One day in Reykjavik can feel like three. The Reykjavik City Card (24-hour) packs art, history, and thermal-pool time into a tight window, with Straeto bus fares included and choices at nearly every turn. My favorite part is the sheer mix—museums, zoo time, and geothermal pools—so you’re not stuck doing only one type of stop. Still, there’s one catch: the bus network and museum hours can limit how much you truly squeeze in before places close.

This card is built for time-tight travelers. I like that there’s no strict route, so you can chase what you’re actually interested in—whether that’s contemporary Icelandic art at Hafnarhús or the photo walls of Reykjavik Museum of Photography. The other big win is the thermal pools: this city treats them like a public service, not a luxury.

The main drawback to plan around: you’ll need to swap your digital voucher for a physical card, and if you rely too heavily on the bus, you can end up walking anyway—especially once you’re outside the downtown cluster.

Key Things You Should Know Before You Go

• It’s choice-based, not a route: pick the sights that fit your day, not a fixed schedule.
• Straeto bus fares are included, but bus timing and stop locations can make walking smarter.
• Museums often run 10:00 to 17:00, so start early if you want several stops.
• Thermal pools are a major value driver: multiple pools are included, with steam/sauna/hot tubs.
• The Videy Island ferry is included, but bus access to the ferry pier may not work well in all seasons.
• Some venues may have temporary changes (exhibits timing, openings), so check current hours on the ground.

Reykjavik City Card 24-Hour: What You’re Actually Buying

For $47.88, you’re buying time savings and predictable admission costs, not a fancy guided tour. Over 24 hours, the card gives you entry to a big set of museums and Reykjavík city thermal pools, plus access to local public bus fare. You also get the zoo and family park entry and the ferry to Videy Island.

That matters in Reykjavik because weather and daylight can change your plans fast. When it’s cold and windy, you want indoor options that still feel worthwhile. This card gives you that, especially if you build your day around clusters: downtown museum buildings first, then pools, then a longer outing like Árbær or Videy if your timing works.

Value-wise, it tends to pay off when you do at least three museums and one or two pools in the same day. If you only visit one museum and skip the pools, it’s harder to feel the win.

Price and Timing: How to Make the $47.88 Feel Worth It

The card runs for 24 hours, but your clock is really controlled by opening hours. Many of the included museums operate on daytime hours (with a common closing at 17:00), so you can easily lose a stop if you start late.

Here’s the strategy I’d use:

• Build a route for the morning to early afternoon in the downtown area.
• Use thermal pools late afternoon or evening—your feet are done by then anyway.
• Save the farther outings (like Árbær) for when you’re ready for a longer block.

One more practical note: you’ll have to swap your digital voucher for the physical city card at museums in Reykjavik. Plan your first stop so you can do the swap quickly, rather than wandering around hoping you can redeem on the spot.

Downtown Art and Modern Design: National Gallery to Kjarvalsstaðir

If you like art that feels distinctly Icelandic—plus the occasional international name—this card is a strong fit. A big share of your money goes toward getting into major art spaces without paying admission one by one.

National Gallery of Iceland (Listasafn Íslands)

This is the “start here” museum for Icelandic art, especially 19th and 20th century works. The museum is also not shy about international artists, with names like Pablo Picasso and Edward Munch showing up in the collection mix. You’ll get a solid hour here, and it’s a good first stop if your day needs structure.

What to watch: this is an art collection museum, so it rewards calm looking rather than rushing.

Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús

Hafnarhús sits in an older harbour warehouse in the city’s oldest part. The building itself gives you context, and the museum’s focus is contemporary exhibitions in multiple galleries, including the work of Erró, a major figure in international pop art.

This is a great stop when you want something more modern and less museum-hallway. You’ll likely spend closer to the two-hour mark if you actually read wall text.

Reykjavik Art Museum Kjarvalsstadir

Kjarvalsstaðir centers on Jóhannes S. Kjarval, with paintings and sculptures of modern-art masters. The big bonus is the setting: floor-to-ceiling windows look toward Klambratún Park, so you get daylight and a breather from indoor darkness.

