Access to Aðalstræti
A video, showing the approach to The Settlement Exhibition and conditions inside the museum.
The Settlement Exhibition and Reykjavík … the story continues
Aðalstræti 16 og 10, 101 Reykjavík
Phone (+354) 411 6370
Aðalstræti has two exhibitions about the history of Reykjavík, run by the Reykjavík City Museum. The Settlement Exhibition is in Aðalstræti 16, and Aðalstræti 10 houses the exhibition Reykjavík … the story continues. The exhibitions are connected underground and you can cross from one to the other. There are two entrances to the exhibitions, you can enter at Aðalstræti 10 or 16.
The Settlement Exhibition is underground, but the entrance is at the corner of Aðalstræti 16 and Túngata. The exhibition’s focal point is the archaeological remains of a settlement-age Viking longhouse from around 930, which was excavated in 2001. From The Settlement Exhibition, a bright connecting corridor takes you to the exhibition Reykjavík … the story continues, Aðalstræti 10, which traces the history of the Reykjavík settlement from its beginning to the present day. The oldest building in Kvosin, Aðalstræti 10, is a part of this exhibition. The entrance is from Brattagata.
Normally, the exhibitions are a quiet place to visit. There are some audible sounds, like singing, animal noises and working noises from computer screens and multimedia inside the exhibition spaces. The exhibitions cover three floors, with two elevators running between them.
The exhibitions are accessible to people with disabilities. You can stop a car at both entrances to drop off passengers. There are a few benches to sit on in the buildings. Note that The Settlement Exhibition is rather dimly lit and its floor is uneven in places.
The Settlement Exhibition has an exhibition hall, an education room for school groups, a toilet hallway, a reception area with a family and play area, as well as a museum shop.
Aðalstræti 10 has a museum shop, ticket desk, a few small exhibition spaces, a staircase, an elevator, and toilets.
A bright corridor in the basement connects the exhibitions.
Plan your visit
Entrance to The Settlement Exhibition, Aðalstræti 16
The Settlement Exhibition is on the corner of Aðalstræti 16 and Túngata, entrance from Aðalstræti. From Túngata, there are two steps down onto a small square in front of the entrance. From Aðalstræti, the access is level, no steps. You can push a button to open the door automatically and there is no threshold.
Entrance to Reykjavík … the story continues, Aðalstræti 10
The entrance is from Brattagata, into a back building at Aðalstræti 10. The door opens automatically, no thresholds. The reception and museum shop are by the entrance, and from there you can enter Kvosin’s oldest building, Aðalstræti 10, or go past the museum shop into the exhibition space. There, you’ll find the staircase and the elevator to the other floors.
Parking
Public parking is possible at Túngata, close to the entrance. You can also park in an underground garage at City Hall (2 min away) or in parking garage in Mjóstræti (4-5 min away). All of these places charge you for parking. Buses can be parked in front of City Hall. Taxis can park directly in front of the entrance to The Settlement Exhibition, if the space is free, it is possible to drop people off there before you park the car.
Public transport
Bus services stop at City Hall (2 min away) and on Lækjargata (5 min away).
Complimentary pushchair/stroller
There are two pushchairs for children available for borrowing at both receptions. You are welcome to bring your own pushchair.
Toilets
There are three toilets to the left of The Settlement Exhibition’s reception. The hallway also has lockers and hangers. One of the toilets is designed for wheelchairs.
Close to the corridor connecting the exhibitions, you’ll find three toilets, one of which is designed for wheelchairs and people with disabilities.
Indoor picnic area
There is no picnic area or cafeteria at the museum.
Guided tours
There is no regular guidance for these exhibitions, but guided tours are advertised for example in summer and at Christmas. Audio guides are not available.
Other Information
The Settlement Exhibition is rather dimly lit. The exhibition is largely based on multimedia experiences with audio (for example birds, sheep, hammer blows). In exceptional circumstances, you can be allowed into the education room to relax, if it is free.
Access for people with disabilities
Blue-badge parking
There are two blue-badge parking spots close to the exhibition: Kirkjutorg (2 mins) and Austurstræti (2 mins). There are also more blue-badge parking spaces in the underground car park below City Hall, and in the multi-storey car park on Vesturgata.
There are two parking spots for people with disabilities at City Hall (2 min away), one at Kirkjutorg (2 min away) and one in Austurstræti (2 min away). There are more blue-badge parking spaces in the underground garage at City Hall and in a parking garage in Vesturgata/Mjóstræti.
Wheelchairs
Wheelchair access is good both throughout the building and within both exhibitions. Note that the floor in The Settlement Exhibition is a bit uneven. In a few places, there are stones on the floor, with level bridges across, wide enough for wheelchairs.
Seating Facilities
There are benches in reception, tall chairs by the computer table, chairs in the family area and benches inside the exhibition spaces.
Elevators
There is an elevator directly in front of the entrance to The Settlement Exhibition, Aðalstræti 16.
Another elevator is close to the entrance at Aðalstræti 10, behind the museum shop.
People with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder
Sensory stimuli
There is quite a bit of stimuli in the exhibitions, particularly multimedia material with accompanying audio. There is also the smell of the sea in two places, fruit/candy smell in one space, and tar smell in another.
A part of The Settlement Exhibition is dimly lit and the floor is uneven in parts. There are a few areas covered with stones, with level bridges built across them.
From The Settlement Exhibition lies a bright connecting corridor to Aðalstræti 10. At the end of the corridor, there is a larger space where you can sit and watch photos that are projected on the wall. There are also toilets. From there, you go up to the next floor, either by walking up the stairs or taking the elevator.
Once you arrive up on the ground floor, you enter two exhibition spaces, one of which contains a model of the buildings in Aðalstræti. The model has accompanying audio, for example singing, animal noises, working noises. You can also use special binoculars to view the model, see people arrive between the buildings and hear them speak. This area has two multimedia screens, with accordion music, among other things, but you can turn the sound off while you examine them.
From this space, you can either go into the museum shop at Aðalstræti 10, or move up to the top floor of the building. In the attic, you can sit down and look at photographs on large screens and examine a model of Reykjavík Airport. These two floors have subdued lighting.
From the museum shop, you can exit to Brattagata or enter Aðalstræti 10, the oldest building in Kvosin. This building has three rather small but brightly lit exhibition spaces. One of them also carries a smell of fruit/candies, and one of them smells like tar.
Reykjavík City Museum regularly advertises special opening hours where sensory stimuli, such as sound and light, are specifically set with the needs of the group in mind. Autism groups and associations can request a special opening by emailing safnfraedsla@reykjavik.is.
Please contact us via phone at 411-6370 or email borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is for further information.
Here, you’ll find a social skills narration of a visit to the exhibitions in Aðalstræti 10 and 16, from the moment you enter until you return home again.
Blind and Visually Impaired People
Guided tours
Reykjavík City Museum is one museum in five locations (Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Museum of Photography, Maritime Museum and Viðey Island) offering regular guided tours for the blind and visually impaired. These tours are advertised with ample notice.
Please contact us via phone, 411-6370, or email borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is for further information.
Guide dogs
Guide dogs are welcome at the museum.
Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People
Guided tours
Reykjavík City Museum regularly offers guided tours of its exhibitions in sign language. The timing of these tours is advertised with ample notice.
Exhibition texts are in Icelandic and English.
Please call us at 411-6370 or email borgarsogusafn@reykjavik.is for further information.
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:
Geysir Club
Hlutverkasetrið
Daycare for Dementia Patients
Please call 411-6300 or email safnfraedsla@reykjavik.is for further information.