Perlan Interactive Nature Museum in Iceland Review

Last Updated on November 15, 2023 by Suzy McCullough

Our trip to Perlan near Reykjavik was a last-minute plan on our recent holiday to Iceland. The day before we’d decided to make a change to our itinerary as the cold weather was starting to get into our bones. It was time to do something indoors. We hadn’t visited Perlan the last time we were in Iceland. My son had seen a number of adverts for it on the plane over so he had already expressed an interest in visiting.

Visiting as 3 generations we were all pleased with the change of plan and we all really enjoyed our visit to Perlan. Perlan is an Interactive Nature Museum located in an iconic building located on a hill overlooking Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. You can enjoy some panoramic views, especially from the glass dome restaurant. There are interactive exhibits, films and a unique ice cave experience.

Perlan Interactive Nature Museum in Iceland Review

When we arrived we headed straight for the cafe and restaurant as we were in need of some lunch. We chose to eat at the restaurant as their pizzas sounded delicious. We chose a table near the bar and I’d mentioned to my Mum that I felt dizzy but couldn’t work out why. The longer we sat there it started to dawn on us that the restaurant was indeed rotating. The whole of the top dome rotates very slowly around. I never even knew! This was such fun for us that we also had a drink in the cafe at the end of our visit just so we could enjoy the experience for a bit longer. The pizzas by the way were as good as they sounded.

Perlan Interactive Nature Museum in Iceland Review rotating restaurant

Table of Contents

Perlan Things To Do

Lava Show

After lunch, we decided to watch the two shows. The first, due to timings, was the Lava show which takes place a number of times throughout the day. You sit in a small room and watch clips from the Geldingadalir eruption that happened next to Reykjavik in March 2021. It was the first eruption in the area in over 800 years and it was known as a tourist volcano which meant many people visited the eruption. You could even see the eruption from Reykjavik and due to the nature of the eruption, all inhabitants were completely safe from it. The lava flow was small and slow-moving allowing people to safely observe the eruption from a distance.

The Northern Lights Show

This show takes place on the hour and every half hour in the Planetarium. You will get to experience a breathtaking 360o masterpiece of the aurora borealis. This was fascinating and great for adults and children to learn exactly how the northern lights are created and why they are created. You can see the northern lights dance all around you through a state-of-the-art 8k projection system and surround sound.

Ice Cave

This was my son’s favourite thing to do at Perlan. The cave at Perlan is the world’s first indoor ice cave. It has been built with over 350 tons of snow and it is 100 metres long. It is really cold in there but bearable. I wouldn’t go in without a coat. The cave is fascinating to explore and you can touch the walls and take as much time as you like to take photos.

So long as you stick to the metal grid on the ground the floor isn’t at all slippy. My son especially loved the chair made out of ice.

You exit the cave into the Glaciers exhibit. We spent quite a bit of time here learning all about the formation and the melting of Iceland’s glaciers. There are a few interactive exhibits inside this gallery which are both fun and educational.

Latrabjarg Cliff

We loved this cliff, what an excellent idea it was for an exhibition. At first glance, it’s a large-scale model of a cliff which is full of models of seabirds including puffins. Next to the cliff, there are some large telescopes. If you point the camera at certain points on the cliff you can see the cliff come to life through augmented reality. We’ve not seen anything like this before, it’s such a great idea.

Other Interactive Exhibits at Perlan

There are also a number of galleries full of interactive and interesting exhibits at Perlan. There is the Forces of Nature exhibition where you can learn more about volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal energy.

We spent quite a long time exploring The Ocean exhibit as there was lots to discover including virtual fish tanks and interactive experiences that are both informative and educational.

Some of the interactive elements of the displays were like nothing we’d ever come across before. Perlan is certainly making use of some incredible new advances. Plus there were a few other exhibitions and an outdoor observation deck with great views of Reykjavik and out to sea. If you are visiting Iceland we can certainly recommend a visit to Perlan. Current prices are £30 for an adult and £17 for children aged 6-17. Children under the age of 6 are free. We spent around 4 hours there and we could have spent at least another hour there.