7 Best Sights in North Iceland, Iceland

This excellent museum is entirely dedicated to whales with a number of splendid installations. The center provides detailed information on the whale's habitat along with its biology and ecology. Learn about the species in the North Atlantic in detail, as well as whale stranding and natural history. The facility also includes a full and intact skeleton of a 25-meter-long blue whale.

Mývatn, with its feast of midges, is a paradise for birds and well known for its abundance of waterfowl. At Sigurgeir's Bird Museum, located in an impressive turf-topped circular building by the lake, an exhibition of the country's most extensive private collection of taxidermy birds is on display, featuring specimens of nearly every species known to breed in Iceland.

The famed Textile Museum in Blönduós is all about the þráður or the “thread,” and uses this theme to weave together a cohesive and inventive exploration of Icelandic textiles. Stop by to learn about Iceland’s beautiful national costumes, the history of the Icelandic sweater, and the intricacies of embroidery, or just check out which local textile designer is currently showcasing their wares there.

For the perfect soundtrack to your Siglufjörður visit, head to the Folk Music Museum, where you can listen to some traditional folk music and try your hand at a range of antique Icelandic instruments, such as the fiddle and drone zither.

There’s an exhibition on a rare breed of remarkable sheep unique to Iceland here at the Leader Sheep Center. This breed can herd other sheep, sense danger, predict the weather, and navigate—they always find their way home. The wool, which is said to be stronger and softer than regular wool, is for sale, as are other woolen souvenirs and products at the shop.

Climate change, global warming, and other issues affecting the Atlantic puffin population are issues covered at this excellent museum, which also features the taxidermied corpse of an unfortunate polar bear that found its way to Iceland in 1986. They also have footage of whales and a sensational 360 VR experience of the northern lights and the vertigo-inducing cliffs of Drangey Island.

Inside the island’s oldest house, historically renovated to match its original style, is a surprisingly interesting exhibition on the history of shark fishing in Iceland. The Hrísey Tourist Information Center is also here.