The National Gallery of Iceland is a national museum and the main emphasis of the collection is on 19th and 20th century Icelandic art, but international art is featured as well. The museum owns the most valuable collection of works by Icelandic artists in the country. The collection also includes an impressive array of works by internationally renowned artists such as, Pablo Picasso, Edward Munch, Karel Appel, Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, Richard Serra and Richard Tuttle.
The old harbour warehouse, Hafnarhús, offers a progressive exhibition program with local and international contemporary artists. The works of key figures, as well as established and emerging current artists are presented in six galleries. Hafnarhús is also home to the works of Erró (b. 1932), a significant player in the international pop art scene. Hafnarhús is located in the oldest part of Reykjavik, where the town’s boats and first docks lay. The building was erected in the 1930s and at the time it was one of the largest buildings in the country.
The National Museum displays objects that provide insight into Icelandic cultural history - displays that encourage visitors to dwell on the past, present and future. The museum aims to nurture knowledge and innovation while maintaining a wide perspective and sense of community. Location: Suðurgata 41, 102 Reykjavík
The Settlement Exhibition - Reykjavik 871± 2 deals with the settlement of Reykjavík. The exhibition is based on scholars theories on what the heritage sites in central Reykjavík can tell us about the life and work of the first settlers. The focus of the exhibition is the remains of a hall from the Settlement Age which was excavated in 2001. The hall was inhabited from 930-1000. North of the hall are two pieces of turf, remnants of wall which was clearly built shortly before 871. This is one of the oldest man-made structures so far found in Iceland.
The exhibition Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum is about the history of the Icelandic fisheries, from the time when rowing boats gave way to large fishing vessels in the late 19th century, through to the 21st century. This rich history is told from the perspective of Iceland’s biggest fishing port, Reykjavík. The Maritime Museum’s setting is an appropriate one, as the building once housed a flourishing fish factory.
Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik.
The museum’s exhibitions focus on Icelandic photography, works from Collection and works of foreign photographers. The museum exhibits both historical and contemporary photography in artistic- social- and cultural context.
Kjarvalsstaðir houses the works of one of Iceland’s most influential and recognised artists, Jóhannes S. Kjarval. The exhibitions at Kjarvalsstaðir focus primarily on paintings and sculptures of the established masters of modern art. The building is a fine example of Nordic modernism, it features floor-to ceiling windows that look onto the beautiful Klambratún Park
The sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982) designed, worked and lived in this beautiful building now serving as a part of Reykjavík Art Museum. The white dome structure is surrounded by Sveinsson’s sculptures in the garden, both his earlier massive figures and his later light abstract compositions. The inside of the building offers a unique experience as the artist’s design, inspired by vernacular Mediterranean architecture, is a stand-alone work of art. Sveinsson’s work is often exhibited in there along with the works of other modern or contemporary artists.
Gerðarsafn is a progressive museum with an emphasis on modern and contemporary art, located in the heart of Kópavogur. Gerðarsafn offers temporary exhibitions with works by Icelandic and international contemporary artists as well as displaying the museum collection. The exhibition program echoes the museum‘s status as the only Icelandic museum built in honor of a female artist.
The museum divides into two categories, geological and zoological. The geological part focuses on the formation of Iceland and the major types of rocks and minerals. The zoological part focuses (with few exceptions) on Icelandic birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates. The museum staff provides guidance, if requested. If possible, the guidance is adapted to the interest, age and language of our guests. Guidance should preferably be reserved in advance, especially for groups. Guidance is a part of our service and therefore always free.
Unspoiled nature reigns on island of Viðey, which has a unique place in Icelandic history. Birdlife abounds on the island, while outstanding works of modern art also make their mark. We hope you enjoy your stay and that you help us keep the island the treasurous pearl that it is.
At the Culture House, the exhibition Points of View – a journey through the visual world of Iceland is on permanent view. The exhibition gives visitors a unique opportunity to view the collections of six major Icelandic cultural institutions. Artworks of various styles and mediums are presented thematically alongside museum objects and archival materials such as books and maps.
Aðalstræti 10 is a museum and an exhibition space. It is part of Reykjavík City Museum – one museum in five unique places.
The Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum is dedicated to exhibiting works by the Icelandic sculptor, Sigurjón Ólafsson. It was founded in 1984 by the artist's widow Birgitta Spur, as a tribute to her late husband. She had the artist's studio at Laugarnes converted to an exhibition space to house a large collection of his works.
Art Museum in the Centre of Hafnarfjordur - Reykjavik Area.
Museum situated in several buildings in the centre of Hafnarfjordur, dedicated to the history of the region.
Reykjavík City runs seven public thermal pools (sundlaugar) which are heated with geothermal water and are part of the city's policy of encouraging public sports and healthy lifestyle. The pools offer steam baths, saunas, hot tubs and jacuzzis. Much is done to ensure safety of guests and all staff receive regular training and instructions on safety-related issues.
Reykjavík City runs seven public thermal pools (sundlaugar) which are heated with geothermal water and are part of the city's policy of encouraging public sports and healthy lifestyle. The pools offer steam baths, saunas, hot tubs and jacuzzis. Much is done to ensure safety of guests and all staff receive regular training and instructions on safety-related issues.
Not just farm animals There are a lot more animals at the zoo than most people think. Icelandic farm animals, mammals from the country's wildlife, in addition to a small exhibition of reptiles, amphibians and insects. Fun for everyone at anytime of the year Playgrounds are open in the summertime as well as on the weekends during the winter, weather permitting. Castles, zip-lines and other equipment are always open. It's also nice to just stroll around in the beautiful surroundings.
Reykjavík City runs seven public thermal pools (sundlaugar) which are heated with geothermal water and are part of the city's policy of encouraging public sports and healthy lifestyle. The pools offer steam baths, saunas, hot tubs and jacuzzis. Much is done to ensure safety of guests and all staff receive regular training and instructions on safety-related issues.
Large facility offering indoor/outdoor swimming pools for all ages, slides, a sauna & hot tubs. Address: Austurberg 3, 111 Reykjavík.
Dalslaug is the latest addition to the swimming pools in Reykjavík. The pool opened on December 11th 2021. Address: Úlfarsbraut 122 124, 113 Reykjavík
Klébergslaug pool is located in the sportcenter in Kjalarnes. We have an outdoor pool with beautiful surroundings, kiddie water slide, steam bath, a gym and two hot tubs.This is a small and intimate outdoor pool in a quiet rural area near Mount Esja. Addrress: Klébergslaug, Kollagrund 4, 116 Reykjavík.
Reykjavík City runs seven public thermal pools (sundlaugar) which are heated with geothermal water and are part of the city's policy of encouraging public sports and healthy lifestyle. The pools offer steam baths, saunas, hot tubs and jacuzzis. Much is done to ensure safety of guests and all staff receive regular training and instructions on safety-related issues.
Reykjavík City runs seven public thermal pools (sundlaugar) which are heated with geothermal water and are part of the city's policy of encouraging public sports and healthy lifestyle. The pools offer steam baths, saunas, hot tubs and jacuzzis. Much is done to ensure safety of guests and all staff receive regular training and instructions on safety-related issues.
The card really was not very beneficial for us. It was easy to pick up the card but we only made it to two museums. Buying the museum tickets separately would have been more economical. We ended up walking around the city so did not use the bus service.
Bought card mainly for free access to buses… found out on my day in Reykjavik that it was “no car day”, and buses were free anyway! I did see museums, but it disappointed me that I was sold a card on a free bus day!
Nice way to get acclimated to the city when we first got there. Before i booked i looked in apple maps at closest place to pick up voucher and one was a 1/4 mile from hotel and said it opened at 10am. When arrived at 10 it actually did not open til 1. We were out by zoo, so no other place close. So was disappointed we had to wait. Ended up taking an hour nap and eating and went back. Using Google maps made it easy to determine which bus to use, except for road closures and detours made it more challenging during cultural weekend.
Just a couple of days before cruise
Great way to see the city. Bjork exhibit was incredible. City card is a nice way to spend the day if you want to explore and do a self guided tour around town.
Great economical way to see Reykjavik. We found the city busses easy to navigate with the app. We were able to visit so many museums!
