni´s house was the childhood home of the writer and Jesuit priest Jón Sveinsson, "Nonni", who wrote books for children. Nonni´s house is among Akureyri´s oldest houses, built in 1850. Today it is a memorial museum were many items connected with Nonni and the Nonni books, in such diverse languages as Japanese  and Esperenato are kept. Books by Jón Sveinsson in several languages are sold in the museum.

Open:
June 1 - September 30: Daily 10-17
October 1 - May 31: Daily 13-16

Price:
Adults (18 and older): ISK 2300
Children and youth: Free
Senior citizens ISK 1300
Handicapped: Free

The ticket includes Akureyri Museum, Nonni's house, Akureyri Toy Museum, Davids house and Laufás Heritage Site and Museum. The ticket is valid throughout the year.

At the Akranes Folk Museum, you can learn about the history of Akranes and its surroundings. The museum was founded and opened in the year 1959 and can be found at Garðaholt 3.

Opening hours:

Summer: May 15th - September 14th: every day from 11:00-17:00
Winter: September 15th - May 14th: Saturdays 13:00-17:00, or upon request

Hægt er að leigja stúkuhúsið undir fundarhöld. 

1238 The Battle of Iceland is an immersive exhibition incorporating cutting-edge interactive technology that transports you into the past. You can take part and experience Iceland´s most fearful battle; The Battle of Örlygsstaðir.

The Pakkhús in Olafsvik is an old trading store, built in 1844. It is a national monument and the Regional Museum of Snæfellsbær town is located on the second and third floors of the building.

A shop selling wool products, local handcraft and Icelandic design is located on the ground floor. 

Open weekdays from 11:00 to 17:00 and weekends 11:00-16:00.

If you are interested in the Icelandic nature and wildlife, sea creatures, research related to the area and art, the Sudurnes Science and Learning Center is a place you must visit!

The center offers three exciting exhibitions. They include a nature gallery where you can look at and touch various stuffed animals from the Icelandic wildlife and see live sea creatures. There is also a collection of shells and whale bones in addition to the only stuffed walrus in Iceland.

In the historical gallery you can visit the magnificent exhibition Attraction of the Poles on the life of the French medical doctor and polar scientist Jean-Baptiste Charcot. A model of his research ship, Pourquoi-Pas?, that perished off the coast of Iceland in 1936 is part of the exhibition.

In the art gallery you will find the art and educational exhibition Hidden World of the Seaweed Fairies. The exhibition weaves scientific knowledge about the ocean into the magical world of the seaweed fairies.

Sudurnes Science and Learning Center is an ideal place to visit for families and others hungry for knowledge. Join our treasure hunt that will take you on an exciting journey looking for various animals, plants and historical places. Bring your findings back to the Center for further research.

Opening hours

Summer (May 1st – August 31^st)

Monday – Friday: 10:00 to 16:00
Saturday and Sunday: 13:00 to 17:00

Winter (September 1st – April 30^th)

Exhibitions closed.

Flexible opening hours for groups (minimum 20 persons) year-round – please call 423-7555.

For further information see their website.

The Maritime museum in Eyrarbakki offers a unique trip back in time, where you can see numerous items from the time when sailors, living on the south coast, rowed out to sea every day. A large twelve-rower, Farsæll, is the largest item of the museum, built 1915.

Hours of Operation:
May 1st - September 30th: 
Daily 11:00-17:00 
Winter: By arrangement 

Small, almost like a dollhouse, this early 19th-century building is filled with toys from the 20th century, some over 100 years old. Dozens of dolls and toy cars, cardboard games, muppets, action figures… just imagine the toy store of your childhood and become a child again.

The house was owned by the Independent Order of Good Templars who formed the first lodge there in 1884. On the upper floor is the old meeting room of the lodge. 

Akureyri Toy Museum is a listed building located in the oldest part of Akureyri a few steps from Akureyri Museum and Nonni's house.

Open:
June 1 - September 1: Daily 11-17

Price:
Adults (18 and older): ISK 2300
Children and youth: Free
Senior citizens ISK 1300
Handicapped: Free
The ticket includes Akureyri Museum, Nonni's house, Akureyri Toy Museum, Davíð Stefánsson's writers home and Laufás heritage site and museum. 

The Icelandic Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll (Rokksafn Íslands) is a new museum about the history of popular music in Iceland. The museum was opened in 2014 and is located in Keflavik in Reykjanesbær, only a 5-minute drive away from Keflavik International airport.

The museum’s main attraction is a timeline of Iceland’s popular music history. Visitors who would like to dive deeper into the history can get an iPad guided tour to read more and listen to the music throughout Iceland’s history. Other attractions include the very popular sound lab where guests can try instruments such as an electric drum kit, electric guitar and electric bass. There’s also a karaoke singing booth where guests have the possibility to sing and record video of the themselves and send it directly to their email address or social media. Guests can also visit the museums’ cinema where documentaries about Icelandic music run all day long, try out interactive solutions to dive deeper into the history of featured artists such as Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men, Kaleo and many more, get an insight into what it is like to be an audio engineer on a mixing desk that features Icelandic music and visit the gift shop where there are books, DVD, CD’s and LP’s with Icelandic music along with various museum merchandise. At the museum guests can sit down, listen to the music and have a cup of coffee... or tea... or hot chocolate, whichever sounds good. The museum café offers coffee from Kaffitár which is a local roasterie, specializing in importing, roasting and serving the finest Arabica coffee beans.

The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll is for everyone. For those who love Icelandic music and those who want to discover Icelandic Music.  

Children find the sound lab particularly interesting along with the interactive parts of the museum.

The museum is open daily all year round except for New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Opening times are 11am-6pm daily.

“The Icelandic Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll is as eccentric in its telling as the tale it celebrates.” David Fricke, Rolling Stone. 

The goal of the museum is to collect, document and distribute information on Icelandic music, old and new. Additionally two or three special exhibits will be produced annually.

The East Iceland Heritage Museum was founded in 1943 and since then its aims has been to preserve the history of East Iceland by collecting and preserving things that reflect the society, culture and everyday life of people in the area, from past to present day. 

The museum has two permanent exhibitions, one about the reindeers in East Iceland and one about the old rural household in the region. The museum also has diverse temporary exhibitions through the year. 

Reindeer in East Iceland
The East is the only part of Iceland where you will find wild reindeer. They contribute to the unique nature and are strongly connected to the region’s history and culture. The focus of the exhibition is on their nature, characteristics, and survival, as well as reindeer hunting and how reindeer products have contributed to a creative development of fashion design and handcraft. 

