Árbæjarsafn er útisafn sem var stofnað árið 1957 en auk Árbæjar eru þar yfir tuttugu hús, sem mynda torg, þorp og sveit. Í Árbæjarsafni er leitast við að gefa hugmynd um byggingalist og lifnaðarhætti í Reykjavík á 19. og 20. öld. Hvert og eitt hús geymir annaðhvort sjálfstæða sögusýningu eða þá að þar er sýnt dæmigert heimili frá ákveðnu tímabili. Á safninu má einnig sjá gamaldags verkstæði ýmiskonar þar sem sjá má dæmigerða aðstöðu, tækni og tól.

Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open-air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik. The Museum seeks to give an idea of architecture and way of life in Reykjavik in the 19th and 20th centuries. Each house contains either an independent historical exhibition or a typical home from a specific period. The museum also houses old-fashioned workshops of typical facilities, technology and tools.

The guide takes guests to all the main houses of the museum and tells their story.

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum

Leiðsögumaður fer með gesti í öll helstu hús Árbæjarsafns og segir frá sögu þeirra.

Leiðsögn á Árbæjarsafni

Fræðsla

Leiðsögn

Varðskipið Óðinn er hluti af Sjóminjasafninu og um leið ein helsta sýning safnsins. Skipið kom til safnsins árið 2008 og er varðveitt í því ástandi sem það kom. Boðið er upp á leiðsagnir á hverjum degi fyrir utan köldustu vetrarmánuðina auk þess sem skipið er opið gestum á hátíðisdögum sem er þá sérstaklega auglýst. 

Í leiðsögn er gengið um skipið, sagt frá sögu þess, lífinu um borð og því hlutverki sem að það gegndi hjá Landhelgisgæslu Íslands. Hver leiðsögn tekur tæplega klukkustund.

Til þess að tryggja öryggi um borð skal hafa í huga:

Lágt getur verið til lofts og hvassar brúnir og horn sem hægt er að reka sig í. Stigar eru brattir. Skipið hentar ekki fólki sem fær innilokunarkennd eða hefur skerta hreyfigetu. Börn yngri en 12 ára skulu ætíð vera í fylgd með fullorðnum.

Börn eru á ábyrgð forráðamanna.

The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn is a part of the Reykjavík Maritime Museum. It is, as such, one of the Maritime Museum's primary exhibitions. It is preserved in the condition in which it arrived at the museum in 2008.

We offer daily guided tours on board the vessel except during the coldest winter months. It is also open to the public on national holidays, which we announce especially.

A guided tour includes walking around the vessel and hearing about the history on board and its role under the Icelandic Coast Guard. Each guided tour takes a little less than an hour.

To ensure safety on board, you should keep the following in mind:

The ceiling can be low, and please beware of sharp edges. The stairs are steep. The ship is not suited for people with claustrophobia or with reduced mobility.

We offer daily guided tours on board the Coast Guard vessel Óðinn from March to November, focusing on the Cod Wars and the vessel's rescue history. Welcome on board!

The Coast Guard Vessel Óðinn - guided tour on board

Við bjóðum daglegar leiðsagnir frá mars-nóvember í hinu sögufræga varðskipi Óðni þar sem þorskastríðin og björgunarsaga skipsins eru í brennidepli. Velkomin um borð!

Varðskipið Óðinn - leiðsögn um borð

Tilefnið er nýliðinn Hönnunarmars en þar mátti sjá margar áhugaverðar og vel hannaðar sýningar.

Sýningastjórar og hönnuðir leysa frá skjóðunni og veita gestum innsýn í heim sýningagerðar á minjasöfnum og Árnastofnun. Það er jafnvægislist að hanna sýningar sem halda vel utan um viðkvæma gripi og yfirgripsmikla sögu, jafnvel í friðuðum húsum. Fyrirlesarar fara í saumana á þeim áskorunum og tækifærum sem urðu á vegi þeirra í nýlegum verkefnum og verkefnum í vinnslu. 

Málþingið miðar að því að veita gestum dýpri skilning á hönnun sýninga.

Léttar veitingar í boði.