This card was so easy to use. We picked it up at the Elding Whale office since we got into the city after 5 pm. We were able to use a pool covered under the card that evening, and then the next day we went to the Phallological Museum (discount), The Settlement Exhibition (covered), and the Maritime Museum (covered). We took the city bus several times as well. The price of the card was realized with just the 2 museum admissions.
A great way to see the museums of Reykjavik plus travel between them by bus. There are more to see than 24 hrs really allows, so plan on the two day card or be selective with the 1-day card. We found lots of free parking near the stores around the harbor, and an easy walk from there to get the voucher validated at the Maritime Museum, a good place to start.
With a free day to roam Reykjavik, we thought this might be helpful to get around as well as gain entry to many of the city's sights. Those bus stations that were actually open were all clustered around downtown, making it a less useful alternative than walking, though. The half hour schedule the busses allegedly operate on doesn't make it very convenient, either, and we ended up walking instead. Most of the museums it grants access to are only open from 10AM to 5PM, making it possible to visit just a few venues before they closed. We were able to visit only the Settlement and History museums, which were literally attached to each other, before it was necessary to travel across town to our last stop. Both were quite small, and we were able to see everything in under two hours. We'd recommend both to those interested in Iceland's history and culture, and just wish it had been possible to see some of the others. Out last stop was the ferry out to Videy island, one of our main reasons to visit Iceland. While the city card also paid for the ferry ride out to the island, the bus, unfortunately, doesn't go out to Skarfabakki Pier, the only place where the ferry could be caught in December, and we were forced to take a taxi, which ran around $50 USD. The taxi driver had no clue where the Elding Ferry terminal was, adding to the difficulty and expense getting there. Furthermore, none of the taxis we called after returning from Videy Island could find the terminal either, and we were forced to hike back to our hotel after a day already filled with long treks. In summary, the card proved useful to see two small museums and paid for a round trip boat ride, but otherwise seems to have limited value.
This is a great bargain if you want to go to multiple museums and use the buses to get around. Pickup is at one of several museums and you get a physical card, which is what you show at the other facilities and on the bus. Planning definitely helps with this one—we made sure to plan it so the 24 hours was over two days of attraction opening times
Museum entry fees are expensive, and if you're going to multiple I recommend getting the city card for 24 or 48 hours and seeing as many of the city museums as you can. I particularly liked the Arnbær Open Air Museum.
Unable to use card immediately, had to be activated downtown so we had to pay for bus downtown. Would have been cheaper to pay separately for what we wanted to see.
It was a typical hop on hop off bus taking us through the beautiful city. The bus was reasonably clean and windows were clean. I was disappointed with the audio. When I first got on, the music played through the headphones. When the bus started, I only heard music, wondering where the narration would begin. I thought it was strange that there was no explanation of the route. Finally, a gentleman went down the stairs and asked the driver -- who started the narration. In the meantime, we missed the explanation of the first four stops. Should I have known to go down and ask the driver earlier? Maybe, but this is an important aspect of the tour and we shouldn't have to remind him! Once the narration began, it was okay, but there were long stretches with nothing going on. It seems that the route changed, too. We didn't go past the cathedral -- skipping at least one step entirely, but there was no explanation of why. I believe that was stop 9, and there was no announcement of stop 10. Pretty frustrating. On a positive note, the narration was clear and easy to understand. I would recommend this to a person who wanted an overview of the city and had no other options -- it was better than nothing, but poor value for the money.
I suggest using this card once you become a bit more familiar with the city and start getting the hang of public transport. The card also offers discounts for some museums that aren’t on the list of “free” museums—for example, a 10% discount at Perlan. It provides plenty of opportunities for sightseeing, especially when the weather is rainy and cold.
These cards are amazing value and the range of places you can visit are great . My partner and I enjoyed the museums and I got to go to all the amazing art galleries
Very good value for money. We visited 3 museums during the day and travelled around the city a good amount. The KLAPP-APP is terrible though and made planning journeys a challenge. It was a bit difficult that we had to claim the physical pass from a museum first, therefore having to pay for bus tickets to get to that first museum.
Horrible Experience! I was unable to use this card and the provider REFUSED to give me a refund!!!!!!
