, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.Police, Fire, and Ambulance: Tel. 112 (Europe-wide in English)
US Embassy in Reykjavík: By appointment only Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, tel. 595-2200, after-hours line for emergencies only—595-2248, Laufásvegur 21, (may move to Engjateigur 7 by the time you visit) http://is.usembassy.gov.
Canadian Embassy in Reykjavík: Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00 and by appointment, Túngata 14, tel. 575-6500, www.canadainternational.gc.ca/iceland-islande.
This list includes selected festivals plus national holidays observed in Iceland. Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the dates with the festival website, the national tourist office (www.visiticeland.com), or my “Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Iceland” web page (www.ricksteves.com/europe/iceland/festivals).
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Jan 6 | 13th Day of Christmas (bonfires, fireworks) |
| Mid-Jan-mid-Feb | Þorri (Old Norse midwinter celebration) |
| Early-mid-Feb | Carnival Week: starts Feb 13 in 2018; Feb 4 in 2019 (special foods, costumes) |
| April | Easter: April 1, 2018; April 21, 2019 |
| April | Aldrei Fór Ég Suður music festival in Ísafjörður, Westfjords (Easter weekend, www.aldrei.is) |
| Late April | Old Norse first day of summer: April 19, 2018; April 25, 2019 (parades, sports) |
| May 1 | Labor Day |
| May | Ascension Day: May 10, 2018; May 30, 2019 |
| May-June | Whitsunday and Whit Monday: May 20-21, 2018; June 9-10, 2019 |
| Early June | Seaman’s Day, Reykjavík (first Sun, www.hatidhafsins.is) |
| June 17 | Icelandic National Day (parades, theater) |
| Mid-June | Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður (www.fjorukrain.is) |
| Early July | Goslok festival in Vestmannaeyjar (commemorates end of 1973 volcanic eruption) |
| Early July | Icelandic horse convention (even years only, www.landsmot.is) |
| Early Aug | Commerce Day, a.k.a. “Shop Workers’ Day Off” (first Mon) |
| Early Aug | Þjóðhátíð National Festival in Herjólfsdalur, Westman Islands (first weekend; fireworks, bonfires, and singing; www.dalurinn.is) |
| Late Aug | Culture Night in Reykjavík (free admission to museums; www.menningarnott.is) |
| Sept | Réttir—sheep roundups in the countryside |
| Late Sept- early Nov | Reykjavík International Film Festival (www.riff.is) |
| Oct 8 | Lighting of Imagine Peace Tower, Viðey Island, Reykjavík (www.imaginepeacetower.com) |
| Late-Oct-early Nov | Iceland Airwaves music festival, Reykjavík (www.icelandairwaves.is) |
| Dec 23 | St. Þorlákur’s Day (Christmas shopping, evening strolling, traditional meals of skate) |
| Dec 25 | Christmas |
| Dec 31 | New Year’s Eve (bonfires and fireworks) |
To learn more about Iceland past and present, check out a few of these books and films. Some of these books may be difficult to access outside Iceland, though you may find used copies at online retailers.
Bringing Down the Banking System (Guðrún Johnsen, 2013). A finance scholar and banking regulator explains Iceland’s colossal 2008 bank failure in layman’s terms.
Does Anyone Actually Eat This? (Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir, 2014). Iceland’s best-known food writer reviews the country’s food traditions.
The History of Iceland (Gunnar Karlsson, 2000). This well-written general history of the country also comes in a condensed version, called A Brief History of Iceland.
The Indian (Jón Gnarr, 2015). Iceland’s best-known comic actor—and recent mayor of Reykjavík—recalls his childhood, during which he was bullied and sent to a boarding school. Two sequels, The Outlaw and The Pirate, carry on his story.
Lake Mývatn: People and Places (Björg Árnadóttir, 2015). This is a friendly introduction to the popular Lake Mývatn region.
The Little Book of the Icelanders (Alda Sigmundsdóttir, 2012). An Icelander returns home after living in America and explains Icelandic culture with a critical and sometimes cynical eye.
Names for the Sea (Sarah Moss, 2013). A British academic writes about the year she spent in Iceland with her husband and kids.
The Ring of Seasons (Terry Lacy, 2000). An American and long-term Iceland resident describes an idealized year in the life of an Icelandic family.
Ripples from Iceland (Amalia Líndal, 1962). In 1949, a young woman from Boston marries an Icelandic student, moves to Reykjavík, and starts a family.
Viking Age Iceland (Jesse Byock, 2001). Byock provides a good introduction to the society and politics of Iceland in its earliest years, from settlement through the 13th century.
