Whales of Iceland

The hall holds 23 life-sized models of the cetaceans recorded in Icelandic waters, and the blue whale among them is 25 metres long. The models were made in China, shipped in pieces and assembled in Iceland, then hand-painted to resemble individual animals seen in the wild. Around them sit whale bones, teeth and baleen, interactive stations on biology, migration and conservation, and a theatre room running documentaries. The lighting is kept low and ambient ocean sound plays in the hall. The scale is the point, and you only get it by walking the length of the models rather than looking at them from the door.

• Time needed: the exhibition is compact and the route through it is short; one visitor found it expensive for the size.
• With children: there is a children's area with origami whale folding and hands-on activities.
• Films: a theatre room shows whale documentaries, and videos run beside the exhibits — leave time if you want to watch them.
• Indoors: the whole museum is under one roof, which makes it a working plan in rain or wind.

Whales of Iceland is in Grandi, the harbour district at the western end of Reykjavík's old harbour, among working quays and converted warehouses. There is a car park at the site, and street parking around it. The entrance is step-free, and the whole of the visit happens indoors, in one building.

Best: a day of rain or wind. The museum is entirely indoors, and the exhibits look the same whatever the weather is doing outside.

Avoid: building a whole day around it. The exhibition is compact, and the route through it is short.

The theatre room is the part that will hold you longest, so keep some time for the documentaries.