Húsavík Whale Museum

The Húsavík Whale Museum is perfectly located by the harbour, just a short walk from the church, with convenient parking available at the rear. This museum is a fantastic place to visit, with incredibly knowledgeable and passionate staff. We were lucky enough to have a guided tour with Garðar Thröstur Einarsson, the museum educator, who shared fascinating insights about whales and dolphins. He kept the kids fully engaged, answered all their questions, and made learning fun—huge thanks to him! We discovered so many interesting facts about these incredible marine animals and gained a deeper understanding of Icelandic culture and the history of whaling in Iceland. The museum also has a charming gift shop with a great selection of t-shirts, jigsaw puzzles, books, bookmarks, and more—there’s something for everyone! If you’re planning to go whale watching in North Iceland, I highly recommend visiting this museum first. It will enhance your experience by helping you identify different whale species and appreciate them even more. For more photos, travel tips, and things to do in Iceland, check out my Instagram highlights @mrsivyhyde. Happy travels!

It's really cool to see real skeletons of different species of whale. We liked the various information we read in the museum and the video 20 minutes long about the grim in the Faroe Island that made us debate after our visit. Worth visiting.

What a special place this is. Small but full of excellent displays, two very well done videos and in depth history of whaling in Iceland. Very interesting and thought provoking: definitely bring your kids here too. We loved it!

Super interesting and informative museum. Very well done. They have real skeletons of stranded whales or of those found dead. The panels are very educational. I've learnt a lot. I highly recommend this museum! In fact I came back to Húsavík mainly for the museum.

I don’t really know where to start… this was an absolutely incredible and unexpected experience on my trip - I wasn’t planning to go to Husavik on this trip because it was out of season, however I love the sea so decided to take a drive up there and I’m so glad I did… all the whale watching trips weren’t running as it was out of season but I decided to visit the museum as I was here and have a genuine interest in educating myself about nature… I was greeted by two of the kindness and welcoming men I have met in Iceland- they asked if I had a trip booked for the whale watching, but I disappointedly said there doesn’t seem to be any running this time of year - immediately he jumped on the computer and found me a trip going the following day - 30 mins drive from where I was staying - so helpful and I was totally overjoyed as I didn’t think I would be able to see any whales in January in Iceland! After this huge excitement - we spoke for about an hour about the whales and whaling - after this I visited the museum - I was the only one in the museum so spent another hour going around the exhibition - it was honestly absolutely incredible - so much information and all the skeletons are from whales that have had natural deaths - never been hunted. I struggled to look at the photos of the whaling history and couldn’t watch all of the video as I get too upset, but it’s definitely something that is needed to educate people in order to stop it… it’s just horrendous and needs to be stopped. I am an advocate for awareness and exposing the truth of what actually happens to animals and the suffering they endure at the price of human greed and ego. The museum has been well put together, well maintained - the guys were working on some improvements whilst I was there… he was super knowledgable and took the time to answer any of the questions I had whilst I was walking around. The souvenirs are lovely and I have a fabulous poster to frame back in the UK, Honestly can’t thank you enough, and you are a big part of my perfect trip to Iceland. Charlie. X

The Húsavík Whale Museum (Hvalasafnið á Húsavík) is a fascinating and educational destination that brings the wonders of the ocean to life. Located in Iceland’s whale-watching capital, this museum offers an in-depth look at the magnificent creatures that inhabit the seas around the country. With detailed exhibits on whale biology, conservation, and the history of whaling in Iceland, the museum provides a comprehensive understanding of these incredible animals. The highlight is the life-size skeletons, which give you a real sense of the grandeur of whales. It’s a must-visit for anyone interested in marine life, adding depth and context to the whale-watching experience in Húsavík.

Absolutely worth the stop. We arrived at 17h00 and did not have time to see all of the spaces before it closed at 18h00. But what we saw and absorbed as info was very interesting. The life-size skeletons of different whales were impressive to say the least (the 25m blue whale one left in particular). The movie "bloody tradition" was playing every 30 mins in a loop; it is an interesting shortfilm of 20 mins, but maybe don't take kids to watch it (the warning about the movie is only at the start of the film). Parking close to the museum is free.

You can really get an idea of how large whales are. Although Husavik was once a whaling town, now it's a great place to see whales in the bay. The museum adds to the experience