Reykjavik Art Museum – Asmundarsafn

Asmundarsafn is different because it’s about a sculptor’s personal world—Ásmundur Sveinsson designed and worked in the space. The white dome structure, the sculptures outside, and the inside design create a sense that you’re inside an artwork, not just touring one.

Practical tip: give yourself time to look around both outside and in. It’s the kind of place where you forget to rush.

Iceland Through Time: National Museum and Reykjavik 871±2 Settlement

If art isn’t your only need, the city’s museums here help you understand Iceland’s story in human scale: settlement, culture, and how communities formed.

National Museum of Iceland

This museum is focused on cultural history, with objects that help connect past, present, and future. It’s listed as free with the card, which is a big deal because it means you can prioritize other paid-feeling stops without losing your “must-do” foundation.

Aim for about an hour. The museum feels best when you treat it like orientation for the rest of your trip.

The Settlement Exhibition – Reykjavik 871±2

This one is compact and fascinating. It’s grounded in what scholars believe the central Reykjavík heritage can tell us about early life. The key feature is remains of a hall from the Settlement Age, inhabited from 930 to 1000. You can also see turf wall remnants tied to shortly-before 871 construction.

This exhibition is ideal if you want meaning fast. It’s not a huge time sink, but it gives your later walks through the city more context.

Beyond Art: Maritime Museum, Photography, Culture House, and Small Exhibits

This is where the card stops being “just museums” and becomes “pick the tone you want.”

Reykjavik Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum’s focus is fisheries—150 years of how Iceland’s fishing industry changed from rowing boats to larger vessels, told through the story of Reykjavík as the big fishing port. The setting matters: the building once housed a fish factory.

If you like practical history—work, industry, and how economies shape daily life—this one hits.

Reykjavik Museum of Photography

Photography is one of the smartest uses of a 60-minute slot because you can control your pace. You’ll see Icelandic photography plus work by foreign photographers, with historical and contemporary context.

One thing to keep in mind: opening times can shift by exhibit or season. If you’re tight on schedule, confirm current hours before you climb stairs only to find a late opening.

The Culture House and Points of View

The Culture House hosts a permanent exhibition called Points of View, which lets you view collections from six major Icelandic cultural institutions, organized thematically. You get artworks alongside museum objects and archival material like books and maps.

This is a good choice when you want something interactive-feeling without needing to commit to a large museum day.

Reykjavík City Museum satellite: Aðalstræti 10 and Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum

Aðalstræti 10 is a smaller museum/exhibition space, part of Reykjavík City Museum in multiple locations. It’s a fine “in-between” stop if you’re juggling timing.

Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum is dedicated to the sculptor’s works and was founded by the artist’s widow, Birgitta Spur, using the artist’s studio space at Laugarnes. Even if you don’t know sculpture, it’s the kind of museum where the room and objects do the storytelling.

Open-Air Life at Árbær: When You Want a Reset From City Walls

Árbær Open Air Museum is your change of pace. It’s a farm established well into the 20th century, later turned into an open-air museum with more than 20 buildings. Many buildings were moved from central Reykjavík, so you get the sense of how daily life looked when the city was smaller.

Plan on a longer block—this one is listed for about three hours, and it makes sense. Even if you move fast, you’ll likely want time to wander through the village layout.

This is also the stop I’d choose if your day feels too indoor-heavy after several galleries.

Thermal Pools: The Real Reykjavik Experience (and the Card’s Best Value)

If you only use the card for one thing besides museums, make it the pools. Reykjavik’s thermal pools—sundlaugar—are heated with geothermal water and designed for public use. With the card, you get admission to multiple pools, and the selection can keep your day from turning into a single rushed swim.

Here are the pool types you’ll run into with the card:

• steam baths
• saunas
• hot tubs/jacuzzis
• indoor and outdoor options (depending on the pool)

Some pools included include Grafarvogslaug, Arbaejarlaug, Laugardalslaug, Breiðholtslaug, Dalslaug, Klébergslaug, Sundhollin, and Vesturbaejarlaug. With that variety, you can pick based on whether you want a slide, an outdoor setting, or a quick dip and reset.

