The short answer is yes, the Reykjavik City Card is worth it! The long answer is here below.
What’s included in the Reykjavik City Card?
You get access to 12 museums, the Reykjavik City Buses, the ferry to Viðey Island, the thermal pools of Reykjavík and the Reykjavik Zoo and Family Park. You can choose between 24-, 36– or 72-hour cards. We encourage you to get the 72-hour card to get the most out of your visit if you have more time.
Additionally, you get discounts for various entertainment, shops, restaurants & cafés, and other thermal pools in the Capital area.
Please note that admission to the museums is free of charge for children under 18. So there is not much need to buy a City Card for anyone under 18. However, depending on the child’s age, you might have to pay a small fee to the city bus services, the thermal pools you get a discount, and the Reykjavik Family Park and Zoo.
Senior visitors (67 and older) do not pay admission to the Reykjavik Thermal Pools. The National Museum, Culture House and the National Gallery of Iceland offer seniors a 50% discount on admission.
- Reykjavik City Buses
- National Museums
- Reykjavik City Museum
- Reykjavik Art Museum
- Reykjavik Thermal Pools
- Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park
- Discounts
Reykjavik City Buses
With the Reykjavik City Card, you get access to all city buses (no. 1- 35). Children 11 years and younger do not pay admission to the bus—children between the ages of 12 and 17 pay 245ISK for a fair.
There are no zones in Reykjavik and the capital area, but every fair is valid for 90 minutes.
The Reykjavik City Buses is a great way to get between places in the city and between museums. There is an app available for iOS and Android that you can pay with and plan your trips. Of course, with the Reykjavik City Card, there is no need to pay with the app (unless you have children between 12 and 17).
It is also possible to use the website to plan trips.
What Museums are Included?
Admission to the following museums are included: The National Gallery of Iceland, National Museum of Iceland, Árbær Open Air Museum, Reykjavik Maritime Museum, Reykjavik Museum of Photography, The Settlement Exhibition, the Reykjavik Art Museum (in three locations), The Culture House, Sigurjón Ólafsson museum and Ásmundur Jónsson collection.
National Gallery of Iceland
The National Gallery was founded in 1884 in Copenhagen by Björn Bjarnason (1853-1918), later district commissioner. The founding collection was mainly based on gifts, and most of them were from Danish artists. The National Gallery moved to its current location in 1987 after moving between a few places from its founding. The architecture of the house allows for full access for the disabled. There are lifts to all exhibition halls and the café. Wheelchairs, pushchairs and viewing stools are available for free.
Fríkirkjuvegur 7
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Mondays – Sundays 10:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Mondays during winter between 1 October and 30 April)
The Culture House
The National Gallery of Iceland displays masterpieces of Icelandic art in the Culture House. Everything from the National Library to the National Museum and the National Gallery has been housed there.
In the Culture House, you will find works of art dating from the latter half of the 19th century to the present day, reflecting the artists’ wide-ranging themes and offering visitors the welcome opportunity to see many of the nation’s most important works of art.
Hverfisgata 15
101 Reykjavík
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Mondays during winter, between 1 October and 30 April)
Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum
The museum houses sculptures and drawings by sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson, along with information about the artist. It serves as a centre for research on his art. The museum was founded by the artist’s widow in 1984 and ran as a private institution until 2012. It became a division of the National Gallery of Iceland.
In addition to presenting Sigurjón’s art, the museum exhibits work by other artists. It houses a weekly concert series that is a fixture of Reykjavík’s cultural life in the summer.