Wasteland with Words: A Social History of Iceland (Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon, 2010). This book focuses on the period from 1870 to 1940, when Iceland grew from a shivering, impoverished colony to a land on the brink of prosperity and independence.
The Windows of Brimnes (Bill Holm, 2007). Minnesotan writer and poet Bill Holm, who spent several summers in a cottage in Skagafjörður near the home of his ancestors, reflects on the differences between Iceland and the US.
Angels of the Universe (Einar Már Guðmundsson, 1993). An intelligent young man’s descent into mental illness in 1960s Reykjavík is the focus of this gripping, award-winning novel.
The Blue Fox (Sjón, 2003). In this short, poetically written fable a 19th-century Lutheran pastor hunts an arctic fox.
Burial Rites (Hannah Kent, 2013). Kent writes a fictionalized account of the final months of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, whose 1830 beheading (for taking part in a murder) was the last time the death penalty was used in Iceland.
Frozen Assets (Quentin Bates, 2011). This book is one in a series of gripping crime novels starring Gunnhildur “Gunna” Gísladóttir—a shrewd policewoman who, in the course of a murder investigation, uncovers corruption at the highest levels.
Independent People (Halldór Laxness, 1934). Nobel Prize-winning Laxness’ best novel tells the story of Bjartur, a farm laborer, who jumps at the rare chance to have his own farm. In his single-minded quest to take charge of his destiny, he destroys everyone around him.
Jar City (Arnaldur Indriðason, 2005). An older man is murdered in a basement apartment in downtown Reykjavík. A troubled police detective follows a trail of clues back many years, and ends up solving a medical mystery. Silence of the Grave, another crime novel by the same author, is also good.
The Sagas of the Icelanders (edited by Robert Kellogg, 2001). These classic stories, still fresh after 800 years, are set appealingly amidst the Icelandic landscape.
Someone to Watch Over Me (Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, 2013). Police detective Thora Guðmundsdóttir tries to prove that a young man with Down syndrome was innocent of arson. This book is part of another popular series of crime novels.
These films and shows are generally available for streaming in the US.
101 Reykjavík (2000). This comedy is set in downtown Reykjavík in the 1990s—before tourism took over—when it was still bohemian. Hlynur lives with his mother and is having problems committing to his girlfriend. He winds up involved with Lola, who is his mother’s friend—in fact, more than her friend.
Devil’s Island (1996). This film highlights the adventures of a lower-class Reykjavík family living in abandoned WWII barracks. It includes gangs, an Elvis soundtrack, and a main character aptly named Baddi.
Life in a Fishbowl (2014; Icelandic title: Vonarstræti). Three lives intersect during Iceland’s financial collapse: an alcoholic writer, a young unmarried mother who has turned to prostitution, and a morally compromised banking executive.
No Such Thing (2001). This bizarre American-Icelandic indie film, with its Beauty and the Beast theme, stars Sarah Polley as a journalist who tries to tame the beast—who incidentally killed her fiancé.
Nói the Albino (2003). Nói is a teenage boy in the remote Westfjords who hates school and lives with his grandmother and alcoholic father. He falls for a girl at the local gas station in this portrait of small-town adolescence.
The Seagull’s Laughter (2001). In the 1950s, shapely Freyja returns to her hometown in Iceland from America, where she has been living with her soldier husband, and stirs up all kinds of trouble.
Trapped (2016; Icelandic title: Ófærð). As the car ferry from the Faroe Islands arrives one day, a body is found floating in the fjord. The pass is snowed in, so none of the passengers can leave town, and investigators from Reykjavík can’t arrive. Whodunit?
The remaining films may be harder to find (check www.icelandiccinema.com).
Angels of the Universe (2000). Páll descends into mental illness after being dumped by his girlfriend. The movie (based on Einar Már Guðmundsson’s book) is a masterpiece but also tragic.
Children of Nature (1991). A man and a woman, once childhood friends, meet again when they move into the same senior citizens home. They decide to escape together and go on a car trip into the countryside.
The Icelandic Dream (2000). Tóti tries everything he can to get ahead, but keeps messing up. This dark, realist, somewhat-amateurish comedy explores class differences in Reykjavík and the effects of the former American military presence.
Mr. Bjarnfreðarson (2009). This black comedy stars Jón Gnarr as a sadistic misfit, damaged for life by his mother’s left-wing activism and trying to regroup after serving prison time for an “accidental” murder.