My practical advice: treat pools like part of your sightseeing, not an extra. If you schedule one pool block after your first museum stops, you’ll keep your energy up for the rest of the day.

Getting to Videy Island: Included Ferry, Real-World Friction

Videy Island is included, and it’s a strong option if you want nature plus modern art in one place. The island has abundant birdlife and also features modern art installations.

But here’s the logistical reality: ferry access depends on where the bus can take you. One common snag is that bus service may not line up with the ferry pier you need in certain seasons, forcing a taxi for the final stretch. And if you do need a taxi, you’ll want to allow extra time, because drivers may not immediately know the ferry terminal you’re aiming for.

In other words: if Videy is a top priority, plan it earlier in your day and give yourself a buffer. Don’t stack three tight museum stops and then expect a smooth hop to the island.

Straeto Bus Fares: Useful for City Movement, Not a Magic Wand

The card includes public bus fare through Straeto in Reykjavík. That can be handy when the wind makes every street feel uphill.

Still, several practical issues can show up:

• Bus stops that matter most tend to cluster around downtown.
• Service frequency may not feel fast enough when you’re bouncing between distant points.
• If you’re trying to connect across town late in the day, you may end up walking part of the route anyway.

My rule of thumb: use the bus to shorten the long legs, but plan your day with the assumption you’ll walk between nearby stops. Reykjavik is much more doable when you treat it like a walking city, and the card helps you cover the “still-far” distances.

Museums and Opening-Time Gotchas You Should Actually Plan For

A few issues can trip up a 24-hour day. The biggest is timing. Many museums close around 17:00, so you need a morning plan that doesn’t depend on last-minute decisions.

The second is temporary exhibit status. It’s possible to arrive and find an exhibition isn’t on view the way you expected. The photography museum can also have later openings depending on the day.

So don’t do a blind sprint. Use the card day to move through confirmed hours, and keep one flexible option in your back pocket—like a smaller museum stop—so you’re not stuck when something starts later than you thought.

Who Should Buy This Card (and Who Might Not)

This card is ideal for:

• time-tight visitors who want to hit major museums without adding up ticket prices
• people who love art and want several museum stops close together
• anyone who wants to prioritize thermal pools as part of the trip
• families who want the zoo and multiple easy activities in a short span

It may be less ideal if:

• you expect a true hop-on hop-off sightseeing setup (this isn’t that)
• your plan depends on perfect bus connections to distant points at the exact right times
• your itinerary relies on late-afternoon museum time blocks you can’t confirm ahead

If you’re visiting in winter and you plan outdoor-heavy activities, build in extra time and confirm that each site is operating normally.

Should You Book the Reykjavik City Card 24-Hour?

I’d book it if you want maximum variety in a single day: museums in the morning, pools in the evening, and at least one standout like Hafnarhús, the Settlement Exhibition, or the Maritime Museum.

I wouldn’t book it if you’re the type who wants only one big attraction and then to wander slowly—because the bus and the pool entries only feel like a win when you actually use them.

The decision is simple: if you can name at least three card-covered stops you truly want, the math usually works in your favor. If not, you might be better buying fewer tickets one by one and spending that savings on a more flexible day.

FAQ

What’s included in the Reykjavik City Card for 24 hours?

It includes admission to the zoo and family park, admission to several museums, public bus fares in the Reykjavík city area, and admission to several thermal pools. It also includes the ferry to Videy Island.

Do I get a physical card, or do I just show my voucher?

You need to swap your digital voucher for the City Card. The card is issued as a physical card at museums in Reykjavík when you present your voucher.

Which museums are covered by the card?

The card includes admission to places such as the National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús, the National Museum of Iceland, the Settlement Exhibition (Reykjavik 871±2), the Reykjavik Maritime Museum, Reykjavik Museum of Photography, and multiple others listed in the card options.

Are thermal pools included, and how many can I visit?

The card includes admission to multiple Reykjavík public thermal pools. The details provided mention access to 8 swimming pools.

Is the bus included in the city card?

Yes. The card includes admission to public bus transportation in Reykjavík using the Straeto bus.

What are the card’s operating hours?

The provided opening hours are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM, within the validity window of 01/15/2022 to 12/10/2026.