Iceland's Settlement History: Sites Worth Visiting by Region

Reykjavík and the Southwest: Where the Story Starts

Most trips begin in Reykjavík, and that is the right place to fix the chronology. At the National Museum of Iceland by Suðurgata, the permanent exhibition runs from the ninth-century settlement to the present, and an hour and a half there makes every later ruin legible. Combine it with a short drive out to Kópavogur for the modest open-air collection, then head west to Reykjanes, where the lava fields around Hafnir and the bridge between continents give a sense of the barren coastline the first ships met.

For the settlement itself, the archaeological remains at Reykjavík's Aðalstræti, under the modern street, are the oldest evidence of human occupation on the island. Further out, the drive to Hvalfjörður takes about 45 minutes and the old whaling station there is more industrial heritage than Norse. Book a hotel in central Reykjavík within walking distance of Lækjartorg if you want museums, restaurants and bus pickups on foot; the 101 district costs more, but you save on taxis and parking. Skip the settlement-themed attractions on the Ring Road's first 50 kilometres — they are thin.

West and North: Farmsteads, Sagas and Turf

The west rewards slow travel. In Borgarfjörður, the saga museum at Reykholt sits beside Snorralaug, the small pool attributed to Snorri Sturluson, and the surrounding valley is full of low turf walls that most visitors drive past. Further north, the Skagafjörður valley around Sauðárkrókur holds some of the best-preserved turf farm remains in the country, with Glaumbær the standout: a cluster of gabled turf buildings you can walk through in under an hour. Drive times are long — Reykjavík to Sauðárkrókur is roughly four hours in good summer conditions.

Base yourself in Akureyri for the north. It is the second city, with the range of hotels and restaurants that smaller towns lack, and it puts both Skagafjörður and the Eyjafjörður coast within day-trip reach. From Akureyri, the settlement-era sites around Mývatn — including the stubby lava formations and the old farm mounds near Reykjahlíð — are about an hour east. I would book two nights in Akureyri and one in Sauðárkrókur rather than trying to do the whole north from a single base. July and August give you the longest daylight, but June is quieter and cheaper.

The East and South: Coastlines and the Althing

The east is the quietest region and the least interpreted for settlement history, which is part of its appeal. The fjords around Seyðisfjörður and Eskifjörður hold scattered farm ruins and old stone walls, and the local museums in Egilsstaðir cover the region's Norwegian and later settlement patterns with modest but careful displays. If you are driving the Ring Road, the stretch from Egilsstaðir to Höfn takes about three hours and passes through landscape that makes the isolation of early farms obvious in a way no exhibit can.

The south is where you should spend your history time. Þingvellir, about 45 minutes from Reykjavík, is the site of the Althing and the physical rift between tectonic plates; go early in the morning to avoid the coach crowds. Nearby, the turf church at Árbæjar is small but genuine. For hotels, the Selfoss and Hvolsvöllur area gives you easy access to Þingvellir, the south coast waterfalls and the ferry to the Westman Islands, and it is usually better value than staying in Reykjavík and driving out daily. Skip the Golden Circle in a single afternoon if you can — it is crowded and rushed.

Practical Choices: When to Go and What to Book

May and September are the sweet spot for this kind of trip: the sites are open, the roads are clear, and the summer crowds have thinned. June to August brings the best weather and the midnight sun but also the highest room rates. Winter is feasible for Reykjavík and the southwest, but the highland roads and many rural museums close, so keep your settlement itinerary to the capital region and the south coast between October and April.

On hotels: book Reykjavík first, since it sells out earliest, then Akureyri and the Selfoss area. Interior rooms without a view are usually the best value in the capital, and guesthouses in Sauðárkrókur and Egilsstaðir offer more character than the chain hotels. Reserve three to four months ahead for July and August. If you only have a week, I would choose Reykjavík plus the south coast and skip the north entirely — the drive is long and the sites are spread out. Two weeks lets you add Akureyri and Skagafjörður properly.