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Traditional Icelandic turf house with grass-covered roof and red chimney
All Reykjavik Excursions
Year-round

Reykjavík Hidden Worlds: Three Museums

A guided 3-hour walk through three downtown museums — the Settlement Exhibition (a 9th-century longhouse under glass), the Saga Museum, and the National Museum's permanent gallery.

3 hr
Max 12
Year-round

About this tour

An indoor route designed for rainy days, short winter daylight, or anyone with a serious interest in saga history. Three museums in three hours — enough time at each to read the labels, not so much that you fade. Guide reads Old Norse and will translate the runic inscriptions you'll see at the National Museum.

What's planned

  1. Meet at Aðalstræti 16

    10 min

    Front entrance of the Settlement Exhibition. Brief intro on Icelandic settlement history before going underground.

  2. The Settlement Exhibition

    45 min

    Walk around a real 9th-century longhouse foundation — discovered during a 2001 hotel excavation — preserved exactly where it was built. Multimedia reconstructions show what life looked like above the stones.

  3. Saga Museum at Grandi

    45 min

    Walk to the Old Harbour. Seventeen lifelike silicone scenes recreate moments from the sagas — Egíll Skallagrímsson, Leiður Eiríksson reaching North America — with audio guide.

  4. Coffee break

    20 min

    Stop at Kaffivagninn (Iceland's oldest restaurant) on the harbourfront for a pause.

  5. National Museum of Iceland

    60 min

    Permanent exhibition 'Making of a Nation' — 1,200 years of artefacts from settlement to today, including the iconic Þingvellir Christian crucifix and the Skarð chess set.

Highlights

  • Settlement Exhibition (Landnámsýningin) — a real 9th-century longhouse preserved beneath the city
  • Saga Museum — lifelike scenes from the Icelandic sagas
  • National Museum of Iceland — 1,200 years of artefacts in one gallery
  • Local guide who reads Old Norse — saga details Wikipedia misses
  • Indoor route, all-weather

What's included

  • Entry tickets to all three museums
  • Local Reykjavík guide (English-speaking)
  • Audio assist available on request

Not included

  • Hotel pickup — meet at the start point
  • Food and drinks
  • Optional museum gift-shop purchases

Pickup & meeting point

Meeting point

  • Harpa Concert Hall

    Austurbakki 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Ready to book Reykjavík Hidden Worlds: Three Museums?

From €79 per person

From€79