Dagskrá málþingsins:

Sigríður Sunna Reynisdóttir // Búninga- og leikmyndahönnuður
Vaxtaverkir: Sýning um skólasögu á Árbæjarsafni

Finnur Arnar Arnarsson // Myndlistarmaður og leikmyndahöfundur
Hjartastaður: Grunnsýning Norska hússins í Stykkishólmi

Sigrún Kristjánsdóttir // Sýningastjóri
Ný handritasýning í Eddu – Húsi íslenskunnar

Sara Hjördís Blöndal // Leikmynda- og búningahönnuður
Grunnsýning Byggðasafnsins í Görðum á Akranesi

Málþingsstjóri: Sigríður Sigurjónsdóttir // Forstöðumaður Hönnunarsafns Íslands

Öll velkomin og frítt inn en nauðsynlegt er að skrá sig hér https://forms.gle/zF2ZcoFCqUXG6PXG8

The event is a follow-up to the Design March and features discussions on exhibition designs showcased during the festival. Curators and designers will share insights into the challenges and opportunities encountered in recent and ongoing projects, focusing on the delicate balance required to design exhibitions that honour sensitive artefacts and encompass comprehensive history, especially in listed buildings. The symposium aims to give visitors a deeper understanding of museum exhibition design. 

Light refreshments will be provided.

Programme:

Sigríður Sunna Reynisdóttir // Costume and set designer
Growing Pains: An exhibition about school history at Árbær Open Air Museum

Finnur Arnar Arnarsson // Visual artist and stage designer
Hjartastaður: The main exhibition of the Norwegian House in Stykkishólmur

Sigrún Kristjánsdóttir // Curator
The new script exhibition in Edda - The House of Icelandic

Sara Hjördís Blöndal // Set and costume designer
The main exhibiton of the Akranes Folk Museum

Moderator: Sigríður Sigurjónsdóttir // Director of the Museum of Design and Applied Art

Participation is free, but it is necessary to register here: https://forms.gle/zF2ZcoFCqUXG6PXG8

The Reykjavík City Museum is hosting a symposium on exhibition design on Wednesday, 22 May, from 15:00 to 17:00 at Árbær Open Air Museum. Participation is free, but registration is necessary. The symposium, conducted in Icelandic, promises to be a rich learning experience.

Symposium on Exhibition Design

Borgarsögusafn blæs til málþings um sýningahönnun miðvikudaginn 22. maí kl. 15:00-17:00 í Árbæjarsafni. Þátttaka er ókeypis en nauðsynlegt að skrá sig.

Málþing um sýningahönnun

Málþing

Ljósmyndaserían „Harmljóð um hest“ eftir Hlyn Pálmason, myndlistar- og kvikmyndagerðarmann varpar sjónrænu og grafísku ljósi á rotnunarferli hests í náttúru Íslands.

Hlynur verður með létt spjall um sýninguna sunnudaginn 26. maí kl. 14.

The photo series "Lament for a Horse" by artist and filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason, sheds visual and graphic light on the decaying process of a horse in Iceland's nature.

Sunday, 26 May at 14:00 - Artist Talk in Icelandic with Hlynur Pálmason.

Lament for a Horse is the title of Hlynur Pálmason's exhibition, which will be opened in the Reykjavík Museum of Photography on Saturday, 25 May, at 15:00. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.

OPENING: Hlynur Pálma­son│Lament for a Horse

HARMLJÓÐ UM HEST er titill sýningar Hlyns Pálmasonar sem opnuð verður í Ljósmyndasafni Reykjavíkur laugardaginn 25. maí kl. 15. Léttar veitingar, frítt inn og öll velkomin!

OPNUN: Hlynur Pálma­son│Harm­ljóð um hest

Opnun

Sýning

Ljósmyndaserían „Harmljóð um hest“ eftir Hlyn Pálmason, myndlistar- og kvikmyndagerðarmann varpar sjónrænu og grafísku ljósi á rotnunarferli hests í náttúru Íslands. Sýningin stendur frá 25. maí til 22. september 2024.
Hlynur Pálmason er fæddur í Reykjavík árið 1984 en ólst upp á Höfn í Hornafirði. Hann lagði stund á ljósmyndun og kvikmyndagerð í Kaupmannahöfn og bjó þar í tólf ár. Hann flutti ásamt fjölskyldu sinni aftur til Hafnar árið 2018 og vinnur þar að skapandi verkefnum innan myndlistar og kvikmyndagerðar. Hann hefur hlotið viðurkenningar hérlendis og erlendis fyrir kvikmyndir sínar: Vetrarbræður (2017) og Hvítur, hvítur dagur (2019) og Volaða land (2022).

The photo series "Lament for a Horse" by artist and filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason sheds visual and graphic light on the decaying process of a horse in Iceland's nature.
Hlynur was born in Reykjavík in 1984 but grew up in Höfn í Hornafirði, a fishing town in the southeastern part of Iceland. He studied photography and filmmaking in Copenhagen and lived there for twelve years. He moved with his family back to Höfn in 2018 and works there on creative projects in art and filmmaking. He has received recognition in Iceland and abroad for his films Winter Brothers (2017), A White, White Day (2019) and Godland (2022).

