Westfjords Heritage Museum

About Westfjords Heritage Museum

The Westfjords Heritage Museum fills a timber warehouse from 1784 at the edge of Ísafjörður's harbor, and the building is half the reason to go. It stands in Neðstikaupstaður, the oldest cluster of houses in Iceland, where the Danish trade monopoly kept its stores and its merchant in the late 18th century.

The exhibits sit in Turnhúsið, the tall log warehouse with the little tower on its roof. Its floors trace how Ísafjörður grew into a fishing town, from boats and trade in the early 1900s to the boom years of bigger catches between about 1950 and 1970, when the town's homes filled with the kitchen gear and toys you see on display. The top floor holds boat models and part of an accordion collection of more than 220 instruments, the oldest from around 1830.

Next door, Krambúðin was built in 1757 as a shop and warehouse and now holds the museum's ticket desk and gift shop. Faktorshúsið, the merchant's house from 1765, is a private home, so you view it from outside. Tjöruhúsið, a warehouse from 1781, now houses one of the best-known restaurants in the Westfjords.

Ísafjörður is the main town of the Westfjords, about 416 km from Reykjavík, or roughly six hours by car. Neðstikaupstaður is a short walk from the town center and the cruise pier, and 45 minutes to an hour covers the museum and the houses around it.

The museum opens daily from May 16 to September 30. In 2026 the hours were 9:00 to 17:00 until August 31, then 9:00 to 15:00 until September 15 and 11:00 to 15:00 for the rest of the month, and it opens by arrangement in winter. Admission in 2026 is 1,750 ISK for adults and 1,300 ISK for seniors, disabled visitors and students, with children free.