Parking in Reykjavík

There are a few things to keep in mind when parking in Reykjavík, this article is the ultimate guide to parking in Reykjavík and what to keep in mind when finding the best spot for your vehicle.

When traveling to Iceland, visiting Reykjavík may be on the agenda. Even though you may not spend much of your travels in the city, getting to know the parking rules is a must. Iceland is not a cheap place to visit, and parking violations are no exception.

When visiting Reykjavík, many travelers will look for accommodation near the locations they want to see and experience. Most of these places are more likely near the city center and that is almost the only place you will find you have to pay for parking.

There are 4 parking zones in Reykjavík city center and each of them has different rates for parking. If you look out for the blue „P“ parking sign, you will see a number on it as well from between 1-4 that will tell you which parking zone you are on. 

How much does it cost to park in Reykjavík?

The price for parking in Reykjavík ranges from 190-370 ISK per hour, depending on the zone you plan on parking in.

The price for the parking zones in Reykjavík is as follows: 

Area P1 –  370 ISK (2,81 USD) Per hour

Area P2 – 190 ISK (1,44 USD) Per hour

Area P3 –190 ISK (1,44 USD) the 1st and 2nd hour, 55 ISK (0,42 USD) per hour thereafter.

Area P4 – 190 ISDK (1,44 USD) per hour.

 

These parking zones only require payment on Monday – Friday 09:00-18:00 and on Saturdays 10:00-16:00. Sundays are no charge.

This will not apply to parking garages that are also located in the city center as they require payment 24/7 all days of the week.

Campervan parking in Reykjavík

When visiting Reykjavík in a camper or a motorhome, you can always stay the night at the camping ground located in Laugardalur. It is not far from the city center and you can even walk to the center. The walk is about 30 minutes on a good day. They even have a bike rental so you can park your motorhome and bike into town. This way you can save yourself some money on booking accommodation and the facilities in Laugardalur camping ground are also great. There is a washing machine, cooking facilities and a great swimming pool located conveniently right next to it as well.

 

Parking a campervan can be a little tricky in Reykjavík city center, depending on the size of the vehicle. You will always find a spot, however, many streets are narrow in the city center so we do not recommend going too far into the center. Some of the parking garages are also very narrow and it may be hard to fit a large campervan. The parking garage located underneath Harpan concert hall is great for motorhomes and campers and easy to get into and just a short walk to the city center so we would recommend getting a spot in there.

When visiting Reykjavík city center on our roof tent vehicles, the size of the vehicle will not be any issue, making it a great choice for your travels as it will not affect the width of your vehicle so you should have no further issues than on a regular car in the city center.

Parking for Eco-Friendly cars

Reykjavík offers free parking for Eco-Friendly vehicles in the city center for the first 90 minutes. After that, you must pay for the parking. You will know if your vehicle is qualified for free parking if you see a clock-shaped sticker on your front windshield. That should also be used to indicate when you parked the vehicle.

There is also a number of charging stations in downtown Reykjavík for your electric car. The spot may be marked with green paint, however, in wintertime, you may not be able to see that due to snow.

Parking fines in Iceland.

The issued amount for unpaid parking is 4.500 ISK, however, if you pay it straight away then you will only have to pay 3.400 ISK. The amount will then raise if it goes on unpaid. After 14 days it will go up to 6.750 ISK and then after 28 days, still unpaid it goes up to 9.000 ISK.

If you get a fine for any parking violation then the fine for that is 10.000 ISK and keep in mind that when parking on the side of the street as in the photo below, parking the vehicle in the opposite direction to the direction driven on that side of the road is not allowed and a fine may be issued. So, if you are driving on the right-side lane, as is the custom here in Iceland, and decide to park it on the left-hand side of the road, then you must turn the vehicle around in order to park it legally.

In the photo below, you will see a one-way street, and in case any of the vehicles would be parking in the opposite direction, they would have a chance of receiving a ticket for that. If this were a two-way street, the vehicles on the left should be facing the opposite direction. 

How to pay for parking tickets in Iceland?

Paying for any received parking tickets in Iceland is a very easy task, although it may take up some of your precious time while traveling in Iceland, you will save some money by doing it yourself. To pay for the ticket, you can simply go to any of the local banks with the ticket and pay it from there. If any tickets go on unpaid, the car rental company can match the ticket to your rental and they will charge you for it as well as a service fee that can range from 3 - 6.000 ISK.  

What payment methods are accepted for parking?

The Parking meters will accept payment by card, cash, coin, and also from your smartphone wallet, so you really should have no issue making the payment for the parking.

How to dispute a parking ticket in Iceland?

When registering a vehicle to the parking meters downtown, you can make the human error of putting in the wrong license plate number that may lead to you receiving a parking ticket that you do not agree with.

If you do not agree with the ticket you may have received while on your travel to Iceland, you can dispute the ticket by submitting any documents you may have to the email address bilastaedasjodur@bilastaedasjodur.is. The dispute must be maid within 14 days of receiving the ticket.

 

Parking in Akureyri

In Akureyri in the downtown area, you may also notice that there is a charge for parking.

Well, the parking is actually free for the first couple of hours, depending on the parking zone you are at.

The parking zones and the time you have for free are:

Blue – 2 hours

Pink – 1 hour

Brown – 15 minutes

Dark green – free

So, how do you indicate the time of your arrival? That is easy, you can either leave a piece of paper in your front windshield that has the time of when you parked the car, or you use a clock-card that you can get for free in the banks, info-centers, hotels, or gas stations, and place that in your front windshield.  

How to pay for parking tickets in Akureyri?

If you receive a ticket in Akureyri, you can pay for it at any of the local banks or if you have an Icelandic bank account, by online bank transfer using the information on the ticket.