Type and sockets at 230V, GMT all year with no daylight saving, and English spoken by essentially everyone. The rule that catches visitors out is the naked communal shower before entering any geothermal pool.
- Shower naked, with soap, before entering any geothermal pool. Communal showers are unclothed, attendants will send you back, and skipping it is the biggest social offence a tourist can commit here.
- Iceland is on GMT all year with no daylight saving - near-continuous daylight in June, about four usable hours in December.
- Sockets are type and at 230V, and English is spoken fluently by almost everyone.
- Alcohol is sold only in state Vinbudin shops, which keep short hours and close on Sundays. Supermarkets sell no beer or wine.
- Never drive off marked roads or tracks, and do not walk or camp on volcanic moss - a footprint in it takes decades to recover.
- Power: Type and sockets, 230V, 50Hz. UK, US and Australian devices need an adapter.
- Time: Iceland is on GMT (UTC+0) all year and does not observe daylight saving. In June that means near-continuous daylight; in December, about four usable hours.
- Language: English is spoken fluently by almost everyone. You will not need Icelandic for anything practical.
- Tap water: free, excellent, everywhere. Cold tap is spring water; hot tap is geothermal and smells of sulphur.
- Shops: general retail 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturdays. Supermarkets Bonus and Kronan run roughly 10:00 to 20:00 daily.
- Alcohol is sold only in state Vinbudin shops, which keep short hours and close on Sundays. Supermarkets sell no beer or wine.
- Public holidays that close things completely: Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the National Day on 17 June.
- Toilets: widely available; some rural sites charge 200 to 400 ISK by card.
Rules that visitors break
- Shower naked, with soap, before entering a geothermal pool. This is not optional and it is not negotiable - communal showers are unclothed and attendants will send you back. Skipping it is the biggest social offence a tourist can commit here.
- Never drive off marked roads or tracks. Off-road driving is illegal and carries heavy fines and prosecution, because the damage to the terrain lasts decades.
- Do not walk or camp on volcanic moss. Eldhraun moss takes decades to recover from a footprint.
- Do not buy bottled water. See above - locals find it genuinely absurd.
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