ICELAND in Covid times

Entry rules

Vaccinated persons may enter Iceland after presenting a vaccination certificate (14 days from the second dose must elapse) and after showing a negative PCR or antigen test result made within 72 hours prior to travel.

Children up to 16 years of age are exempt from the obligation to perform a PCR test or an antigen test. All travelers must register at visit.covid.is, except for children born in 2016 or later.

Documents are checked at airports in Poland at the time of check-in, and then exactly at the airport in Keflavik (the generated QR code must be presented).

Unvaccinated people must perform a PCR test 72 hours before entering Iceland, and then 2 tests upon arrival (one at the airport and the other after 5 days) and must be quarantined for the first 5 days.

On-site restrictions

In Iceland, there is a rule that masks should only be worn indoor where it is not possible to keep a distance of one meter between people. In practice, most people do not wear masks in shops, restaurants or museums.
All pools are open. Alcohol may be served in bars only at the table and restaurants remain open until midnight.

How to save on Iceland ?

In general, Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in the world (the current exchange rate of the Icelandic Krona – 1 Euro is about 150 ISK). However, there are ways to save on the spot, as long as we adhere to the following rules:

Food

• shopping is best done in Bonus or Kronan stores – but watch out for short opening hours from 10/11 to 18/19 – example prices in Bonus, e.g. a package of Arctic bread 5 pcs. for 159 ISK, orange juice 1 l for 129 ISK, a pack of Sante muesli for ISK 298, a small skyr (yogurt) for ISK 198 and a large one for ISK 419, a pack of humus for ISK 379, small tomatoes for ISK 198, small tonic or Icelandic drink Appelsin for ISK 159,
• alcohol is bought in special Vinbudin stores (short opening hours) – a bottle of wine for about 1500 ISK, it is worth buying alcohol in the duty-free zone at the airport in Keflavik, in a bar a glass of wine can cost about 1200 ISK,
• you can dine cheaply in a restaurant at IKEA in Reykjavik (there is only one IKEA in Iceland) e.g. a portion of 15 meatballs and chips for ISK 1095, lamb soup for ISK 495, coffee 175 ISK, Appelsin ISK 150, salmon sandwich ISK 795 or in bars at gas stations, e.g. N1 station – a hamburger with fries for ISK 1990 or fish & chips for ISK 2200, Appelsin ISK 350, coffee ISK 395,
• a cheap meal in restaurants or cafes can be vegetable soup with lamb and bread – you can often add soup without restrictions – on average around 1000-1200 ISK, hot dogs are also popular, e.g. the best hot dogs in Iceland in Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur in Reykjavik for 550 ISK,
• in cafes or bars, you can drink unlimited filter coffee (not very strong – similar to the one in the USA) – such pleasure costs around 350-400 ISK, better coffee from the machine costs an average of ISK 500,

Car

• a car should be booked via the website www.rentalcars.com – a car from PROCAR rental company costs an average of PLN 300-400 for 1 day,
• the cheapest gasoline is at the stations ÓB, Orkan, Dælan, and Atlantsolía, and the most expensive at N1 (prices for 1 liter of 95 gasoline can range from 220 to 260 ISK – the cheapest gasoline is around Reykjavik),
• there is no payment for using the roads – there are almost no highways or expressways in Iceland (except the road from Keflavik to Reykjavik and the roads around Reykjavik) – the only toll tunnel is the Vaðlageiðargöng tunnel near Akureyri, 7400 meters long (1500 ISK is paid via the website www.tunnel.is and you can pay only 24 hours before and 3 hours after passing through the tunnel),

Accommodation

accommodation must be booked via booking.com – the cheapest accommodation can be found in Reykjavik or in Akureyri – on average, a room for 4 people with a shared bathroom in Reykjavik costs about 80 Euro, and in Akureyri a 2-room apartment with a bathroom and kitchen about 100 Euros,

Others

• generally, you pay with credit cards everywhere, even parking at some attractions can be paid via the website, taking cash from an ATM is not necessary at all,
• all natural attractions, e.g. Geysir, volcanoes, waterfalls, etc. are for free,
• tap water is safe to drink everywhere, it is not profitable to buy bottled water,
• instead of using swimming pools such as Blue Lagoon (entry 9990- 8990 ISK per person for the basic Comfort package) or Myvatn Nature Baths (entry 5700 ISK adult and 2700 ISK child), you can use the municipal swimming pools, e.g. in Reykjavik, Grafarvogslaug swimming pool or in Akureyri ( usually a few hot tubs, saunas, slides) and then we will pay unlimited use of 1060 ISK for an adult and 165 ISK for a child.