Whales of Iceland
Whales of Iceland
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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
Whales of Iceland is the largest whale museum in Europe, located in Reykjavík's harbour area. The museum features life-size models of 23 whale species that have been seen in Icelandic waters, as well as man-made skeletons of select whales. There is no better way to learn about whales than seeing these giants up close in full-size. You will leave with a new perspective and appreciation for these interesting and beautiful animals. Whales of Iceland is an innovative museum that features an interactive minke whale and information stands that will enhance the experience and educate visitors about each whale on display. Whales of Iceland hopes to educate and share a unique perspective of whales that can be combined with a journey to see them in their natural environment. The team behind Whales of Iceland has the utmost respect for whales and their habitat and believes that by informing guests, this respect will grow and be shared both in Iceland and abroad.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travellers are saying
- Cosmo100 contributionsLearning experienceDive into the world of friendly giants. QR code for audio guides in an array of languages is found in several places on rather small posters. The audio guide is crucial to get the most out of your visit. Great for family with kids. Learned a lot about whales and human sound pollution of their habits. Was not aware of the extent of this issue. Unfortunately, some of the interactive screens are broken or missing. For the rather high admission fee that is not acceptable.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 5 October 2023
- Daniel F24 contributionsHighly recommendLovley place to visit whilst in Reykjavik. Small walk from our hotel (25mins). Straight away staff show you where to hang your wet coats which I thought was brilliant. Once in you're overwhelmed by the size of the whales. Found the film very informative but I think kids wouldn't sit through it. (20>25mins). Coffee and cookie at the end was amazing. All in all 5 stars from meVisited December 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 15 December 2023
- frugalyankeeNatick, Massachusetts104 contributionsGreat exhibit. Great tour guide.Really nice models of whales n very interesting tour by PATRICK. Fun facts. Great enthusiasm. Good details but not over the top. More interesting than I thought it would be Almost as good as the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts.Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 January 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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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 waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,360 reviews
Excellent
449
Very good
462
Average
263
Poor
105
Terrible
81
Helen P
Alton, UK101 contributions
Mar 2020
We visited after our whale tour so it only cost us 900 instead of 2900. Not sure it’s worth the full price. The audio guides are very useful and you learn a lot. A little shame that they had no one working the cafe as we really would of appreciated a warm drink after our trip round. Seems strange that instead of going on lunch in shift they just close it? Overall we enjoyed it for the price we paid.
Written 5 March 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.
Dear Helen,
Thank you for your review and feedback! Our discounted prices are available to anyone who has booked at our through our partners at Special Tours. We're sorry to hear that the cafe was closed when you visited. We will pass this along to our managers to let them know.
Thank you again for the review and we hope that you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Iceland!
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 20 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LS3
24 contributions
Aug 2020
The place is very small and there’s not much to see. My children and I were very disappointed. The most important thing we came to see was the VR experience and it was closed. Nothing on the website stated it wouldn’t be open, and they still charged full price even though their top attraction is closed. There are many more exciting things to see and do in Reykjavik besides this place. You’d be much better off going to Perlan or a swimming pool than here.
Written 23 August 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.
Thank you for this feedback, and we apologize for the very late reply - we have been working with a shortened staff and restricted opening hours due to COVID-19. The VR glasses have been temporarily removed due to COVID and hygiene, but this should have been made clear before your visit. We have also put a temporary stop to our live-guided tours, and over the past several months have been working out the best way to ensure that customers have a good experience at the exhibition while still following all health and safety measures. We would like to offer you a partial refund for your visit, and again apologize for the disappointment caused by the VR glasses being removed.
Please send us an email to info@whalesoficeland.is with your booking reference and information and we can sort out the refund for you.
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 3 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Steviefull
Kidderminster, UK2,035 contributions
Jul 2021
Having gone here straight after seeing Humpback whales in all their glory it may have taken a bit of the shine off the exhibits. The obvious thing when entering the hall is the sheer size of the whales, the blue whale being truly awe inspiring.
You get an audio guide telling you about each whale which is useful and there is also an interesting video about noise pollution and its effect on whales.
At around £16.00 per person its about as cheap as it gets in Iceland for something like this and you'll get just over an hours entertainment for that which isn't too bad.
Overall this isn't an essential thing to do but is interesting nonetheless if you have any interest in wildlife.
You get an audio guide telling you about each whale which is useful and there is also an interesting video about noise pollution and its effect on whales.
At around £16.00 per person its about as cheap as it gets in Iceland for something like this and you'll get just over an hours entertainment for that which isn't too bad.
Overall this isn't an essential thing to do but is interesting nonetheless if you have any interest in wildlife.
Written 1 September 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.
Thank you for your review! We're glad that you enjoyed your visit to the exhibition. Doing this in combination with a whale watching tour is ideal - it's an amazing experience to see whales in the wild, and then great to round it off with a visit the exhibition to get a better idea of how big they actually are. The exhibition also goes more in depth with information about the whales and their environment :)
Thank you for your visit, and we hope that you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Iceland!
