Reykjavík Maritime Museum stands on Grandi, by the old harbour, in a building that housed a fish freezing plant from 1947. It opened as a museum in 2005 and is run by the city as one of five Reykjavík City Museum sites. Seven exhibitions trace Icelandic maritime history from the early settlements to the late 20th century, from open rowboats to industrial fishing. The Coast Guard vessel Óðinn, a veteran of the Cod Wars, is moored at the pier and can be visited on guided tours.
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Local name: Sjóminjasafnið í Reykjavík
Inside the former fish-processing hall stands a 17-metre wooden pier with seawater running beneath it, entered across the reconstructed 1915 deck of the steamship Gullfoss.
- Entrance
- Admission is included in the Reykjavík City Card.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance, toilet and parking spaces.
- Parking
- Free car park at the museum, plus free street parking around it.
- Transport
- City bus 14; the city centre is also within walking distance.
- Hours
- Daily 10:00–17:00.
- Address
- Grandagarður 8, 101 Reykjavík
What makes it special
The building is part of the exhibition. It went up in 1947 on the Grandi landfill as a fish freezing plant, and from 1959 it was one of the largest processors of redfish fillets. Fish production left in 1985 and the place stood unused for about twenty years.
Inside the old fish-processing hall the museum built a wooden pier, 17 metres long, with seawater flowing beneath it. You come onto it across the reconstructed deck of the steamship Gullfoss of 1915. People standing on the pier see you as a passenger, which is the point of the arrangement.
Seven exhibitions run from the early settlements to the late 20th century. The coverage is narrow and granular: nets, filleting machines, navigation instruments, and Farsæll, a four-person rowboat built around 1900.
Good to know
- Óðinn: the Coast Guard vessel is moored at the pier beside the museum and is open to guests on guided tours only.
- Narrow subject: the displays are about fishing and seafaring. Iceland's role in the World Wars is not covered.
- Layout: the main exhibition is upstairs, and the ground floor holds a smaller temporary display.
- With children: there is a programme for children, and they can dress up as fishermen in the rowboat Sæfari.
- On site: a gift shop, toilets, and the Víkin Café with a view over the harbour.
Getting there
The museum sits on Grandi, by the old harbour, within short walking distance of the city centre. A city bus also runs out here, and drivers can leave the car at the building. Óðinn is moored at the pier next to the museum, so the guided tour takes you back outside and onto the quay. Wind comes straight off the harbour there; bring a jacket for that part of the visit.
Best time to visit
Better: off-peak hours, when there is room to stand and read the plaques at your own pace.
Avoid: the busiest stretch of the day, when working through the labels gets hard.
The reward here is in the small objects and the captions, and that falls apart in a crowd. The exhibitions are indoors, so this is a workable stop in rain and in the dark months, when outdoor sightseeing around Reykjavík is limited.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the museum actually cover?
Icelandic fishing and seafaring, in seven exhibitions running from the early settlements to the late 20th century. The detail is granular — nets, filleting machines, navigation instruments. Iceland's role in the World Wars is not part of it.Can you go aboard Óðinn?
Yes, on a guided tour. The Coast Guard vessel is secured to the pier next to the museum and was fitted out for visitors in 2008. Its exhibition covers the Cod Wars of the 1950s and 1970s, and the trawl warp cutter, the most effective weapon of those disputes, is displayed on the afterdeck.Is it worth bringing children?
Yes. There is a programme for children, they can dress up as traditional fishermen in the rowboat Sæfari, and Óðinn gives them a real ship to climb around.What was the building before the museum?
A fish freezing plant, built in 1947 on the Grandi landfill. From 1959 it belonged to the municipal fishing company BÚR and became one of the largest processors of redfish fillets. Production left in 1985, the building stood unused for about twenty years, and the city council established the maritime museum here in 2002.