The Settlement Center
The Settlement Center
4.5
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
The Settlement Center provides a wonderful insight into Iceland’s history in two exhibitions one about the settlement of Iceland and the other on Egils saga that took place in the neighbourhood. The exhibitions offer a wealth of information with an audio guide in 15 languages. 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. The goal is to make the ancient sagas accessible to all ages in an entertaining way.
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
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from £22.52
All you need to step foot in the door.
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4.5
808 reviews
Excellent
395
Very good
296
Average
81
Poor
24
Terrible
12
jojoma56
New York City, NY84 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
Tour is interesting but a little lame. It’s hard to do if crowded because you need to be in front of each exhibit to understand the audio.
Written 19 November 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.
Eric S
Toulouse, France1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
One of the best museum experiences we have ever had! It completely captivated us with its animated and staged sceneries, supported by engaged and perfectly executed explanations in our languages (we used French and Swedish). We learned a lot that we will never forget. It was the perfect introduction to our visit to Iceland.
Written 13 November 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.
Katy M
2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We had a great meal here! The restaurant was cozy, the service was good, and the cod and lamb were delicious. Would definitely recommend!
Written 9 November 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.
Leza H
London, UK676 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
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.
Written 12 October 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.
Duane S
Pardes Hanna Karkur, Israel71 contributions
Jun 2023
This place is a must if you want to understand a little about the early Icelandic history, It is small, but it makes the most of its limited space. There are two main exhibitions. The settlement exhibition deliniates where the early arrivals settled and some of the things that they encountered. Very educational. The second exhibition is about a local saga, Egil's Saga. Good, but maybe not that interesting to somebody that has not read the saga. To show how local this saga is there is a monument to an important event in the saga on the ridge behind The Settlement Center. And in the park by the center is the cairn of Egil's father
Written 24 August 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.
TheLongLongTrailer
Hartsburg, MO664 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
A nice touch is that you get a set of headphones for each part of the museum. The first part describes how the first settlers arrived and where, the second part is about a deranged person living in Iceland that someone named Snorri wrote a book about. That was disturbing. That is the museum in a nutshell.
Written 22 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.
Ricky A
Qiryat Ata, Israel76 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
two parts museun, first part abpoyt the Viking settlement of Iceland, the second part about the Viking families and sagas less interesting to me
Written 2 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.
Jules060617
Lausanne, Switzerland1,339 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
This is a two-themed museum with headphone commentaries in multiple languages. The first, and most interesting, part covers the settlement of Iceland by the early Vikings. The second, which kids ought to enjoy more, illustrates one of the famous local sagas. The tour takes twice 30 minutes. It is worthwhile especially on a rainy day and I definitely got a much better understanding of the early settlers.
Written 8 June 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.
Vivien W
Stenloese, Denmark61 contributions
May 2023
My husband and I visited the Settlement Center in Borganes in May this year for the second time – we were also there a year ago. We wanted to refresh our memories with the interesting and entertaining audio-visual tours that tell the history of Iceland and the separate tour telling the saga of Egill Skalla-Grimsson, which is also worth hearing and seeing the exhibition of scenes from his life. We were happy to have visited the Settlement Center once again. Friendly and helpful staff. Maybe there will even be a third time! Last year we visited the very good restaurant/café afterwards but unfortunately didn't have enough time this year.
Written 31 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.
anniegirlie
Glasgow, UK86 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
Interesting little exhibition and great location for a walk along the shore. Restaurant is lovely and very reasonable. . Entry is 3000kr which is a lot.
Written 14 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.
Settlement C
Borgarnes, Iceland6 contributions
HI Eleanor
Thank you for your review. I am curious to know why it came to your mind to write it so long after you visited. Hope to see you again.
love Sirry (manager)
paulsagiv
Kfar Saba, Israel5 contributions
It was on my mind for a long time - as many other interesting sites I had visited on this trip - just didn't had the time to write before! Paul
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Claim your listingTHE SETTLEMENT CENTER: Tickets, Tours & Things to Know (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about The Settlement Center
- The Settlement Center admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost £21.92, while a popular guided tour starts around £743.58 per person.
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience The Settlement Center:
- Settlement and Egils Saga Exhibition Ticket (From £21.92)
- Borgarfjörður (From £1,007.52)
- Private Silver Circle day tour (From £1,014.54)
- Icelandic Sagas and Glacier Cave Private Tour from Reykjavik (From £887.39)
- Icelandic Sagas and Volcanic Cave Private Tour (From £743.58)
- Hotels near The Settlement Center:
- (0.12 mi) Egils Guesthouse
- (0.12 mi) Blomasetrid Guesthouse
- (0.05 mi) Borgarnes Old Towne Apartment S
- (0.11 mi) Hotel Borgarnes
- (0.11 mi) Ingers Apartment
- Restaurants near The Settlement Center:
- (0.00 mi) The Settlement Center Restaurant
- (0.11 mi) Blomasetrid - Kaffi Kyrrd
- (0.09 mi) Bara 0lstofa Lydveldisins
- (0.15 mi) Englendingavik Restaurant
- (0.10 mi) Matstofan