Going on a trip or vacation in Iceland and planning to try a local beer to spend other types of alcohol? Then get ready for your wallet not to appreciate these plans.
Alcohol in Iceland is more expensive than we are used to in most of the countries and maybe your beer can be taken up to ten times more than in your country.
But there are some ways to buy alcohol in Iceland cheaper.
Liquor stores in Iceland
First of all, it is desirable that you can buy alcohol in Iceland in only one type of shop – Vinbudin.
These liqour stores are called Vinbudin and can be found in the city or larger villages.
Shop opening hours are available from 11 am to 6 pm and until 7 am on Fridays. Don´t forget, they are always closed on Sundays.
If you do not manage to buy alcohol during the day, you have to buy alcohol at the bar, pub or restaurant, which charge you much more.
Prices for beer in the Vinbudín store range between 300 – 600 ISK (2,5 – 5 USD) per 330 ml (for cheaper beers even for half a liter).
The larger the store, the greater the choice of beers. So the biggest choice is logical in Reykjavik, where Vinbudin’s shops are large, there is less choice in villages outside the capital.
Prices for wine start at 2 000 ISK (16 USD) for the cheapest bottle and grow larger in the order of thousands ISK.
If we talk about strong alcohol, in Iceland you can find a basic selection of every kind of drink whiskey, rums, vodka, cognac, etc.
For example, a few well-known brands that you can best appreciate:
- Jack Daniel has 350 ml – 4 000 ISK
- Malibu 500 ml – 3500 ISK
- Beefeater 500 ml – 4500 ISK
- Absolut Vodka 700 ml – 6000 ISK
- Cpt. Morgan Spice Gold 1000 ml – 7500 ISK
Prices for alcohol in bars and restaurants
Draft beer will cost you around 1000 ISK for a third or half liter.
Prices between 330 and 500 ml are not very huge (usually 100 or 200 ISK) and, so it is possible to buy even half a liter.
Prices for alcohol at icelandic bars apply similar way to wine or hard alcohol.
Definitely always depends on what bar or restaurant you are in, maybe you will never get it for less than 1000 ISK for a shot or 2 dcl of the cheapest wine.
You can order high-quality alcohol that prices are rising to thousands of ISK.
Non-alcoholic beer in shops and petrol stations
In case you are fine with low alcohol beer, you can buy beer like your Pilsner, Viking or other brands who have about 2% alcohol.
Prices for this beer start around 300 ISK (2,5 USD). Some beers there have 2,25 % alcohol, so it can be your only chance, how to buy alcohol if Vinbudín is closed.
Buying alcohol at duty free Iceland
The best way, how to buy cheap alcohol on Iceland is to shop in duty free shop at Keflavik airport.
In the duty free zone you can buy all kinds of alcohol, the offer is very wide (for Iceland) and the prices are slightly lower in compare to alcohol at Vinbudín.
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