"Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík’s Settlement Museum was established in 2001 after archaeological remains were discovered during an excavation. Said remains turned out to be the oldest relics of human habitation in the city, with some fragments dating to before 871 C.E. Today the museum hasmany of those finds on display, including the largest element from the historic haul, parts of a 10th-century longhouse, whose main hall and wall fragment form the focal point of a compelling exhibition about the nature oflocal life during Viking times. Mixing multimedia technology such as holographic dioramas with original artifacts from various excavations around the city (farming implements, sacrificial cow bones), the exhibition does a great job of bringing the Viking era to life."
"Settlement Exhibition Reykjavík’s Settlement Museum was established in 2001 after archaeological remains were discovered during an excavation. Said remains turned out to be the oldest relics of human habitation in the city, with some fragments dating to before 871 C.E. Today the museum hasmany of those finds on display, including the largest element from the historic haul, parts of a 10th-century longhouse, whose main hall and wall fragment form the focal point of a compelling exhibition about the nature oflocal life during Viking times. Mixing multimedia technology such as holographic dioramas with original artifacts from various excavations around the city (farming implements, sacrificial cow bones), the exhibition does a great job of bringing the Viking era to life."
The coolest part of the museum was the centrepiece Viking long house foundations. It was difficult to view in total due to the low ceiling (presumably because there's stuff on top of it), but otherwise the exhibit was well done. The other exhibits were all about the history of Reykjavik, which was presented in a fairly dry manner with minimal interaction and variety in the displays. The Settlement Exhibition cost as much as the National Museum of Iceland but had considerably less content.
J Lloyd
Google
Good place to visit plenty to read and see. Few Viking bits there and the old Viking house found enjoyed the visit. No places to eat there or anything but definitely interesting to visit.
K Anderson
Google
Fascinating exhibit filled with interesting history. It was cool to see how Reykjavík has changed over time. The staff were also pleasant even though we showed up close to closing time.
will mcmurtrie
Google
This is a wonderful place to visit with some very nice audio visual effects to show how settlers came and habitation developed. Original archeology of long house is here and you can get close up to look. There is a lot of reading and information too so younger kids may lose interest. The museum is also linked to the oldest house museum. For best value visiting in Reykjavik buy the city pass which allows access to most of the museums and also local swimming pools/geo heated pools.
Lauren R
Google
This was a fantastic museum nestled just off of the Víkurgarður square. Really cool to see the excavation site and explanations around what the site would have looked like. The rest of the museum was also really interesting talking about the development of Reykjavík and Iceland. I also appreciated getting to learn about the more recent history as far as how like WW2 impacted/accelerated development. The little shop and house interior recreation was neat as well.
You can also pick up Reykjavik City Cards at the front desk here! Definitely recommend if you’re hitting a bunch of museums/galleries during your stay.
Mallory Learman
Google
I highly recommend this museum. It had so much history and was very enjoyable as well as educational.
Atli Freyr Guðmundsson
Google
Amazing place that tells you about the lives of the first Icelanders. Huge viking age house foundation in the center, very informative information boards and unique artefacts all around it. Cool little shop and a great space for lectures too
robert dempsey
Google
Very nice museum that gives some good history. We did this on our first day which was great to give us some background for the rest of our trip. The only thing I wish is that they had a reconstruction of the longhouse instead of just the ruins of the outline, which is still cool.