Best Of South Iceland 2018: Best Museum/Gallery

Southern Iceland is home to most of the most popular tourist routes in Iceland—with good reason. The coastal Ring Road road from Reykjavík to Höfn is a trail of picturesque towns, black sand beaches, dramatic mountains, powerful waterfalls, basalt cliffs, towering glaciers and sprawling lava fields. It’s a completely immersive and visceral experience of Iceland’s natural environment that you could easily spend weeks exploring. These are just a few of our favourite sites along the way.

Best Museum/Gallery

LAVA Centre

Hvolsvöllur

Deceptively light and cheery on the outside, this interactive museum is a brilliantly constructed immersive volcanic experience. Combining rich scientific research, bold industrial design and incredible artistry, its informative and interactive displays provide some truly unique insights into the volcanic history of Iceland. “I walked in and I felt like I was in a Doctor Who episode,” said one panellist. The centre also features a film portion, a nice gift shop, and a bright and spacious café with great cakes and light meals. It’s a genuinely unique and unexpected attraction.

Runner-Up:

Eldheimar

Gerðisbraut 10, Vestmannaeyjabær

Located on Heimaey, it’s built around some partially excavated houses that were destroyed in the volcanic eruption of 1973. With the videos of news footage from the event itself and loudspeakers with the rumbling sound of the eruption, you feel like you were there.

Runner-Up:

Listasafn Árnesinga

Austurmörk 21, Hveragerði

This small fine arts gallery has a rather remarkable collection of permanent pieces as well as hosting rotating exhibits of primarily Icelandic artists. Open almost all year and always with free admittance, the space is immaculate, lovely, and fabulously curated, making it one of the finest art galleries outside of the capital.

More Best Of Iceland Awards

South Iceland

West Iceland

The Westfjords

North Iceland

East Iceland

You can buy a copy of the full Best Of Iceland 2018 magazine—an essential guide to having fun in Iceland—here, posted worldwide. We also have a Special Offer double-pack that also includes our Best Of Reykjavík magazine, about places to eat, see, swim, visit, and shop in the country’s capital city, here.