Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Eiríksstaðir is a reconstructed turf longhouse in Dalir, West Iceland, built near the ruins believed to be the farm of Erik the Red, father of Leif Eiríksson. It is open daily from 1 April to 31 October, with costumed guides telling the story of the site and the Viking age. It is about a 2.5-hour drive from Reykjavík.
The ruins at Eiríksstaðir are thought to be the home of Erik the Red, the Norse explorer who was outlawed from Iceland and went on to settle Greenland. His son, Leif Eiríksson, is said to have been born here before later becoming the first known European to reach North America. A separate reconstructed longhouse stands a short distance from the original ruins, built using traditional turf and timber methods.
Inside, guides in Viking-age dress explain how people lived at the time: the layout of the longhouse, the tools and textiles on display, and the sagas connected to the family. It is a hands-on stop rather than a formal museum, and it works well combined with a drive around Dalir, a quiet farming area with strong ties to the Icelandic sagas.
Eiríksstaðir lies in Haukadalur, a quiet valley in Dalir, on the way from Borgarnes towards the Westfjords. Short trails lead from the car park to the longhouse, to the grassed-over ruins of the original farm and to a statue of Leif Eiríksson, known as Leif the Lucky. If you are curious about how Iceland was settled and how the Vikings really lived, this is one of the best places in the country to see it up close.
Norse settlers began arriving in Iceland from Norway around the year 874. About a century later, Eiríkur Þorvaldsson farmed here in Haukadalur with his wife Þjóðhildur. He was called Erik the Red because of his red hair and beard.
Erik the Red was banished from Iceland after a series of killings and sailed west, where he found and named Greenland to make it sound inviting to settlers. His son Leif Eiríksson grew up around this farm before sailing even further west, becoming, according to the sagas, the first European to set foot in North America, in a region he called Vínland.
The site is described in Eiríks saga rauða (Erik the Red's Saga) and Grænlendinga saga (The Saga of the Greenlanders), two of the Icelandic sagas that record the settlement of Greenland and the Norse voyages to North America.
The site is only staffed and open in summer. Outside 1 April to 31 October the longhouse is closed to visitors.
The visit is hands-on. You are meant to sit down, pick things up and ask questions.
The longhouse is a reconstruction built next to the ruins. The ruins themselves are protected, so please stay on the paths.
Outside the opening season, only the exterior and the surrounding countryside can be seen.
The site has toilets and a small reception area. There is no café; the nearest services are in the village of Búðardalur.
Búðardalur is the main village in Dalir and has guesthouses and a hotel. Borgarnes, further south, is another option with more services if you are travelling on from Snæfellsnes or the Westfjords.
The nearby ruins are believed to be his farm, though this cannot be proven with certainty. The longhouse visitors walk through is a modern reconstruction next to those ruins.
Daily from 1 April to 31 October. It is closed the rest of the year.
Around 30–45 minutes, including time with a costumed guide inside the longhouse.
Yes, the hands-on style and storytelling generally work well for families, though there is no play area on site.
Eiríkur Þorvaldsson, a Norse farmer nicknamed for his red hair and beard. He lived at Eiríksstaðir with his wife Þjóðhildur, was outlawed from Iceland and went on to settle Greenland.
Yes. Visitors can try on a helmet and Viking clothes and handle replica weapons and tools inside the longhouse.
Drive Route 1 north past Borgarnes, turn left onto Route 60 towards Búðardalur, then right onto Route 586 into Haukadalur. The longhouse is about 8 km along, on the left.
Yes. A short trail leads to them. They were covered with grass after the excavations, so you see the outline of the house, not standing walls.
Tours and trips that include Eiríksstaðir, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