Hlynur Pálmason cordially invites you to an Artist Talk in Icelandic about his "Lament for a Horse" on Sunday, 26 May, at 14:00. Remember, admission is free, making it a perfect opportunity for everyone to join.

Artist Talk in Icelandic: Hlynur Pálma­son│Lament for a Horse

Hlynur Pálmason býður ykkur velkomin í spjall um ljósmyndaseríu hans „Harmljóð um hest“. Frítt inn og öll velkomin!

Listamannsspjall: Hlynur Pálma­son│Harm­ljóð um hest

Eldri hluti sýningarinnar í Aðalstræti 16 byggir á niðurstöðum vísindalegra fornleifarannsókna um það sem fornleifar í Reykjavík geta sagt okkur um líf og störf þeirra sem fyrst settust hér að. Ljósi er varpað á líf og tilveru fyrstu íbúa Reykjavíkur og tengsl þeirra við umhverfið í nýju landi í gegnum margmiðlunartækni og túlkun á fornminjum. Miðpunktur sýningarinnar er skálarúst skála frá 10. öld sem fannst árið 2001 og er varðveitt á sínum upphaflega stað og gefur hugmynd um umhverfi Reykjavíkur eins og það var við landnám. Norðan við skálann fannst veggjarbútur sem er enn þá eldri, eða síðan fyrir 871, og er hann meðal elstu mannvistarleifa sem fundist hafa á Íslandi.

Sýningin teygir sig svo áfram neðanjarðar frá Aðalstræti 16 yfir í Aðalstræti 10, elsta hús Kvosarinnar, og heldur áfram til samtímans. Þættir úr sögu Reykjavíkur eru dregnir fram og við kynnumst daglegu líf íbúanna og skynjum tíðarandann í aldanna rás. Frá býli í þorp, úr bæ í borg – með heimsókn í Aðalstræti upplifir þú borgarsöguna í hnotskurn.

The exhibition’s older part, at Aðalstræti 16, draws on archaeological findings in Reykjavík to depict the lives and work of its first settlers. Combining multimedia technology and archaeological interpretation, it shines a spotlight on the life and times of Reykjavík’s first inhabitants and their relationship with their environment in a new country. The exhibition’s centrepiece is a 10th-century Viking longhouse discovered in 2001, which is preserved in its original location and gives a fascinating glimpse into settlement-period Reykjavík. North of the longhouse, a wall fragment predating the longhouse was also found. Dating from before 871, this fragment is one of Iceland’s oldest archaeological remains.

The exhibition stretches onward underground from Aðalstræti 16 to Aðalstræti 10 – the Kvosin area’s oldest building – and continues into the present day. The visitor is taken through different chapters of Reykjavík’s history, learning about the daily existence of its residents and getting a taste of what life was like in the different periods. From farm to village, from town to city – visit Aðalstræti to experience Reykjavík’s history in a nutshell!

Reyk­javík’s his­tory in a nut­shell. At Aðalstræti 10 and 16 in Reykjavík’s city centre, you can explore how the city developed from Iceland’s settlement period to the present day. Stretching underground from Aðalstræti 16 – which houses the archaeological remains of a 10th-century Viking longhouse – to the central Kvosin area’s oldest remaining building at Aðalstræti 10, this historical exhibition traces Reykjavík’s development from a farm to a city.

The Settlement Exhibition Aðalstræti - Guided tour

Borgarsagan í hnotskurn. Í Aðalstræti 10 og 16 geturðu séð hvernig Reykjavík þróaðist frá landnámi til dagsins í dag. Söguþráðurinn teygir sig neðanjarðar úr Aðalstræti 16, þar sem er skálarúst frá 10. öld, og yfir í elsta hús Kvosarinnar, Aðalstræti 10, og sýnir þróun Reykjavíkur frá býli til borgar.

Landnámssýningin Aðalstræti - leiðsögn

Celebrating the New Republic 1944. Photo: Sigurhans Vignir

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Celebrating the New Republic 1944

Árbær Open Air Museum

Growing Pains

Heimir Freyr Hlöðversson│We are Earth – We are Water

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries

Viðey Island

Milestones│Richard Serra

The Imagine Peace Tower

Consumption – Reykjavík in the 20th century

The Age of Carts

Come and play!

From High Mass to High Jump 

Aðalstræti

### Árbær Open Air Museum


Árbær Open Air Museum

Kistuhylur 

110 Reykjavík

Tel. (+354) 411 6304

E-mail: arbaejarsafn@reykjavik.is

The Árbær museum is a large open-air museum featuring over 20 houses accessible to guests during opening hours. Originally, the area was home to a farmhouse (Árbær), with the other houses relocated to the museum later on, mostly from Reykjavík town centre. 

