When is Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum open?

Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum is open: Sun - Sat 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor . If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.

Do you need to book in advance to visit Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum?

We recommend booking Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 5 Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum tours on Tripadvisor

What's the best way to see Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum?

According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum: Private Snæfellsnes National Park (From $689.91) Snæfellsnes Peninsula Tour (From $1,364.00) 8-Days Northern Lights Exploration Tour from Reykjavík (From $2,350.11) From Reykjavík: 3-Day Tour of the Wild and Wonderful Westfjords (From $899.00) 8-Days Northern Lights Exploration Small Group Tour from Reykjavík (From $3,201.19) See all Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum experiences on Tripadvisor

What hotels are near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum?

Hotels near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum: (8.85 mi) Hotel Egilsen (8.84 mi) Syslo Guesthouse (8.81 mi) Akkeri Guesthouse (8.86 mi) Sjavarborg (8.93 mi) Fransiskus Hotel View all hotels near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum on Tripadvisor

What restaurants are near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum?

Restaurants near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum: (0.10 mi) Bjarnarhöfn Bistro (9.98 mi) Bjargarsteinn mathus (8.86 mi) Sjavarpakkhusid (8.85 mi) Narfeyrarstofa (8.70 mi) Skurinn View all restaurants near Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum on Tripadvisor

Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

266 reviews

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Bjarnarhöfn Bistro

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

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4.0

266 reviews

Excellent

118

Very good

107

Average

33

Poor

4

Terrible

4

Nicole

Chicago, IL1 contribution

Unique and enriching experience

Feb 2020

My finance and I stopped here at the beginning of our Iceland trip in February 2019 (yes, this is LONG overdue). The museum is well off the main road and we were so glad we pushed through the heavy snowfall to visit.

For only $12 each, we had the privilege of touring the family-run museum which was filled with a wonderful collection of boats, fishing equipment, fossils and bones, taxidermy animals, rocks and crystals, maps and charts, and other interesting antiques reflective of the family's unique history. The woman who greeted us was kind and attentive. She played a video that explained the processing of the Greenland shark into hákarl (fermented shark), which is an Icelandic delicacy. It's worth a taste with the rye bread to at least say you did it.

We really took our time to appreciate the interesting collection. After we finished exploring, we asked a few questions and, as a collector, I expressed my excitement in seeing the crystals and fossils in their collection. She told us to wait a moment...and she quickly returned with a palm sized rock with striations and subtle crystal flecks. She explained that it was a piece from the mountain behind the museum. I was overjoyed by her kindness and excited to add it to my collection!

It was a truly memorable, authentic Icelandic experience that we highly recommend for all ages.

Written January 21, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rich the Weasle

73 contributions

Interesting museum, with an opportunity to try the famous fermented shark.

Apr 2022 • Couples

We visited the Shark Museum on our way back from a whale watching trip. A more accurate title would be "Icelandic Life Museum." Yes, there was lots of information about sharks, the history of fishing, and the creation of fermented shark meat, but there was also a lots of other exhibits about the fauna (animals) of the area and the traditional way of life. That said, it was a very interesting exhibition. There was a short video showing the stages of producing fermented shark, and our guide gave a humorous and informative talk about the museum. She welcomed and answered lots of different questions, with a good blend of fact and humour. We got to try fermented shark and it isn't as bad as I had been led to believe. Would I choose it from a menu? No. Would I eat it to survive? Absolutely. After completing our self-led route around the museum, we walked up to the barn at the back where we saw and smelled lots of shark meat going through the drying stage of the process. An interesting place to visit.

Written April 7, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

funwithfamilyVA

Leesburg, VA108 contributions

Good stop on the peninsula

Jul 2022 • Family

Good stop if you are in the area. You don’t need a lot of time here… 30 minutes or so is really plenty. It’s a family run operation that provides some history of the shark fishing business… you get to try the fermented shark… and the scenery around the us otherworldly!