The old rural household as a self-sufficient entity
On display are items from the historical, rural community in East-Iceland up until the mid-20th century. Some items relate to a practical role in everyday life, while others bear witness to the fact that life was not only about basic survival but also about creating beautiful things for decoration and pleasure. Among things on display is a living room (baðstofa) of an Icelandic turf house. 

For more information, please visit www.minjasafn.is

Hrafnseyri in Arnarfjord in the Westfjords of Iceland, is a distinguished place in the history of Iceland. It is the birthplace of Jón Sigurðsson (1811-1879), the principal champion of Iceland’s struggle for independence from Danish rule in the 19th century. Jón wanted both to liberate the country from the Danish state and the Icelandic people from the old society and it’s economic system in which they were living. Jón’s name will always be linked to the establishment of the Icelandic state, and after his death in 1879, he became a symbol of the Icelandic nation. There is also a turfhouse in Hrafnseyri, which is a copy of the house in which Jón grew up. Coffe is served in the turfhouse. There is also a charming wooden church at Hrafnseyri which was consecrated in 1886.

Opening hours:

June 1st - September 8th: 11:00-17:00

The Textile Museum in Blönduós is the only specifically focused textile museum in Iceland. The museum is located in beautiful bulding with good visitor access. It hosts several unique and independent exhibitions of embroideries, Icelandic national costumes, the Halldóra room, which is dedicated to the life and work of Halldóra Bjarnadóttir (1873-1981), and a wool exhibition. Annually the museum hosts a special exhibition of Icelandic textile artists and designers.

LAVA "Iceland Volcano & Earthquake Center" reveals the epic forces of nature that shaped our planet and created Iceland only 20 million years ago. LAVA is dedicated to the unique volcanoes and geology of Iceland.

The center features an interactive educational exhibition exploring the art and science of geology and the volcanic systems in Iceland and an educational learning center for geology where staff members educate visitors to make the visit as enjoyable and memorable as possible. The interactive exhibition further displays a collection of artifacts, films, and graphics from various volcano eruptions in the past century.

For opening hours and price, click here 

The Old Bookstore in Flateyri is the oldest original store in Iceland, fourth generation family business since 1914. In this uniq store you will find all of the best products and books from the Westfjords, combined with high quality products from brands that are at least 100 years old from all around the world. 

At the Bookstore you will also find the merchant apartment of the founder of the Bookstore. Nothing has been change since 1950, when Jón, the founder of the Bookstore past away. – It is a truly an unforgettable experience to take a step into the past, by visiting the old apartment in the Old Bookstore.

But if you truly want to experience the real history of the Old Bookstore and the family you can stay at their home, above the Old bookstore. 

See: https://bookstore.is/

Randulff´s Sea House is located by the sea in Eskifjördur. It is during the summer months 2011 and Randulff´s restaurant serves dinner according to a traditional local menu in a unique atmosphere. Randulff´s seahouse is also open for groups by arrangement.

Randulff's Sea House is open during the summer from 12 - 21 every day of the week. The chefs have made a marvelous menu that focuses on fresh and local ingredients.  

Randulff´s Sea House is a beautifully preserved shore-building towards the eastern end of Eskifjörður. Today this fine old house preserves both many artifacts and a lingering atmosphere from the days when the establishment of a herring fishery led to the first real growth of the fjord towns of East Iceland in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Built by Norwegian Peter Randulff in 1890, it provided a station for landing and processing herring caught within the fjord through to 1930 when there was no longer sufficient herring coming into the fjord to sustain the fishery. When herring finally returned to the seas off East Iceland in the late 1950s the fishery involved large ships fishing further off-shore and landing their catches at ports like Siglufjörður, Húsavík, and Vopnafjörður in the north. As a result, for the next 75 years, this sturdy old sea-house remained closed.

In 1980 The East Iceland Maritime Museum (Sjóminjasafn Austurlands) became a part-owner of Randulff´s sea-house leading to the restoration of both the exterior of the building and the adjoining jetty. In 2003 the society became the sole owner of the house and in 2008 was re-opened in co-operation with the nearby Mjóeyri guesthouse and tourism centre. It has since been available both as an extension of the excellent Eskifjörður maritime museum and as a place where groups are able to sample traditional Icelandic fare in a setting that has changed little in the past one hundred years. It also provides the base from which Mjóeyri guesthouse rents out small boats with outboard motors for recreational fishing within the fjord where cod and haddock are still plentiful.

In 1980 The East Iceland Maritime Museum (Sjóminjasafn Austurlands) became a part-owner of Randulff´s sea-house leading to the restoration of both the exterior of the building and the adjoining jetty. In 2003 the society became the sole owner of the house and in 2008 was re-opened in co-operation with the nearby Mjóeyri guesthouse and tourism centre. It has since been available both as an extension of the excellent Eskifjörður maritime museum and as a place where groups are able to sample traditional Icelandic fare in a setting that has changed little in the past one hundred years. It also provides the base from which Mjóeyri guesthouse rents out small boats with outboard motors for recreational fishing within the fiord where cod and haddock are still plentiful.

Tales of sea monsters have played a colourful role in Icelandic folk culture for centuries, and several written accounts of them can be found all around the country. Today, these elusive creatures have been given a worthy home at the Icelandic Sea Monster Museum, located in the village of Bildudalur on the shores of Arnarfjörður fjord, said to be one of the most prolific centres of monster activity in the country.

Visitors to the Sea Monster Museum watch these remarkable creatures brought to life through a lively mix of words, images and videos, an action-packed multimedia display that culminates in a spectacular interactive plinth, the first of its kind in Iceland.

First-hand accounts from eye-witnesses are joined on-screen by academic theories on the nature of sea monsters, while a variety of relics and artefacts relating to this mysterious branch of zoology appear throughout the museum as tangible evidence for their existence.

And to feed monster appetites, the museum cafeteria offers a range of light refreshments and snacks.

Borgarnes Museum - Community Center, Archives and Library, Borgarnes, Iceland.

Summer opening hours (June, July, August):
Mondays - Fridays from 10:00 - 17:00
Saturdays: 11:00 - 14:00
Sundays: closed

Horseback riding
Our peaceful farm Lýtingsstaðir is situated in the North of Iceland in Skagafjörður, only 20 km away from road#1.
We offer horseback riding tours (beginner and experienced level) on beautiful trails, in small groups, and away from traffic.
Personal service, experienced guides, excellent riding horses, and maintained equipment ensure a high-quality experience. Available from April-October.

Accommodation
We offer accommodation in three wooden cottages for self-catering.
Enjoy midsummer nights out on the deck or let dancing Northern Lights take your breath away. Take a ride or a walk, watch horses and sheep, explore the surroundings, and enjoy the many activities Skagafjörður has to
offer. Available all year round.

