Offering a wealth of information, the Settlement Center provides a wonderful insight into Iceland’s history. It also gives you the chance to put your visit into the context of the country’s past. The exhibitions recreate the fascinating drama of the sagas and the birth of this island nation. They also bring to life one of Iceland’s most important cultural treasures, Egils Saga.
The exhibitions at the Settlement Center tell the story of the first settlers and the story of Iceland’s most important saga – Egils Saga.
Egill Skalla-Grimson was a famous Viking and poet and his father and was one of the first settlers and his family settled at Borg near Borgarnes.
The goal is to make the ancient sagas accessible to all ages.
Multi-media and theatrical techniques are employed to help the visitor experience first hand the excitement of setting off over the open ocean for lands unknown.
The audio guided storytelling programs are available in 15 languages.
Posted By : Nddbc
The museum has 2 exhibits: one about the settlement of iceland and one about Egil's saga. Both are very interesting and well done. The settlement exhibit in particular is very interactive. We also had lunch in the restaurant and it was excellent.
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Posted On : 2024-04-01 05:26:24 
Posted By : Halo44
The settlement part of the exhibition was okay but the Saga exhibition was really interesting and enjoyable. I’d like to learn more about the sagas. Take the headphones for the self guided tour or you’ll have no idea what you’re walking around, you especially need them for the saga. The young man on the reception desk who sold us our tickets was fantastic, great sense of humour and a lot of fun…wish we’d got his name, he’s a big asset to the place. It’s not cheap, I think it was overpriced but to be fair everything in Iceland is expensive and I think this place needs the money to keep going. Gift shop and restaurant on site.
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Posted On : 2023-10-12 17:55:32
Posted By : RickyA1006
two parts museun, first part abpoyt the Viking settlement of Iceland, the second part about the Viking families and sagas less interesting to me
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Posted On : 2023-07-02 14:27:06
Posted By : MSM923
Interesting but a little dry. If you’re passing through the area, the settlement center is probably worth a visit. There is a decent audio tour of the museum-like exhibit. It’s a bit pricey for what it is, and the second half of the audio tour drags a bit. Not a must-see but worthwhile if interested in a solid historical narrative of Iceland.
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Posted On : 2022-10-20 19:39:55
Posted By : Warren V
This is a small museum in two parts: one on early Icelandic history and the second on one of the classic sagas. The exhibits are a series of dioramas, maps, and lots of carved wooden figures. They aren't that particularly impressive, but the audio tour is very good, about half an hour for each of the two exhibits. The low level lighting and other visual aspects create an interesting, moody atmosphere. There is a good restaurant and gift shop. Not a bad diversion, but quite overpriced at about $20/person.
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Posted On : 2022-05-30 17:49:20
Posted By : Jeannie2207
We really enjoyed our visit to the Settlement Centre. Both the two exhibitions about the history of the founding of Iceland and the Sagas were really well done. There was an excellent audio guide which took you through the trails. Clever exhibits too.
The building itself is an old warehouse which has been very cleverly reconstructed and joined to the rockface behind.
We also had a meal at the restaurant and the healthy buffet was just delicious.
I would really recommend this place both for the exhibitions and the restaurant.
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Posted On : 2021-10-07 16:35:44
Posted By : Passport18348654956
Worth a stop but not a detour. Was interesting to see the history of Iceland. Very nice contrast to the nature based experiences.
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Posted On : 2021-10-02 05:44:39
Posted By : Dan_S
There are two parts to the tour, with an upstairs and downstairs. There’s a very helpful person at the beginning to give you your headphones and an iPod mini that has the tour in many languages.
The upper floor with a history of Iceland was interesting but a little difficult to follow. The tour below with the saga was much more dramatic and entertaining.
This is a nice stop if you were visiting the country for the first time.
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Posted On : 2021-09-16 12:56:38 
Posted By : 2skidivers
Iceland seems to have more Museums per capita than any other country. There are museums from penises to whales. This was not rally a museum but rather crude wood carvings to go with he story on the personal headsets that you wear. It was part of the cultural part of our tour and we would not have visited it by ourselves, especially on a nice warm day in Iceland. In fact, we turned around and walked out before we finished the first segment.
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Posted On : 2021-08-19 04:25:23
Posted By : PerezJ1997
The telling of an Icelandic saga and Iceland's settlement was very clear and interesting. This is my first time in Iceland and really enjoyed hearing about its culture and past. The food in the restaurant was also very good. This stop on our tour was also a nice break from the rest of our tour, which has been filled with a lot of walking and biking. I definitely recommend this place.
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Posted On : 2021-07-02 09:31:33
