While there are not many ´tourist traps´ in Iceland, there are certainly things worth avoiding or at least knowing what you are getting into so you can make an informed decision. The five tourist traps in Iceland that I‘m sharing in this episode are the most common ones you will enocunter.
Review of the All Things Iceland Podcast
"Wish this show was done for every country"
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5 Tourist Traps to Avoid in Iceland
1. Fake Icelandic sweaters
One of the worst tourist traps, in my mind, are fake Icelandic sweaters. Some shops have been selling sweaters with similar patterns to a lopapeysa (the official name of an Icelandic sweater) but they are made in China and are not made with Icelandic wool. In 2020, the term „lopapeysa“ was protected by Parliament because so many shops were selling fake ones.
Criteria that a sweater needs to meet to be considered an Icelandic lopapeysa
- The wool used to make handcrafted Icelandic sweaters shall be cut from Icelandic sheep.
- Only virgin wool shall be used as material for the sweater (wool that has not been recycled).
- The sweater shall be knitted from unspun wool, such as unspun plötulopi wool, thinner léttlopi wool, Álafosslopi wool, etc..
- The sweater shall have a circular knitted yoke with pattern shapes and/or pattern benches from the shoulder area to the neck.
- The sweater shall be handknitted in Iceland.
- The sweater shall be knitted in a circle without stitches.
- The sweater shall have an open front or be whole.
My advice is to always look at the label of the Icelandic sweater in question to see where it is made. If it doesn’t say, then ask the shop assistant. Stores, like the Icelandic Handknitting association, have knitters around the country that they employ to make their sweaters. Their sweaters have the name of the knitter on them, which I think is pretty cool. They have two brick-and-mortar stores in Reykjavik where you can go and try on a variety of sweaters.
A great place to buy Icelandic sweaters online is The Iceland Store.
I will have links to both shops in the show notes of this episode at allthingsiceland.com/Iceland-tourist-traps.
Another thing to know is that a fake Icelandic sweater will likely be much less expensive than a real one. It’s normal for an Icelandic lopapeysa to cost $200 or more. The high-quality material, craftsmanship, and the fact that they can last many years, even decades, makes it worth it to me.
2. Puffin Shops
A potential culprit of selling fake Icelandic are a type of store nicknamed „Puffin shops“. These shops sell a lot of knick knacks that are massed produced in China. Sometimes they are little statues, t-shirts with random sayings on them, plastic Viking helmets and so on. There are a decent number of these shops on Laugavegur, Iceland‘s famous shopping street.
Of course, it is totally up to you to buy these things but if you are looking for unique souvenirs made in Iceland, you can buy a lopapeysa or visit kirsuberjatréð. It‘s a shop that sells handcrafted jewelry, apparel, and home décor made my local designers. That is just one of many other stores that are available for buying locally designed/made items. I am a collecting a longer list for a future episode. Make sure you are subscribed to the podcast on whatever platform you listen to this on, so you don’t miss out when that episode is published.
3. Near beer
If you‘re fairly new to the podcast, you might not know that alcohol and beer in the country are sold almost exclusively by the icelandic government in stores called Vínbúðins. What I mean by them being exclusive is that there are no other liquor stores that can sell you a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine. While you can buy alcohol from restaurants and bars with liqour licenses, oh and breweries now can sell their beer directly to customers, you must go to a Vínbúðin if you want a variety of alcohol to choose from. The only exception to this are the duty free shops but that’s a totally different situation.
I’m mentioning all of this because you might find yourself in an Icelandic food shop and you see what looks like beer. This could lead you to get excited and to buy the beer without first looking at the alcohol content. Well, that beer might be 2.5% alcohol or less. It’s what is called “near beer” because it tastes like beer but is essentially non-alcoholic. I’ve heard a few people tell me that they fell for this. To be fair, the stores ae not trying to trick you but it is incredible how easy it is to assume that you are buying beer.
Alcohol in Iceland is heavily taxed. One way to lessen the cost is to buy it at duty free and utilize the happy hours here, or a bring a bottle or two of your own, especially hard liquor. The higher the alcohol content here, the more it is taxed. Of course, you can always go to the state-owned stores (vínbúðin) if you want or need something.
4. Bottled Water
The tap water in Iceland is simply exquisite. Honestly, it has made drinking water in every other country difficult because it is so delicious. Well, Greenland also has amazing water. What the two of those have in common is that they have glaciers and their water is coming from those huge chunks of ice that cover the parts of each country.
While I understand that some people drink bottled water at home, it is completely unnecessary to do that in Iceland. Buying bottled water here is for sure a tourist trap. I recommend bringing a resuable bottle and filling it up via the tap and running streams out in the countryside.
5. Taking a Taxi from the Airport
The last tourist trap is not a trap as much as it is easy to assume that the cost of it is way less than what it is. That is taking a taxi from the airport. According to the exchange rate today, it is $126 to take a taxi from the airport to downtown Reykjavík. It’s a 45 minute drive. For some, that is not an issue but for many, that is considered way too high. There is currently no Uber, Lyft or car ride sharing program here, so that is not an alternative.
Besides taking your rental car, the other option is the Flybus, which is about $26 from the airport to the bus terminal BSÍ. There is free wifi on the bus, which I find to be a nice add-on. If you choose a different drop-off location in the city near your accommodations, the price goes up to $33. The stops are often hotels or bus stops nearby your place. A much less expensive option to a taxi if there are only two of you.
One helpful thing to point out is that you have a group of 4 adults, it is still 18.000 for the ride but if you split it then it is 4.500 ISK a person or $31. That is less than the drop off near your location per person by Flybus. Something to consider when doing the math but the bus.
Random Fact of the Episode
In December 2014, the Icelandic parliament enacted the Product Names Protection Act, which allows for the protection of product names based on origin, territory, or traditional uniqueness. Such laws, often manifested as Designation of Origin, are widespread in Europe, where they are often applied to artisanal products such as French cheese and Spanish ham. The first product name to receive such protection in Iceland was “Icelandic lamb,” which was protected in 2019.
Icelandic Word of the Episode
Túristagildra – tourist trap