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 6 October 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Edward M
Glasgow, UK151 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
My wife and I visited this attraction on Saturday 8th February 2020. From the moment you put on the audio guide you are captivated by the enormity and wonder of these cetaceans. There are life size models of all the whales found around Iceland. Beside each model is an explanatory sign with accurate details of each species of whale. The blue light of the interior makes it extremely relaxing and welcoming. After wandering around there is an absolutely fantastic 60 minute long film entitled “Sonar Sea”. It is on a par with some of David Attenborough’s programmes about the adverse effects of shipping, oil and gas exploration have on the cetaceans in our oceans. This attraction is incredible. You can download the audio guide as “ Whales of Iceland” free to treasure on your smartphone.
Written 27 February 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.
Thank you so much for your review, and we apologize for the late reply! We're glad that you and your wife enjoyed your visit to the exhibition and were able to view Sonic Sea and use our audio guides.
We hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Iceland!
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 20 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tiffany C
Kodak, TN94 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
This was very interesting, especially for anyone who loves whales. As you walk inside, you are given a QR code to scan that will give you an audio tour. I highly recommend bringing ear buds, AirPods, headphones or however you can listen to your device. I wish we would have known this in advance. Just around the corner is the exhibits of whales. They are life size and hang from the ceiling. It really puts their size into perspective. The museum tour is fairly short, however there is a very informative movie that plays every (about) 2 hours. I enjoyed watching it but my husband found it somewhat boring. I think kids would also be bored with it. We watched it for about 30 minutes and then left the show. At the end of the museum, there is a small drink/snack bar and then you exit into the gift shop.
Written 23 May 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.
Trav_LN_now
Crystal Lake, IL512 contributions
Mar 2020
We thought this exhibit was great! They are all life-sized models of whales that can be found in the waters surrounding Iceland. Included with the price is an audio tour, which gave really good information each type of whale exhibited. It was amazing to stand next to these life sized models.
Written 19 March 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.
Thank you for your review! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the exhibition. It is really incredible to see how small we are in comparison to these marine giants!
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 20 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
David C
4 contributions
Mar 2020
We stumbled across this museum whilst we were exploring the harbour area. As we both like whales we decided to give it a try. We thought it was a little expensive at £36 for 2 of us but then again it is Iceland! We were so disappointed, it consists of 3 rooms with life size models of various whale species with an audio explanation which lasted 10/15 minutes or so. Just expected a bit more information maybe with some video footage of real whales. I would give this a miss, there are better museums on offer nearby.
Written 9 March 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.
Dear David,
Thank you for providing us with feedback, and we apologize for the late reply here! We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your visit to the exhibition. It does sound like you unfortunately missed several parts of the exhibition. In our back Fin Whale Room there is underwater footage of whales that places throughout the day. This is also where the film Sonic Sea is screened twice per day, free for all ticket holders. In addition to the audio-guides we offer live-guided tours twice per day in English. We also have an interactive minke whale model, VR glasses, and a screen to track the migration routes of whales.
We hope that you are able to visit us again in the future to fully experience what we have to offer. Thank you again, and have a good day!
Kind regards,
Whales of Iceland
Written 20 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jenny Mestiza
Bielefeld, Germany65 contributions
Jun 2022
Since a real "Whal Watching" tour didn't work out, we wanted to at least see these incredible marine mammals in the museum. We were lucky enough to take part in a guided tour at 11 a.m. and were informed extensively about the whales. The life-size whales on display there are simply spectacular! Really worth a visit!
Written 26 June 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.
Bill C
Vancouver, Canada4,600 contributions
Aug 2022
I used my Reykjavik City Card and got an admission discount of 30%. I was impressed with the 23 life-size models of various species of whales. You do get an appreciation of the large size of these creatures. You can download a free audio guide onto your phone. Make sure you bring earbuds. There are also free live guided tours at 1100 hr and 1500 hr. You are allowed to touch the displays. There is a theatre inside playing the award-winning documentary, Sonic Sea. There is small café located by the displays. The inside of the display area is bathed in a blue light. There is also a gift shop inside.
Written 30 July 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.
Wesley C
Tucson, AZ10,285 contributions
Aug 2021
Whales of Iceland was one of my favorite museums in Reykjavik. If forced to pick only one place to visit, this might be it. Large warehouse in the Harbor Area displays life-sized models of all the species of whales around Iceland. It's amazing how huge they are, especially the Blue Whale. There is an informative audio tour describing each whale and video boards giving even more details. In the rear of the building is a theater showing videos of the whales in the wild. Great place for adults and families alike. Highly recommend!!!
Written 13 July 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.
We left our car at the hotel and walked here. So did not need parking. It looks like there is some parking here, but not room for very many cars. However, there is a shopping center just one block away where there is plenty of free parking. By the way, this is a fantastic museum with full size whale replicas. Don't miss the large screen movie in the back.
Written 13 November 2023
Yes, and surprisingly not that expensive. At least not for the small ones. I bought some small whale figures.
Written 25 August 2017
How long would you say this exhibit would take to do? Just trying to plan for our trip and don't want to miss anything 😀
Thanks in advance
Written 12 February 2017
1 - 1.5 hours more than enough.
Written 19 February 2017
Are you really talking about the museum, Ronnie? It seems to me as if you were referring to a whale watching boat trip.
Written 26 November 2016
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