Skip The Line: The National Museum Of Iceland Ticket

Lots of displays. The audio tour did not sync with the numbers on the display. Maybe I was missing something but I enjoyed the museum anyways. Of particular interest was the bridal costume. An Icelandic bridal costume on loan from London museum and a mural by a local artist that tells the story.

This was much bigger and more interesting than I expected. The crowds were not bad, even though it was over the Icelandic Independence Day week. It took at least a couple of hours to wander through everything. Truly fascinating displays of so many aspects of Iceland's history, from ancient visitors to artefacts that existed in my childhood!

This was the first Museum we visited in Iceland, it was really interesting, everything was laid out well, we were there about an hour, and it certainly wasn't busy. I think generally most Museums in Iceland are smaller than in other countries, it is worth a visit if you are interested in history.

Mind blowing artifacts. The amount of history that is here was hard to wrap my head around! The ancestors of Iceland are truly strong and brave people

Very good exhibition of historical value to the region. Helps understand Icelandic past to present. Ended up not using audio opting for reading at each display since numbered exhibits didn’t flow well so spent too much time finding next “exhibit” in order.

History museum in Iceland with heavy focus on religion

Great exhibits showing the history of Iceland, from first settlements to modern day.

Staff is wonderful at this hotel. Very helpful and friendly. Hotel is close to activities. They have a great breakfast.

This is a tiny awful museum with nothing in it across 2 small floors. As a family took us 15minutes to look round total waste of time, probably the most uninteresting national museum I have ever visited . Didn't realise that we had be charged £20 per person to look round what a rip off when I checked my bank account.

Avoid!!!!!What a rubbish for £20. Nothing about vikings. The worst musiam i ever been.Avoid, you won't learn anything

An interesting museum focusing on the settlement and history of Iceland with lots of ancient artefacts and Iceland's progression from pagan to Lutheran.

All sorted within minutes. Reasonable pricing, very easy and prompt. Practically I had the tickets the minute I pressed the pay button

A great experience with lots of interesting artefacts. A great place to learn about Iceland’s history! Very quiet so pleasant and relaxed.

The National Museum of Iceland was renamed in1911, after it was established in 1863 as 'Antiquarian Collection'. It is set in a modern circular building on Sturlugata on three floors it details all the history of habitation in Iceland, culture, religion, beliefs and music as summarised from archaeological finds of artefacts and preserved documents. The Book of Icelanders (1130 CE written by Ari the wise) and The Book of Settlements (1120) are historic sources displayed here. According to these sources Iceland was settled in 870 CE by people from Norway. One of the objects that was interesting and could not be fully explained was a small (2” high) bronze figure from 1000 CE. Archaeologists has summarised that it is either Thor, a leading Norse God in mythology who is holding his hammer, or a representation of Christ holding a cross. Another very interesting artefact was the The Valþjófsstaður door which is claimed to be a medieval carved church door int he style of Medieval carved wood with runic designs. It depicts a version of the Lion-Knight legend in which a knight slays a dragon and frees the lion. The story is similar to the tale of Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and of several Icelandic chivalric sagas. The main works of art that have been found from the Settlement Age are jewellery and decorated weapons; most common finds are brooches made of bronze (a copper and tin alloy). The art often depicts fantastical creatures and fire-spouting Norse dragons; these are interlaced with whirling patterns which represented the places where the artefacts were found. Some depicted animal heads, others snakes and long-legged creatures.

Lots of interesting artefacts, from iron age onwards, nicely designed museum. Worth a visit for a few hours whilst in Reykovik

Very informative, many artifacts walks you through the history and develop of Iceland. Auto tour is available with free wifi. Thoroughly enjoyed the museum it takes about 2 hours to complete the tour

It is an interesting museum about the history of Iceland. It's not as big as I thought it would be, and 1-2 hours is all you need to see the exhibits and have a snack at the cafe.

This is a museum with lots of information about Iceland, from the beginning to the present. Good for all ages. See how Iceland changed and developed from the Viking explorations to the first settlers, the Thingfellir, the religion changes, the urbanization and the politics.

We spent our last few hours in Iceland at this museum. It was a very nice museum showing the history of Iceland. You can download an app which you can listen to explanations of some exhibits. Free parking!

Interesting & unique. The history of Iceland is well presented and narrated here. Allow at least an hour. Definitely worth a visit.

The National Museum of Iceland is located along Suðurgata street just to the east of Tjörnin Lake in the city centre. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm daily while entry price is 2500kr for adults, 1500kr for students. There are toilet facilities, cafe and gift shop within the museum as well. The National Museum was created in 1863 but only consolidated into one location in the 1940s after the establishment of an independent Iceland. Exhibitions are spread over two floors and can be visited in chronological manner starting with artefacts and exhibits related to the original settlements in Iceland by Norseman in the 9th-century and eventually working through the centuries until the very interesting 20th-century exhibits on the upper floor which highlight and help explain how events unfolded leading to Iceland's independence and self determination as a nation. We felt the museum was well curated with enough displays and information to appease museum novices and buffs alike. It was a good representation of how Iceland was shaped over the centuries. Worth the time to visit to learn and understand a bit about why Iceland is the way it is.

Lots of interesting artifacts about Iceland's settlement and development. Really enjoyed the photo show of Icelandic life from 1900.

I enjoyed the museum overall but found following the exhibits according to the numbering system to be a challenge. First, it was often difficult to see the numbers as they are at the bottom of each exhibit and small. It would be better if the numbers were up high and larger making them easier to see. Second, the layout of the exhibits didn’t seem to follow a logical, easy to follow order, making it even more difficult to use the numbering system. I gave up trying to consistently use the recorded tour guide messages that were associated with the numbered exhibits because I was having so much trouble finding and following the exhibits using the numbering system. Very annoying!