The houses are as diverse as they are many, some with tiny rooms and narrow staircases, while others have larger chambers.

Staff members dress in period costumes and are easy to identify. You can always find a friendly staff member on hand at the ticket office for information and assistance.

Opening hours are seasonal and vary accordingly. 

Visit duration: 1-2 hours.

The Museum's entrance seen from the parking facilities 

**Parking facilities** 

Parking facilities is located opposite the museum entrance. It’s also possible to pull up directly outside the museum entrance to drop off and pick up visitors. There are five blue-badge parking spots approximately 50 meters from the museum entrance. The path to the entrance is heated by a snowmelt system.

**Public transport**

Bus services 12 and 24 stop at Höfðabakki, by the museum. Bus service 16 stops at Streng (5-min. walk) and service 5, by Rofabæ (6-min. walk). 

**Entry**

Entry to the museum is via the ticket office, where you will also find a museum shop with staff on hand to assist and provide information. The ticket office opens onto a lawn-covered town square, surrounded by houses with footpaths leading around the museum grounds. Doors at the ticket office are automated; however, the doorway features a raised threshold. Ask museum staff to open the side gate for easier access.


**Footpaths**

Footpaths throughout the museum are mostly surfaced with gravel. In some places, they are paved.

Note! 
Puddles often form in wet weather, which can freeze over and become slippery, despite efforts to grit them regularly. Please ask at reception for courtesy crampons. While part of the museum is located on level ground, some areas incline gently down towards the Elliðaár river, where many of the footpaths are situated on slopes.


**Seating**

Outdoor benches can be found in various places around the museum. There is also ample seating inside the houses, such as in Landakot, Lækjargata 4, the ticket office, the church, and at Relief House.


**Toilet facilities**

Toilet facilities are located in 3 houses: Landakot, Lækjargata 4 and the Granary, as well as Dillon's House, when it’s open.

**Farm Animals**

The museum is home to free-range chickens year-round. During the summer months, other farms animals, such as sheep and horses, can be found in the enclosure. Note that dogs, apart from guide and service dogs, are not permitted in the area. 

Unfortunately, we do not provide courtesy strollers or pushchairs, but guests are welcome to bring their own. Changing facilities are found in the bathrooms at Landakot.


**Picnic areas**

Picnic areas with tables and benches can be found on the grounds in two places: one by the square, and the other located on the west side of the museum, which also has a charcoal grill.

**The cafe at Dillon’s House** is open during the summer. On the south side of the house, there’s a garden deck with outdoor furniture. The house is divided into three rooms of varying size and a bathroom. 


**Conference facilities**

Conference facilities are available to rent in four of the museum houses. The church is also available for events. Conference rooms and rentals can be found at Dillon’s House, The Granary (upper floor) and Lækjargata 4 (ground floor).


**Guided tours**

Guided tours are available to guests daily at 13:00. Tours are offered in both English and Icelandic, on request.

Information and images of each of the houses can be found [here](https://app.arbaejarsafn.is/#)

#### Museum houses

Steps and thresholds are features in many of the museum houses. The following describes accessibility to three houses.


**Landakot**

Access at Landakot is good. The pavements are heated, and there is a ramp to the lift, operated by staff. On the ground floor, you will find accessible toilets, as well as the exhibition. Doorways in the house are wide with enough space for wheelchairs.

Stairs lead to the exhibition on the upper floor and down to the basement, which is occasionally open to the public during exhibitions. 

The basement is wheelchair accessible from the outside via a separate entrance opened with the help of staff.


**Lækjargata 4**

For wheelchair access, a portable wooden ramp (located inside the house) can be placed on the pavement in front of the entrance. On the ground floor, there are two rooms with seating facilities and an guest toilet. A wide staircase with railings leads to an exhibition on the second floor, with more seating available for guests.


**The Granary**

The entrance to the Granary features a raised threshold and is accessible for light wheelchairs via a portable ramp. The ramp is heavy and requires staff assistance to install.

Although there are toilet facilities in this house, they are, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. The ground floor features temporary exhibitions of varying duration, ranging from a few months to several years. A staircase leads to the upper floor of the house, which is occasionally open to guests during public events but is mainly used for meetings or private functions.

