Keldur Turf Houses

About Keldur Turf Houses

Keldur is the oldest farmhouse still standing in Iceland, and the Keldur turf house lets you walk through rooms people lived in for centuries. Grass grows on every roof, black timber gables face the yard, and the whole farm sits low against the plain so it almost disappears into the land.

The farm has a long paper trail. Ingjaldur Höskuldsson, its first known resident, appears in Njáls saga, and the National Museum of Iceland traces the old farmhouse back to the late 12th century. Its timber frame, stone and turf walls belong to the old passageway style, and the museum describes it as the last farmhouse of that kind left in the country.

Look for the underground tunnel that runs from the house. It is thought to date from the 12th or 13th century, possibly dug as an escape route during a time of feuds, and it is one of the reasons Keldur draws history buffs who skip the busier museums.

Keldur sits on Rangárvellir in South Iceland, about a 15-minute drive north of Hvolsvöllur and roughly an hour and a half from Reykjavík. From Route 1, take Route 264 (Rangárvallavegur) and follow the signs to the farm. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour, longer if you want to read every sign.

The Keldur turf houses open only in summer, from June 1 to August 31, daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission is 2,500 ISK for adults and 1,600 ISK for students and seniors, while children under 18 get in free. Outside those dates the museum is closed, so time your visit for summer and pair it with Seljalandsfoss or a drive toward Hekla.