National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Íslands)
National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Íslands)
National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Íslands)
3.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ICELAND - One museum, two locations. The National Gallery of Iceland hosts one of Iceland's largest art collection. The National Gallery on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 features temporary exhibitions with art from from the late 19th century until today. A permanent exhibition with works from the collection can be seen at the House of Collections - Hverfisgata 15. The museum store National Gallery on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 offers books, postcards, posters and more and the café Siguranna at the House of Collections invites you to sit down and enjoy their newly baked pastries and more.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Address
Neighborhood: Miðborg
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137 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
191 reviews
Excellent
41
Very good
45
Average
51
Poor
33
Terrible
21
Malgorzata
12,077 contributions
Jun 2019
Wonderful location. The main building was built in 1916 and designed by Icelandic architect Samuelsson Gudjon. Another addition of the building is the work of the architect Gardar Halldorsson. Relatively small, but pleasant museum. A calm space with interesting works of art. Most of the permanent collection is by Icelandic artists . Very friendly staff.
Written March 24, 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.
Ričards Edijs
Latvia430 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
The National Gallery is located in a very nice building that is worth the visit. The exhibitions give an insight into the topical elements and motives of Icelandic art, however, I would have wanted to see a bigger collection of the "canonic" art that defines the Icelandic classical art scene. Despite the above-mentioned statement, the existing exhibitions are still worth seeing, especially the installation "Glassrain"
Written August 31, 2023
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.
Mary G
Pensacola, FL123 contributions
Sep 2024 • Family
First I’ll say not a big fan of modern art, but love classical pieces. Museum had at least one interactive piece on every floor and activities for children. My favorite piece was one of women washing clothes in a hot spring.
Written September 11, 2024
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.
AKTravelerFAI
Fairbanks, AK19 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
This is an excellent small museum spread across three different locations in Reykjavík. I especially recommend the House of Collections, which is a block away from Reykjavik’s main shopping street and well worth a visit for its themed exhibitions of selections from the museum’s general collection. The National Gallery of Iceland location on the lake hosts special exhibitions with a tilt toward contemporary Icelandic art. When I visited these two locations in July 2023 they were both offering complimentary coffee, tea, and water with admission. I did not visit the third location, Home of an Artist, but a single ticket covers it along with the other two venues, which I highly recommend.
Written July 23, 2023
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.
LaJu
9 contributions
Oct 2020
First of all, the name of the gallery gives you the impression that you'd find a permanent exhibition with the best of Icelandic art. Absolutely WRONG. We visited the gallery in October 2020 and there were two temporary exhibitions (as per their website) and nothing else except a storage / working room in which you are informed that they do have 13k pieces of art but they show you only a handful. The exhibitions were truly quite interesting but all descriptions of the pieces were in Icelandic only. We assume that you could find the English descriptions by scanning a QR code but if you do not have internet you are unable to get more out of the visit. Not quite a waste of time, but definitely very expensive entry fee for what it is!
Written October 22, 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.
Mike T
Springfield, OH24 contributions
Dec 2022
International travelers interested in art are accustomed to seeing magnificent galleries loaded with works of the great masters. Unfortunately, sparsely populated Iceland simply doesn't have the resources to even remotely compete. We visited all three locations of the National Galley and while the House of Collections has a few interesting pieces, overall the experience is simply not worth your time.
Written December 29, 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.
Judith H
24 contributions
Sep 2022
Anyone visiting Iceland should definitely visit the National Gallery where you will see some of Iceland's most famous artists works, mainly landscape and portraits. This will give you an idea of what Iceland is all about. But this Gallery is not showing art works of other countries. This Gallery is just all about Iceland. Anyone expecting something on a grand scale like other big galleries in Europe, then they are going to be disappointed.
Written April 24, 2023
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.
Beth R
2 contributions
Dec 2024 • Family
Wonderfully curated collection spanning 150 years of Icelandic artistic creativity. The second site particular was curated and displayed in a way that made it informative and appealing to youngsters. The main site also had fascinating information that helped place the art in the context with the artists life and Icelandic culture and history in a way that made it more understandable to an international visitor.
Written December 11, 2024
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.
andrei_petrescu
Amsterdam, The Netherlands843 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
I regret not researching more thoroughly before visiting the National Gallery of Iceland. I was disappointed with my experience and felt the admission fee was not justified. Upon arrival, I did not receive a warm welcome; the staff at the entrance, while professional, seemed cold and dismissive. The gallery's three floors lacked substantial displays of art, and I completed my visit in less than 15 minutes.
Written June 19, 2024
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.
C M
Portland, OR171 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
The good: helpful staff, well curated special exhibits, beautiful building, good cafe
The downside: somewhat limited collection and perhaps not a very representative sample that would be of interest to tourists looking for a sample of Icelandic art - this could be compensated for with the two additional museums included in the ticket price.
Point of frustration: the ticket to the National Gallery includes access to two other galleries but these are closed from mid December through the end of January (despite the massive volume of tourism in these months...). It would be nice if the ticket to the National Gallery was discounted to reflect the unfortunate and hard to understand closure of the other two museums. Or better yet these museums should stay open all year.
The downside: somewhat limited collection and perhaps not a very representative sample that would be of interest to tourists looking for a sample of Icelandic art - this could be compensated for with the two additional museums included in the ticket price.
Point of frustration: the ticket to the National Gallery includes access to two other galleries but these are closed from mid December through the end of January (despite the massive volume of tourism in these months...). It would be nice if the ticket to the National Gallery was discounted to reflect the unfortunate and hard to understand closure of the other two museums. Or better yet these museums should stay open all year.
Written January 8, 2017
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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