### Aðalstræti

Aðalstræti 16 & 10

101 Reykjavík

Phone (+354) 411 6370


Aðalstræti has an exhibition about the history of Reykjavík and how it developed from the settlement to the present day. You can enter through two different entrances, Aðalstræti 16 and Aðalstræti 10.
The older part (formerly the Landnámssýningin) is connected underground with a bright corridor so that you can walk over to the newer part. There is an entrance on each side, so you can choose whether to enter through Aðalstræti 10 or 16.

The older part of the exhibition is underground and the entrance is at the corner of Aðalstræti 16 and Túngáta. There is an exhibition hall, an educational room for school groups, a toilet corridor, a reception area with a family corner and a children's play area as well as a museum shop.
At Aðalstræti 10 there is a museum shop, a ticket office, several small exhibition spaces, stairs, an elevator and toilets. The entrance is from Brattagata.


Normally, the exhibition is a quiet place to visit. There are some audible sounds, like singing, animal noises and working noises from computer screens and multimedia inside the exhibition space. The exhibition cover three floors, with two elevators running between them. 

The exhibition is accessible to people with disabilities. You can stop a car at both entrances to drop off passengers. There are a few benches to sit on in the buildings. Note that the older part in Aðalstræti 16 is rather dimly lit and its floor is uneven in places. It has an exhibition hall, an education room for school groups, a toilet hallway, a reception area with a family and play area, as well as a museum shop. 

Aðalstræti 10 has a museum shop, ticket desk, a few small exhibition spaces, a staircase, an elevator, and toilets. 
A bright corridor in the basement connects the two houses. 

Visit duration: 1-2 hours.


**Parking**

Public parking is possible at Túngata, close to the entrance. You can also park in an underground garage at City Hall (2 min away) or in parking garage in Mjóstræti (4-5 min away). All of these places charge you for parking. Buses can be parked in front of City Hall. Taxis can park directly in front of the entrance to Aðalstræti 16, if the space is free, it is possible to drop people off there before you park the car.

**Public Transport**

The next stops are at City Hall (2 min away) and Lækjargata (5 min away). 


### Visiting Aðalstræti


**Entrance on the corner of Aðalstræti 16 and Túngata**

The entrance is at Aðalstræti. From Túngata, there are two steps down onto a small square in front of the entrance. From Aðalstræti, the access is level, no steps. You can push a button to open the door automatically and there is no threshold.


**Entrance on the corner of Aðalstræti 10**

The entrance is from Brattagata, into a back building at Aðalstræti 10. You can push a button to open the door automatically and there is no threshold. The reception and museum shop are by the entrance, and from there you can enter Kvosin’s oldest building, Aðalstræti 10, or go past the museum shop into the exhibition space. There, you’ll find the staircase and the elevator to the other floors.


**Wheelchairs**

Wheelchair access is good throughout the building and within the exhibition. Note that the floor in Aðalstræti 16 is a bit uneven. In a few places, there are stones on the floor, with level bridges across, wide enough for wheelchairs.





**Seating Facilities**

There are benches in reception, tall chairs by the computer table, chairs in the family area and benches inside the exhibition space.


**Toilets**

There are three toilets to the left of the reception in Aðalstræti 16. The hallway also has lockers and hangers. One of the toilets is designed for wheelchairs. 
Close to the corridor connecting the two houses you’ll find three toilets, one of which is designed for wheelchairs and people with disabilities.


**Pushchairs**

There are two pushchairs for children available for borrowing at both receptions. You are welcome to bring your own pushchair. 


**Picnic Facilities**

There is no picnic area or cafeteria at the museum. 


**Stimulus**

There is quite a bit of stimuli in the exhibition, particularly multimedia material with accompanying audio (for example birds, sheep, hammer blows). There is also the smell of the sea in two places, fruit/candy smell in one space, and tar smell in another.
In exceptional circumstances, you can be allowed into the education room to relax, if it is free. 


**People with Autism and Sensory Processing Problems**

**Stimulus**

From Aðalstræti 16 lies a bright connecting corridor to Aðalstræti 10. At the end of the corridor, there is a larger space where you can sit and watch photos that are projected on the wall. There are also toilets. From there, you go up to the next floor, either by walking up the stairs or taking the elevator. 
Once you arrive up on the ground floor, you enter two exhibition spaces, one of which contains a model of the buildings in Aðalstræti. The model has accompanying audio, for example singing, animal noises, working noises. You can also use special binoculars to view the model, see people arrive between the buildings and hear them speak. This area has two multimedia screens, with accordion music, among other things, but you can turn the sound off while you examine them.

From this space, you can either go into the museum shop at Aðalstræti 10, or move up to the top floor of the building. In the attic, you can sit down and look at photographs on large screens and examine a model of Reykjavík Airport. These two floors have subdued lighting. 
From the museum shop, you can exit to Brattagata or enter Aðalstræti 10, the oldest building in Kvosin. This building has three rather small but brightly lit exhibition spaces. One of them also carries a smell of fruit/candies, and one of them smells like tar. 

Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are specifically set with the needs of the group in mind. Autism groups and associations can request a special opening by emailing Hopar.Borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is. 




**Blind and Visually Impaired People**


**Guided tours**
Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. These tours are advertised with ample notice.


**Guide Dogs**

Guide dogs are welcome at the museum.







### Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Tryggvagata 15, 6. floor

101 Reykjavík 

Phone: (+354) 411 6390

Email: ljosmyndasafn@reykjavik.is


The Reykjavík Museum of Photography is located on the top floor of the same building as the Reykjavík City Library, featuring exhibition spaces and galleries with temporary short term and long term exhibitions ranging from a few weeks to several months.

The Museum of Photography is generally a quiet place; however, multi-media installations with audio and visuals are occasionally part of the exhibition experience. There’s a quiet space by the reception area with places to sit and books to read for those in need of rest and peace.

Access for the disabled is good. Visitors can be dropped off and picked up directly outside the museum.

Visit duration: 15-45 minutes, exhibitions vary.

A video, showing the approach to The Museum of Photography and conditions inside the museum.

#### Plan your visit


**Entry**

The Museum of Photography shares a common entrance with the Grófin City Library on the ground floor. Once inside, a door to the right of the main entrance leads to a lift and stairwell going to the sixth floor.

The doors are automated, and the floors are level and obstruction-free. 

Both the reception and museum shop are located by the museum entrance on the sixth floor.

A selection of featured images can be viewed via three touch-screen units. There are seats by the screens.



**Parking**

Paid public parking is available directly behind the building, in the multi-storey car park on Vesturgata 7 and in the underground car park at Hafnartorg. Free parking is widely available in downtown Reykjavík; however, these spots are usually further away and involve a walk to the museum.


**Public transport**

Bus services stop at Lækjargata and Mýrargata: a 5-10-minute walk from the museum.


**Courtesy pushchairs/strollers**

Unfortunately, we do not provide courtesy stroller’s or pushchairs, but guests are welcome to bring their own.



**Seating**

The museum provides seating in the reception area and also within the exhibition spaces.


**Lift**

Once inside, the lift is located on the ground floor of the building to the right hand side of the entrance.


**Toilets**

Toilets are located on the sixth floor.


**Indoor picnic areas**

The museum does not provide any dining facilities or indoor picnic areas.


**Guide tours**

While there are no scheduled guided tours of the museum, certain exhibitions include guided tours which are advertised. The museum welcomes various groups; see below for more details. 

#### Access for People with Disability


Access for wheelchairs is good throughout the building and exhibition. The entrance is on the ground floor and features unimpeded smooth flooring and automatic doors. There’s a lift for visitors on the ground floor of the building on the right-hand side of the entrance as you walk in.


**Blue-badge parking**

There are two blue-badge parking spaces by the entrance to the museum.


**Courtesy wheelchair**

The museum offers a courtesy wheelchair located on the ground floor.


**Seating** 

The museum provides seating both in the reception area on the sixth floor and inside the exhibition.


**Toilets**

Toilet facilities on the sixth floor are unfortunately not designed for wheelchair access or those with disabilities.


For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is.



#### People with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder


**Sensory stimuli**

The Museum of Photography is generally a quiet place; however, multi-media installations with audio and visuals are occasionally part of the exhibition experience. There’s a quiet space by the reception area with places to sit and books to read for those in need of rest and peace.

Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are specifically set with the needs of the group in mind.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is.


#### Blind and Visually Impaired People


**Guide dogs**

Guide dogs are welcome at the museum.

Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 


#### Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People


**Guided tours**

Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours in sign language for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.


### Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Grandagarður 8, 101 Reykjavík

Tel. (+354) 411-6300


The Maritime Museum is located on Grandagarður 8, opposite a series of renovated vintage fishing sheds that house various shops and services. The main entrance is on Grandagarður, but there’s also a harbour-side entrance via the pier opposite the slipway. The ticket office and museum shop are both located in the reception area of the building.

The Maritime Museum features two main exhibitions, a permanent exhibition on the second floor and a special exhibition on the ground floor. The Fish & Folk – 150 years of fisheries exhibition features bright lights and videos with sounds that may affect those with sensory processing disorders. There are several benches for guests to sit down on and rest.

The museum is spread across two floors with good access for the disabled. There’s a visitors lift between floors and automatics doors via the main entrance on Grandagarður.

