Iceland Travel Guide

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Cuisine

Icelandic food in general is based on fish and lamb, as well as owing much to Scandinavian and European influences. Fresh fish can be had all year round - Icelanders eat mostly haddock, cod, plaice, halibut, herring and shrimp, but Icelandic salmon and Arctic char are also very good. The lamb, which is reared locally, is free range, organic and extremely tasty. Make sure you try it at least once during your stay in Iceland. There is also a heavy emphasis on vegetables grown in greenhouses heated by the natural steam from geysers. Bars have table and/or counter service, and will serve coffee as well as alcohol. Alcohol is prohibitively expensive.

Things to know: Apart from most hotels, restaurants and bars, alcohol is sold in state liquor stores throughout Iceland and is not available in supermarkets.

National specialties:
• Skyr (a smooth and creamy kind of yogurt).
•Hangikjot (smoked lamb).
•Harðfiskur (dried fish).
•A delicacy not for the squeamish is hákarl (putrefied shark), usually washed down with a shot of Black Death Schnapps.
•Pylsur (hot dog) is every Icelanders' favorite fast food.

National drinks:
•Brennivin (a potent variation of aquavit made from potatoes).

Legal drinking age: 20.

Tipping: Service charges are included in most bills and extra tips are not expected.

Nightlife

There are plenty of nightclubs, bars, cafes and cinemas in Iceland, most of them in the capital. Reykjavík is renowned as one of Europe's hottest nightspots where the friendly pubs and social scene last through the night. Icelandic nightlife is particularly vibrant from June to August when there is nearly 24 hours of daylight.

Leading theaters are the National Theater and the Reykjavík City Theater. During July and August there is an attractive light entertainment show in English called ‘Light Nights' (www.lightnights.com) with traditional Icelandic stories and folk songs. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra (www.sinfonia.is) gives concerts every week. Iceland also has its own opera company, The Icelandic Opera (www.opera.is), performing in the smallest (400 seats) and northernmost opera house in the world.

Iceland has a vibrant music scene that has produced, amongst others, the internationally acclaimed artists Björk and Sigur Rós.

The new Icelandic National Concert and Conference Center is currently under construction, scheduled for opening in autumn 2009 in Reykjavík. The iconic building, which was designed by pre-eminent Scandinavian architects and the internationally acclaimed artist Ólafur Elíasson, will be located by the harbor. The center, which cost US$100 million and will include a state-of-the-art concert hall, will become the new home of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra when it is completed.