Reykjavik during Easter: what shuts down
Quiet Reykjavik shopping street on Good Friday
Iceland takes Easter seriously — five days of altered hours, price spikes to 35,000 ISK, and one very strange law about beer.
The five-day shutdown nobody warns you about
Easter in Iceland is a five-day public holiday: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Good Friday is the strictest — supermarkets close entirely, restaurants operate on reduced hours, and until recently bars couldn’t serve alcohol at all (the law relaxed in 2019 but many still don’t open). Museums close Good Friday and Easter Sunday. State-run Vinbudin liquor stores are shut the entire five days.
Public transport runs Sunday schedules. The Blue Lagoon and geothermal pools stay open with holiday hours. Golden Circle tours run but at 20% reduced frequency. If you’re arriving Thursday and leaving Monday, you’ll find Reykjavik unusually quiet, in a way that's either magical or frustrating depending on your mood.
Prices, weather, and how to plan around it
Hotel prices jump because Easter falls in school holidays across Europe. Downtown three-stars hit 32,000-38,000 ISK, up from 26,000 the week before. Icelanders themselves flee to summer houses or Tenerife, so guesthouses in Reykjavik sometimes have last-minute space even when hotels don’t.
Weather is mid-spring: 2-7C, snow possible, aurora season effectively over by early April. Stock up on groceries by Wednesday evening — Bonus and Kronan will be closed Friday and Sunday. Keep Thursday for the free-entry evening at the National Museum if it aligns, and use Good Friday for a long soak at Sky Lagoon, which does open.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Reykjavik.
Good Friday is 3 April 2026 and Easter Monday is 6 April 2026, meaning the shutdown runs Thursday 2 April through Monday 6 April. Book accommodation by January and any Golden Circle tours by mid-March.
Not from a shop. State liquor stores (Vinbudin) close Thursday afternoon through Tuesday morning. Bars and restaurants that open serve alcohol normally. Buy what you need by Wednesday if you’re self-catering.