The ship has steep stairs, raised thresholds and narrow passages, making it unsuitable for wheelchairs or anyone who has limited mobility. People with claustrophobia are also not advised to go on board.

#### Plan Your Visit


**Entry**

The museum has two entrances: its main entrance is on Grandagarður and the other via the harbour. The main entrance on Grandagarður features automatic sliding doors. The door at the harbour-side entrance is automated and features a low sliding threshold.

The ticket office and museum shop are both located in the reception area on the ground floor.



**Parking facilities**

Parking is available by the Grandagarður and harbour-side entrances, with the Grandagarður car park closest to the museum. Access to the harbour-side car park (approx. 150 m from the entrance) is via Rastargata. The parking bay directly outside the front entrance (by Grandagarður) can accommodate a coach or bus.


**Public Transport**

Bus service 14 stops on Grandagarður close to the museum’s main entrance.  


**Toilets**

There are three toilets on the second floor at the start of the main exhibition, one of which is accessible for the disabled. The corridor to the toilets has an access ramp; however, the door is not automated.

**Meeting Facilities**

The Hornsílið conference room is located on the second floor by the lift and fitted with an access ramp.


**Indoor picnic areas**

The museum does not provide any dining facilities or indoor picnic areas. There are, however, picnic benches directly outside the museum (harbour-side) for use when weather permits.


**Courtesy pushchairs/strollers**

Unfortunately, we do not provide courtesy strollers or pushchairs, but guests are welcome to bring their own.


**Guided Tours**

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is


**Coastguard Vessel Óðinn**     

The ship has steep stairs, raised thresholds and narrow passages, making it unsuitable for wheelchairs or anyone who has difficulty walking. People with claustrophobia are also not advised to go on board.

#### Access for people with disabilities


**Blue-badge parking**

There is one blue-badge parking space by the Maritime Museum located to the right-hand side of the entrance on Grandagarður. 


**Courtesy wheelchair**

The museum offers a courtesy wheelchair located on the ground floor by the cloakroom area. There are also lockers available.

Wheelchairs access throughout the museum is generally good. For further information contact the museum reception desk.


**Seating**

Look out for specially-designed benches in the shape of Iceland as you enter the exhibition. There are also a couple of benches to sit down on and rest on inside the exhibition. 


**Lift**

The visitors’ lift is located to the left of the stairs going up. A wheelchair lift, down to the special exhibition, is located on the ground floor to the left of stairs going down. 

#### Autism & Sensory Processing Disorder


**Sensory stimuli**

Those with sensory processing difficulties may be affected by certain stimuli in the museum’s main exhibition, which features bright lights, sounds from multimedia installations and the smell of salt fish and stockfish.

Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are specifically set with the needs of the group in mind.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 

### Viðey Island

104 Reykjavík

Tel. (+354) 411-6360


The ferry service to Viðey Island leaves from Skarfabakki harbour and is accessed via a gangway which is variably steep depending on the tide. Access for people with reduced mobility is therefore greatly restricted.

Viðey Island is a protected area with historic buildings, recreational areas, beaches and outdoor works of art. The island is primarily an outdoor experience, and visitors should note that windy weather conditions are more common than on the mainland.

Information about the ferry service can be found [here](https://elding.is/videy-ferry-skarfabakki).

**Parking**

Parking facilities are located by the ticket office at Skarfabakki. There is good access to the pier, and the car park and pavement are levelled at the same height.


**Public transport**

Bus service 16 stops at Klettagarður / Skarfagarðar on weekdays. During weekends, visitors can use bus services 12 getting off at LHÍ Laugarnesi or 14 getting off at Laugarásvegur and walk the rest of the way (15 to 20 minutes) to Skarfabakki.


**Ferry**

Tickets to Viðey Island are available from three places: Skarfabakki, the Old Harbour and Harpa. It is also possible to purchase tickets via the homepage of whale watching service Elding. Ask staff for further information about the ferry service.


See a more detailed description of access to the ferry in the section for people with disabilities.

Steps are on the ramp to facilitate walking and railings.

**Picnic and toilet facilities**

Picnic and toilet facilities are located in three places on the island.

The Stable is a picnic spot located directly behind Viðey House with a coal grill for visitors, a nearby playground and toilet facilities with access for the disabled. 

Facilities at Viðeyjarnaust Cabin include a coal grill and toilet with access for the disabled. The cabin and viewing platform overlooking the beach and sea is accessible via a ramp. 

The Old School House, located on the east side of Viðey, is open to visitors and offers picnic and bathroom facilities.

Note! Visitors using Viðey’s barbeque facilities must bring fuel, oil, lighters, food, utensils, plates, cups, rubbish bags, etc.

