The Iceland Chamber of Commerce can provide plenty of information concerning business in Iceland (Kringlan 7, Tel: 510 7100, Email: info@chamber.is, www. chamber.is). The Trade Council of Iceland advises visitors on inward investment and business in Iceland. It’s website is very helpful (Borgartún 35, Tel: 511 4000, Email: icetrade@icetrade.is, www.icetrade.is). Office equipment One of Iceland’s leading service providers in the field of information technology, Nyherji hf (Borgartún 33, Tel: 569 7700, Email: nyherji@nyherji.is, www.nyherji.is) specialises in technical services for conferences and meetings, such as projectors, interpretation systems, sound systems, computers and copiers. Iceland’s leading stationer Penninn also offers assorted office equipment for hire (Hallarmúli 4, Tel: 540 2050, Email; penninn@penninn.is, www.penninn.is). Car hire A number of car rental agencies operate in Reykjavík and from Keflavík Airport. Rental prices drop dramatically in the winter months. Numerous car sizes are available, from small compacts to large four-wheel drive vehicles. Contact Avis (Tel: 591 4000, www.avis.is), Budget (Tel: 526 6060, www.budget.is) or Hertz (Tel: 505 0600, www.hertz.is). Translation services A number of professional translators will provide language services in Reykjavík. The easiest way to get in touch with a translator is by contacting the Association of Certified Court Interpreters and Translators (ACCTI, www.flds.is, Email: flds@flds.is). Limousine service The Icelandic Limousine

Service (Tel: 553 6106/898 9494, Email: limmo@limmo.is, www.limmo.is) provides limousines ranging from Mercedes E-class up to super-stretch Lincolns. The price is 9,000 Króna per hour, with discounts available for longer rental periods.

LOCAL PRESS

Iceland Review is a quarterly magazine on people, nature, current affairs and cultural events. The latest news in English is updated daily on its website (www. icelandreview.com). The Reykjavík Grapevine (www.grapevine.is) is a free publication, issued monthly in winter and bi-weekly in summer. It provides a comprehensive events listing as well as irreverent and sometimes controversial articles on politics, music, and life in Iceland. What’s On (www.whatson. is), published every month, runs entertainment listings, bar and club reviews and various travel articles. It is free and available almost everywhere. Morgunbladid (which means 'the morning paper’) is the country’s main daily newspaper in Icelandic (www.mbl.is).

INTERNET CAFES

The vast majority of cafés in Reykjavík have free wireless internet access for patrons with their own computers. It is also available in hotels, although usually for a small fee. Regular internet access (500-600 Króna/hour) is available at the Tourist Information Centre (Adalstræti 2, Tel: 590 1550), The Tourist Shop (Bankastræti 2, Tel: 510 5700) and the café at City Hall (Tel: 563 2000).

MONEY

The currency is the Icelandic Króna (ISK). In the autumn of 2005, 100 Krona was valued at about £0.93 and €1.35. Credit cards are widely accepted, even for small purchases. Visa and MasterCard are the most common, but American Express and Diner’s Club are accepted at most major hotels (check to make sure). Cash machines are located throughout the city centre and will accept European cards. There are also foreign exchange bureaux at the airport. Banks are open weekdays 9:15am-4pm.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

Tipping isn’t customary in Iceland. Service is included in the price of food in restaurants and various services elsewhere, including taxis. People who work exclusively with visitors (such as tour guides) would accept a small tip (10%), but it is by no means required and should only be provided for exceptional service.

