The Commonwealth Farm is a reconstruction of a Viking-age farmstead, standing inland in South Iceland in the Þjórsárdalur valley. It was built to the plan of a real farm that archaeologists excavated from under volcanic debris, and it shows how a chieftain's household lived in the saga age. The buildings — a turf-roofed longhouse and a stave church — are open to walk into. The road to it leads away from the coast into open countryside.
The Commonwealth Farm
Local name: Þjóðveldisbærinn
Scenes for Game of Thrones were filmed among the turf buildings.
- Entrance
- Paid entry, bought at the entrance.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Parking
- Free car park, unpaved surface.
- Transport
- No public transport: there is no bus stop within five kilometres.
- Hours
- Open daily, 10:00–17:30. The farm has not been open all year round in the past, so confirm opening before you drive out.
- Address
- Þjóðveldisbærinn, Þjórsárdalur, 804 Selfoss
What makes it special
Most Viking-age sites in Iceland are outlines in the grass. Here the building stands, roofed and floored, and you go inside it. The longhouse is one long dark room with a hearth down the middle, panelled walls and sleeping platforms along both sides. The plan is copied from an excavated farm that lay buried under volcanic debris, so what you walk through is an archaeological reconstruction rather than a guess at what a Viking hall looked like. Turf covers the walls and the roof, and the inside stays cool and still. A stave church stands beside it, turf-roofed as well, and it is worth stepping into for the smell of tarred timber alone.
Good to know
- No guide guaranteed: on some days a guide explains the history of the site, on others there is nobody to ask.
- Working film set: the farm is used for filming, and tools and equipment can be scattered around the buildings during a shoot.
- Half an hour: one visitor covered the whole site in about 30 minutes. Treat it as a stop on a longer drive, not a destination in itself.
- Toilets: free toilets stand beside the site.
- Children: the farm is set up for families, and the longhouse interior holds children better than a display case.
Getting there
The farm is reached by car. The nearest car park sits about 210 metres from the buildings, and the surface is unpaved. A second car park lies roughly 890 metres away. The rest of the way is on foot, across the farmyard to the turf roofs.
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Frequently asked questions
Is The Commonwealth Farm an original Viking building?
No. It is a full-scale reconstruction, built to the plan of a farm that archaeologists excavated from under volcanic debris. The buildings themselves are modern.Can you go inside the buildings?
Yes, and that is the point of the visit. You walk into the chieftain's longhouse rather than looking at it from a fence. The stave church next to it is also open.Is there a guide on site?
Sometimes. A guide works the site and explains its history, but not on every day: one visitor found nobody there to explain anything.How long does a visit take?
One visitor got round the whole site in about 30 minutes. It is a single farmstead and a small church, not a museum with wings.Is it worth the drive with children?
The farm is set up for families. Children can walk into the longhouse and stand in the dark interior, which works better than reading labels.