Viking experiences in Iceland

Museums & exhibitions

The most important museums

The Settlement Exhibition – Reykjavík

The Settlement Exhibition

The Settlement Exhibition Web Address: Aðalstræti 16, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland Phone: +3544116370

One of Iceland’s most interesting archaeological experiences.

In the middle of Reykjavík lie the remains of a 10th-century longhouse , discovered during construction work in 2001. The exhibition is built around the ruin itself and combines archaeology with modern digital communication. ( Visit Reykjavík )

The Settlement Exhibition

National Museum – Reykjavik

National Museum of Iceland

Iceland National Museum Web Address: Suðurgata 41, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland Phone: +3545302200

The best place to see the original material culture from Iceland’s first centuries: weapons, jewelry, tools, religious objects and other archaeological finds.

National Museum – National Museum

Settlement Centre – Borgarnes

The Settlement Center

The Settlement Center Web Address: Brákarbraut 13-15, 310 Borgarnes, Iceland Phone: +3544371600

Two main stories:

• Settlement of Iceland

• Egil’s Saga

It is a good place to understand how the landname and the sagas are connected . ( landnam.is )

Settlement Centre

Viking Worlds – Njarðvík

Viking World

Viking World Web Address: Reykjanesbær, Vikingabraut 1, 260 Njarðvík, Iceland Phone: +3544222000

The centerpiece is Íslendingur , a full-scale reconstruction of the Gokstad ship. The ship actually sailed from Iceland to New York in 2000 to commemorate Leif Eiríksson’s voyages to North America. The museum also has exhibitions about the Vikings’ North Atlantic voyages and the settlement of Iceland. ( vikingworld.is )

Viking World

Living Viking communities

 Eiríksstaðir

Eiríksstaðir – Viking Longhouse

Eiríksstaðir – Viking Longhouse Web Address: Haukadalsvegur, 371 Búðardalur, Iceland Phone: +3548997111

Haukadalur, West Iceland

This is one of the places I would put very high on the list.

Eiríksstaðir is located on the site of Eiríkr the Red’s original farm , and tradition also links the site to his son Leif Eiríksson. The reconstructed longhouse was built as an experimental archaeological project using historical materials, tools and methods. ( Eiriksstadir Museum )

What is special is that the presentation attempts to create the experience of an evening in an Icelandic longhouse around the year 1000 .

Eiríksstaðir

 Commonwealth Farm

The Commonwealth Farm

The Commonwealth Farm Web Address: Þjóðveldisbærinn, 804 Selfoss, Iceland Phone: +3546952330

Thjorsardalur

A reconstructed Icelandic farm based on archaeological finds from the Viking Age/early Icelandic Middle Ages.

Here the focus is less on warriors and more on farm life, family, construction, agriculture and everyday life .

Viking Town – Vestmannaeyjar

The Viking Town

The Viking Town Web Address: Herjólfsdalur, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland Phone: +3548526939

A small Viking community on Heimaey, where Iceland’s settlement and early history are presented locally.

Parliament, law & society

 Thingvellir

Thingvellir National Park

An absolute must on the list – even if it’s not a museum.

It was here that Icelanders gathered for the Alþingi , founded around the year 930. Here laws were promulgated, disputes settled, and decisions made.

The visitor center has an interactive exhibition about, among other things, the old legislative assembly and the archaeology at the site. ( Thingvellir National Park )

Thingvellir National Park

Sagas & medieval culture

 Snorrastofa – Reykholt

Snorrastofa Museum

Snorrastofa museum Web Address: Hálsasveitavegur, 320 Reykholt, Iceland Phone: +3544338000

Snorri Sturluson , author of the Edda and a central figure in the preservation of Norse mythology, lived here .

Reykholt is therefore interesting not only as a Viking site, but as the place where much of our written knowledge about the Nordic world was written down .

Snorrastofa

Saga Museum – Reykjavik

Saga Museum

Saga Museum Web Address: Grandagarður 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland Phone: +3545111517

A more theatrical and popular presentation, where key figures and events from Icelandic history are portrayed through realistic figures.