Laugarnestangi 70, 105 Reykjavík
Opening Hours:
5 February – 29 May open during weekends 13:00 – 17:00 (closed over Easter)
1 June – 18 September open Tuesday – Sunday 13:00 – 17:00
Ásgrímur Jónsson Museum
Ásgrímur was one of Iceland’s pioneers in visual art and the first Icelandic painter to make art his primary profession. Icelandic nature was Ásmundur’s main focus from the beginning, and his works formed the foundation of Icelandic landscape art. His vision was shaped by 19th-century romanticism, and he remained faithful to that vision until he died in 1958. He bequeathed all his works that remained in his possession to the Icelandic nation when he died. Additionally, he gifted his property at Bergstaðarstræti 74. The Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection was opened in his house in 1960. In 1987, when the National Gallery of Iceland moved to its premises, it merged with the Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection with the gallery per clauses in his will.
Bergstaðastræti 74,
101 Reykjavík
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Mondays during winter, between 1 October – 30 April)
National Museum of Iceland
The National Museum displays objects that provide insight into Icelandic cultural history. The displays encourage visitors to dwell on the past, present and future. The aim is to nurture knowledge and innovation while maintaining a broad perspective and sense of community. The permanent exhibition Making of a Nation – Heritage and History in Iceland is intended to provide insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from the Settlement to the present day. There are also regular temporary exhibitions and a museum shop.
The National Museum was founded in February 1863. All Icelandic museum pieces had been stored in Copenhagen up until that point. The museum was called the Antiquarian Collection until 1911, when it was decided to change the name to the National Museum of Iceland. During the first decades, the museum was housed in several attics in Reykjavik. In the Cathedral, House of Corrections, Parliament, the National Bank and finally in the attic of the National Library (now Culture House), it stayed for four decades. In 1944, when the Icelandic republic was formed, Parliament decided to give the nation a museum at Suðurgata, to where it moved in 1950. It is still there.
Suðurgata 41
102 Reykjavík
Opening hours:
Tuesdays – Sundays 10:00 – 17:00 (between 16 September – 30 April)
Mondays – Sundays 10:00 – 17:00 (between 1 May – 15 September)
The Reykjavik City Museums
Reykjavik City Museum includes five museums in five places. That’s Árbær Open Air Museum, Reykjavik Maritimes Museum, Reykjavik Museum of Photography, The Settlement Exhibition and Viðey Island.
Árbær Open Air Museum
This museum is, as the name implies, an open-air museum. The museum has over 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavík. Most houses have their exhibition, and the museum tries to give a sense of Reykjavik’s architecture and way of life and lifestyles in the past.
Kistuhylur 4
110 Reykjavík
Opening hours:
1 September – 31 May: 13:00 – 17:00
1 June – 31 August: 10:00 – 17:00
Reykjavik Maritime Museum
Reykjavik Maritime Museum is in Grandi, close to the Old Harbour and the Whale Museum. The permanent exhibition is called Fish and Folk – 150 years of fisheries, which tells how the survival of the Icelandic nation depended on generations of brave fishermen heading into the unknown. It brings Iceland’s ocean history to life, from battling the waves to the “Cod Wars” with Britain and beyond.
Grandagarður 8
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Mondays – Sundays 10:00 – 17:00
Reykjavik Museum of Photography
Reykjavik Museum of Photography opened in 1981, and it focuses on Icelandic photography. The museum exhibits historical and contemporary photography in artistic, social and cultural contexts. The museum’s collection comprises approximately 6 million photographs. The oldest date is from about 1860 and the most recent from about 2014.
Grófarhús,
Tryggvagata 15
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday 10:00 – 18:00
Friday 11:00 – 18:00
Saturday – Sunday 13:00 – 17:00
The Settlement Exhibition – Reykjavik 871± 2
The Settlement Exhibition is in Aðalstræti 16 and showcases a settlement longhouse that dates back to the 10th century. Aðalstræti and the area around it is one of the first settled places in Reykjavík, and this has been known as far back as people can remember. In 2001 when an archaeological dig was started in the area, it was a surprise that there was a reasonably well-preserved longhouse and not just fragments.
