USEFUL INFORMATION FOR A TRAVEL TO ICELAND ICELAND

Travel Documents: A passport or other travel document accepted by Icelandic authorities valid at least three months beyond intended stay is required for visitors to Iceland. The Schengen agreement went into effect for Iceland on March 26, 2001 and the following countries participate in the Schengen cooperation in addition to Iceland: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Germany. Travel between above-mentioned countries will in principle be without document check. Nationals of the following countries do not require visas to travel to Iceland as visitorsalthough they do require passports that are valid for three months beyond their intended stay: United States of America, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (applicable for those holding HKSAR passports), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao (applicable for those holding MSAR passports), Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain (incl. Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, St. Helena, Falkland Islands and Gibraltar), Uruguay, Vatican and Venezuela. Nationals of all other countries require a visa to visit Iceland.   For visitors arriving in Iceland, no vaccinations are required.

Health: Citizens of EEA countries must have the E-111 form, otherwise the patient will be charged in full. For citizens of others countries it is recommended to close a health insurance contract before coming to Iceland. Water is safe to drink throughout Iceland.

Reykjavík has a great many general practitioners, as well as specialists, many of whom will receive patients at short notice. There are also many Health Centres in Reykjavík, with officially appointed family doctors who receive patients at short notice during the day.

Pharmacies are called "Apótek" and are open during normal business hours. Many are open at night.

Telephones: Country Dialing Code 00354. There are no area codes in Iceland.

Direct long-distance calls can be made to Europe and the USA by dialling 00 plus the country code, the area code, if applicable, and the telephone number you wish to reach. If assistance is required, dial 114 for information and 115 to place a call. Coin and card operated public phones are found at post offices and telephone exchanges around the country. 

Mobile Telephones: There are two mobile telephone systems in Iceland, GSM (operates in most communities) and NMT (operates both in towns and much of the countryside). Most European cell phones work on Iceland´s GSM network. Mobiles work in towns and on virtually all main travel routes. Most North American cell phones won’t work because Iceland is on the European system, and North American ones use a different standard.

Telephone companies sell pre-paid GSM phone cards, which visitors may find convenient to use with their own GSM phones. Pre-paid cards are available at petrol stations around the country. GSM phones may be rented at several locations.  

Internet: Internet cafes are located in all Icelandic towns and hotels. Many restaurants and cafés, especially in Reykjavik, have free wifi access, so if you have a laptop you can get Internet access almost everywhere. Iceland is a very tech-savvy country with one of the highest rates of Internet usage in the world.

Money and Banks: Money is Icelandic krona (ISK).

Banking Hours: Banking hours are Monday-Friday 09,15-16,00.

You can exchange money easily at the airport, bank and currency exchanges. Plastic also reigns in Iceland and it is possible to pay for virtually anything with a credit card – except the public buses. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted; American Express and Diner’s Card less so. Bank machines are easy to find.  

Electricity: The electrical current is Iceland is 220 volts. The Continental two-round-pin plug is standard, so devices brought in from the UK and North America will require adapters.

Shopping hours: Office hours are generally 09,00-17,00 and 08,00-16,00 during June, July and August. Shopping hours are Monday-Friday 09,00-18,00, Saturday from 10,00 to 13,00/14,00/15,00 or 16,00. Some supermarkets are open to 23,00 seven days a week.

Reykjavik''s only indoor market is Kolaportid, open weekends from 11-5. Essentially, it is a large garage sale, though some stands are permanent. Great buys can be had there on handmade Icelandic sweaters and other woolens, CDs (both new and used), toys, and sometimes shoes. Kolaportid''s food section is a tourist attraction in its own right, with its traditional Icelandic fare of pickled herring, cured shark, dried fish, and various other delicacies.

Post Offices: There are post offices located in all major communities in Iceland. General hours are: Mon-Fri 08:30-16:30. The post office in Austurstræti (Reykjavík centre) is open June-August on Saturdays 10:00-14:00.  

Typical products: Local specialities are woollen knitwear (for example sweaters, cardigans, hats and mittens), handmade ceramics, glassware and silver jewellery. Also available is a great variety of high-quality seafood.

Cuisine: Popular foods in Iceland include skyr, hangikjöt (smoked lamb), kleinur, laufabrauð and bollur. Þorramatur is the Icelandic national food: these traditional foods include smoked and salted lamb, singed sheep heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled salmon, cured shark and various other delicacies. Regarding fish, Icelanders eat mostly haddock, plaice, halibut, herring and shrimp. Breads include laufabrauð (deep-fried paper-thin bread), kleinur (similar to doughnuts) and rye pancakes. Between the drinks the skyri, similar to yoghurt, the brenivin (mulled wine), the Jóla Öl (malt mixed to orangeade!). Coffee is the national icelandic drink. Among the desserts, the Icelandic chocolate, licorice, the pads Ópal and the snúður (pasta covered with icing). ICELANDIC CUISINE RECIPES.