Over 150 shops and restaurants are found in Kringlan shopping mall in Reykjavik Iceland. PIC Goofgoof
One of the reasons tourists flock to Iceland these days is the horrible state of the local currency. In spite of currency restrictions the Icelandic krona has devalued massively since the economic crises in 2008 and it keeps on falling slowly but surely against most other currencies.
This means you can make better deals buying stuff here than many other places even if many shop owners take the fall of the krona into consideration when deciding prices.
In Reykjavik there are basically three places to shop; Kringlan and Smaralind shopping malls and Laugavegur shopping street. Laugavegur is a given since this is the main downtown street but how to get to Kringlan mall or Smaralind mall?
Turns out, in summertime Kringlan mall offers free shuttle trips from downtown Reykjavik to the mall few times each day until late august. This is useful if the shopping urge is too great to resist since most hotels in Reykjavik are located in or near downtown. Kringlan mall on the other hand is about 10 minutes drive from downtown or 30 to 40 minutes by foot.
Over 150 shops are in Kringlan and it has a special tax refund desk located in the ground floor. More info on the Kringlan website here.
The shuttle bus, clearly marked, leaves regularly from Adalstraeti street straight across from the tourist information center. If in doubt ask the nice folks at the tourist info center. They are there to help.
Worst case, you can also grab a bus to get you to the shops of Kringlan. Many bus routes go that route. But that costs money and you still have to walk a few hundred meters.
