The Icelandic Sea Monster Museum is in Bíldudalur, a village on Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords. It gathers the reports of sea monsters seen off the Icelandic coast and presents them case by case, through films, an audio guide, an interactive map and a radio that plays the tales aloud. A coffee shop occupies the same building and serves cake. The museum is aimed at children, and it works as a break on a drive through the Westfjords.
Icelandic Sea Monster Museum
Local name: Skrímslasetrið
An interactive map plots where Iceland's sea monsters were reported, sighting by sighting.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Parking
- Free car park at the museum; accessible parking available.
- Transport
- Self-drive — on the Bíldudalur waterfront, Arnarfjörður
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10:00–18:00; Friday and Saturday 10:00–20:00.
- Address
- Strandgata 7, 465 Bíldudalur
What makes it special
A radio in the exhibition plays sea monster tales aloud, and some of them are pitched at children who want to be frightened. The museum collects accounts of the creatures reported off the Icelandic coast and lays them out one by one, with films, an audio guide and an interactive map of the sightings. The displays are made with care rather than assembled from stock panels. The coffee shop in the same building is a real part of the visit: the coffee is good, and the chocolate and orange cakes are both worth ordering.
Good to know
- Not everything is always running. The interactive table and the radio have both been found out of order on the same visit.
- Aimed at children. The audio guide, the radio tales and the hands-on displays are built for a young audience; adults get less out of it.
- There are toilets in the building.
- The coffee shop is part of the museum. Coffee and cake are served alongside the exhibition, not in a separate place.
Getting there
The museum is in the village of Bíldudalur, on Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords. Almost everyone arrives by car, and there is a car park at the building itself. Nothing about the visit happens outdoors: you walk from the car park straight into the exhibition, and the coffee shop is in the same building.
Best time to visit
Better: Friday or Saturday, when the museum stays open into the evening.
Avoid: the last stretch of the opening day, if you want to watch the films and use the audio guide without hurrying.
The exhibition is indoors from start to finish, which makes it the obvious stop in Bíldudalur on a wet day.
Things to do nearby
All tours in Westfjords on GetYourGuide
Paid links: booking through them supports YowJourney.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Your whole travel map in one place
Get inspired by new places around the world and find the ones worth the journey
Frequently asked questions
Is the Icelandic Sea Monster Museum worth a stop with children?
Yes. It is built for children: an audio guide, hands-on displays and a radio that plays monster tales, some of them deliberately frightening. Adults get less out of it than children do.Is there anywhere to eat at the museum?
The coffee shop is part of the museum and serves coffee and cake. The chocolate cake and the orange cake are both good.What is actually inside?
Accounts of sea monsters reported in Icelandic waters, told through films, an audio guide, an interactive map of the sightings and a radio that plays the stories aloud.Do all the interactive exhibits work?
Not always. The interactive table and the radio have both been found out of order during the same visit.