Lýtingsstaðir is a fully licensed riding holiday company, operating since the year 2000, welcoming you with warm hospitality and a personal atmosphere.

The Old Stable
Inspired by the long history of the farm, a horse stable, and a storage room were built in 2015. The two gabled houses combine turf, stones, and wood, and they are masterpieces of traditional, even if nowadays very rare, Icelandic craftsmanship. We want to tell visitors how horses were kept on farms in the old days, and we have a display featuring old tools, tack, and other items connected with horses and farming. Audioguide is available in different languages.
Open daily from May to September, other times of year on request. Entrance fee with audio guide included.

Open by arrangement.

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In an authentic atmosphere, the Museum opens the exiting world of Icelandic fisheries and costal culture
Iceland´s past, present and future are intimately tied to seafaring. This activity defines the nation’s character, making it difficult indeed to know Iceland and Icelanders without knowing its maritime history.

The Maritime Museum´s exhibitions are insights into Iceland’s relationship with the sea through the centuries. The main exhibitions illustrate the development from rowboats to modern trawlers and cargo vessels, as well as the construction of Reykjavík Harbor. Temporary exhibitions are changed regularly.

Docked to a specially built pier alongside the museum is the Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn.  Óðinn participated in all three Cod Wars against Britain in the latter part of the 20th century. Moreover, it was a highly effective patrol and rescue vessel accredited with saving the crews of grounded or sinking ships, and towed nearly 200 vessels to safety. Guided tours daily, welcome aboard!

The Museum of Prophecies

Exhibition, storytelling and fortune telling.

The exhibition focuses on Þórdís the fortune-teller, the first named inhabitant of Skagaströnd, who lived there in the late 10th century. A painted tapestry tells the story of Þórdís. Guides lead visitors through the exhibition which features all kinds of interesting information about prophecies and fortune telling. Visitors can have their fortunes told and their palms read on request. Children can examine Þórdís’s gold chest, where various interesting things are hidden.

We have a great range of Icelandic craft and design.

Opening hours:  June -  Sept.

Tuesday – Sunday

        13:00-18:00

Closed on Mondays.

Opening hours from Sept. – June  by arrangement, please contact us by phone.

tel: 861 5089 / 452 2726 

It is the mission of Reykjavík City Museum to maintain strong and demonstrable ties with the community, to be reliable, informative, and accessible, to encourage guest participation, and to provide attentive service to all visitors. 
The museum will demonstrate professionalism in its collection, cataloguing, and preservation of cultural artefacts, will share the diverse history of the city in an engaging manner and inspire people to reflect, be creative, and have fun. 
The Reykjavík City Museum’s activities will be dynamic, trustworthy, purposeful, and clear. 

The centre features an exhibition on the use of drill cores to reveal the hidden depths of Iceland's geology, including the volcanic island of Surtsey and the immense sequence of lavas that make up Eastern Iceland. It also includes rooms dedicated to the legacy of scientists George Walker and Stefán Einarsson.

Walker was one of the 20th century's most prominent volcanologists. He conducted trailblazing research on the geological history of East Iceland, mapped ancient volcanoes (including the Breiðdalur Central Volcano) and gathered evidence that supported the then-new theory of plate tectonics. The linguist Stefán Einarsson, a native of the Breiðdalur valley, was a professor of linguistics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA. He was a productive scholar across many disciplines, particularly phonetics and literature, and most likely no one has ever introduced Iceland and Icelandic literature as thoroughly to the English-speaking world.

Opening hours of the exhibition during summer (June 1st to August 31st):

Sunday - Thursday from 12:00 - 16:00

Closed Fridays and Saturdays. Entry is free of charge.

Opening hours of the exhibition during winter (September 1st - May 31st)

There are no fixed opening hours during winter, but staff members are usually on site between 10 am – 4 pm on weekdays, and visitors are always welcome. Visits can also be arranged in advance by contacting mariahg@hi.is. Please drop by!

The museum offers a variety of fascinating exhibitions and one permanent display illustrating lavishly the story of Iceland’s past, from the medieval days of Viking settlements to current contemporary culture. The main exhibition has over 2,000 artefacts discovered in various parts of the country. The museum shop offers a stylish and educational atmosphere with custom-made goods and handicrafts amongst a large selection of books on Icelandic language, art and culture. The museum cafe offers light refreshments, quality coffee, and a variety of Icelandic delicacies.

The Leif Eiriksson center is an exciting destination for all ages, where stories of the voyages of Erik the Red and his son Leif the Lucky (also called Leifur Eiríksson), discovering parts of Greenland, Canada and the US, are presented in a new exhibition, consisting of works from ten renowned Icelandic visual artists. An audio guide will lead you through the history as you view the magical world of the exhibition. Afterwards you can enjoy a quick bite to eat or some good coffee on the ground floor. 

Open daily from May to October. 

Hveragerði is undoubtedly one of the few populated sites in the world located on active geothermal area. At the Geothermal Park, visitors are invited to take a guided walk around the hot springs and learn about the geological history surrounding this unique area. 

In the Geothermal Park you can find mud pots that produce material for natural mud baths. Visitors can experience first hand, the benefits of the therapeutic mud while enjoying a mud bath for their hands and feet. Visitors can also enjoy a bite of delicious rye bread baked using the geothermal heat and/or boil an egg in the hot stream.

In Hofsárdalur in Vopnafjörður you will find the old family farm Bustarfell, a quaint, centuries old Icelandic turf house with red gables and a grass-grown roof which is now a museum. Bustarfell is one of the oldest and best preserved turf houses in Iceland. In 1532, the farm was bought by Árni Brandsson and his wife Úlfheiður and has been owned by their descendants ever since. 

A visit to the museum at Bustarfell is a journey through the history of farming in Iceland and changes in lifestyle from the beginning of the 18th century to the mid-20th century. When walking through the museum, you feel as if the inhabitants have only just left the house. Three kitchens from different eras are showcased, as well as other artifacts from around the farm which show how technology has developed.   

Hjáleigan Café is located next to the museum, and a hiking path leads to the rock Álfkonusteinn, source of a local folktale. 

Opening hours: 10-17 every day from June 1st to August 31st.

Reykjavik Botanic Garden is an outdoor collection of living plants. It was founded in 1961 and is managed by the city of Reykjavík.  

The garden’s main role is to conserve plants for education, research and delight. It conserves some 5000 plants species in eight plant collections. The collections give an idea of the enormous diversity of vegetation in the northern temperate zone. 

