Reykjavík

Kolaportið flea market + sheep-head dare

A weekends-only date for the brave. Fermented shark, rúgbrauð ice cream, optional svið.

2h 30m$~1,200 ISK per personIndoor friendly
quirkyfoodielocalweekends-only
Adventurous9/10
Creative10/10
Logistics4/10
More about this plan

Kolaportið only opens Saturdays and Sundays, and it is the single strangest, warmest, most local thing to do indoors in Reykjavík. Rows of long tables inside the old customs house on the harbour — Icelandic knitwear, pirated DVDs from 2006, 1970s issues of *Vikan*, pickled everything.

The food section in the back sells hákarl (fermented shark) in cubes with a toothpick, rúgbrauð (geothermally baked rye bread) served with butter or topped into an improvised ice cream sundae, and, if you want the full experience, svið — a singed, halved sheep's head. Yes, really. Split one. Take a photo. You will never forget this date.

Recover with coffee at Kaffitár on Bankastræti.

The plan, stop by stop

  1. 1

    Kolaportið weekend flea market

    Iceland's only flea market, Saturdays and Sundays only. Knitwear, vinyl, and the notorious food section with fermented shark and sheep's head.

    Tryggvagata 19, 101 Reykjavík1h 30m~500 ISK
  2. 2

    Coffee at Kaffitár

    Cosy local roastery a few minutes' walk away. Good place to sit down and compare notes on what you just ate.

    Bankastræti 8, 101 Reykjavík45 min~700 ISK