Kolaportið Flea Market

Kolaportið is Reykjavik's only regular flea market, occupying a large converted warehouse on the harbour at Tryggvagata 19. Unlike the boutiques of Laugavegur, the goods here are almost entirely second-hand or homemade: used clothing, vinyl records, books, vintage toys, antique curios, and stalls of hand-knitted lopapeysa sweaters sold directly by their makers. The ratio of genuine local sellers to tourist-trinket vendors is high, since most tables are rented weekly by ordinary Reykjavik residents clearing out closets or hobbyists selling crafts, rather than souvenir importers. Bargaining is common and expected on used goods, though prices are already modest by Icelandic standards; food stalls, by contrast, are fixed-price. Card payment is accepted at most stalls, though some smaller vendors prefer cash (Icelandic krona). There is no VAT tax-refund scheme applicable to second-hand private sales. The atmosphere is loud, crowded, and distinctly local rather than polished, with the food section drawing the biggest queues for hákarl (fermented shark), harðfiskur (dried fish), and slátur. The market is laid out in rough zones: clothing and books near the entrance, electronics and household items in the middle, and the food hall along the back wall closest to the harbour windows, which is the must-visit corner for anyone curious about traditional Icelandic fare.