Very confusing and I thought I had booked a hop on, hop off ticket. Got lots of steps in, and saw a few of the sights.
Great walking opportunity to see the city’s sights! Feedback: chosen art museum had no exhibit - it would be nice to know this before entering Chosen photography museum did not open until 1300 - again it would be nice to know this before climbing 6 flights of stairs Bus drivers speak no English and were zero helpful with transferring to another location. Very thankful for kind locals who helped!!
Grapped the 24 hour card because I only had part of a day, headed over to Reykjavik Centre, and bounced from the The Settlement Exhibit, the City Museum, Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhüs, and Reykjavik Museum of Photography. Thoroughly enjoyed every exhibit -- the Settlement and Hafnarhüs in particular were standouts. And I saved over 50% in entrance fees!
Easy to redeem at a museum and then to use. Worth the money, you will certainly get cheaper if you move a lot with the bus or visit multiple museums.
The Settlement exhibition and the Maritime Museum were all we could manage in one day - so much more to see in a short space of time.
These are really worth getting if you want to use local swimming pools and/or museums and galleries. They might seem a bit expensive initially but they work our really well AND include free local bus travel too! We won't hesitate to get them next time.
Places didn’t open until 10 am to get the card, and bus system was confusing. Because of the bus (long times to get places) and not being able to pick up the card after 1000, we barely used the card for admission to places. Also, the zoo is like a petting zoo. Do not recommend.
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t very good and when we went to the zoo all the way on the bus everything was closed I wouldn’t recommend one this time of year. Possibly in the summer months
It was a waste of money. Bus routes often more difficult than walking, or involved nearly as much. Doesn't include lots of stuff. We went on lots of tours and walked most of the rest. Museum just city ones which except settlement in City and the open air one mostly dull. Limited exhibits. You will prefer to pick and choose to see some.
So glad we got this, it made our lives so much easier and we saw so much. We used this for the maritime museum, the settlement museum, 3 art galleries and used the discounts on Perlan, The Phallus museum and Saga. Overall easily would have spent over double the amount had we not got it and it meant we saw more than we would have otherwise. Didn’t get on the busses as everything is so close together, but the bus system looked really good and gave easy access to the city
Excellent value, definitely would do again. I got to visit three museums and rode the bus. So much simpler to do the card ahead of time and then not worry about budgeting for entrance ffes and bus fare. I walked most places in Reykjavik but it was super helpful to be able to hop on a bus for a bit, too.
The museums are amazing and the outdoor hot tubs are so wonderful. This card is a steal of a deal and we had a great time!
Brilliant we didn't do all the urinary and we didn't use the bus we walked and it was an absolute pleasure doing so we got to see beautiful Rejkavik we went in the museum's saved a fortune as entrance fees all included with the city card
Convenient for bus travel and entrance fees to most museums. Reykjavik isn't really an easy city to find your way about -- no grid plan,etc. But people are friendly about telling you which is the right bus route.
A fantastic way to see lots of fascinating history. We went to 3 museums and travelled between them using the clean, efficient buses which were very easy to navigate.
This card is worthwhile if you have a day in Reykjavík and are quite active. My partner did the National Museum (2000kr), settlement exhibit (1700kr) and one of the thermal pools (1000), and the card cost 3900kr. However, I have a student card so I was better to buy individual tickets.
The purchase and download was easy to do ,the exchange for actual tickets was also easy once we had found one of the many places to do the exchange .We did get to use the tickets for 3 bus journeys,however they do not cover all attractions ,the Cathedral for elevated views of the city was a charge of around £6 [1000 krona ]to use the lift but well worth doing .Sadly i think we were the wrong age group for these tickets as at 80 and 76 respectively we do not walk quick enough to do all the attractions on offer .In my opinion these tickets are for younger people who are more mobile and could therefore take full advantage of all the attractions the tickets offer.Overall it is an excellent scheme .
We picked up the card and were off to a Reykjavik city pool within an hour. We had three kids with us and going to the swimming pool was a hit. There were many attractions on the card and the free use of the bus system can get you there quickly. If you plan your day you can get a lot done. Beware that most museums close at 5:00PM.
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