Iceland nightlife: where to go and where to skip
Reykjavik nightlife is compressed into six streets and gets going late — bars are dead until midnight and packed by 1am. Here is the actual scene, not the tourist board version.
Reykjavik bar street at night with neon signs
The scene, honestly
Reykjavik's nightlife runs Friday and Saturday only. Weekdays are quiet — most bars close by midnight. On weekends, locals start at home (alcohol is cheap at Vinbudin, expensive at bars) and roll out around 11pm-midnight for the runtur (bar crawl) along Laugavegur, Austurstraeti and Bankastraeti.
Bars stay open until 4:30-5am on weekends. Cover charges are rare. A pint is $13-15, cocktails $18-22, spirits $12.
Where to go
Kaffibarinn on Bergstadastraeti is the legendary indie bar co-owned by Damon Albarn — packed, tiny, plays actual good music. Petersen Svitan is the rooftop above Gamla Bio for cocktails with a view ($22 martinis). Bravo on Laugavegur is the low-key dive with a great crowd.
For craft beer, Skuli Craft Bar on Adalstraeti has 14 Icelandic taps. Micro Bar in Hotel Centrum does flights of four for $18. R5 in Akureyri is the northern equivalent.
Live music
Kex Hostel bar on Skulagata has free live music several nights a week — jazz, folk, Icelandic indie. Harpa concert hall runs everything from Iceland Symphony Orchestra ($40+) to touring rock (varies). Check harpa.is.
Iceland Airwaves festival in early November is worth planning a trip around — 5 days of Icelandic and international acts in venues across the city. Wristbands $200 sell out fast.
Where to skip
The English Pub, Dubliner and Lebowski Bar are aimed at tourists — fine but you did not come to Iceland for a Guinness. Any place with a bouncer aggressively pulling people in from the street is a trap.
Strip clubs in Reykjavik have been illegal since 2010. Anywhere claiming to be one is scamming you.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
Late. Bars are empty until 11pm-midnight and peak between 1 and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.
$13-15 at bars. Cheaper at Vinbudin state stores for drinking before you go out, which is what locals do.
Very. Occasional drunk noise but violence is rare. Solo travellers of any gender are fine on the runtur.
Akureyri has 2-3 real bars and clubs (R5, Gotubarinn). Elsewhere, nightlife means a hotel bar or nothing.
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