Gljúfrasteinn – Laxness Museum

Gljúfrasteinn is the home of Halldór Laxness, Iceland's Nobel Prize-winning novelist, preserved as a museum beside Route 36 in the Mosfellsdalur valley on the way from Reykjavík to Þingvellir. The museum describes itself as about 20 minutes from Reykjavík, which makes Gljúfrasteinn the first real stop on the Golden Circle if you are driving yourself. Inside, the house looks much as it did when Laxness and his wife Auður Sveinsdóttir lived and worked here.

It is a small museum, and that is its strength. You see the rooms of a working writer rather than a display about one, and an hour here gives Iceland a voice before you reach the landscape at Þingvellir.

Who was Halldór Laxness?

Halldór Laxness was born in Reykjavík in 1902 and grew up at the farm of Laxnes, just down the valley, from the age of three. His first novel came out in 1919, and over the next decades he wrote the books that made his name abroad, including Independent People and Iceland's Bell. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955, and he died in 1998.

He took his pen name from the Laxnes farm, so the valley you drive through on Route 36 is the one he wrote about and walked in for most of his life.

The house at Gljúfrasteinn

Halldór and Auður built Gljúfrasteinn in 1945 on the banks of the Kaldakvísl river, to a design by the architect Ágúst Pálsson. The name comes from a large stone near the house. It became more than a family home: after the Nobel Prize, visiting dignitaries were brought here, and musicians gave concerts in the living room.

Auður sold the house to the Icelandic state in 2002, the centenary of Halldór's birth, and it opened as a museum in 2004.

What you see inside

The two rooms that matter most are the living room on the ground floor and Laxness's study upstairs. The study holds his library and the desk where he stood to write. Throughout the house hang works by leading 20th-century Icelandic artists, among them Jóhannes Kjarval, Nína Tryggvadóttir and Svavar Guðnason. The design furniture is the couple's own choice.

Start in the reception building, which has a short multimedia presentation on his life and work in Icelandic, English and Swedish. The audio guide for the house comes in Icelandic, English, German, Swedish and Danish. French speakers get an illustrated guide instead.

The garden and the walk to Helgufoss

The garden is open to visitors, and the valley around the house is the countryside Laxness walked through for decades. A path runs from the house along the Kaldakvísl river to the Helgufoss waterfall, a pleasant leg-stretch on a dry day before you get back in the car.

Gljúfrasteinn opening hours and tickets

The museum's visitor information sets these hours and prices:

• June to August: daily, 10:00–17:00
• March to May and September to October: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–16:00 (closed Mondays)
• November to February: Tuesday to Friday, 10:00–16:00
• Adults ISK 1,500; pensioners and students ISK 1,200
• Children and disabled visitors free

The ground floor is wheelchair accessible but the upper floor, including the study, is not, so the audio guide and a virtual visit are offered downstairs. Groups should book a guided tour in advance.

Summer concerts

In summer the museum runs a concert series in the living room, which it lists as Sundays at 16:00, carrying on the tradition of musicians playing in the house. Dates vary from year to year, so check the programme on the museum's website before you plan around one.

How to get to Gljúfrasteinn

From Reykjavík, take Route 1 north to Mosfellsbær and turn onto Route 36 (Þingvallavegur) towards Þingvellir. The museum is beside the road in Mosfellsdalur, before Route 36 climbs onto the Mosfellsheiði moor. From there, Þingvellir is straight ahead on the same road.

Golden Circle coach tours drive past on Route 36 but do not stop. If you want the museum without driving, a customisable private Golden Circle tour lets you add side trips to the classic route, so ask for Gljúfrasteinn when you book.

How long to spend at Gljúfrasteinn

Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the house and the audio guide, and another hour if you walk to Helgufoss and back. On a full Golden Circle day, an hour here in the morning still leaves plenty of time for Geysir and Gullfoss, and our self-drive Golden Circle itinerary shows how the stops fit together.

Things to do near Gljúfrasteinn

The obvious next stop is the rift valley at Þingvellir, further along Route 36, where the Alþingi met from 930. Before you get there, a short detour north on Route 48 takes you to Þórufoss, a waterfall on the Laxá í Kjós.

If you are planning the whole day yourself, Gljúfrasteinn works best as an easy opener before the bigger sights further east.

Photo: Hreinn Gudlaugsson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikipedia