The 15 Best Museum Visits in Iceland

1.Perlan Museum Wonders of Iceland Entrance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,575 reviews · from $48Our pick

Explore Perlan in Reykjavik with an ice cave, volcano show, northern lights planetarium, interactive exhibits, and 360-degree city views.

“Apart from the madness of getting the coach ( there must be a better way). The actual tour was superb. The driver and guide were excellent, Jennifer was knowledgeable and as excited as we all were to see the lights. Although there isn’t a guarantee, the guide has a good idea and within 5 minutes of being in the National Park we stopped and spent 30 minutes watching the lights dance. Then moved onto another site with more lights in the sky. It’s a must do, and I’m not sure that paying more for a smaller tour would be worth it, the lights are there if they are there regardless…”

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2.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Perlan Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 719 reviews · 1 day · from $88

See Reykjavík by flexible hop-on hop-off bus, then explore Perlan’s ice cave, volcano displays, and 360-degree city views.

“We enjoyed the bus tour was a great way to get around and the perlan museum was really interesting and have a new lava experience which was very cool aswell as the ice cave which was amazing to see”

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3.Whales of Iceland Museum Entrance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 493 reviews · 1 day · from $34

Review of Whales of Iceland in Reykjavík, with life-size models, films, audio guides, family tips, pricing, access, and honest drawbacks.

“Interesting experience. Interactive stations. Good for knowledge on whales and cetaceans.”

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4.National Museum of Iceland Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 432 reviews · 365 days · from $20Best value

Explore Icelandic history from Viking settlement to modern life with a $20 museum ticket, audio guide, temporary exhibits, and 365-day validity.

“Very imformarive museum relaying Icelands history from the first settlers to modern day life in Iceland.”

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5.Aurora Reykjavík, The Northern Lights Center Museum Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 327 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33

Aurora Reykjavík review: see aurora films, try 360° VR, learn photo tips, and judge whether this $33 museum visit fits your Iceland trip.

“Amazing insightful museum! The staff was very helpful in explaining the history, research and process that needs to occur to see northern lights. Realize that some of it is patience and luck. The VR devices were super fun checking out the amazing colors/shapes and sizes from all over Iceland. The staff also helped me pick up some great tshirts and hoodies with a cool design. Now we are ready to look up in the sky and see them!”

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6.Lava Centre Interactive Volcano Exhibition

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 209 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $43

Explore Iceland’s volcanoes at Lava Centre in Vik with interactive exhibits, earthquake effects, eruption films, and rooftop views.

“The rooftop observatory was a FANTASTIC wrap-up of the overall exhibit to get a clear understanding of the nature of the volcanic activity on Iceland!”

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7.Ancient Historical Site Tour at the Caves of Hella

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 191 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $55

Explore four ancient man-made caves near Hella, learn Icelandic history from local guides, and decide if this chilly one-hour tour is worth $55.65.

“The caves were exciting and an excellent experience! Our tour guide (Palm) was great and very knowledgeable.”

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8.Icelandic Phallological Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 189 reviews · 1 day · from $28

Explore Reykjavik’s Phallological Museum, home to 300 specimens, playful exhibits, and the penis-themed Phallus Café.

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9.Whale Watching Tour, Whales of Iceland Exhibition

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 187 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $123

See whales in Faxaflói Bay and visit Iceland’s life-size whale museum, with warm overalls, expert guides, and a return ticket if sightings fail.

“This experience was incredible. the guides were wonderful. there was lots of information about the area and what we were seeing and we spent 3 hrs with 3 humpbacks playing around the boat and staying quiet shallow. the shared trip photos are such a great idea and we will not hesitate to recommend Special Tours (Via G.Y.G app) and the museum was such a great was of putting what we saw into a real context. don't hesitate, book this one.”

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10.Saga Museum – Entrance ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 110 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $32

Explore Reykjavik’s Saga Museum with lifelike Viking figures, audio guides, hands-on costumes, and a clear look at Iceland’s early history.

“This was a cute museum, lots of life size dioramas that were well done. Good history of old Iceland. This would be really neat modernized and upgrades with virtual and 3D experiences along with more hard artifacts.”

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11.Skip the Line: The National Museum of Iceland Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 95 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $24

Explore Iceland’s story from settlement to modern life with skip-the-line museum admission, mobile tickets, free lockers, and an optional audio tour.

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

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12.Hellisheiði Geothermal Exhibition: Entry and Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 88 reviews · 1 day · from $21

Explore Iceland’s Hellisheiði geothermal plant with an audio tour, interactive exhibits, Carbfix displays, mountain views, and flexible timing.

“The Hellishedi Geothermal Exhibition was well worth the trip to get there and the entry fee. For those ignorant of the process (the vast majority, I expect) to extract thermal power and hot water from the earth, go straight to Exhibit Stop 9, Production Process, and spend sufficient time there to learn how the industrial process works and to fully appreciate the research, engineering, and money needed to succeed. Stop 9 will also better inform you of what you see at other stops. My only disappointment of the Exhibition is that we did not have a guided tour by an employee. I had thought we would have been provided a…”

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13.Volcano Exhibition and Cinema – Lava Centre Iceland

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 66 reviews · 1 day · from $42

Review of Iceland’s LAVA Centre, with volcano displays, eruption films, earthquake simulation, mountain views, price, access, and practical tips.

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14.Saga Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 53 reviews · 1 day · from $33

Explore Icelandic saga scenes, Viking life, and a costume area at Reykjavik’s Saga Museum, with multilingual audio guides and practical visitor tips.

“The audio was ok but there was a lot of waiting around for the next step”

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15.Settlement and Egils Saga Exhibition Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 49 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $30

Explore Iceland’s first settlers and Egill Skalla-Grímsson through two audio-guided exhibitions at Reykjavik’s Settlement Center.

“There are two parts to the tour, with an upstairs and downstairs. There’s a very helpful person at the beginning to give you your headphones and an iPod mini that has the tour in many languages. The upper floor with a history of Iceland was interesting but a little difficult to follow. The tour below with the saga was much more dramatic and entertaining. This is a nice stop if you were visiting the country for the first time.”

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