Whales of Iceland
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Whales of Iceland is a natural history museum located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, Iceland. First opened in 2015, the museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the various cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history.
attractions: FlyOver Iceland, Lava Show, Aurora Reykjavík - The Northern Lights Center, Saga Museum, The Settlement Exhibition, Ingólfur Square, Reykjavík Maritime Museum, Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús, Cathedral of Christ the King, Þúfa, restaurants: Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Seabaron, Apotek Restaurant, Reykjavik Fish Restaurant, The Laundromat Cafe, Fish Company, Sæta Svínið Gastropub, Kopar, Bryggjan Brugghús
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Whales of Iceland is a natural history museum located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, Iceland. First opened in 2015, the museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the various cetacean species that have been sighted in Icelandic waters throughout recorded history.
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We visited this museum as we had some time to kill in Reykjavik on our last day. As it was close to the food market as well as the chocolate factory, we chose to go to the whales of Iceland. We did not regret it. This museum is the future of zoos. No animals in captivity, but you get a very good feeling of them. The exhibition was very detailed, the audio guide was very detailed and gave us a lot of information on the whales living around Iceland. It was mesmerizing to see how huge these beautiful animals are. Would definitely recommend to visit this place. It is quite expensive, though. But in my eyes, worth the price. Even (or especially) if some of the comments here that a museum with live Exponates is cheaper.. the movie that is shown abt 4 times a day is also worth watching. Very interesting, but also kind of disturbing in what way we influence the oceans without even knowing.
Henning Schoob (Mr._HBS)Henning Schoob (Mr._HBS)
10
My family and I enjoyed an extremely pleasant visit here after our Puffin-Watching Tour which is located nearby. It’s small but we considered it worth the entrance fee as it is a lovely space with a well-told story. All the whale models are to scale, including the massive Blue whale — and very realistically detailed. There are actual whale artifacts as well. The serenely subdued lighting, the art on the wall, and the natural poses of the models, all suspended from the ceiling, makes you feel as though you were underwater with these magnificent creatures. The printed information is easily accessible in both English and Icelandic. There are hands-on activities and play space for young children as well as a Citizen Scientist project station for older ones and a small cafe, eating area and gift shop. I highly recommend visiting this museum.
Jeannette IllsleyJeannette Illsley
00
While in iceland I should have gone on a boat whale watching which I was very excited about but due to adverse weather this was cancelled. We were told the whale museum was very good so decided to give it a try. I have to say if we had young children with us maybe it would have been more enjoyable as they can go around with a fact finding sheet. The place its self was very well presented and they had full life size models of all the whales hanging from the ceiling also each whale had its own fact board next to it you could read this or have audio on but as you can imagine if 4 or 5 people all have diffrent audios on at the same time it becomes very loud. We stopped at the little cafe in there and had a hot drink that was very reasonable but the place just wasn't for me.
Sharon SwiftSharon Swift
00
A wonderful museum with the whales and dolphins crafted according to scale - gives a good sense of what a real whale would look like in a proportion to a human being. The models were realistic and well-painted, and also could be touched; they would sway as if in the ocean, which was a nice touch against the blue oceanic lighting. The documentary was worth watching, and the information and tour were also interesting. It opened our eyes to the scale of noise pollution in the ocean, and man’s negative impact on ocean life. There’s also a small cafe inside to rest your feet with free WiFi, and an origami station and whale skeletal structure for kids to play with. A bit pricey but definitely worth a visit, especially for whale lovers. An amazing place - would go again!
Denise GohDenise Goh
00
Come face to face with these incredible and majestic animals. They will give you an audio guide when you walk in. It's very interesting and witnessing these sculptures built to scale will blow your mind. I had no idea that a blue whale was so incredibly large. It almost took up the length of the entire building. You'll also find a theatre room in the back with a very interesting documentary about whales and whale conservation. Humans are killing these majestic animals through whaling, plastic pollution and noise pollution (sonar's being sent via military ships). This documentary highlights all of this to shed some light on the reality whales have to deal with. It's really sad. If you want to learn more about whales I highly recommend visiting this place.
