Access to Árbær Open Air Museum

The Árbær Open Air Museum

Kistuhyl, 110 Reykjavík

Tel. (+354) 411 6304

The Árbær museum is a large open-air museum featuring over 20 houses accessible to guests during opening hours. Originally, the area was home to a farmhouse (Árbær), with the other houses relocated to the museum later on, mostly from Reykjavík town centre.

The houses are as diverse as they are many, some with tiny rooms and narrow staircases, while others have larger chambers.

Staff members dress in period costumes and are easy to identify. You can always find a friendly staff member on hand at the ticket office for information and assistance.

Opening hours are seasonal and vary accordingly. Click here for more information,

Visit duration: 1-2 hours.

Plan your visit

Parking facilities are located opposite the museum entrance. It’s also possible to pull up directly outside the museum entrance to drop off and pick up visitors.

Public transport

Bus services 12 and 24 stop at Höfðabakki, by the museum. Bus service 16 stops at Streng (5-min. walk) and service 5, by Rofabæ (6-min. walk).

Entry

Entry to the museum is via the ticket office, where you will also find a museum shop with staff on hand to assist and provide information. The ticket office opens onto a lawn-covered town square, surrounded by houses with footpaths leading around the museum grounds.

Footpaths throughout the museum are mostly surfaced with gravel. In some places, they are paved.

Note! Puddles often form in wet weather, which can freeze over and become slippery, despite efforts to grit them regularly. Please ask at reception for courtesy crampons. While part of the museum is located on level ground, some areas incline gently down towards the Elliðaár river, where many of the footpaths are situated on slopes.

Toilet facilities are located in 3 houses: Landakot, Lækjargata 4 and the Granary, as well as Dillon’s House, when it’s open.

Farm Animals: The museum is home to free-range chickens year-round. During the summer months, other farms animals, such as sheep and horses, can be found in the enclosure. Note that dogs, apart from guide and service dogs, are not permitted in the area. 

Unfortunately, we do not provide courtesy strollers or pushchairs, but guests are welcome to bring their own. Changing facilities are found in the bathrooms at Landakot.

Picnic areas with tables and benches can be found on the grounds in two places: one by the square, and the other located on the west side of the museum, which also has a charcoal grill.

The cafe at Dillon’s House is open during the summer. On the south side of the house, there’s a garden deck with outdoor furniture. The house is divided into three rooms of varying size and a bathroom. 

Conference facilities are available to rent in four of the museum houses. The church is also available for events. Conference rooms and rentals can be found at Dillon’s House, The Granary (upper floor) and Lækjargata 4 (ground floor).

Guide tours are available to guests daily at 13:00. Tours are offered in both English and Icelandic, on request.

Information and images of each of the houses can be found here

Access for People with Disability

Parking

There are five blue-badge parking spots approximately 50 meters from the museum entrance. The path to the entrance is heated by a snowmelt system.

Entry

Entry to the museum is via the ticket office. Doors at the ticket office are automated; however, the doorway features a raised threshold. Ask museum staff to open the side gate for easier access.

Footpaths throughout the museum are mostly surfaced with gravel; however, in some places, they are paved. 

Note! Puddles often form in wet weather, which can freeze over and become slippery, despite efforts to grit them regularly. 

Seating

Outdoor benches can be found in various places around the museum. There is also ample seating inside the houses, such as in Landakot, Lækjargata 4, the ticket office, the church, and at Relief House.

Accessible toilet facilities are located in Landakot.

Museum houses

Steps and thresholds are features in many of the museum houses. The following describes accessibility to three houses.

Landakot

Access at Landakot is good. The pavements are heated, and there is a ramp to the lift, operated by staff. On the ground floor, you will find accessible toilets, as well as the exhibition. Doorways in the house are wide with enough space for wheelchairs.

Stairs lead to the exhibition on the upper floor and down to the basement, which is occasionally open to the public during exhibitions. 

The basement is wheelchair accessible from the outside via a separate entrance opened with the help of staff.

Lækjargata 4

For wheelchair access, a portable wooden ramp (located inside the house) can be placed on the pavement in front of the entrance. On the ground floor, there are two rooms with seating facilities and an guest toilet. A wide staircase with railings leads to an exhibition on the second floor, with more seating available for guests.

The Granary

The entrance to the Granary features a raised threshold and is accessible for light wheelchairs via a portable ramp. The ramp is heavy and requires staff assistance to install.

Although there are toilet facilities in this house, they are, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. The ground floor features temporary exhibitions of varying duration, ranging from a few months to several years. A staircase leads to the upper floor of the house, which is occasionally open to guests during public events but is mainly used for meetings or private functions.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 

People with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory stimuli

Those with sensory processing difficulties may be sensitive to sounds within Landakot, especially when visitor numbers are high. Note that some of the houses also feature presentations with audio and visuals. For example, on the upper floor in Lækjargata 4, there is an exhibition with music and small screens showing videos.

There are many quiet places inside and outside the museum, and sensory stimuli during regular opening hours are usually minimal.

Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are set specifically with the needs of the group in mind.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 

Here, you’ll find a social skills narration of a visit to Árbær Open Air Museum, from the moment you enter until you return home again.

Blind and Visually Impaired People

Guide dogs

Guide dogs are welcome at the museum.

Lighting

There are several lamp posts in common areas and along footpaths at the museum. Note that during the darker months of the year, the lighting in some areas may be limited.

Guided tours

Reykjavík City Museum offers regular guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 

Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People

Reykjavík City Museum offers regular guided tours in sign language for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tour timetables are advertised in advance.

For further information, please contact 411-6300 or send an email to borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is 

Various groups

Reykjavík City Museum welcomes diverse groups and makes every effort to meet their needs. Has your group visited the museum yet?

Amongst those groups who are regular visitors to the museum are:

Klúbburinn Geysir

Hlutverkasetrið

Dagþjálfun fólks með heilabilun

For further information call us on 411-6300 or send an email to safnfraedsla@reykjavik.is