In summer there is a variety of events in the Botanic Garden and group receptions are available throughout the year. 

The café Flóran Café/Bístró is open in the display greenhouse from May to September. The Café is popular and well known for its delicious treats with ingredients grown in the garden and served in beautiful surroundings.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/grasagardur

Opening hours:
Summer: 10:00-21:00
Winter: 10:00-15:00

The display greenhouse is closed Dec. 24th, 25th, 26th and 31st and January 1st.

The museum mostly exhibits objects and utensils relating to fishing and seafaring in general. It also displays various reminders of local trade, industry, and medicine from times past. The collection is in a commercial building, “Gamla búð”, built in 1816.

Hours of Operation:
June, July, and August: 13:00 - 17:00 daily or by arrangement with the manager, tel. 470 9063

The Húsavík Whale Museum was founded in 1997.  It's foremost aim is to provide detailed and interesting information about whales and their habitat.
In the 1.600m2 house you can find on display whale skeletons of several species and fascinating facts about the whales and life in the ocean.

Opening hours: Open daily 9am - 6pm in June, July and August.

Offering a wealth of information, the Settlement Center provides a wonderful insight into Iceland’s history. It also gives you the chance to put your visit into the context of the country’s past. The exhibitions recreate the fascinating drama of the sagas and the birth of this island nation. They also bring to life one of Iceland’s most important cultural treasures, Egils Saga.

Svavarssafn (The museum of Svavar Guðnason) is a vibrant, contemporary artmuseum at Höfn in Hornafjordur. The museum hosts various Icelandic exhibitions over the year, emphasizing artists with a connection to the area. Hornafjordur is a large region known for its spectacular landscape and glacial light, not easily found anywhere else. The museum offers a space to contemplate art inspired by this landscape that many Icelandic artists have tried to capture.

The museum was founded in honor of Svavar Guðnason (1909-1988), the first Icelandic abstract painter. Svavar was born in Höfn and became one of the most influential leaders of the Icelandic avant-garde during the middle of the 20th century. One of few Icelandic artists of that period to have an international following. The museum was founded when Hornafjordur received from Ásta Eiríksdóttir, the widow of the artist, several important works by Svavar, and today the museum owns about 500 works by him and other artists from the area. On average, three exhibitions are held each year that combine works by contemporary artists and works from the collection. The museum is open all year round and located in the city hall.

The museum is free of charge.

Winter opening
November 1st - February 28th
Workdays: 9:00-15:00

Summer opening
March 1st - October 31st
Workdays: 9:00-17:00
Weekends: 13:00-17:00 

The transportation museum at Ystafell was established by Ingólfur Kristjánsson and Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir in 1998. The museum is the oldest of its kind in Iceland. Its main role is to preserve and show various ways and means of transportation and present to the public interesting facts on the subject.

Ingólfur collected spare parts, machinery and cars of all kinds for half a century. The Transportation Museum is the result of his efforts and dedication.

Hours of Operation:
May 25th ­- September 25th 
Daily 11:00 -­ 18:00 
Admission:
Free entry for children 11 years and younger 

Twelve man-made caves have been discovered on the land of Ægissíða by Hella on the South Coast of Iceland. Four of them have been open to the public. The historical site is Iceland's oldest still standing archaeological remains. Some believe the caves to date even further back than the settlement of the Nordic Vikings.  

The wonders of the Caves of Hella include ancient crosses, wall carvings, and carved seats.

Mystery surrounds the caves and for centuries people have wondered:

• Are the caves the handiwork of the Celts?
• Were the caves a place of ancient worship?

Caves of Hella offer a great opportunity to explore these historic caves in Iceland. Join us to discover the secrets they hold and experience the magical Underworld of the South.

The Caves are located right next to Route 1 (the Ring Road), an approximately hour drive from Reykjavik. 

Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre is a regional institute of natural research and is based in Sandgerði. It was established in the year 2000 and is one of eight regional Nature Centres in Iceland.

The institutes main focus is on ecology of marine invertebrates, exotic species in Icelandic waters, avian studies, and shoreline monitoring. The centre is also involved in various teaching programs for all educational levels.

Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre shares research facilities and housing with The Sudurnes Science and Learning Center and The University of Iceland‘s Research Centre in Sudurnes and are many of the researches done in collaboration between the institutes.

Holt - Memorial Museum of Alda Halldórsdóttir.
This was the home where Alda Halldórsdóttir was born in 1913 and lived and grew up with her mother and uncle. The house along with its interiors, shows in a unique way a typical working-class home of that era where the new and the old meet. There you can also find a variety of handicrafts and embroidery by Alda, along with old photographs of her friends and relatives. Alda bequeathed "Holt" to the Hrisey community after her death, in order for it to be used as a memorial of times gone by.
Information at hrisey@hrisey.net

The Leader Sheep Centre in Þistilfjörður North-Iceland is unique. It is impossible to find a similar museum as Iceland is the only country in the world where Leader Sheep exists. You find collections of pictures, stories, and information about the Leader Sheep.

Besides information, we run a small shop with handmade goods produced from wool, horns, bones, and skins of the Leader Sheep. The Leader Sheep Center has received an award from the Farmers Association for use of wool, skins, and horns.

"If you wear clothes made of wool of Leader Sheep then you always find your way.”

We have a small Café where we serve a special blend of coffee and good cakes.

One art exhibition is here every summer in our small gallery and is booked next consecutive 10 years.

We run small and cozy guesthouse, THISTLE GUESTHOUSE, with 12 beds. There is a kitchen available and all the other needed facilities.

Open from 11am to 6pm, July-Agust and by appointment in other months.

The Sheep Farming Museum is an interesting and entertaining exhibition about the Icelandic sheep and sheep farming. The exhibition focuses on providing diverse entertainment for all ages. The children can enjoy themselves in their own room, in which are toys and colour books, while the grown-ups can view the exhibition. The museum also has a small science room where people can take a look at various things through a microscope. One of the main attractions in the Sheep Farming Museum are the lambs, which the visitors can feed with milk from a bottle.

Sævangur also houses a small and cosy coffee bar where guests can sit down and relax over a cup of coffee and genuine Icelandic cakes and bread. Handicraft- and souvenir store placed in the lobby of Sævangur sells crafts made mostly by locals.

The museum is located 12 km. south of Hólmavík

Opening hours June 1st - August 31st: 

Week days: 10:00-18:00 

Saturdays: 10:00-18:00 

Sundays:10:00-18:00

Open on request during winter.

Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik.

