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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 (24 mi); roughly 35 min by car on road 41, or Strætó route 55 in about 76 minAbout 24 mi (39 km); 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
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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.