Eiríksstaðir

The home of a true Viking

Eiríksstaðir in Haukadalur is believed to be the birthplace of Leifur Eiríksson, or “Leif the Lucky”, who is said to be the first European to set foot in North America around the year 1000 A.D.

Archaeologists first studied this site in the mid-20th century, and excavations in the late 1990s uncovered a 10th century longhouse. The remains are visible to the public and guides in Viking-era costumes welcome visitors to a replica of the longhouse. Leifur Eiríksson was the son of Eirík the Red, the famous Norse explorer who founded settlements in Greenland.