Iceland’s main attraction is the great outdoors, however, if you catch a rainy day or two, or simply want a change of pace, Reykjavik is blessed with some lovely museums that are all manageable in a couple hours or even less.
The old harbour area
The Reykjavik Maritime Museum is part of the Reykjavik City Museum. We particularly enjoyed the guided tour of the Coast Guard cutter Óðinn (daily March – November). One of our favorite restaurants Icelandic Fish and Chips was nearby but it had closed before our last trip in 2021.
City Center
Aðalstræti (FKA The Settlement Exhibition). Also part of the Reykjavik City Museum, this exhibit tells the story of the settlement of Reykjavik. The focus of the exhibit is the site of a 10th-century longhouse. This was what was there when we visited in 2016. Since then, they’ve added additional exhibits, including a 16th century house that is one of the oldest in Reykjavik.
National Gallery of Iceland – a nicely sized art museum with a lovely collection of Icelandic artists. It also owns Jacqueline with a yellow ribbon by Picasso.
Punk Museum. This little gem is housed in an old public bathroom right in downtown Reykjavik. You can’t miss it, and you shouldn’t.
The Einar Jónsson Museum (next to Hallgrimskirkja). Jónsson was Iceland’s first sculptor and an important figure in Icelandic art. The museum was built to house the sculptor’s works, to his specifications, and also served as his home and studio. Be sure to climb all the way to the top for the views.
Do a food tour – We liked the Reykjavik Food Walk. The Icelandic hot dog IS as good as its reputation.
A little bit out of town
The National Museum of Iceland – A nice walk through Iceland’s history, and there are many hands-on activities for kids.
If you have time, there are great views of Reykjavik from the Perlan Observation Deck. There are exhibits as well, but I did not have time to do those.
Whales of Iceland is very expensive for what you get, but it’s a good way to kill time before a puffin tour. Otherwise it is quite a way out of the way and in my opinion, not worth a special trip.
For more ideas, my top 5 suggestions in Reykjavik for summer days