Facts About Iceland

Iceland Dress Code

How to dress in Iceland? - Icelanders usually dress casually except at formal affairs. We also like to dress up when going to the theatre. Most bars and night clubs will accept casual clothing.

Bank holiday

The first weekend in August is Bank Holiday where Monday is also a day off. This weekend is part of the traditions in Iceland and always means very heavy traffic all over the country when thousands of people, especially the young, go camping and camping festivals are organized in different places in Iceland.

Visits...

Don't be surprised if you are invited to someone's home for a dinner or for after dinner. It is more common in Iceland than in many other countries. Remember to remove your shoes in the hallway before you enter a home. Because of unpredictable weather our homes would soon be a mess if everyone entered in their shoes!

If you are invited to a birthday party, it would be nice to bring a small gift - also to wedding parties and christenings.

Shrove Monday in Iceland

Shrove Monday in February is when all mothers (or fathers!) are virtually obliged to make a lot of buns to eat with whipped cream, chocolate etc. Every bakery and grocery is full of delicious buns too.

One, two or three kisses?

How do Icelanders great each other? Well, it's definately not the same as in Italy, where two kisses are a must on each cheek!

Our tradition in Iceland is to greet each other with one kiss on the cheek if we want to be very friendly.  Otherwise we shake hands.

And remember: EVERYONE is on a first name basis. The only two people in Iceland who are addressed formally are the President and the Bishop of Iceland.