Iceland · MUSEUMS
Good museum visits fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Explore Perlan’s real ice cave, volcano show, aurora planetarium, interactive exhibits, and 360° Reykjavik views with a flexible 2-hour ticket.
“Great museum with lots of interactive things! Stunning views from floor 4 and 5. Rotating floor of restaurant was a lovely touch and a complete surprise took us 20 mins to realise we were gently turning.”
See Reykjavík by flexible hop-on hop-off bus, then explore Perlan’s ice cave, volcano displays, and 360-degree city views.
“Bus driver Mathew was fantastic! Very helpful, informative and friendly!”
See 23 life-size whale species, watch films narrated by David Attenborough, and explore interactive exhibits at Reykjavík’s Whales of Iceland museum.
“An interesting visit about the giants of the Ocean. The museum give informations about lot of whales thanks to the panels and audioguide available in many languages. I loved this experience !”
Trace Iceland from Viking settlement to modern life at Reykjavík’s National Museum, with Thor, medieval art, photos, audio guide, and temporary shows.
“Better numbering for each exhibit. It was a little hard to follow along, exhibits seemed spread out and not clearly sequential.”
Review of Aurora Reykjavík, with aurora films, VR, science exhibits, and photo tips to help you decide if the $33 visit is worthwhile.
“If traveling during the summer, great way to learn about the Northern Lights. Lots of history and information on where and how the lights form. Great displays. Self guided makes this a bit lack luster. Not for little kids, they would be bored unless already a space/science nut.”
Explore Iceland’s volcanoes at Lava Centre with earthquake effects, eruption films, hands-on displays, and a rooftop view near Hvolsvollur.
“Absolutely Unique, Bang for time and money, both for adults and kids, very well presented by host....”
Explore four ancient man-made caves near Hella, hear Icelandic stories, and see a likely early Christian site on a one-hour guided tour.
“Fascinating, informative, beautiful, and enjoyable! Where warm, comfy clothes. You start inside their building, where they sell warm drinks, some snacks, and memorabilia. There are restrooms. Then you walk the property to experience 4 caves. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable & entertaining. The walking part is short, but be prepared to stand for a bit while inside the caves.”
See more than 300 specimens at Reykjavik’s Phallological Museum, then sample penis-themed waffles, cocktails, or beer at its café.
Watch whales in Faxaflói Bay, then explore 23 life-size models at Reykjavik’s Whales of Iceland Exhibition.
“This experience was incredible. the guides were wonderful. there was lots of information about the area and what we were seeing and we spent 3 hrs with 3 humpbacks playing around the boat and staying quiet shallow. the shared trip photos are such a great idea and we will not hesitate to recommend Special Tours (Via G.Y.G app) and the museum was such a great was of putting what we saw into a real context. don't hesitate, book this one.”
Explore Icelandic saga figures, lifelike Viking scenes, audio guides, and hands-on dress-up fun at Reykjavik’s compact Saga Museum.
“This was a cute museum, lots of life size dioramas that were well done. Good history of old Iceland. This would be really neat modernized and upgrades with virtual and 3D experiences along with more hard artifacts.”
Explore Iceland’s story from settlement to modern life with a mobile ticket, audio tour, free lockers, and free Culture House entry.
“The museum was great. There was a lot of history that we learned at the museum that we had not heard before. Great exhibits. Very nice employees. Signage could have been better for finding the museum.”
Explore Iceland’s geothermal power at Hellisheiði with interactive exhibits, audio commentary, Carbfix displays, and mountain views near Reykjavík.
“Your facility is absolutely amazing. The A/V presentations were outstanding. Thank you very much for your commitment to the ecology of our planet.”
Explore Iceland’s volcanic forces at Lava Centre with eruption films, earthquake simulators, live maps, and views of Hekla, Katla, and Eyjafjallajökull.
Step into Iceland’s Viking past at Reykjavik’s Saga Museum, with life-like wax figures, audio stories, 20 exhibits, and Viking dress-up.
“The audio was ok but there was a lot of waiting around for the next step”
Explore Reykjavik’s Settlement Exhibition and Egils Saga with a multilingual audio tour, Viking history, multimedia displays, and family-friendly storytelling.
“There are two parts to the tour, with an upstairs and downstairs. There’s a very helpful person at the beginning to give you your headphones and an iPod mini that has the tour in many languages. The upper floor with a history of Iceland was interesting but a little difficult to follow. The tour below with the saga was much more dramatic and entertaining. This is a nice stop if you were visiting the country for the first time.”
Pick a season, a glacier or a hot pool.