Viðey’s restaurant and cafe are open during the summer months. The entrance on the southern side of the building features three steps up to the doorway and a raised threshold.

The house has two floors and a basement. The upper floor accommodates seating space for 100 people. A smaller area, downstairs accommodates around 10-25 people. Toilet facilities are in the basement. There is a wide staircase with a handrail between floors of the building, but no lift.

**Navigating Viðey**

A complimentary map of Viðey Island is available both on board the ferry and at the ticket office.

Trails at the back of Viðey House lead in two separate directions. To the west, a well-trodden trail surfaced with smooth gravel leads to Viðeyjarnaust Cabin and the Imagine Peace Tower. To the east, a path with coarse gravel leads to the Old School House.

Viðey is comprised of two islands, Heimaey (Home Island) and Vesturey (West Island) connected by a narrow strip of land or isthmus. The coastline of Viðey is mostly skirted with cliffs; however, there are beaches to be found, such as the one at Eiði by Viðeyjarnaust Cabin. The ruins of an old village can be found on the eastern part of Heimaey together with two remaining buildings: The Old School House and The Old Water Reservoir. The outdoor work of art Standing stones – Nine Locations, Two Elevations by US sculptor Richard Serra can be found on Vesturey.

Hiking trails can be found all around the island leading through grassland, pastures and heath vegetation.


**Safety**

Visitors are advised to take great care while exploring the island, especially in areas where there are steep cliffs and seaweed-covered shores with slippery rocks.


**Works of Art**

Imagine Peace Tower by Yoko Ono is a tower of light emerging from a wishing well. A well-trodden gravel path leads down to the artwork, which is enclosed by a paved area.  


The pillars of Standing stones – Nine Locations, Two Elevations by Richard Serra are located in various places on Vesturey, the west island of Viðey.



#### Access for People with Disability

**Ferry service**

Visitors with disabilities should note that the doorway to the ferry service ticket office features a raised threshold.

The ferry is accessed via a gangway which features a handrail for support. The gangway is variably steep (21° max.) depending on the tide. Strips of timber form “steps” or runners along the gangway, providing extra help with footing.

There is no ramp onto the ferry. From the gangway, there are four steps up to a timber platform from where, with support from a member of staff, you step across the gap and down onto the ferry. Depending on which ferry is in service, you will either step down onto a stairway or the boat’s bench seating before stepping onto the deck. Staff members are on hand to assist with getting on to the ferry.

At Viðey, the ferry docks next to a platform with steps down onto a floating dock. Unfortunately, there is no ramp between the ferry and the dock, and the gangway is narrower and steeper than the one in Skarfabakki.  Strips of timber form “steps” or runners along the gangway; there are handrails on either side of the gangway, but no spaces in the runners for unimpeded wheelchair access.

The gangway leads to a wide, wooden pier and up a steep hill towards Viðey House and the church. The hill can be navigated either via a paved road or a stepped pathway running parallel to the road.


**Courtesy wheelchairs**

There are no courtesy wheelchairs available on Viðey Island.


**Seating and places to rest**

Benches have been installed at various places around the island for visitors to make use of. Picnic and toilet facilities can be found at Viðeyjarnaust Cabin, The Stable and at The Old School House.


**Ramps and lifts**

Both Viðey House and Viðeyarnaust Cabin are fitted with wheelchair ramps; however, there are no lifts installed in any of the buildings on the island.

**Toilets**

Accessible toilets are available at Viðeyarnaust Cabin and The Stable. 


#### People with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder


**Sensory stimuli**

Those with autism or sensory processing disorders may be affected by various sensations during the ferry trip to Viðey, including motion, sound, weather and the smell of fuel. The number of passengers can also vary, with the ferry becoming more crowded during popular events. However, once on the island, you are surrounded by nature, where you can easily find quiet and peaceful places to rest. Note that Viðey House and other buildings on the island attract more people during popular events, which can also present a challenge for those with autism and sensory processing disorder.

Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are specifically set with the needs of the group in mind.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is. 

Below you’ll find a social skills narration of a visit to Viðey Island, from the moment you enter until you return home again.

#### Blind and Visually Impaired People

Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is.


**Guide dogs**

Guide dogs are welcome both on the ferry and on Viðey Island. 


#### Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People


**Guided tours**

Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours in sign language for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is.


#### Various groups

Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) welcomes diverse groups and makes every effort to meet their needs. Has your group visited the museum yet?


Amongst those groups who are regular visitors to Reykjavík City Museum are:

-Klúbburinn Geysir

-Hlutverkasetrið

-Dagþjálfun fólks með heilabilun



Ac­cess

Access