Travis DavidsTravis Davids
00
“Ein MUSS, wenn man in Reykjavík ist.” Wir waren während einer Rundreise in Reykjavík, mit dem Ziel die Schönheiten und Highlights von Island uns anzuschauen. Eines dieser unvergesslichen Highlights, war für uns ganz klar das Wal-Museum (Whales of Iceland), welches direkt im Hafengebiet von Reykjavík liegt. Direkt in der Nähe befindet sich auch das bekannte „Saga Museum“. Den Eintrittspreis von 4.000 ISK für zwei Personen (ca. 34- €) haben wir nicht bereut. Dazu muss man noch dazu sagen, dass es sich hier um einen Seniortarif (ab 66 Jahre) handelt. Der Normalpreis beträgt z. Zt. 3.000 ISK und bei einer Vorausbuchung spart man 15%. Es war einfach wunderschön, einmalig und sehr beeindruckend, da es sich hier um eine sehr realistische Darstellung, dieser in Lebensgröße modellierten Walarten handelt. Insgesamt 23 lebensgroße Modelle von Walen, die in den Gewässern in und um Island gefunden wurden, sind hier zu bewundern. Neben Schaukästen und Informationstafeln über die verschiedenen Walarten, kann man auch die eigenartigen Walgesänge über Kopfhörer hören. Nur hier bekommt man ein Gespür, für die wahre Größe der Tiere und fühlt sich durch das blaue Licht und die Wassergeräusche, als währe man selber unter Wasser. Sehr beeindruckt hat uns zum Beispiel ein Blauwal, der als eines der größten Tiere gilt, die jemals auf Erden gelebt haben. Sie erreichen die Länge eines Airbus A320 und das Gewicht eines Jumbo Jets. Der hier ausgestellte hatte eine majestätische Länge, von ca. 25 Meter, welches fast der Länge eines Basketballplatzes entspricht. Ein wirklich wahrer Gigant der Meere. Auch den geheimnisvollen und mythischen Einhornwal, den Narwal der als einziger Meeressäuger ein Horn trägt haben wir hier bewundern können. Wir sind der Meinung, dass diese Ausstellung, nicht nur für alle Walfans, ein absolutes Muss ist, sondern wie bereits gesagt, ein Muss ist wenn man schon mal in Reykjavík ist. So etwas hatten wir noch nie gesehen. Auch sollte man wissen, dass dies die größte Wal Ausstellung in Europa ist und Wale gehören zu Isländischen Kultur, einfach dazu. Ps. Abrunden kann man den Rundgang welchen ca. eine Stunde dauern kann, mit einen kostenlosen Kaffee, der als kleine Aufmerksamkeit, am Ausgangsbereich noch angeboten wird.
K. FranzK. Franz
20
Nearby Attractions Of Whales of Iceland
FlyOver Iceland
Lava Show
Aurora Reykjavík - The Northern Lights Center
Saga Museum
The Settlement Exhibition
Ingólfur Square
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús
Cathedral of Christ the King
Þúfa
FlyOver Iceland
4.7
(1.9K)Click for details
Lava Show
4.8
(1.3K)Click for details
Aurora Reykjavík - The Northern Lights Center
4.4
(877)Click for details
Saga Museum
4.2
(826)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Whales of Iceland
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Seabaron
Apotek Restaurant
Reykjavik Fish Restaurant
The Laundromat Cafe
Fish Company
Sæta Svínið Gastropub
Kopar
Bryggjan Brugghús
Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre
4.6
(3.6K)Click for details
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
4.4
(3.1K)$
Click for details
Seabaron
4.5
(1.7K)$$
Click for details
Apotek Restaurant
4.6
(1.2K)$$$
Click for details
Reviews
Overview
4.2
(1.2K reviews)
Phone
+354 571 0077
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Website
whalesoficeland.is
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