Iceland at Easter: what changes and what closes

The Easter week calendar

Iceland observes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as full public holidays. That's four closures inside four days, plus reduced hours on Holy Saturday. Alcohol sales are banned at Vinbudin from Wednesday afternoon through Monday — stock up early. Bonus, Kronan and Netto supermarkets close entirely on Good Friday and Easter Sunday; small 10-11 convenience stores stay open at premium prices.

Downtown Reykjavik goes noticeably quiet. Restaurants that stay open often run holiday menus at 30-40% markup. The National Museum, Perlan and most galleries close Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Swimming pools have reduced hours (usually 10am-4pm). Bus schedules run Sunday service on all four holiday days.

What's still open and worth doing

The Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon and most geothermal spas run normal hours. Tour operators — Golden Circle, south coast, glacier hikes — all run daily. Rental cars are unaffected. Hallgrimskirkja holds packed Easter services worth attending even as a non-religious visitor; the acoustics with the Klais organ are stunning. Snow conditions are usually still good for ski lifts at Blafjoll near Reykjavik and Hlidarfjall above Akureyri.

Prices: hotels charge peak-shoulder rates around 34,000-42,000 ISK in Reykjavik because Icelandic families travel domestically. Book Ring Road guesthouses early — they fill with locals. The Westfjords are still largely closed for winter, and highland is fully shut.