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The Reykjavík Grapevine

@rvkgrapevine

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The Reykjavík Grapevine Archives

You’ve had your five a day (veggies/beers/panic attacks), now you gotta stay active. Whether it’s to get a dose of culture, hopping on a day tour or splashing around in your municipal pool, you can’t go wrong with our picks for Best Activities.

Best Museum

The National Museum

Suðurgata, 101 Reykjavík

Oh, National Museum, we can’t quit you. The museum is simply executing its role to perfection year-to-year and striking a balance between fulfilling their custodial duties and putting on informative and entertaining exhibits, which is no small feat (believe me, this panel got kicked out of the bar when we tried to be all “informative and entertaining” about why charging 25 EUR for a glass of wine was a criminal act). The National Museum is a finishing class on how to communicate history through engaging storytelling, without sacrificing its dignity as the grand dame of Icelandic museums. One panellist highlighted their 2023 exhibit on the folk history of “refilsaumur,” a notoriously finicky type of mediaeval embroidery. Because knitting is the Icelandic national sport and you will bow before it. 

Runner-Up:

The Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Grandagarður 8, 101 Reykjavík

Photo by Art Bicnick

What would Iceland be without the sea? Part of a major landmass, that’s just science. But it would be nothing without the backbreaking labour of our brave seafarers and fishers. All that sushi we’re eating has to come from somewhere, surely, and the Reykjavík Maritime Museum will tell you where it came from (the sea, it comes from the sea). Explore Iceland’s seafaring heritage and immerse yourself in some dope boats! Not only is this place informative, it’s interactive and genuinely fun to visit.

Runner-Up:

The Reykjavík Punk Museum

Bankastræti 2, 101 Reykjavík

Photo by Art Bicnick

Tired of rolling around in the dust of our past like a hyperactive chinchilla? Are you hankering for a lightning-fast dose of Icelandic punk history? The Icelandic punk scene was pretty small so it’s only fitting that the museum should be crammed into a discontinued restroom which served as a glue-sniffing haven for 80s ne’er-do-wells. This is the quick shot of city history that you’ve been craving.