Bookstores in Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Capital Region has 22 bookstores on the map. That's 22 bookshops mapped around Reykjavik, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide. Give yourself an hour minimum — bookshops are the one errand that always takes longer than planned.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Reykjavik (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Eymundsson and Iðnú Bookstore / Maps, plus Mál og Menning. If a bookshop's missing from Reykjavik's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Reykjavik bookstore lineup
22 mapped within about 40 km:
Eymundsson
Bookstore
Eymundsson — Bookstore.
Iðnú Bookstore / Maps
Bookstore
Iðnú Bookstore / Maps is Bookstore. Iðnú Bookstore / Maps also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Th 09:00-17:00, Fr 09:00-16:00.
Hours: Mo-Th 09:00-17:00, Fr 09:00-16:00
Mál og Menning
Bookstore
Mál og Menning — Bookstore.
Eymundsson
Bookstore
Eymundsson — Bookstore, found on 11 Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavík.
11 Skólavörðustígur, Reykjavík, 101
Bóksala stúdenta
Bookstore
Bóksala stúdenta is Bookstore. Bóksala stúdenta also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00
Phone: +354 570 0777
Eymundsson
Bookstore
Eymundsson — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Eymundsson: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-20:00; Sa,Su 10:00-20:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-20:00; Sa,Su 10:00-20:00
Eymundsson
Bookstore
Eymundsson — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Eymundsson: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00;Sa 10:00-16:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00;Sa 10:00-16:00
Phone: +354 540 2160
Bókabúðin Grafarvogi
Bookstore
Bókabúðin Grafarvogi is Bookstore. Bókabúðin Grafarvogi also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-16:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-16:00
Penninn / Eymundsson
Bookstore
Penninn / Eymundsson is Bookstore on 77 Laugavegur. Penninn / Eymundsson also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-22:00; Sa-Su 10:00-22:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
77 Laugavegur, 101
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-22:00; Sa-Su 10:00-22:00
Phone: +354 540 2000
Bókakjallarinn
Used bookstore
Bókakjallarinn — Used bookstore.
Eymundsson
Bookstore
Eymundsson — Bookstore.
Bókin
Bookstore
Bókin is Bookstore on Klapparstígur. Bókin also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Tu-Th 13:00-18:00; Fr 13:00-19:00; Sa 13:00-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Klapparstígur, 101
Hours: Tu-Th 13:00-18:00; Fr 13:00-19:00; Sa 13:00-17:00
Phone: 5521710
Bókabúð Sjónarlind
Bookstore
Bókabúð Sjónarlind — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Bókabúð Sjónarlind: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 12:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Hours: Mo-Fr 12:00-18:00
Phone: +354 551 2030
Penninn Eymundsson
Bookstore
Penninn Eymundsson is Bookstore. Penninn Eymundsson also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00
Penninn Eymundsson
Bookstore
Penninn Eymundsson is Bookstore.
Nexus
Bookstore
Nexus — Bookstore, found on 74 Álfheimar in Reykjavík. Also worth knowing about Nexus: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 11:30-22:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
74 Álfheimar, Reykjavík, 104
Hours: Mo-Su 11:30-22:00
Phone: +354 552 9011
Skálda
Bookstore
Skálda is Bookstore. Skálda also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa 12:00-16:00; PH off; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa 12:00-16:00; PH off
Phone: +354 571 1060
Salka Bókabúð
Bookstore
Salka Bókabúð is Bookstore on 89-93 Hverfisgata. Salka Bókabúð also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 11:00-18:00; Sa 12:00-16:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
89-93 Hverfisgata
Hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-18:00; Sa 12:00-16:00
Phone: +354 776 2400
Forlagið
BookstoreRun by Forlagið
Run by Forlagið, Forlagið is Bookstore, found on 39 Fiskislóð in Reykjavík. Also worth knowing about Forlagið: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 12:00-16:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
39 Fiskislóð, Reykjavík, 101
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 12:00-16:00
Phone: +354 575 5636
Penninn Eymundsson
Bookstore
Penninn Eymundsson is Bookstore.
Bókakaffið
Bookstore
Bókakaffið is Bookstore. Bókakaffið also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa 11:00-15:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 11:00-17:00; Sa 11:00-15:00
Reykjavik Books & Chocolate
Bookstore
Reykjavik Books & Chocolate is Bookstore on 34 Hverfisgata.
34 Hverfisgata, 101
What the map tells us about bookstores in Reykjavik
14 of the 22 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
8 have websites listed. Worth a look for events — readings and signings get announced there first.
The Reykjavik bookstore crawl
The efficient Reykjavik bookstore crawl strings these together: Eymundsson, Iðnú Bookstore / Maps, Mál og Menning, Eymundsson on 11 Skólavörðustígur, Bóksala stúdenta, Eymundsson, Eymundsson, and Bókabúðin Grafarvogi — 22 stops, one logical order. 14 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Reykjavik
The regulars' playbook for Reykjavik's bookshops:
- Browse by serendipity, buy by list at Eymundsson. Keep a want-list on your phone for the hunt, but let the shelves surprise you too. The best finds are never the planned ones.
- Check for a café corner at Iðnú Bookstore / Maps. A bookshop with coffee is a trap in the best way. Plan accordingly; you won't be leaving soon.
- Learn the remainders table. Publisher overstocks sold cheap. Great for gift buying — new books at used prices.
- The used section is underpriced everywhere. Books are heavy and slow to sell, so used shelves price to move. First editions hide here regularly.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Reykjavik — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Reykjavik can take a while to appear. Spotted a closure among the 22, or a bookstore we missed entirely? The map is the source of truth here — one OpenStreetMap edit corrects it for everyone.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 22 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Bookstore listings for Reykjavik: 22 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.