Árbær Open Air Museum tries to give a sense of the architecture and way of life and lifestyles of the past  in Reykjavik and during summer visitors can see domestic animals. There are many exhibitions and events held at the Museum which highlight specific periods in Reykjavik's history. These include craft days, vintage car displays, Christmas exhibitions and much more. There is something for everyone at Árbær Open Air Museum.

The warehouse at Hofsós is among the oldest ones of its kind in Iceland. It is a log house with a high black-tarred roof. The building is thought to have been erected in 1777. There is a storage space in the loft of the second floor with doors through which goods were moved into and out of the house. The House is closed.

The museum at Mánárbakki was opened on June 18th 1995 in a house named Thórshamar that was moved there from Húsavík. Recently, the museum was enlarged with a house named Lækjarbakki, built in a traditional Icelandic style, for all kinds of items that could not be fitted in at Thórshamar. The museum is open daily from June 10th to August 31st and by agreement at other times of the year.

Opening hours:

10-18:00 every day

The Merchants House in Eyrarbakki, was built in 1765 when Danish merchants began to overwinter in Iceland. Merchant families lived in the House for two centuries and over that period the House was the center for art and European culture in Iceland; fashion, music and litterature spreading from there throughout the country. Eyrarbakki was at that time one of the largest harbours and trading palces in the country, serving people of South-Iceland. 

Very interesting exhibitons in the center of Eyrarbakki village: The Mercants House, Egg House and Kirkjubær. 

Opening hours:
Open every day at summers 10-17and by arrangement.

The museum displays interesting objects relating to fishing, iron work, boat building and the old ways of the Icelandic people. It displays a replica of Josafat’s fathers old iron workshop where Josafat studied and started his carrier.

Hours of Operation: 
June, July and August: 13:00 - 17:00 daily 
or by arrangement with manager, tel. 470 9063

Höfði House, built in 1909, is considered to be one of the most beautiful and historically significant buildings in the Reykjavík area. It’s best known as the location for the 1986 summit meeting of presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbatsjov, a historical event that effectively marked the end of the Cold War. During this meeting images of the house were broadcast all over the world. A Japanese millionaire even had an exact replica of the house built in his country. The sculpture in front of the house depicts pillars from the chieftain’s seat of the first Norwegian settler in Reykjavík. Höfði was initially the house of the French consul in Iceland and still bears many signs of its original purpose, such as the letters R.F (the abbreviation of the French Republic), the name of the consul and the year of its construction above an inside door. Among other renowned guests of Höfði House include celebrities and heads of state, amongst them the Queen of England, Winston Churchilll and Marlene Dietrich. In addition, the house is believed to be occupied by a ghost, "The White Lady", experienced by a former British Ambassador who once occupied the house. She caused so much distress that he persuaded the British Foreign Office to sell the house. Höfði is owned by the the City of Reykjavík and is currently used for official receptions and meetings. Although the house is unfortunately not open to the public, visitors are welcome to explore the house from the outside. Höfði House is located on Borgartún in the 105 area of Reykjavík overlooking the waterfront.

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At Bjarnarhöfn Shark-museum visitors get to experience a unique Icelandic culture. This family owned museum offers you a peak into their history. This family has been involved with sharks for the past four centuries with the only change being they don ‘t fish for sharks anymore, now it‘s only bycatch.

At the museum everyone gets a guided tour that explains the six months processing of the shark meet, the sharks biology, the history behind it all and more.

Visitors have the opportunity to try the fermented shark and have first hand experience of this traditional Icelandic delicacy. Visitors also have the opportunity to visit the drying house where the shark meat it being processed.

The Industrial Museum is a small, homely, relaxing and interesting place where you can see machines, devices and products from the blooming industry in Akureyri, from the early 20th century until today.

We also have displays from various private collections and also several examples of students final exam pieces from a variety of subjects. And an ever changing selection of items such as herring barrels, shoes, toys and variety of product packaging. In the 60's and 70's, this small town was self-sufficient in almost everything from food, cloth, construction, fisheries etc. The Industrial Museum is in constant development because the history of industry in Akureyri is ongoing.

Opening hours:

June 1 - September 14: 
Every day: 10:00-17:00

September 1 - May 31:
Fridays - Sundays: 13:00-16:00
Mondays to Thursdays: Closed

Duus Museum is the Art and Cultural Center of Reykjanesbær where you can experience diverse exhibitions and cultural activities all year round. The museum houses exhibition halls for the Art Museum of Reykjanesbær and Heritage Museum of Reykjanesbær which offer new and exciting exhibitions throughout the year. Reykjanes Geopark Visitor Center are also located in the museum.

Closed Mondays - open 12:00-17:00 tuesday to sunday.

The Women's Book Lounge, established in April of 2013, is an educational museum dedicated to Icelandic female writers. The lounge's objective is to preserve written works by Icelandic women; to introduce the authors and their works in Iceland and abroad, and to make the texts and information about the authors available to the public.

Opening hours: Arranged upon request.

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The relatives of the poet Davíð Stefánsson from Fagriskógur bequeathed to Akureyri Municipality the house at 6 Bjarkarstígur which the poet built and lived in until his death in 1964. His living quarters are on the upper floor of the house, preserved in the same condition as when he lived in the house. This area contains the poet´s library, impressive in quality and number of volumes.

On the lower floor is an apartment reserved for free use by artists and scholars on the sole condition that those who stay there are supposed to present in some form, here in Akureyri, the work they are engaged in within their field of artistic or scholarly expertise, in co-operation with the cultural representative of Akureyri Municipality on each occasion as is specified in the agreement on the use of the Davíð Stefánsson Museum. The cultural affairs committee of Akureyri Municipality is in charge of processing applications for the use of the apartment.

The museum is only accessible with a guide at 13, 14 or 15 daily from Tuesday to Saturday

Adults (18 and older): ISK 2000 - Children and
youth: Free Senior citizens ISK 900 Handicapped: Free 

The ticket includes Akureyri Museum, Nonni's house, Akureyri Toy Museum, Davíð Stefánsson's writers home and Laufás heritage site and museum.   

Due to construction, the museum will not be open to the public in the summer of 2023. You can contact Björk Hólm Þorsteinsdóttir, the director of the museum, via the email address: bjork@dalvikurbyggd.is.

The museum’s collection comprises thousands of items. The natural history collection contains a large number of Icelandic birds and mammals, the most popular of which is the polar bear.

There are exhibits on a number of people from the district who became nationally famous, such as Jóhann Pétursson, known as “the Giant”, and president Dr. Kristján Eldjárn.

One room at the museum is dedicated to the earthquake that struck Dalvik in 1934 (6.2 on the Richter scale).

