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Akigka · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Reykjavík Area Museums
36 museums in Reykjavík Area — mapped with live road conditions, drive times, and directions.
36 museums in Reykjavík Area, led by Listasafn Íslands and Gljúfrasteinn. All mapped with drive times, directions, and live road conditions.
Top museums in Reykjavík Area
The region's stand-outs — each with photos, facts, and its own page.
Listasafn Íslands
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.
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.
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.
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.
Perlan
Six hot-water tanks with a glass dome on top, standing on Öskjuhlíð hill above the city. It opened to the public on 21 June 1991 and is now a natural history museum. The observation deck runs the whole way around the dome; inside there is an ice cave 100 metres long, a planetarium showing the northern lights film Áróra, and a ten-metre replica of the Látrabjarg seabird cliff. The tanks still hold the city’s hot water.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands
Iceland’s national collection, founded in 1863 and housed at Suðurgata 41 since 1950. The permanent exhibition runs from the settlement to the present through about 2,000 objects.
Distances between them
36 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.
Listasafn Íslands
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.
Náttúrufræðistofa Kópavogs
Natural History Museum of Kópavogur. Geology, animals, birds. Family friendly.
Tónlistarsafn Íslands
The Icelandic music museum, in the Reykjavík area.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands - varðveisla
National Museum of Iceland storage/conservation. Main museum in Reykjavík. Iceland's history from settlement.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bookless Bungalow
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. Many Icelandic museums are surprisingly good for their size.
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.
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.
Perlan
Six hot-water tanks with a glass dome on top, standing on Öskjuhlíð hill above the city. It opened to the public on 21 June 1991 and is now a natural history museum. The observation deck runs the whole way around the dome; inside there is an ice cave 100 metres long, a planetarium showing the northern lights film Áróra, and a ten-metre replica of the Látrabjarg seabird cliff. The tanks still hold the city’s hot water.
Þjóðminjasafn Íslands
Iceland’s national collection, founded in 1863 and housed at Suðurgata 41 since 1950. The permanent exhibition runs from the settlement to the present through about 2,000 objects.
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