Saga Museum

Settlement & land name

Iceland is ideal if you want to tell the story of how Vikings actually colonized a new country .

Important places:

• Reykjavík – Settlement Exhibition

• Borgarnes – Settlement Centre

• Eiríksstaðir

• The National Empire Town

• Temple sites

• Thingvellir

• Pole

• Off

• Reykholt

Temple sites

An important Viking Age farmstead near Reykjavík/Garðabær, dated to around 870–930 . ( Visit Reykjavík )

Archaeological sites & farms

Pole

Stöng, Viking-era Long house

Stöng, Viking-era Long house Address: 804, Island Phone: +3544887713

Thjorsardalur

The ruins of a Viking-era farm, buried under ash from a volcanic eruption. The site has been important for the reconstruction of the Icelandic longhouse – including Commonwealth Farm.

Temple sites

One of the best-known archaeological farms from Iceland’s settlement period.

Off

An important historical site in southern Iceland, closely linked to the medieval scholarly environment and the sagas.

Reykholt

The home of Snorri Sturluson and one of the most important places for Iceland’s medieval literary history.

Crafts & activities

The best places for “try it yourself” experiences are:

Eiríksstaðir
Historic longhouse, storytelling and live communication.

Þjóðveldisbærinn
Farm life and practical understanding of Icelandic society.

Víkingaheimar
Ships, North Atlantic shipping and the Viking voyages.

Viking Village – Hafnarfjörður
A reconstructed environment linked to the city’s annual Viking festival.

Viking Village Hafnarfjordur

Ships & the North Atlantic

Here, Iceland’s story is very special:

Icelander – Viking World

A reconstruction of the Gokstad ship, which actually sailed in the year 2000:

Iceland → Greenland → Newfoundland → New York

This makes the experience much more than just a museum ship: it concretely demonstrates that Nordic seafaring could cross the entire North Atlantic . ( vikingworld.is )

 Vikingefestivaler & events

The most important things to keep an eye on:

• Hafnarfjordur Viking Festival

• Viking Festival at Eiríksstaðir

• Viking events at Þingvellir

• Viking events at Stöng/Þjöðveldisbærinn

• Viking events on Vestmannaeyjar

• Viking events at Reykjanes

Hafnarfjörður in particular has a long tradition of combining Viking markets, crafts, music, food and living history .

Runes, landscape & ancient monuments

Iceland does not have the same amount of runestones as Sweden or Denmark. On the other hand, the landscape itself is a huge part of the cultural heritage .

Interesting places:

• Þingvellir – Parliament and Legislative Assembly

• Eiríksstaðir – settlement and history

• Stöng – Viking Age Farm

• Hofsstaðir – settlement

• Oddi – lessons and saga

• Reykholt – Snorri Sturluson

• Haukadalur – Eirik the Red

• Vestmannaeyjar – settlement and North Atlantic life

Saga experiences

Egil’s Saga

Borgarnes and Borgarfjordur

The Saga of the Greenlanders

Eiríksstaðir and Vestisland

Njal’s story

Rangárvellir and southern Iceland

The story of the Laxdæla

Vestisland

Grettir’s story

North Iceland

This is part of what makes Iceland truly unique: the stories are not just literature – they are linked to specific farms, fjords, mountains and landscapes.

 Islands “Viking Top 12”

	Place	Primary experience
	Thingvellir	Parliament, law & society
	Eiríksstaðir	Landnam & living Viking life
	The National Museum	Original fund
	Settlement Exhibition	Iceland’s first settlement
	Viking world	Ship & the North Atlantic
	Settlement Centre	Landnam & Egils saga
	Reykholt	Snorri & the sagas
	Pole	Viking Age farm life
	The National Empire Town	Reconstructed farm
	Temple sites	Archaeological settlement
	Saga Museum	Storytelling
	Westman Islands	Settlement & North Atlantic life