The Best and Weirdest Museums Outside of Reykjavík, Iceland

You can find many museums in Iceland, particularly in the capital city of Reykjavík. The big ones are The National Museum of Iceland, The Settlement Exhibition, Saga Museum, and the National Gallery of Iceland. There’s even an Icelandic Punk Museum and a penis museum (The Icelandic Phallological Museum)!

If you only have time to explore within the Reykjavík area, checking out one of these museums would suffice in getting your historical fix. However, if you’re willing to venture beyond the capital, you can find some really out-there hidden gems that you won’t find in the city.

Getting to some of these locations may be challenging, but if you are following the Iceland Ring Road on a campervan or road trip, it may be worthwhile taking a short detour to check out some of these weird and wonderful museums!

Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft

Near the town of Hólmavík, in northwestern Iceland, this small but charming museum walks you through the history of witchcraft and paganism during the 1600s in Iceland. A self-guided tour, with provided booklet, takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour in which you explore the history, folklore, and sorcery practices in Iceland. The museum delves into witch hunts in Iceland during the 17th century and explores Icelandic folklore rich with stories of trolls, elves, and magical beings. It also does a great job highlighting how superstition and belief in the supernatural were woven into Iceland’s culture and survival in a harsh environment.

It is also where you can find the museum’s most famous (and creepy) exhibit - the necropants - a pair of pants allegedly made from human skin. According to Icelandic legend, the necropants could bring wealth to the wearer if they followed a specific and gruesome magical ritual.

If you visit only one museum in the Westfjords, this should be it. Note that there is also a restaurant attached to the museum, serving coffee and seafood soup. We didn’t try it but had lunch instead at a nearby fish and chips shop, Fish and Chips Siglufjörður, which is also highly recommended!

The Herring Era Museum

We were not expecting much from this museum when we arrived, because, what could one expect from a fish museum?? Well, we were completely wrong! This museum was absolutely FASCINATING and we strongly recommend making a stop to check it out. Located in the picturesque northern town of Siglufjörður, which in and of itself, is worth a stop, this award-winning museum (won the European Museum Award in 2004 for Best New Museum of Industry and Technology in Europe) covers the Herring boom in Siglufjordur and has charmingly preserved three historic buildings that showcase the golden age of herring fishing and processing in Iceland. One of the buildings recreates the atmosphere of the era, showcasing the daily life of herring girls who lived in dormitory-like quarters. Another building focuses on machinery and industrial processes used to turn herring into various products like oil, fertilizer, and cosmetics. Finally, another building displays a collection of beautifully restored fishing boats and fishing gear used during the herring era. This museum is certainly not just about fish - it is about the people, culture, and legacy of a booming industry that shaped the nation of Iceland.

Skriduklaustur & Icelandic Buffet

Skriduklaustur was not really on our list, nor did we know it was a museum/historical site. It first came to our attention due to its lunch buffet and cake buffet at the adjacent restaurant, Klausturkaffi. We wanted to check out the lunch buffet that promised a wide spread of traditional Icelandic foods such as reindeer meatballs, baked cod, mushroom soup, quiches, and a variety of different cakes (rhubarb pie, orange cake!), plus coffee. In fact, this was one of our most memorable meals in Iceland, given that eating out is so expensive, there are not many places where you can try so many different kinds of Icelandic traditional foods all in one place.

Located in East Iceland, we learned that this site was a former Benedictine monastery that operated in the 20th century. If you wander behind the building, you can view archaeological excavations that reveal the remains of a monastery, including a church and burial site. The site is also of notable significance as a centre for literature, especially relating to the Icelandic poet and novelist Gunnar Gunnarsson, who established a library and dedicated portions of the estate to literary pursuits.

If you are in the area and want lunch for the best value for money and a nice side-trip to see an ancient archeological site, take the short detour to Skriduklaustur. Try their lunch buffet which runs typically from 12pm to 3pm (approximately 4000 ISK / $40 CAD). The lunch buffet typically includes a cake or two. However, if you are a dessert fiend, then maybe their cake buffet is for you; allowing you to eat as many homemade cakes to your heart’s content and runs from 3pm - 5pm (approximately 3000 ISK / $30 CAD). Check opening hours as this place seems to run seasonally.

Viking Village Movie Set

The Viking Village, also called the Viking Film Set, was constructed in 2010 for an Icelandic film called The Viking by director Baltasar Kormakur. Unfortunately, the movie was never made into reality, however, the film set remains and has become a unique tourist attraction. We heard about this place from staying at the Vestrahorn Camping site nearby. For 2500 ISK, the campsite includes entrance to the Viking Village which is located nearby. If you don’t stay at the campsite, admission to the Viking Village is about 1000 IKR or $10 CAD to enter.

Although the set is not a historical site (and arguably also not a museum), we had to mention it here as an interesting place to visit if you are in the area of southeast Iceland. The site is also near the famous black sand Stokksnes Beach which is an incredible scenic and ‘do-not-miss’ spot in Iceland.

The Viking Village set offers visitors a chance to step into what feels like a Viking Age settlement. The set consists of wooden Viking-style turf-roofed houses and also includes a viking ship replica set against the stark and breathtaking backdrop of Vestrahorn Mountain. We even spotted some wild horses grazing nearby. Ultimately, the whole area is super picturesque and definitely worth checking out!