Aðalstræti 16
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Mondays – Sundays 10:00 – 17:00
Viðey Island
Viðey Island was settled in the 9th century and, through the ages, has played an important role in Iceland’s history. There was a monastery there for over four centuries, which was the richest in the country. Later in the 18th century, it became the residence of the first Icelandic treasurer, Skúli Magnússon, often called the Father of Reykjavík. The island is also home to Yoko Ono’s artwork Imagine Peace Tower and Richard Serra’s Milestones sculpture. The island is a natural paradise and is great for spending a day outdoors.
Unfortunately, there are no ferries to Viðey Island until May.
Reykjavik Art Museum
The Reykjavik Art Museum is in three locations; Hafnarhúsið, Kjarvalsstaðir and Ásmundarsafn. The museum safeguards extensive collections of works by three of Iceland’s most famous artists: Erró, Kjarval and Ásmundur Sveinsson. Recently the museum was also gifted all works by Nína Tryggvadóttir from her daughter.
Hafnarhúsið
Hafnarhúsið is the home of the Erró collection. The building is Reykjavik’s old harbour house and offers a progressive exhibition program with local and international contemporary artists. Within the six galleries of the building, the works of key figures and established and emerging current artists are presented.
Tryggvagata 17
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Friday – Wednesday 10:00 – 17:00, Thursdays 10:00 – 22:00
Kjarvalsstaðir
Kjarvalsstaðir by Klambratún park is the first exhibition space in Iceland especially built to house an art collection. Named after artist Jóhannes S. Kjarval and opened in 1973, there are regular exhibitions with his works. Other exhibits focus primarily on paintings and sculptures of the established masters of modern art.
Flókagata 24
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00, the last Thursday of the month 10:00 – 22:00
Ásmundarsafn
Ásmundarsafn, named after sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson, is in Laugardalur Valley. He had the house built as his residence and studio. The white-domed building is surrounded by Ásmundur’s works in the garden, both his earlier massive figures and later light abstract compositions. The inside of the house offers a unique experience as the artist’s design is a standalone work of art. Ásmundur’s artworks are often displayed with other modern or contemporary artists. The museum is great to visit if you want to go to Laugardalur as it is close to both Laugardalur thermal pool and the Reykjavik Zoo and Family Park.
Sigtún
105 Reykjavik
Opening hours:
1 May – 30 September: 10:00 – 17:00
1 October – 30 April: 13:00 – 17:00
Reykjavik City Thermal Pools
Iceland is known for its geothermal heat, and there are seven public geothermal pools in Reykjavik.
Árbæjarlaug
Árbæjarlaug in the Árbær suburb. It has a wheelchair lift into the pool area and the hot tubs and sauna. There is both an outdoor and indoor pool. The outdoor pool is generally about 29° C, and the indoor is 33° C. The hot tubs are 37°, 40°, and 43°C. Additionally, there is a wading pool and a slide.
Fylkisvegur 9
110 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Breiðholtslaug
Breiðholtslaug is in the Breiðholt suburb. It has a wheelchair lift for the pool and sauna, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool. The outdoor pool is 25m long and has five lanes. There are two slides as well as a slide for children. The pool has three hot tubs, one of which has a massage. There’s also a steam bath and a wading pool.
The outdoor pool is 29°C, the indoor is 30°C, the smaller outdoor pool is 32°C, and the wading pool is 35-37°C. The hot tubs are 38° – 40° and 41° – 44°, and the massage hot tub is 39° C.
Austurberg 3
111 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Dalslaug
Dalslaug is Reykjavik’s newest swimming pool in the Úlfársdalur suburb. The pool is 25 metres long and has six lanes. There are also hot tubs, a cold tub, a wading pool and a steam bath.
Úlfarsbraut 122-124
113 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Grafarvogslaug
Grafarvogslaug is in the Grafarvogur suburb. The pool has a lift for people in wheelchairs to get into the pool and general wheelchair access to the pool area and sauna. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a wading pool and hot tubs. There is also a slide and a children’s slide.
