At the time of writing, it is the shortest day of the year. December 21 is here, and from now on until June, the days will become slightly longer every day.
The weather in December has been good and bad. November was among the warmest ever in Iceland, but when December came around, we went into a cold phase. We had freezing temperatures for days but no snow and hardly any wind.
Then as if by the turn of a switch, we got all the snow in one day as we probably should have gotten throughout the month. Obviously, that disrupted flights to and from the country, and people got stuck on the roads.
However, we’re almost back on track now; Christmas is just a few days away, no matter what happens.
The Christmas bank holidays in Iceland are December 24 (after 13:00), 25, 26 (like a Sunday), 31 (from 13:00), and January 1.
Many restaurants will be closed on the 24th and 25th.
What is open?
Hotel restaurants are the ones that are most likely to be open over the holidays. We’ve compiled a list of opening hours over the holidays. We recommend you save this blog post because we will update it with more restaurants.
Please note that many restaurants require you to book a table during the holidays. Some restaurants, like the Seafood Grill, have a set menu for New Year’s Eve and fixed times.
| Name | Dec 24 | Dec 25 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 1 |
| The Sea Baron | 11:30 – 15:00 | 11:30 – 15:00 | 11:30 – 15:00 | 11:30 – 15:00 | 18:00 – 22:00 |
| Apotek Kitchen and Bar | Closed | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 |
| Food Cellar | Closed | Closed | 17:00 – 22:30 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:30 |
| Sushi Social | Closed | Closed | 17:00 – 23:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 00:00 |
| Tapas Barinn | Closed | Closed | 17:00 – 23:30 | 17:00 – 22:45 | 17:00 – 22:45 |
| Café Loki | 09:00 – 17:00 | 10:00 – 22:00 | 08:00 – 22:00 | 09.00 – 22:00 | 10:00 – 22:00 |
| Jörgensen Kitchen and bar | 11:30 – 00:00 | 11:30 – 00:00 | 11:30 – 00:00 | 11:30 – 00:00 | 11:30 – 00:00 |
| Bastard Beer and Food | Closed | Closed | 11:45 – 01:00 | 11:45 – 01:00 | 12:00 – 01:00 |
| Monkeys | Closed | Closed | 17:30 – 22:00 | 11:30 – 22:00 | 17:30 – 23:00 |
| 101 Street Food | 11:00 – 22:00 | 11:00 – 22:00 | 11:00 – 22:00 | 11:00 – 22:00 | 11:00 – 22:00 |
| Hressó Café | 08:00 – 16:00 | Closed | 08:00 – 22:00 | 08:00 – 22:00 | 10:00 – 22:00 |
| The Cat Café | Closed | Closed | 11:00 – 17:30 | 11:00 – 15:00 | Closed |
| Caruso | Closed | 14:00 – 21:00 | Closed | 14:00 – 21:00 | 17:00 – 22:30 |
| Forréttabarinn | Closed | Closed | 16:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 16:00 – 22:00 |
| Sjávargrillið | Closed | Closed | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 | 17:00 – 22:00 |
| The Fish Market | Closed | Closed | 17:30 – 22:30 | 17:30 – 22:30 | 17:30 – 22:30 |
| Sæta Svínið | Closed | Closed | 17:00 – 23:30 | 11:30 – 23:00 | 17:00 – 23:30 |
Opening Hours for Krónan, Bónus and Hagkaup
The three biggest grocery store chains in Iceland are Krónan, Bónus and Hagkaup. You can read more about them (and other stores) here.
Opening Hours for Krónan
Opening Hours for Bónus
Opening Hours for Hagkaup
Smáralind Shopping Mall
| Christmas Eve | 09:00 – 14:00 |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
| Boxing Day | Closed |
| Dec 27-29 | 10:00 – 19:00 |
| Dec 30 | 10:00 – 20:00 |
| Dec 31 | 10:00 – 14:00 |
| Jan 1 | Closed |
Kringlan Shopping Mall
| Christmas Eve | 09:00 – 14:00 |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
| Boxing Day | Closed |
| Dec 27-29 | 10:00 – 18:30 |
| Dec 30 | 10:00 – 20:00 |
| Dec 31 | 10:00 – 14:00 |
| Jan 1 | Closed |
Skeifan and Garðabær
| Christmas Eve | Open until 16:00 |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
| Boxing Day | Opens at 10:00 |
| Dec 27-29 | 24h |
| Dec 30 | 24h |
| Dec 31 | Open until 18:00 |
| Jan 1 | Opens at 12:00 |
Akureyri, Eiðistorg and Spöngin
| Christmas Eve | 08:00 – 16:00 |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
| Boxing Day | Opens at 10:00 |
| Dec 27-29 | 08:00 – 00:00 |
| Dec 30 | 08:00 – 00:00 |
| Dec 31 | 08:00 – 18:00 |
| Jan 1 | Closed |
Swimming Pools
Swimming pools are essential to Icelanders, and there are almost 20 pools in the capital area. These are the opening hours for the holidays.
| Pool | Dec 23 | Dec 24 | Dec 25 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 1 |
| Álftaneslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:30 – 11:30 | Closed | Closed | 09:00 – 11:30 | Closed |
| Árbæjarlaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:30 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Ásgarður (Garðabær) | 06:30 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 11:30 | Closed | Closed | 08:00 – 11:30 | Closed |
| Ásvallalaug | 06:30 – 17:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 08:00 – 17:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Breiðholtslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Dalslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Grafarvogslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Klébergslaug | 11:00 – 18:00 | 10:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 11:00 – 18:00 | 10:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Laugardalslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | 12:00 – 18:00 |
| Lágafellslaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | Closed | 10:00 – 16:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Setljarnarnes | 06:30 – 19:30 | 08:00 – 1:30 | Closed | Closed | 08:00 – 12:30 | Closed |
| Sundhöllin | 06:30 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | 12:00 – 18:00 |
| Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar | 06:30 – 17:00 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Suðurbæjarlaug | 06:30 – 17:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 08:00 – 17:00 | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Sundlaug Kópavogs | 06:30 – 20:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | Closed | 08:00 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Versalir | 06:30 – 20:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | Closed | 08:00 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Varmárlaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 08:00 – 12:00 | Closed | Closed | 08:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Vesturbæjarlaug | 06:30 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed | 12:00 – 18:00 | 09:00 – 13:00 | Closed |
| Ylströndin | 11:00 – 15:00 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | 11:00 – 15:00 |
Your Friend in Reykjavik During the Holidays
- Reykjavik Christmas Walking Tour
– We will be walking every day, including Christmas and New Year’s - Reykjavik Food Lovers Tour
– We will not be running the food tour on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. !!SOLD OUT!! - Walk With a Viking – Reykjavik Walking Tour
– We will walk every day, including Christmas and New Year’s. - Reykjavik Folklore Walking Tour
– We will walk every day, including Christmas and New Year’s. - Reykjavik Beer & Booze Tour
– We will only be walking on December 23, 28, 29 and 30
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