Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [273]
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POST
The Icelandic postal service (Pósturinn; www.postur.is) is reliable and efficient, and rates are comparable to those in other Western European countries. An airmail letter or postcard to Europe costs economy/priority Ikr110/120; to places outside Europe it costs Ikr120/160. You’ll find a full list of postal rates for letters and parcels online.
The best place to receive poste restante is the central post office in Reykjavík – tell potential correspondents to capitalise your surname and address mail to Poste Restante, Central Post Office, Pósthússtræti 5, IS-101 Reykjavík, Iceland. The service costs Ikr580 per month.
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SHOPPING
Icelandic souvenir shops are filled with generic mugs, T-shirts and key rings plastered with images of trolls or the Icelandic flag, but you’ll also find more upmarket gifts. Woollen hats, gloves and sweaters hand-knitted to traditional designs are popular, along with warm, hard-wearing outdoorwear from companies such as 66° North. CDs of Icelandic music are a good buy. More unusual gifts include silver jewellery inspired by Icelandic runes, dried fish, chocolate-coated liquorice, and high-quality ceramics (sold in the boutiques and galleries on Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavík).
If you’re making any purchases over Ikr4000 it’s worth claiming back the permitted 15% VAT refund. For more details of the scheme, Click here.
For standard opening hours for shops, Click here.
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SMOKING
Smoking has been illegal in enclosed public spaces since June 2007, including in cafes, bars, clubs, restaurants and on public transport. You may still come across some hotel rooms where smoking is permitted, but it’s not common.
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SOLO TRAVELLERS
There’s no difficulty in travelling alone in Iceland, but if you fancy hooking up with other travellers, the Reykjavík youth hostels are an excellent place to start. The more backpackery Laugavegur branch in particular, with its large communal areas, is the starting point for many a shared trip and new friendship.
Another place you may be able to find travel companions is Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree) – post a message on the forum’s Scandinavia branch and see if any other travellers are going to be in Iceland when you are. Failing all that, you may want to join an organised adventure tour – Click here for listings of tour companies operating in Iceland.
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TELEPHONE & FAX
Iceland Telecom Síminn (www.siminn.is) provides most phone, mobile phone and internet services in the country, with Vodafone covering the remainder. Public payphones can usually be found at post offices and public places such as bus or petrol stations, and most now accept credit cards as well as coins. Public fax services are provided at most post offices.
The telephone directory and Yellow Pages are in Icelandic, but directory-enquiries operators usually speak English. Telephone directories are alphabetised by first name, so Guðrun Halldórsdóttir would be listed before Jón Einarsson. There’s an online version of the phone book at www.simaskra.is.
Service numbers:
Directory enquiries (local) 118
Directory enquiries (international) & collect calls 1811
Operator assistance 115
Mobile Phones
Iceland has the highest per-capita mobile phone (cell phone) use in the world and uses the GSM network in populated areas. The NMT network covers the interior and other remote regions; to have coverage in these areas you’ll need to hire an NMT phone locally. Visitors with GSM or multiband phones will be able to make roaming calls, providing the service has been activated – contact your local phone company for more information. (Mobile phones from North America will probably not work, as they tend to use a different standard.)
If you’re going to be in Iceland for a while it may be worth buying a local prepaid