Opening hours:
June 1 – August 31: daily 10.00-17.00
September 1 – May 31: Closed
Also open for groups upon agreement (all year). Please contact bjork@dalvikurbyggd.is ,

Ljósbjörg Petra María Sveinsdóttir was interested in stones all her life and started to collect them in earnest in 1946.

Most of her stones were found in Stöðvarfjörður and other places in East Iceland because Petra didn´t go much looking for stones in other parts of the country.

In 1974, Petra decided to open her home for all those that wished to look at her stones.  Petra´s receives many visitors each year and it has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in East Iceland.

It´s obvious to all those that visit Petra´s, that she was an efficient stone collector but not many people know that she collected more than stones.  Petra collected marked pens, cups, and numerous other small paraphernalia and for most of her life, she collected eggs, shells, and conches.

For sure, Petra´s house has slowly acquired the appearance of a nature museum, but first and foremost, it´s a home.

Open from May 1st to October 31st, seven days a week from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Kaffi Sunnó

In the year 2015, an old dream came true when Kaffi Sunnó was opened. The guests can buy delicious soups and bread, hot and cold drinks and something sweet.

Open from May 1st to October 31st, seven days a week from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

Mosfellsbær Art Gallery opened in 2005 and is a part of the town’s library. There are approximately 10 exhibitions a year. The gallery offers diverse exhibitions of modern art by both experienced artists and newcomers in the field.

Hours of Operation:
Weekdays: 09:00-18:00
Saturdays: 12:00-16:00

Closed on Saturdays in June and July.
Admission: Free

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The Icelandic Aviation Museum is located in a large hangar at Akureyri Airport. The museum covers Iceland's aviation history with photographs, videos, artefacts, models and historic aircrafts, which some are in airworthy condition and fly in the annual air show held by the museum in June..

The exhibition takes you back in time, as you explore the development of aircrafts and airlines from 1919 to the present, and are allowed to access the interior of few of the aircrafts.

Opening hours:
May 15th to September 15th: Open daily 11:00-17:00
September 16th to May 14th: Saturdays 13:00-16:00
The museum is also open by appointment.

Admission:
Adults:                                       1500 ISK
Seniors and students:             1000 ISK
Groups of 10 or more:             1000 ISK per person
Free admission for children younger than 18 accompanied by adults.

Vík is a seaside village with a rich maritime history, like the majority of Icelandic villages. However, what sets it apart is the fact that it has never had a harbour. The harsh waves and the shallow shores make it nearly impossible for ships to approach the land without stranding. And many ships did, in fact, strand on the black sands of the south coast.

The Hafnleysa Maritime Museum depicts the extraordinary maritime history of the south coast. Its centerpiece and namesake is the Skaftfellingur ship, which brought people and products along the south coast from 1918 to 1939. It then served on the Atlantic in WWII and is renowned for saving a crew from a sinking German U-464 submarine in 1942. In the year 2001, Sigrún Jónsdóttir, a famous artist from Vík, salvaged the remains of Skaftfellingur and brought it home to Vík. She had a deep emotional connection with the ship, and if it were not for her, visitors might never have been able to see it up close and learn about its fascinating history.

The museum is ideal for families. Kids can try on costumes, see the ship up close, learn about its history, and watch a documentary with historical footage from Vík.

In the summer of 2023, the artist Macjie Lenda painted a beautiful mural on the museum to honor all the fantastic, hardworking people who made the foundation for Vík as a village at the beginning of the 20th century.

Entrance fee:
Adults: 500 ISK (free for seniors).
12-16 year-olds: 200 ISK
Children under 12: Free entrance
20% discount for groups of 8 or more.

Langabúð cafe is located in the oldest building in Djupivogur, dating back to 1790. The cafe offers a wide variety of homemade goods such as soups, bread with salmon and smoked lamb, cappuccino, espresso, latte, and delicious cakes. The menu has a variety of vegan and gluten free choices. You can also try out a selection of Icelandic beers and spirits.

Langabúð is Djupivogur's cultural center, housing museums and exhibitions, and is the corner stone in the town's culture. The museums exhibit the life and work of Rikardur Jonsson, a sculptor and artist, and a memorial of the politician Eysteinn Jonsson and his wife, Solveig Eyjolfsdottir. The building's loft houses a heritage museum.

The cafe offers a wide variety of homemade goods such as soups, bread with salmon and smoked lamb, cappuccino, espresso, latte, and delicious cakes. The menu has a variety of vegan and gluten free choices. You can also try out a selection of Icelandic beers and spirits.

Hours of Operation: 
Summer: May 15th – September 15th, Every day: 11:00-18:00 Winter: Please contact us for opening hours. 
Admission: ISK 500

A new and interesting museum which displays the best of Icelandic nature; Icelandic mammals, shellfish, birds, insects and stone collection as well as specimens from the East Icelandic flora.

Hours of Operation: 
June, July, and August: 13:00 - 17:00 daily or by arrangement with the manager, tel. 470 9063

Gljúfrasteinn - Laxness Museum Gljúfrasteinn was the home of writer Halldór Laxness (Nobel Prize in Literature 1955) and his family. The house has now been converted into a museum, where the author´s home is preserved just as it was when he lived and worked there.

The garden at Gljúfrasteinn is open to public and a number of pleasant walks can be made in the vicinity.

Audio tours of the house are available in Icelandic, English, German, Swedish and Danish. A folder is available in French, with detailed information about the house, objects and works of art.

Opening hours:
June 1st - August 31st: 10:00-17:00 every day.
September 1 st - May 21 st: 10:00-16:00 every day except Mondays.
Closed on weekends from November through February.

Open from 1st of June to 31st of August, every day from 1 pm-5 pm.
The Fishing Museum is in the old baiting shed, called Hlíðarendi.
The shed was built in 1920. In the first year, the house was used as a shipyard, where Sigfús Þorsteinsson built his boat called Hermann. The boat is now owned by the museum. Mostly, the building was used as a baiting shed. The last decade in operation Hlíðarendi was mainly used as a repository for various types of fishing equipment.

The museum is open seven days a week from June 15 to 31.August at. 13:00 to 17:00. Groups can order subject at other times.

The Central Bank and National Museum of Iceland jointly operate a numismatic collection according to an agreement ratified by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture on January 28, 1985. The agreement states that both institutions' numismatic material should be kept in a single collection run by the Bank, while archaeological findings of coins and treasure trove remain at the National Museum. Material from the National Museum has been catalogued separately, to enable it to be distinguished from the rest.

