Practical Info

Drinking Water

Iceland has an abundance of pure water and the water from the tap is both fresh and clean.
Bottled, Icelandic water is from the same source as the equally pure water coming from the tap

Be safe!

Iceland's pristine nature is both beautiful and at times dangerous. Be aware of sudden and unexpected changes of weather and dress
accordingly. Always notify someone of your plans before entering wilderness territory. A safe tourist is a happy tourist!

Roads and Back-Roads

Icelandic roads can be tricky, and when entering the highlands you are unlikely to find roads suitible for smaller cars. Asphalt is not always a given, and many country roads are single-laned gravel roads. The Icelandic Road Administration

Important phone numbers

112                     Emergency, Police, ambulance, fire department, medicine.
444-1000           Police
543-2000           Emergency ward (24 hour service)
1770                  Doctor on duty
575-0505          Dental ward
510-6500          Health centre for Tourists
118                    Information (on addresses and phonenumbers)       


Time

Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year and does not change to daylight savings time.
When it is noon in Iceland it's:
New York     08:00
London          13:00
Paris              14:00
Oslo              14:00
Luxembourg  14:00
Rome            14:00
Tokyo           21:00          

Electricity

The voltage is 220, 50HZ AC. Please note that prongs can be different from your standards. All major hotels can provide you with adapter prongs to use on your electronics.

Tipping

There is no tipping in Iceland, as the service charges and VAT are included in the price.

Money

All major banks exchange foreign currencies. FOREX-bank in Bankastræti 2 (Reykjavík) accepts travellers cheques and more than 70 currencies.

Wire transfer

FOREX-bank in Reykjavík is a representative for Moneygram. Moneygram sends and receives money within 10 minutes from it being transfered from most countries in the world.

Cards

Visa, EuroCard, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express are widely accepted.

Tax Free Shopping

Visitors can get a valued added tax (VAT) on phurchases that exeed 4.000-,ISK in each shop. Keep your eye open for Tax Free Shopping signs and ask the clerk for a refund. The refund will be given as a cheque or a coupon that you can exchange at Keflavík airport on your departure.
There are also Tax Free Clerks located on departure on all major cruise ships. The refund is aprox. 15% of purchased price.

General offices:
Weekdays from 9:15-17:00


Public offices
Weekdays from 10:00-15:00/16:00

Banks

Weekdays from 9:15-16:00. A 24 hour bank is available at Landsbankinn at Keflavík airport.

Liquor Stores

The state runs the liquor stores and it is called Vínbúð. Majority of the shops are open from Monday-Thursday 11:00-18:00, Friday 11:00-19:00 and Saturday 11-18:00.

Shops and Supermarkets

Monday-Thursday 10:00-19:00
Friday                    10:00-19:30
Saturday                 10:00-18:00
Sunday                    12:00-18:00

Smáralind mall and Kringlan mall are open on Thursdays until 21:00.


Public Holidays in Iceland

Banks and most business are closed on these following dates:

  • New Years Day (1.January)
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Sunday
  • Easter Monday
  • First day of Summer
  • Labour day (1.May)   
  • Ascension Day
  • Pentecost-Whitsun Monday
  • National Day (17.June)
  • Commerce Day
  • Christmas Eve (24.December)
  • Christmas Day (25.December)
  • St.Stephens Day (26.December)
  • New Years Eve (31.December)