Reykjavík Area Museums

35 museums in Reykjavík Area — mapped with live road conditions, drive times, and directions.

35 museums in Reykjavík Area

Listasafn Reykjavíkur

Reykjavík Art Museum - Iceland's largest art museum. Three locations: Hafnarhús (contemporary), Kjarvalsstaðir (Icelandic art), Ásmundarsafn (sculpture). One ticket covers all.

Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur

Reykjavík Museum of Photography. Historic and contemporary photos. Free entry.

The National Gallery of Iceland is an art museum in Reykjavík which contains a collection of Icelandic art. The gallery features artwork of famous Icelandic artists and artwork that helps explain the traditional Icelandic culture. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Many Icelandic museums are surprisingly good for their size.

Kjarvalsstaðir

The Icelandic Phallological Museum, located in Reykjavík, Iceland, houses the world's largest display of penises and penile parts. It holds over 300 penises from more than 100 species of mammals. The museum also holds 22 imagined penises of creatures from Icelandic folklore. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Photography policies vary - ask before shooting.

Gljúfrasteinn

Gljúfrasteinn is a writer's home museum, which was the former home of Halldór Kiljan Laxness, a 1955 Nobel Prize for Literature winner. It is located in Mosfellsbær, east of Reykjavík, Iceland. The name of the house is derived from a large stone in the vicinity called Gljúfrasteinn, about which Halldór wrote the short story "Steinninn minn helgi" at the age of 19. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Support local museums - entrance fees help preserve Icelandic heritage.

Reykjavík 871±2

Underground exhibition built around remains of Iceland's oldest known structure. Viking longhouse dating to settlement era. High-tech multimedia shows what early Reykjavík looked like.

Hið Íslenzka Reðasafn

The Icelandic Phallological Museum - world's only museum dedicated to penises. 300+ specimens from various mammals including whales. Unique, educational, surprisingly tasteful.

Víkin

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Check opening hours - smaller museums may have limited schedules.

Byggðasafn Hafnarfjarðar

Hafnarborg, The Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, is a public art museum located in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland. It was opened in May 1988 but the foundation for the institution was laid in 1983 when Dr. Sverrir Magnússon and his wife, Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir donated their house along with a substantial collection of art and books to Hafnarfjörður on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the incorporation of the town. Hafnarborg exhibits works by leading Icelandic and international artists and the exhibition program displays both contemporary and established artists from the 20th century. ... Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Photography policies vary - ask before shooting.

No photo yet — add yours

Náttúrufræðistofa Kópavogs

Natural History Museum of Kópavogur. Geology, animals, birds. Family friendly.

Free entry

Tónlistarsafn Íslands

The National Museum of Iceland was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Ask about guided tours or audio guides for deeper understanding.

No photo yet — add yours

Þjóðminjasafn Íslands - varðveisla

National Museum of Iceland storage/conservation. Main museum in Reykjavík. Iceland's history from settlement.

No photo yet — add yours

Jarðhitasýningin

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Ask about guided tours or audio guides for deeper understanding.

No photo yet — add yours

Listasafn Árnesinga

Art Museum of South Iceland. Regional art collection.

Hönnunarsafn Íslands

The Icelandic Museum of Design and Applied Art is a museum of product and furniture design in the town Garðabær, near Reykjavík in Iceland. The collection was started in 1998, but the museum did not open until 2010. It has a permanent exhibition consisting mainly of Scandinavian design objects of the last hundred years. It also holds events and temporary exhibitions. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Check opening hours - smaller museums may have limited schedules.

Icelandic Punk Museum

In former public toilet below Reykjavík. Tiny museum celebrating Iceland's punk scene from 1970s-80s. DIY aesthetic. If you're into music history or punk culture.

Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík

Maritime Museum in Reykjavík harbor. Coast Guard vessel Óðinn you can board. Fishing and seafaring history. Kids love exploring the ship.

History museum

No photo yet — add yours

Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Center

Education center about the northern lights. Interactive exhibits, timelapse shows. Good if you want to understand the science. Doesn't replace actually seeing them.

No photo yet — add yours

Þingvellir: Hjarta lands og þjóðar

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Photography policies vary - ask before shooting.

History museum

No photo yet — add yours

Orkusýning

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Check opening hours - smaller museums may have limited schedules.

Energy museum

Árbæjarsafn

Árbæjarsafn is the historical museum of the city of Reykjavík as well as an open-air museum and a regional museum. Its purpose is to give the public an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Reykjavík in earlier times. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Ask about guided tours or audio guides for deeper understanding.

Open-air museum

No photo yet — add yours

Lyfjafræðisafn

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Photography policies vary - ask before shooting.

Listasafn Sigurjóns Ólafssonar

Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum. Sculptor's works. Beautiful waterfront location in Reykjavík.

Safnahúsið

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Check opening hours - smaller museums may have limited schedules.

Listasafn Einars Jónssonar

Sculptor Einar Jónsson's life work. Dramatic symbolist sculptures dealing with life, death, mythology. Building itself is interesting - designed by Jónsson. Free sculpture garden open 24/7.

Aðalstræti 10

Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Support local museums - entrance fees help preserve Icelandic heritage.

Local heritage museum

Höfði

Historic house where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986, marking the beginning of the Cold War's end. Not open inside but worth seeing the exterior. Beautiful seaside location in Reykjavík.

Saga Museum

Wax figures depicting scenes from Icelandic history and sagas. It's cheesy in the best way - educational entertainment. Vikings, medieval bishops, plagues, and famous historical figures in detailed dioramas. Audio guide walks you through the scenes. Located at Reykjavík's old harbor. About an hour. Good for families and anyone wanting saga stories made tangible. Not high art, but it delivers what it promises. Better than it sounds from the description.

History museum

Listasafn ASÍ

ASÍ Art Museum in Reykjavík. Labor union's art collection. Rotating exhibitions.

Ásmundarsafn

Works of sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson in his former home/studio. Unique dome-shaped building he designed himself. Large sculptures in surrounding garden. Part of Reykjavík Art Museum.

Safn Ásgríms Jónssonar

Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection. Landscape painter's home/studio. Icelandic art.

Gerðarsafn

Art museum in Kópavogur named after sculptor Gerður Helgadóttir. Contemporary art exhibitions. Her stained glass work is in churches across Iceland.

Free entry

Bookless Bungalow

History museum

Hvalasýningin

Whales of Iceland is a natural history museum located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, Iceland. First opened in 2015, the museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the various cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history. Located in the greater Reykjavík area. Easy to access and a good rainy day option. Support local museums - entrance fees help preserve Icelandic heritage.