[3] It is situated in Álftanes (Garðabær Municipality), about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the capital city, Reykjavík.

After Snorri's murder in September 1241, Bessastaðir was claimed by the King of Norway.

Thereafter it became a Royal stronghold and the dwellings of the King's highest-ranking officers and officials in Iceland.

In 1867 the farm was purchased by the poet and statesman Grímur Thomsen, who lived there for almost two decades.

In 1940 Sigurður Jónasson bought Bessastaðir and donated it to the state in 1941 as a residence for the Regent and later the President of Iceland.