There are not many interesting monuments in Iceland.
Historic buildings and structures were built of wood and mostly have not survived to the present day. The poor country could not afford expensive castles or cathedrals and did not need them. Even the parliament (Althingi) simply gathered at one of the rocks (Logberg) in today’s Thingvellir National Park.

The largest collection of historic buildings can be seen at the Arbaer open-air museum in Reykjavik, but even that is overwhelmingly houses from the 19th century at farthest.

Perhaps the most interesting sights on the island are the turf-covered churches, or Protestant churches. You’ll see one in Arbaer, but the most famous one lies to the north – it’s Víðimýrarkirkja near the town of Varmahlíð.

The lack of other sights makes the wreckage of a military plane on one of the beaches in the south of the island or the remains of a ship that crashed on the Snaefellsnes peninsula very popular.

Although we come to Iceland for the volcanoes and glaciers, it is certainly also worth seeing how Icelanders lived centuries ago. Also, an airplane wreck, although perhaps not very historic, in the Icelandic outdoors can present itself really beautifully.

See what sights and historical attractions you can see in Iceland.