Snapshot Chronicles

Susan Getgood's personal blog

Reykjavik: Favorite Museums

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person in cabin of a boat
Avery on the Coast Guard vessel Óðinn

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.

Einar Jónsson Museum & Hallgrimskirkja

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

Susan and the Volcano: Hiking Fagradalsfjall

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woman in front of volcanoA highlight of our last trip in late June/early July 2021 was the hike up to see the (then) erupting volcano Fagradalsfjall (ll sounds like tl). By the time we were in Iceland, there was only one good path up to hike — the other ways had all been covered over by the lava field.

The eruption site was not far from the Blue Lagoon, so we stopped and wandered a bit around the edge of the lava field the first time we visited the site. It was late in the day and we weren’t equipped to hike that day. We almost didn’t go back to erupting lava with smoke do the hike but decided it was a better choice than driving north to Snaefellsnes after seeing some photos from folks on our food tour. So glad we did.

The volcano erupted again in August 2022, just east of the March 2021 site. The 2022 eruption is still considered active although there is no visible activity. The lava fields are still well worth the trip; there are a range of hikes to choose from, depending on your interest and desired activity level. Some good resources to plan your trip to the site.

We were fairly prepared for the hike — good hiking shoes, plenty of water, layered clothing, windbreaker. The only thing I really wished for, especially on the way down, was a pair of Walking Sticks” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>walking sticks. The rocks were quite loose and it was fairly steep and slippy in places.

Update 13 April 2024: This area has erupted twice more since I wrote this post in 2023 and lave is still flowing. For the latest check the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

Reykjavik Summer Light – Top 5 Suggestions for Summer Days

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Downtown Reykjavik

Whatever time of year you go to Iceland, you’ll want to visit the Golden Circle and the South Coast. Here are a few more things to do during your summer trip to Reykjavik.

1. Take a boat tour to see the Puffins. You can only see the puffins in the summer months, and luckily there’s an island in Reykjavik Harbor where they nest. We had a blast on the Special Tours cruise.

I do not however recommend a whale watching cruise. We spent 3 hours and didn’t even see a fin. The fast chase boats might have better luck, but they didn’t appeal to me. However, if you have to kill an hour before your Puffin Tour, Whales of Iceland is in the same general vicinity (as is a supermarket and a big box store should you have the need). It’s not worth going out of your way to see it, and it is very pricey for what you get, but it definitely gives you perspective.

2. If you do your Puffin tour on a weekend morning, you can visit Kolaportið, the Reykjavik flea market. It is mostly jewelry, food and what you’d expect at a flea market, but worth an hour or so. I got a lovely silver ring and necklace, handmade by silversmith Sigal Harmeshi (@sigalhm on Instagram.) Weekends only.

3. A food tour. I recommend The Reykjavik Food Walk. Go hungry. So much food. There are 5 stops including the Icelandic Hot Dog Stand made famous by Bill Clinton.

Hallgrimskirkja

4. Hallgrimskirkja The church itself is lovely, and it is well worth going up the tower for the views. We were lucky to stumble onto an organ concert the day we went. Check the website to see if there are any scheduled during your visit. Hungry? Just across the street — a delightful farm to table bistro called Rok and if you fancy more traditional Icelandic fare, Cafe Loki. Try the Rye Bread Ice Cream. Really.

5. Punk Museum of Iceland.  Located in a former public restroom in downtown Reykjavik, the Punk Museum is worth a stop whether you like punk or not. The museum takes full advantage of its venue — the stalls actually become part of the story. We spent about an hour, and if you were a true punk fan you could spend far longer as the staff is very knowledgable and happy to share.