Remote Control (1992; Icelandic title: Sódóma Reykjavík). Axel goes in search of his mother’s lost TV remote and gets mixed up with a gang of mobsters. This low-budget comedy with a hard-rock soundtrack has been called Iceland’s equivalent of The Big Lebowski.
When the Raven Flies (1984). An Irish boy whose parents are killed by Vikings travels to Iceland to take revenge.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do. 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2019 is 25/12/19.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram equals 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds). One hundred grams (a common unit at markets) is about a quarter-pound. One liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon.
A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. To convert kilometers to miles, cut the kilometers in half and add back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles). One meter is 39 inches—just over a yard.
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book, check Iceland’s English-language website http://en.vedur.is, and for both Iceland and the rest of the world, www.wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling. Your air-conditioner should be set at about 20°C.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts
2 pairs pants
5 pairs underwear & socks
Waterproof shoes
Sweater or warm layer
Rainproof/windproof jacket with hood
Fleece hat, gloves
Swimsuit & swim accessories (eyeglass strap, bathing cap, or goggles; small towel)
Sleepwear/loungewear
Debit card(s)
Credit card(s)
Hard cash ($100-200 in US dollars)
Money belt
Passport
Tickets & confirmations: flights, hotels, car rental
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of important documents
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Notepad & pen
Journal
Basics: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, sunscreen, brush/comb, etc.
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts
Sunglasses (esp. if driving)
Sewing kit
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Eye mask (for sleeping)
Earplugs
Mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ebook reader
Headphones
Chargers & batteries
Phone car charger & mount (or GPS device)
Plug adapters
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry supplies: soap, laundry bag, clothesline
Small umbrella
Travel alarm/watch
Second pair of shoes
Travel hairdryer
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Mini binoculars
Inflatable pillow/neck rest
Tiny lock
Insect head net (if visiting Mývatn area)
Strap-on ice cleats (winter only)
Icelandic has some unique letters, most notably ð (the voiced “th” sound in “breathe,” represented by “th”) and Þ (the unvoiced “th” sound in “breath,” also represented by “th”). (The ð often sounds a bit like a soft “d.”) The letter á sounds like “ow” (rhymes with “now”). The long i in “light” is represented by “ī.”
| English | Icelandic | Pronunciation |
| Hello (formal) | Góðan daginn | GOH-thahn DĪ-ihn |
| Hi / Bye (informal) | Hæ / Bæ | Hī / bī (as in English) |
| Do you speak English?. | Talarðu ensku? | TAHL-ar-thoo EHN-skoo? |
| Yes. / No. | Já / Nei. | yow / nay |
| I (don’t) understand. | Ég skil (ekki). | yehkh skeel (EH-kee) |
| Please. / Thank you. | Vinsamlegast. / Takk. | VIN-sahm-lay-gahst / tahk |
| Excuse me. | Fyrirgefðu. | FIH-ree-GEHV-thoo |
| No problem. | Ekkert mál. | EHK-kert mowl |
| Super | Fínt | feent |
| OK | Allt í lagi | ahlt ee LAH-yee |
| Goodbye (more formal) | Bless | bless |
| one / two | einn / tveir | AY-teh / tvayr |
| three / four | þrír / fjórir | threer / FYOH-rir |
| five / six | fimm / sex | fim / sex |
| seven / eight | sjö / átta | syur / OWT-tah |
| nine / ten | níu / tíu | NEE-oo / TEE-oo |
| hundred | hundrað | HOON-drahth |
| thousand | þúsund | THOO-sund |
| How much is it? | Hvað kostar þetta? | kvahth KOHS-tar THEHT-tah? |
| Is it free? | Er þetta ókeypis? | ayr THEHT-tah OH-kay-pis? |
| Is it included? | Er þetta innifalið? | ayr THEHT-tah EEN-nee-fah-lith? |
| (Icelandic) crowns | (íslenskar) krónur | (EE-slehn-skar) KROH-nur |
| Where is...? | Hvar er...? | kvar ayr...? |
| ...the toilet | ....klósettið | ...KLOH-seht-tith |
| men | karlar | KAHT-lar |
| women | konur | KOH-noor |
| left / right | vinstri / hægri | VIN-stree / HĪ-grih |
| straight | beint | baynt |
| opening hours | opnunartími | OHP-noo-nar-tee-mih |
| At what time? | Hvenær? | KVER-nī |
| Just a moment. | Augnablik. | OOG-nah-bleek |
| now / soon / later | núna / bráðum / seinna | NOO-nah / BROW-thoom / SAYT-nah |
| today / tomorrow | í dag / á morgun | ee dahkh / ow MOR-goon |
| Cheers! | skál | skahl |