The collection consists of Icelandic notes and coin, foreign money from earlier times, especially that mentioned in Icelandic sources, and more recent currency from Iceland's main trading partner countries. The collection is now comprised of almost twenty thousand coins and almost five thousand types of note. A selection from the numismatic collection is on display in showcases on the ground floor of the Central Bank´s main building in Kalkofnsvegur 1.

Opening hours:
The museum is currently closed due to construction work.

At the Icelandic Wartime Museum, you can travel back to the days of the Second World War and the military occupation of Reyðarfjörður. The museum gives a vivid insight into life during the war in a country which has never had an army or been at war - with this one exception. The focus is on the impact of the occupation on the local population. On the first of July, there is a festival in memory of this unique event in Icelandic history.

Norwegian house: The regional museum  of Snæfellsnes

The Norwegian house, built in 1832, was the first wood-frame residence with two full-sized storeys in Iceland. The wood was imported from Norway hence the name. It was the home of Árni Ó. Thorlacius (1802–1891) and Anna M. Steenback (1807–1894) and has been renovated partially back to its original style. The Norwegian house serves as the regional museum for the Snæfellsnes area with an open storage on the top floor and 
rotating exhibitions on the lower level as well as a museum shop with handicraft, sweets and products from the area.

 Opening hours:

June 1st - August 31st: Every day from 11-17.

May: Every day from 13-16.

Stykkishólmur Museum Pass - Norwegian House and Water Library:

Adults ISK 2.080,-

Tickets for the Library of Water are sold at the Norwegian House.

Árnes is the oldest house in Skagaströnd, and the only one of its kind in the area that was considered possible to preserve. It was renovated by the municipality and opened in 2009. Árnes is a unique example of living conditions in the first part of the 20^th century, and is a typical timber dwelling from that period. The house is furnished with items from those bygone days, some from the Skagaströnd Folk Museum, others which have been borrowed and even articles which belonged to the previous owner of the house. Every day, during the summer months, visitors to Árnes can have their fortunes told from cards, tea leaves, coffee cups or have their palms read.  

The municipal museum in Garðskagi is located in a natural paradise, which blends the beauty of the landscape with its rich animal and birdlife.

The museum was first opened in November 1995 in the old processing houses in Garður. The museum has both a Folk and Maritime Museum. It has an outstanding engine collection of Guðni Ingimundarson. There are over 60 engines on display and almost every one of them is functional. Many important items from the municipal history of Garður are located in the museum, items which were essential for the livelihood on both land and sea The Museum is a great point of interest for visitors as it tells the story of how fishing developed and the history of the people who lived and worked in the community. A restaurant and camping site with facilities is on-site and if you are lucky you might see dolphins and whales near the shore from the terrace of the restaurant.

Summer opening is 10-17 From the 1st May - 30. Sept.

From October the Museum can be booked for groups.

The Baugsstaðir Creamery was built in 1905. The creamery produced butter and cheese. It is now open for visitors on Saturdays and Sundays in July and August at 13 -18 and by arrangement. There you can see all the tools of the creamery trade that blossomed in the decades after 1900. 

Tel. 483-1082.

The Icelandic Horse History Centre was founded it 2001 at Hólar in Hjaltadalur is located in the old stable at Hólar, built in 1931. The old stable was remodeled in 2010 and The Exhibition of the Icelandic Horse opened.

In addition, one special exhibition can be found at The Icelandic Horse History Centre, The Origin of the Traits of the Icelandic Horse, the breeding horses introduced at this exhibition have all had a great impact on Icelandic horse breeding from the beginning of organized breeding up to the present day. 

Sleipnisbikarinn, which is the highest award given in horse breeding, but the trophy goes to the stallion that stands first in the honors for progeny at the Landsmót, is kept at The Icelandic Horse History Centere between the Landsmót and is on display. The cup has a remarkable and truly adventurous history. 

Summer Opening Hours:

June – August

Open every day from 11 am – 17 pm

 Winter Opening Hours: The exhibitions at the Icelandic
Horse History Centre are open for groups during winter, in accordance with
previous reservations. For those interested, please contact the curator,
Hjördís Kvaran Einarsdóttir, tel. +354 8458473, email: sogusetur@sogusetur.is.  

The ultimate flight ride! Experience Iceland’s most awe-inspiring and picturesque landscapes and destinations. Hang suspended, feet dangling, while the ride virtually whisks you away on an exhilarating journey.

Open daily. See website for opening hours. 

The avant-garde exhibition in The French Museum in Fáskrúðsfjörður is the newest of Fjarðabyggð' s museums and collections. This museum is located in two stately buildings, the Doctor's House and the French Hospital as they are called, built by the French fishermen around 1900. However, the main attraction of the exhibition is situated in a tunnel that connects the two buildings. The entrance to the museum is from the hotel reception area in the Doctor's House. 

In the museum, the interesting history and legacy of the French sailors in Iceland is shown by means of the latest multimedia technology.

The French sailors maintained a station at Fáskrúðsfjörður from the mid-19thcentury till the First World War, with the number of French sailing ships off Iceland peaking at between 200 and 300. However, the history of French cod fishing off Iceland goes back even further, all the way to the 17th century.

During this long history, many ships never made it back to their home country. It is estimated that up to 400 of them were lost around Iceland, along with 4,000-5,000 seamen. Down by the French graveyard, a monument has been erected in honour of these heroes of the sea who were subjected to hard work, dampness and cold, not to mention accidents.  

Their fishing operations were highly important for villages on the northern French coast; for example, in Dunkerque in the 1860s, approximately 6,000 people were employed in relation to fishing off Iceland. These operations were also significant for other villages, such as Paimpol and Gravelines.

The renovation of the French heritage buildings, one of the largest historical restoration outside the capitol area, was finished in the summer of 2014. The five French buildings play a substantial role in local culture and society in Fáskrúðsfjörður. The French Hospital, for example, now serves as a hotel with the restaurant l'Abri on the ground floor. The Chapel is the only building that still maintains its original role and is open for guests of the museum.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (from May to end of August, or by agreement).

Want to travel back in time?

At Keldur you can experience how Icelanders lived in the past. The old turf farm at Keldur is the oldest existing farmhouse in Iceland.  

It stands as a testament to the past, being the sole remaining farmhouse of its kind, known as the old passageway type. The structure's wooden frame showcases characteristics reminiscent of Roman style. 

History & heritage

Keldur holds great significance in Icelandic heritage, with its story deeply rooted in the annals of history. Ingjaldur Höskuldsson, the first inhabitant of Keldur, is mentioned in Njál's Saga. 

Constructed from stone, timber, and portions of turf, this ancient farmhouse can be traced back to the late 12th century.  

