Árbær Open Air Museum

About Árbær Open Air Museum

Árbær Open Air Museum (Árbæjarsafn) is a museum of old houses in Reykjavík's eastern suburbs, about 8 kilometers from downtown, and it's part of Reykjavík City Museum. As the city grew, many of its older buildings were moved here, and walking between them is the easiest way in Iceland to see how townspeople lived before concrete and geothermal heating took over.

It's the largest open-air museum of its kind in the country. Many of the houses are furnished for different periods, so you move from turf-roofed farm rooms to tidy merchant parlors in a few steps. There's a small church still used for events, an old-style general store selling sweets and Dillon's café for coffee and hot chocolate.

An English guided tour starts every day at 13:00 and runs just over an hour. It skips Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Easter Day, but otherwise it's the best way to get inside the houses with some context. Give yourself about two hours in total.

From June to August the museum is open daily 10:00–17:00, and from September to May daily 13:00–17:00. Winter visits are short but worthwhile, especially on the December Sundays when the Christmas program brings Yule Lads, a church service and dancing around the tree.

The drive from downtown Reykjavík takes roughly 15 minutes, and Árbæjarlaug pool is just over a kilometer away. Children, disabled visitors and Reykjavík City Card holders get in free. For everyone else, check the current adult ticket price with the museum before you go.