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Voykit pocket guide · Iceland
Hafnarfjörður
Skip as a base unless you have a car: the old centre is 1–2 hours, and Reykjavík is 15–20 min away by bus 1.
Hafnarfjörður is Iceland's third-largest urban area and the westernmost town in the capital region, built on a 12,000-year-old lava field about 10 km south of central Reykjavík. Its old centre — small wooden houses, a harbour, lava-rock park Hellisgerði and the Hafnarborg art gallery — is a half-day, not a trip. It works as a cheaper, quieter bed for a Reykjavík stay, or as a first or last night near Keflavík airport if you have a car.
- Country
- Iceland
- Best months
- Jun–Aug for long days and pools; Dec weekends for the Christmas village
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb for sightseeing (short daylight, wind and ice)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- ISK
- Money
- Currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK, kr). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, including remote petrol stations and toilets. About 145 ISK to €1 — check.
- Daily spend
- Budget 8,000–14,000 kr excl. bed · Mid 14,000–25,000 kr excl. bed · High 25,000 kr+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EEA roaming applies: EU/EEA SIMs work at home prices.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, coast guard 112 · Non-urgent doctor (Læknavaktin) 1700
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · European two-pin.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Not expected.; Tour guide: Optional; ISK 1,000–3,000 for an excellent guide.; Taxi: Nothing.
- Water
- Cold tap water is excellent; hot tap water is geothermal and smells of sulphur — do not drink it.
- Toilets
- Few on long drives; petrol stations and paid toilets (ISK 200–500) at sites.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 500–800 kr |
| Café lunch or soup | 1,500–2,800 kr |
| Restaurant main course | 2,500–5,000 kr |
| Beer: bar / Vínbúðin shop | 1,200–1,600 kr / 400–600 kr |
| Strætó single fare, capital area | 400 kr |
| Geothermal pool entry | about 1,000–1,500 kr (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | 2,000–4,000 kr |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KEF · Keflavík International Airport
- About 39 km; roughly 35 min by car on road 41, or Strætó route 55 in about 76 minAbout 24 mi; roughly 35 min by car on road 41, or Strætó route 55 in about 76 min
Typical fares
- Keflavík airport → Hafnarfjörður, Strætó 55
- about 1,600 kr, about 76 min
- Keflavík airport → Hafnarfjörður, Flybus request stop
- about 2,800 kr, about 45 min
- Strætó bus 1, Hafnarfjörður → Reykjavík
- about 400 kr, 15–20 min ride
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15–20 minutes end to end. Strætó bus 1 links Hafnarfjörður with Reykjavík and the rest of the capital area every 15–20 minutes; the main interchange is Fjörður. A capital-area single fare is 400 kr. A car makes the pools, Helgafell and the Reykjanes sights practical.
See and do
Known for
- Old town wooden houses and harbour
- Hellisgerði lava park and elf folklore
- Hafnarborg art gallery
- Geothermal pools
- December Christmas village
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | Strætó bus 1 from Fjörður, or 15–20 min by car | About 30–40 min |
| Blue Lagoon | Car on road 41 then road 43 | About 45 min |
| Keflavík | Car on road 41, or Strætó route 55 | 35–40 min by car |
| Krýsuvík and Kleifarvatn, Reykjanes | Car south on road 42 | About 40–50 min |
| Kópavogur | Strætó bus 1, or 10 min by car | About 20 min |
Sleep
- Old town / Strandgata
- Walk to the harbour, Hafnarborg, Hellisgerði and most cafés; the only area worth basing in on foot.
- Along Reykjanesbraut (road 41)
- Chain and business hotels with free parking; 15–20 min drive to Keflavík, but nothing to walk to.
- Reykjavík instead
- If you have no car, sleep in Reykjavík and visit Hafnarfjörður as a half-day by bus 1.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hallóha-LOH |
| Thank you | Takktahk |
| Yes / No | Já / Neiyow / nay |
| How much is it? | Hvað kostar þetta?kvath KOS-tar THEH-ta |
| Can I pay by card? | Get ég borgað með korti?get yeh BOR-gath meth KOR-ti |
| Where is the bus stop? | Hvar er strætóstoppistöðin?kvar er STRY-toh-stop-i-stuh-thin |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names; avoid: Using titles or surnames — there usually is no family name
- Pools: Shower naked first, keep the hot pot conversational; avoid: Swimwear in the showers
- Driving: Pull into lay-bys for photos, dip lights on single-lane bridges; avoid: Stopping on the road
- Nature: Stay on paths, carry litter out; avoid: Stone stacks, walking on moss
- Conversation: Ask about books, music, weather and the elves with good humour; avoid: Lecturing on whaling
Scams and watch-outs
- A motorcycle club has a base in an industrial area in the southwest of town; there is no reason to go there.
- Buses are sparse in the evening and on Sundays — check the last departure before you go out.
- Winter roads in the capital area ice over; drive to the conditions.
- Many small museums and restaurants keep short or variable hours — check before you walk over.
Very safe by any normal measure; the real risks are winter ice, wind and short daylight, plus a motorcycle-club base in an industrial area southwest of town that you have no reason to visit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hafnarfjörður yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old town wooden houses and harbour
- Hellisgerði lava park and elf folklore
- Hafnarborg art gallery
- Geothermal pools
- December Christmas village
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Strætó — capital-area bus operator: www.straeto.is/en
- Visit Iceland — official national tourism site: www.visiticeland.com/
- Wikivoyage: Hafnarfjörður, revision 5327494 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5327494
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hafnarfjörður
Á þetta heimilisfang, takk
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hafnarfjörður; most are in Reykjavík, about 15–20 min away.
Tipping is not expected in Iceland.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hafnarfjorur). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.