Árbær Open Air Museum

Árbaer is an open-air museum on the outskirts of Reykjavik that shows what life was like in Iceland in the 19th and 20th centuries through recreations of historic buildings.

The Árbaer open-air museum, or Árbæjarsafn, is a historical museum in Reykjavik. Located on a former farm, it's made up of careful recreations of traditional Icelandic houses, farms, workshops and even churches from the 19th and 20th centuries, making visitors feel like they've travelled back in time.

Throughout the extensive museum, there are around 30 different points of interest to explore. Inside the houses, workshops and churches, you'll find historic objects like tools and crockery, and explanations on how they were used to help understand how Icelanders lived in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A visit to the Árbaer open-air museum is a must if you're visiting Reykjavik and want to learn first-hand about the Icelandic way of life over the last two centuries.

Guided tour

Every day at 1 pm there's a free guided tour in English of the Árbaer Museum. If your visit coincides with the tour, we highly recommend it to make the most of your time there and delve even further into Icelandic history.

How to get to the Árbaer Museum?

The museum is located around 5 miles (8 km) outside of Reykjavik city centre. The most convenient way to get to Árbaer is to rent a car and drive there, which takes around 15 to 20 minutes depending on traffic. Alternatively, if you're planning to travel by public transport, you can get the bus from the city centre and then walk around 5 minutes from the bus stop.