VISA/VACCINATION

Iceland is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA). Citizens of EEA countries (including the EU) are allowed to enter the country without a visa and are allowed to seek employment. Citizens of most other Western countries are allowed entry without a visa for up to three months. There are no special vaccinations required and no specific health threats. Under the terms of the EEA regulations, British nationals are covered for emergency health treatment in Iceland if they are in possession of the new EHIC card.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

1st January—New Year’s Day
Late March/early April—Easter (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday) Third Thursday in April—First day of summer
1st May—Labour Day May/June—Ascension Day
May/June—Whit Sunday and Monday
17th June—Independence Day
1st Monday in August—Bank Holiday 25th and 26th December and afternoon of 24th—Christmas
31st December—New Year’s Eve (half day)

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Thanks to the Atlantic Gulf stream, the climate of Iceland is warmer than the name of the country suggests, although the almost constant wind has a chilling effect. The average July temperature in Reykjavík is only 10.6C, but temperatures can reach the early 20s on hot days. From late May to early August there is continuous daylight. Winter temperatures generally hover around the freezing mark, with ranges from -10C to 5C not uncommon; the January average is -0.5C. The sun only manages a few brief hours peeking above the horizon in December. Visitors should keep in mind that the weather in Iceland can change dramatically within minutes.

For up-to-date details on the current weather situation, visit www.vedur.is. For the latest on country roads, see www.vegagerdin.is.

SUGGESTED READING

101 Reykjavík by Hallgrímur Helgason.

Named after the city’s most famous post code, this insightful and funny novel about a lazy young Reykjavíker, his family and their relationships developed a cult following after it was made into a film of the same name. Read this and you’ll never again feel guilty about spending too much time in the pub.

Independent People by Halldór Laxness. Written by Iceland’s pride and joy and Nobel Prize-winner, this classic story chronicles the determination of a poor labourer turned farmer to maintain independence on his isolated and rugged plot of land in the first decades of the 20th century. It is a masterful assessment of the brutality and reality of Icelandic existence at this time.

A Short History of Iceland by Jón R. Hjálmarsson. If you want to know about Iceland’s history, from the beginning to the last decades of the 20th century, then this compact volume would be a good choice. Iceland’s 1100 Years, by Gunnar Karlsson, is also a useful option, although it’s slightly more academic.

Viking Age Iceland by Jesse Byock. A learned but easy-to-read overview of the settlement of Iceland and the first centuries of human existence on the island. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Icelanders described those ages as the 'glorious’ period in the nation’s history, when proud and independent Icelanders ruled their own land, writing world-renowned literature in their spare time. As usual, reality doesn’t quite accord to the myth, as Byock chronicles.

The Icelandic Sagas were written in the 13th and 14th centuries about historical events from the time of settlement onwards. The Sagas are to Icelandic literature what Shakespeare is to its English equivalent. They recount the battles, adventures and day-to-day existence of Icelandic heroes.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airports Keflavík is Iceland’s only international airport, situated approximately 51kms south-west of Reykjavík (www.keflavikairport.com). Travelling to the city takes from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the means of travel. Reykjavík Airport is for domestic flights to other towns in Iceland and to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is about 10 minutes’ walk south of the city centre (www.airiceland.is).

Car hire The country’s major agencies are Avis, Budget, and Hertz (see Business contacts above). There are also small local agencies, including Hasso Car Rental (Tel: 555 3330, www.hasso.is) and SG Car Rental (Tel: 421 3737, www.travelnet. is/sgcar/main.htm), which specialises in larger vehicles. The journey into the centre of Reykjavík usually takes about 45 minutes. The car-hire agencies can provide maps and directions.

Taxi Taxis are usually parked right in front of Keflavík Airport arrivals and the fare to Reykjavík is 7,500 Króna. Larger taxis (minivans) are sometimes available.

Bus The most popular way of getting into town from the airport is the Flybus. Operated by Reykjavík Excursions (Tel: 562 1011, www.flybus.is), the Reykjavík FlyBus leaves from outside the terminal building and arrives about 45 minutes later at the BSÍ bus terminal in central Reykjavík. There are free connections from here to some of the city’s hotels. Departures for Keflavík coincide with flight departures and buses also leave from the BSÍ bus terminal. It costs 1,150 Króna oneway or 2,100 Króna return per person. Note that trains, trams and underground railways do not exist in Iceland.