Reykjavik: Practical A–Z

Entry

Iceland is a Schengen member, but not in the EU. As an EU citizen, you don't need a visa — a valid ID card or passport is sufficient. Upon arrival, there is no significant border control (Schengen flight). Customs regulations: Alcohol import is heavily limited (1 liter of spirits + 0.75 liter of wine + 3 liters of beer, OR 1 liter of spirits + 6 liters of beer, OR other combinations up to 3,000 ISK).

Currency & Payment

The Icelandic Krona (ISK) is the national currency, but you practically need no cash. Iceland is one of the most cashless countries in the world — you can pay everywhere with a credit card: in supermarkets, at hotdog stands, in taxis, even in some public toilets. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere. You might only need cash for the flea market (Kolaportið).

Tipping

In Iceland, tipping is not customary — prices include the service. Neither in restaurants, taxis, nor hotels is tipping expected. Icelanders would find it strange.

Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world — the police do not carry weapons, violent crimes against tourists are practically unknown, and children play outside unsupervised in the evenings. The real dangers in Iceland do not come from people, but from nature.

Natural Hazards

• Weather: Can change within minutes — sunshine to snowstorm in an hour. Always check the forecast on vedur.is, especially before trips outside the city.
• Wind: Gusts can be so strong that they rip off car doors (!) — always hold the door when getting out. In winter, roads can be closed due to storms (road.is for current status).
• Geothermal areas: The water in natural hot springs can be 100°C hot. Only enter the water at marked spots! Thin earth crusts can break.
• Waves: The "Sneaker Waves" (sudden, large waves) on Iceland's south coast — especially at Reynisfjara beach — are life-threatening. Never turn your back to the sea, never go closer than 30 meters to the surf.
• Glacial rivers: Never attempt to wade through rivers without a bridge — the current and depth are unpredictable.

Emergency number: 112 (police, fire, rescue). Register on safetravel.is before going on day trips outside Reykjavik — in an emergency, the rescue service knows where you are.

Icelandic

Icelandic is one of the oldest living languages in Europe — it has changed little since Viking times. Icelanders can read the medieval sagas in the original as if they were written yesterday. The language is actively protected: instead of importing foreign words, a language commission invents Icelandic neologisms (Computer = tölva, from "number prophetess"; Telephone = sími, from "wire").

English

All Icelanders speak excellent English — you will be understood everywhere without any problems. German is less common, but older Icelanders often learned it in school.

Useful Icelandic Words

• Takk / Takk fyrir — Thank you / Many thanks
• Skál! — Cheers!
• Bless! — Bye (sounds like "bless", used ubiquitously)
• Þetta reddast — "It will all work out" — the unofficial Icelandic motto. Explains the entire Icelandic mentality.
• Pylsa / Pylsur — Hotdog / Hotdogs
• Heitur pottur — Hotpot / hot pool

Year-round — the golden rule: Layers!

Iceland's weather is so changeable that you can experience all four seasons in a single day. The solution: layering principle (onion principle). Not a single warm jacket, but several layers that you can put on and take off.

• Windproof, waterproof outer jacket: THE most important piece of clothing in Iceland. The wind is a bigger enemy than the cold.
• Fleece or down jacket: As a middle layer. Packable, warm, quick-drying.
• Merino underwear: Keeps warm even when wet, doesn't itch, doesn't smell. Worth the investment.
• Hiking boots: Waterproof, ankle-high, broken in. Indispensable for the Golden Circle, Þingvellir, and hikes.
• Hat, gloves, scarf/buff: Year-round. Yes, even in summer — the wind on the glacier edge or at the waterfall is cutting.
• Rain pants: Sounds uncool, saves the day. You'll get wet at Gullfoss.
• Swimwear: For the hotpots, the Blue Lagoon, and the city baths. Year-round!
• Reusable water bottle: Icelandic tap water is glacier water — the purest and tastiest in the world. Never buy water!

Summer (June–August)

• Sunglasses: The midnight sun is dazzling — especially on water and glaciers.
• Sleep mask: If you can't sleep in the light — and it does NOT get dark.
• Light long-sleeve shirt: 14°C and sunshine feel pleasant, but the wind cools.

Winter (October–March)

• Warm down jacket: In addition to the windproof outer layer.
• Thermal underwear: For northern lights hunting and outdoor excursions at −5°C to −15°C.
• Tripod: For northern lights photos. Small, light, stable.
• Headlamp: Indispensable in the dark on the way to the northern lights spot.
• Hand warmers (disposable): For the hours spent outdoors waiting for the northern lights.