The old farmhouse is connected to an underground tunnel, believed to have been constructed in the 12th or 13th century, possibly during a period of conflict. 

New research indicates that beneath the fields situated across the riverbank, there are undisclosed ruins waiting to be uncovered. 

Opening hours

June 1st – 31st August:

Open daily from 10:00 am - 17:00 

Guests can visit during opening hours without booking in advance. 

Guided tours and groups

Guided tours daily at 11:00 am & 15:00 pm. Book your guided tour here.  

If you want to book a guided tour for a group, please send an email for further information, keldur@thjodminjasafn.is 

Gerðarsafn is a progressive museum with an emphasis on modern and contemporary art, located in the heart of Kópavogur. Gerðarsafn offers temporary exhibitions with works by Icelandic and international contemporary artists as well as displaying the museum collection. The exhibition program echoes the museum‘s status as the only Icelandic museum built in honor of a female artist, sculptor Gerður Helgadóttir (1928-1975).

Gerðarsafn has a creative studio space called Gerður‘s Studio, where guests can enjoy spending quality time making their own artworks. In the Museum Shop you can find art prints, postcards, sketch books among many other things.

Open daily 12-18.

Cutural center, French library and French language school

Open / ouvert:
Mon - Fri: 13:00-18:00
Sat: 10:00-12:00

The cultural center has six museums as well as a research department that operates across the units. The museums are regional, maritime, natural history, art, book, district archives, natural history, and maritime museums.

Exhibitions organized by the museums are an important part of the museum's work, and here we emphasize the uniqueness of Hornafjörður and the community that is and was. Today, exhibitions are open in the library, Verbúðin in Miklagarður and Svavarssafn, and admission to the Cultural Center's exhibitions is free.

Sagnheimar tells the unique story of Vestmannaeyjar. For example:

The Turkish Raid
On July 16th, 1627, three ships arrived at the eastern shores of Heimaey, carrying 300 pirates who disembarked. Over the next three days, they rampaged the island with loud shouts and calls, capturing and ruthlessly killing people. Among the approximately 500 islanders, 242 were taken captive and transported to Algeria, where they were sold at slave markets. The story of this fateful day is captured in a large caricature-style mural of sequential panels.

For the younger generation
At the museum there’s a piratecave where the children can dress up as pirates and embark on a treasure hunt. There is also a so-called touch collection where both children and adults can handle selected objects in the museum.

Mormons
At the museum there is an area dedicated to the history of Mormons on the island. The first Icelandic Mormon missionaries, Þórarinn Hafliðason from Sjólyst in Vestmannaeyjar and Guðmundur Guðmundsson from Ártún in Rangárvellir, conducted their missionary work in Vestmannaeyjar from 1854 to 1914, leading to around 200 islanders converting and heading West in pursuit of a brighter future. Among them, three individuals, Samúel Bjarnason and Margrét Gísladóttir from Kirkjubær along with their friend Helga Jónsdóttir from Landeyjar, became the first Westerners to settle in Spanish Fork, Utah, in 1954.

The Westman islands legion / Captain Kohl and the army
The islanders are the only ones in Iceland to boast of having founded their own battalion. This was initiated by Andreas August von Kohl, also known as Captain Kohl, the commissioner, in 1855.

The most dangerous job in the world?
Fishing and fish processing hold significant importance in the lives of the islanders. The text and images depict the growth of fishing, the daily lives of fishermen, risks and adventures, rescue missions, land-based work, and living in fishing dormitories. Additionally, historical objects are showcased. Visitors can listen to tales shared by locals, reminiscing about incidents like sea accidents, on an antique radio station.

Þjóðhátíð - Music festival
Þjóðhátíð is a festival that was first held in 1874 and has been celebrated every year since the early 1900s. It is an important unifying symbol of the islanders with all their rich traditions and customs. Visitors to the museum can experience the authentic Þjóðhátíð tent of the locals.

Opening hours:
May 1st - September 30th: Every day from 10:00-17:00
October 1st - April 30th: Saturday from 12:00-15:00, other days closed (open upon arrangement)

1st June - 15th September is open every day 13:00-17:00

Also, open on request.

The Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft was opened in the summer of 2000 and attracts around 11 thousand guests every year.

The exhibition tells the story of the witchcraze in Iceland in the 17th century and how witchcraft is presented in our folklore. Guests will learn about certain witchcraft cases and about different witchcraft like necropants to gather money, find a thiefe and wake up the dead.  

Open all year.
Summer hours: May 15th - September 30th: 10:00-18:00 every day of the week
Winter hours: Oktober 1st - Mayl 15th: 12:00-18:00 every day of the week

Þingeyrakirkja church is in my opinion one of the most beautiful churches in Iceland. It is located at Þingeyrar in North-Iceland by Húnafjörður bay. 

Þingeyrakirkja church was consecrated in 1877 and is one of Iceland´s few stone churches. The stone in the church was found in the Ásbjarnarnesbjörg, 8 km away from the church.

Open 10-17 every day.

Only opened by arrangement during winter.

The Commonwealth farm in Þjórsárdalur is one of Iceland's best kept secrets. The farmhouse, built on the site of one of the manor farms of the Age of Settlement, is constructed as experts thought it would have been.
Visitors have the opportunity of acquainting themselves with the buildings the Icelanders' ancestors lived in and of learning about the conditions they lived in and about their daily life.

The Commonwealth farm is based on the ruins of the former manor farm, Stöng in Þjórsárdalur which is considered to have been abandoned after its destruction in the Hekla eruption of the 1104.

Open:
June 1 - August 31: every day 10:00-17:0010:00
Closed during winter.  

Admission:
Adults: 1.000
Senior citizens and handicapped: 750
Free for 16 years and younger

The Icelandic Turf House: the Jewel of Arctic Architecture.
The house that kept Icelanders alive and nurtured their culture through the centuries.
How they were built, how they were lived in, their origin and cultural context, contemporary significance, subtlety and beauty. Collection of original houses and in detail exhibitions. Only 60 km from the centre of Reykjavik, and just minutes of the Golden Circle.

A unique place where nature is part of the house.

Founded in 1993 Akureyri Art Museum is one of the youngest art museums in Iceland. It is located in what used to be the KEA co-op building, which was designed with strong influences from Bauhaus and the international Funkis movement. The Museum’s two venues are located side by side in the heart of Akureyri, in Listagil (Art’s Street).

Emphasis is on a variety of exhibitions and works of the highest artistic standard. In addition to older works, Akureyri Art Museum makes room for the best and the brightest new talent, both domestic and foreign. The aim is to support and promote visual arts in Akureyri as well as educate visitors in what art has to offer.