Gravel lined roads, rolling grass meadows and cozy timber houses of old, it would be easy to believe you had been transported to a Hobbit’s hollow while at Árbæjarsafn. The open air museum is styled after the original Reykjavik village, complete with a blacksmith’s, baker’s and church. Most of the structures within the museum are fully furnished to reflect the Finnish lifestyle in the past, with many of the replicas having parts of the original building incorporated into their structure. A highlight of the town is the traditional turf houses, built into the very earth with walls of rock and large sloping roofs carpeted in grass. In winter, the timber houses and roofs are dusted in powder white with the air of winter wonderland clinging to the wood framework.

Visitors can walk around to observe the exhibits set up within the houses. Alternatively, you could try your hand at candle making from goat fat or taste test traditional Icelandic fair such as smoked lamb and spiced laudabroud, also known as leaf-bread. To appreciate the Nordic wonderland that is Iceland, one must appreciate its roots first and there’s no better place to do so than Árbæjarsafn.