National Museum of Iceland

The National Museum of Iceland, Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, is the best single place in Reykjavik to understand how the country came to be. The museum was founded on 24 February 1863, initially as a small antiquarian collection, and after decades in various attics around the city it moved into its current building at Suðurgata 41 in 1950. It sits on the edge of the University of Iceland campus, a short walk south-west of the city centre and the lake.

The heart of the museum is the permanent exhibition Making of a Nation, which follows Icelandic history from the settlement in the ninth century to the modern day through around 2,000 objects. Highlights include finds from the Viking age, medieval church art and the carved Valþjófsstaður door, which tells the story of a knight who rescues a lion from a dragon. Later rooms cover daily life on farms, the long period of Danish rule, fishing, and the changes of the 20th century. Temporary exhibitions on the ground floor change through the year; recent ones have covered Icelandic bridal costume and contemporary design.

The museum is easy for families and for visitors who are short on time. Audio guides are available in ten languages, with children's audio guides in English and Icelandic, and the layout runs chronologically so it is simple to follow. Children under 18 and people with disabilities get in free, and there are discounts for students and seniors. The building is wheelchair accessible, with lifts in the lobby and in the exhibition, wheelchairs at reception, Braille maps and texts, and strollers to borrow.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Allow around two hours for the main exhibition, longer if you like to read every label. There are lockers and a cloakroom in the basement and a museum shop by the entrance. The café was listed as temporarily closed at the time of checking, so plan to eat nearby.

Buses 1, 2, 3, 6, 11 and 12 stop at Háskóli Íslands, right by the museum, or you can walk from the centre in around 15 minutes past Tjörnin lake. The University of Iceland is next to the museum, and Tjörnin lake and City Hall are on the way back towards town.