Written August 1, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

2skidivers

Silverthorne, CO368 contributions

The Greenland Shark Story...again.

Aug 2021

Our tour stopped here for an overpriced lunch (3 chicken legs and fries for 2400 kr, 2 pc of fish and fries for 2200kr.) Then the ones who wanted to hear the story about the Greenland Whale and how the inedible meat was treated to make it edible paid to go into the museum, get a taste and go to the barn to see how it is dried. We had heard and read the story several times and did not need to go to the museum to hear it again. It was just another museum to separate tourists from their money.

Written August 20, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jim R

Pisgah Forest, NC7 contributions

Well worth the visit

Oct 2019

I have visited the Shark Museum many times with my Smithsonian Journeys groups. Kristján always puts on a good show. He has a great sense of humor as he narrates the excellent video on Shark meat production. Be sure to visit the drying shed behind the museum! I've actually gotten so I kind of like the shark meat but it is definitely an acquired taste.

Written August 21, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carrie0693

Madison, AL1,828 contributions

Best Tasting Shark Spot

Aug 2021

We rented a car and glad we stopped here. Beautiful setting and you can try the shark here and I did and how he served it, it wasn't bad. You eat it with Rye bread and it kills the taste however the 2nd helping then you get the ammonia. Glad I tried it. I liked walking back to where it's hung to dry. The scenery is amazing. I got close up pix of black sheep. They had real cool stuff in their museum, however it wasn't shark related. It seems that all museums have very similar items; sewing machines, old phones etc. But in each 1 you find a few different things. They have a cafe but it was closed. I'm guessing it's for tour buses. They sell shark and t-shirts for souvenirs.

Written August 26, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SAinPA

Carlisle, PA632 contributions

A unique shark meat tasting event

Sep 2021 • Couples

A unique experience. They process Icelandic sharks that get caught in fishing nets and “ferment” the meat to make it edible. Their family has been processing shark meat in this manner for generations. A small and unique museum and an opportunity to taste fermented shark meat. Not what you want for a steady diet - but have done it - got the t shirt - won’t do it again.
We also had lunch in their on site restaurant and the food was very good.
A nice museum of Icelandic history.

Written September 22, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MarcusLYK

Singapore, Singapore117 contributions

Barely a museum, but very interesting

Feb 2020

The museum was just a room full of fishing gears, taxidermy animals, and photos of Iceland in the past. The museum owner then showed us a video of the processing of the greenland shark, and whipped out 2 bowls. The first bowl was the white fermented shark meat that resembles cubes of white jelly, while the second bowl was rye bread. The first try with the rye bread was pretty awful, but miraculously upon the instructions of the museum owner, the second try of the shark meat itself was not as bad. I would rate it similar to smelly tofu, which is processed in a similar manner. You could visit the shed where they hang out the meat to dry after fermentation, but be warned, the stench is pretty bad!

Written March 6, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The Thing about

Arlington, TX5 contributions

The Thing about Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum

Sep 2022 • Couples

Great stop while exploring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. A must stop if your looking to have an experience unique to Iceland. Friendly staff, interesting history, and test of bravery (eating the fermented shark).

STRONG ammonia smell and taste. Rubbery texture. The rye bread flavor is strong enough to cut the shark flavor in half. Bring your own chaser!

Written September 20, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TeachingTiggerTravels

Wells, UK34 contributions

Highly knowledgeable staff providing a fascinating insight.

Apr 2022

Worth taking time out to visit. A museum of curios not just shark fishing. Whilst there you will have the opportunity to try the much hyped fermented shark, it was much more palatable than I was expecting, I tried a second and a third bit. You can purchase samples to take home too.

The short video and talk on the process of curing the shark was really well presented with scientific facts balanced with interesting insights. Plenty of opportunity to ask questions and get up close with shark jaws, skin and the boat they used to hunt in. Now all shark comes via by catch. After the tour take a wander to the barn to see the shark dying out. Word to the wise - stand up wind whilst you take the photos!

Written April 7, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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