A very good overview to Iceland. Helpful staff. Limited interactive displays. Restrooms, and lockers for backpacks, are downstairs.

A beautiful museum spanning from the beginnings of Iceland to present day. I learned a lot about Iceland’s history.

The museum was an excellent source of history and had an extensive collection of religious artifacts and information. Very much worth the visit.

Fun and interesting facts were you get to learn all the things you didnt think you needed to know, also fun to compare the animals

A very calm and peaceful ambiance inside the museum where Iceland through the ages is thoughtfully presented. Gift shop a tiny bit disappointing. Walking back towards the many other souvenir shops, in the snow and winter sunshine, soon lifted my mood.

Very interesting, worth a visit on local history and some Viking historic items, nice gift shop for a souvenir and a nice cafe.

It's a nice museum and we learned a lot about the history of Icelandic people. There's a good cafe too. It was a bit boring though.

EasyPeezy... bought ticket and walked in the door! Learned after that this was included on City Pass...no worries. Very helpful staff. Provided lots of info about museum and Reykjavik. Gift shop staff particularly helpful.

Really interesting if you like whales, which I do! Life-size models are quite impressive and I enjoyed learning new facts about species both old and new to me.

This was a great way to learn and immerse our family in Icelandic history, lore and culture. An added bonus for us on Christmas Eve morning was a special Christmas show where children participated and sang. We don't know the Icelandic language, but could definitely feel the spirit in the cheer and music!

Museum was great. Learned a lot about the history of Iceland. Showed how the island developed all the way to modern times. Such a small country but colorful history

I really enjoyed the story told through the museum of Iceland from settlement to the modern period, with it divided up into distinct ages. It feels like a good overview of the past 1000ish years with plenty of detail to dive into. Staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We spent about two and a half hours there and saw most of it, which felt about the right amount of time as part of the city card, I don’t think I’d want to rush through much quicker.

This is a must if you don't know much about Icelandic history. It has 2 floors of information starting from the beginning of Iceland's discovery to now. It took us about 2-3 hours to get through it all. The only complaint I have is that some of the info signs we hard to read because of the font being discolored and small, combined with the dark lighting of the museum. Other than that, I thought it was a fantastic experience and helped me learn so much about Iceland.

A fascinating look at Iceland’s history and its treasures! It’s not enormous, but filled with so many extraordinary things - Viking artefacts, bones, the famous bronze Thor, incredible knitted mittens which are hundreds of years old, jewellery, fine crafts in whalebone, weaving and silver. A really great visit. There is a café, a super gift shop, bathrooms and cloakrooms. Well worth a visit.

We were in Iceland for a 22 hour layover, so we had time for dinner the night we arrived and for one museum the next morning - The National Museum was our choice. It provides a great background on Iceland. It’s spread across 2 floors and can be visited in just a couple of hours. If you are not familiar with Iceland, this is a great place to give you background. I actually enjoyed the photography exhibit on the main floor more than any other part of the museum. I nearly missed this as it’s past the bookstore/ gift shop.

This is a treasure trove of Icelandic history, the highlights really were all of the artefacts from the time the first vikings settled Iceland right through the Middle Ages. If you’re not into history you might not enjoy the bull of this museum but there are halls dedicated to art and contemporary Icelandic history as well as going further back in time. Really was a fascinating few hours and if you like you can even play a game of chess part way around!

A wonderful small museum that gives a great overview of Iceland’s history from the Settlement Era to the present. Its a fascinating country with a very unique history, so we appreciated visiting this museum on our first day to put the rest of our trip in context.

The National Museum of Iceland is a bit out of the way of the centre of downtown Reykjavik but we figured we'd take in a bit of history and culture while visiting, and this seemed like a good place to find both. Like most museums in Iceland it costs to enter (though kids up to 16 are free, which was fortunate for us as our teenager got in free). Split across two main floors with a couple of rooms for side exhibits and galleries, the museum starts right back at the dawn of time with prehistoric artefacts and displays showing how the very first settlers clawed a living out of the sometimes inhospitable landscape. As time passed and humans evolved, Iceland became an important settlement with abundant natural resources. The first half of the exhibition was a bit 'dry' and religious for our tastes (not really our cup of tea) but we found some of the objects beautiful and enchanting nonetheless. On the higher floor you get to find out about the independence of Iceland and how things changed after 1944, and how modern Iceland embraces the amazing diversity of a multicultural society. The museum has a cafe and a gift shop offering some quirky gifts, and there's lots of amazing art on show. We did find the entry price a bit steep for a fairly small museum, but if you want to know more about Iceland's history, this is a good place to visit

Great history of Iceland. Informative and easy to follow exhibits. Highly recommend.Great for fsmillies

Amazing museum . Cery informative and the way it is laid out you progress from the very beginning of Icelandic history to present day

We only had an hour to see the museum before they closed for the day, so the staff was very helpful to point us in the direction of the "must see" exhibits and gave a very nice overview of Iceland's history before we walked through. For someone who did not know a lot about Iceland's history, I found this to be really interesting.

The museum is too expensive for the contents it offers. There are many other museums that you probably can get better values.

Simple and satisfying- the museum is two stories full of history, and show cases conversion of times for Iceland. Has a cute little coffee shop/ souvenir shop.

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.

Great way to spend a day when first arriving prior to going outside of town. Loved the background of cultures from past times.

Very nice history. I have learned many things about Iceland this trip. Only criticism would be to have a sort of path on the floor and the flow was a bit uncertain