Dalhús 2
112 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Laugardalslaug
Laugardalslaug is in Laugadalur Valley, close to Reykjavik’s centre and is Reykjavik’s largest pool. There are two 50m long pools. One is outdoor and has eight lanes. The other is an indoor pool and has ten lanes. There is one 25m long with four lanes intended for children. Next to the 50m long outdoor pool is a 30m long “free” pool, and if there isn’t much traffic, it is possible to use it for practice. There are several hot tubs, one with massage, a steam bath, 86m long slide. The pool has a wheelchair lift to enter the pool and wheelchair access to a hot tub and sauna.
Sundlaugavegur 30
105 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 08:00 – 22:00
Sundhöll Reykjavíkur
Sundhöll Reykjavíkur is in the centre of town, very close to Laugavegur shopping street. Originally only an indoor pool and opened in 1930. There’s wheelchair access to the pool, hot tubs, and sauna. The pool also has a cold tub, two diving boards (1m and 2.75m above the water), a wading pool, and an outdoor shower. Additionally, there are also private changing rooms and showers available.
The indoor pool is 25m long with 4 lanes, is 4-9m deep and 28° C
Barónsstígur 45a
101 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 08:00 – 22:00
Vesturbæjarlaug
Vesturbæjarlaug is on the West Side of Reykjavik. It has a 25m long pool and four hot tubs (one has massage), two saunas (one for women and one for men), a wading pool, children’s slide, cold pot, outdoor shower, steam bath and a children’s pool.
Hofsvallagata
107 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 06:30-22:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 22:00
Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park
You will not find tigers, giraffes or flamingos in the Reykjavik Zoo. Most animals in the zoo are animals you find in Iceland. Foxes, minks, reindeer, domestic animals, various pigeon species, and seals. Additionally, there is a room with multiple reptiles and creepy crawlies. There is also an aquarium. The Family Park has various amusement park rides.
Múlavegur 2
104 Reykjavik
Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00
Where do you get discounts with the Reykjavik City Card?
You get discounts at various museums, restaurants, cafés and shops with the Reykjavik City Cards.
Entertainment
Aurora Reykjavík – 50% discount at the Northern Lights Centre
Harpa – 25% discount on a guided tour of Harpa
Saga Museum – 10% discount off the admission
The Activity Park in Grafarvogur – Minigolf offer 2 for one from June to August.
The Cinema, at the Old Harbour – 20% off admission
The Icelandic Phallological Museum – 20% discount off the admission
The Iceland Symphony Orchestra – 10 % off the ticket price to weekly concerts and open rehearsals
Whales of Iceland, A Giant Experience – 30% off admission
Restaurants & Café
Fish Company – 10% off the menu
Kopar – 10% off the menu
Lebowski Bar – 10% off the menu, Happy Hour from 4 – 7 every day
Ning’s – 10% off the menu
Pho Vietnamese restaurant – 10% off the menu
Restaurant Reykjavík – 10% off the menu
Rossopomodoro – 10% off the menu
Seafood Grill – 10% off the menu
Shops
Handknitting Association – buy a knitted sweater & get Varma socks for free.
Systur & Makar – 10% off all items
Tours
Elding Whale Watching – 10% discount off all tours
Gray Line Iceland – 25% off Greater Area Reykjavík Sightseeing tour (AH10)
Reykjavík Bike & Segway Tours – 10% off Classic Reykjavik Bike Tour; Reykjavik Segway Tour & Bike rentals
Season Tours – 10% discount off Golden Circle Tour
Special Tours Wildlife Adventures – 10% discount off tours
Thermal pools
Kópavogur Thermal Pools – Kópavogslaug & Salalaug – 50% off admission
Hafnarfjörður Thermal Pools – Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar, Ásvallalaug & Suðurbæjarlaug – 2 for 1 off admission
Seltjarnarnes Thermal Pool – 50% off admission
Please signup HERE for our newsletter for more fun facts and information about Iceland!
