The Souvenirs Tourists Actually Buy in Iceland: A Study of 10,437 Traveler Comments

We analyzed 10,437 traveler comments from 250 Reddit threads to find the souvenirs travelers actually recommend buying in Iceland. The results were surprisingly different from what the gift shop shelves suggest.

Walk into a gift shop in Reykjavik, and the shelves tell you what souvenirs from Iceland are supposed to be: puffin keychains, fridge magnets, and horned Viking helmets. But travelers in this study recommend Icelandic chocolate, lopapeysa, and a supermarket tote bag with a pig on it.

Advice on shopping in Iceland has long pointed to the boutiques on Laugavegur Street. We wanted to know whether the traveler comments in this study agree with that advice.

This study ranks souvenirs from Iceland by two measures: mentions and upvotes per mention. Mentions show how often travelers bring a souvenir up, and upvotes show how strongly other travelers agree. Dividing one by the other separates the souvenirs people mention from those they champion, revealing where the ranking changes.

A low rank in this study does not mean a bad souvenir. The ranking measures the strength of traveler agreement behind each recommendation, not the overall quality of each souvenir.

Keep reading for the full ranking of Iceland's most recommended souvenirs and the venues travelers name most often.

Key Findings

• Icelandic chocolate is the most recommended souvenir from Iceland. It has 399 mentions, and the lopapeysa sweater follows at 379 mentions.

• The lopapeysa earns more upvotes than any other souvenir from Iceland in this study. Its 379 mentions carry 2,805 upvotes, the highest total of any item.

• The Bonus pig tote bag tops the cult-favorite index at 8.1 upvotes per mention. The lopapeysa follows at 7.4 upvotes per mention, local art and prints at 6.8, and lava salt at 6.7.

• Lava salt ranks sixth by mentions but fourth on the cult-favorite index. It takes 127 mentions on Reddit and ranks second in the Facebook comments thread.

• Bonus and other grocery stores are the most recommended places to buy souvenirs in Iceland. They receive 539 venue mentions, nearly five times the 110 mentions for airport duty-free shops.

• Sweets and snacks fill four of the 15 most recommended souvenirs in Iceland. Icelandic chocolate leads at 399 mentions, ahead of candy such as Opal and Hraun at 178, licorice at 173, and skyr at 41.

Icelandic Chocolate and the Lopapeysa Top the Souvenir Ranking

Edible souvenirs own the top of the Iceland souvenir ranking. Icelandic chocolate leads with 399 mentions across 10,437 Reddit comments.

Travelers recommend Omnom craft chocolate bars as the gift to bring home. Their illustrated wrappers feature Icelandic design. Noi Sirius chocolate-covered licorice is also recommended as a treat for travelers to enjoy themselves.

Four of the 15 most popular souvenirs are Icelandic candies and snacks. Standalone licorice received 173 mentions, Icelandic candy such as Opal and Hraun received 178 mentions, and skyr received 41 mentions. Our guide to Icelandic food explains what these products are.

The lopapeysa is the most highly engaged souvenir from Iceland in this study. The traditional hand-knit wool sweater from Icelandic sheep with a patterned yoke ranks second by mentions, with 379 mentions, but first by upvotes, with 2,805 upvotes.

Travelers describe the lopapeysa as a purchase still worth the money years later, because the sweater is warm, durable, and unmistakably Icelandic. It also works as a mid-layer on sightseeing tours and self-drive tours, where the weather in Iceland changes quickly.

Wool accessories add another 119 mentions to the Iceland souvenir data. Hats, mittens, and blankets give travelers a less expensive way to bring Icelandic wool home without buying a full sweater. In the Facebook thread, wool was the most named souvenir category of all.

Books are another popular souvenir, with 154 Reddit mentions. Iceland holds the Guinness World Record for the most published writers per capita, and travelers recommend sagas, crime novels, and photo books. Our guide to Icelandic literature covers where to start.

Lava salt takes 127 mentions and ranks fourth on the cult-favorite index, at 6.7 upvotes per mention. Saltverk’s geothermally evaporated flake salt from the Westfjords receives strong recommendations and was also among the most-liked souvenirs in our Facebook research.

Which Souvenirs in Iceland Do Travelers Get Most Excited About?

The Bonus pig tote bag leads the cult-favorite index at 8.1 upvotes per mention. The tote bag is a reusable shopping bag that costs around 229 ISK, making it an inexpensive but highly discussed souvenir from Iceland.

Our cult-favorite index measures how strongly Reddit users respond to a souvenir relative to how often it is mentioned, using total karma divided by total mentions. Karma is a reputation score that users gain when others upvote their comments and lose when others downvote them.

The lopapeysa follows at 7.4 upvotes per mention, ahead of local art and prints at 6.8 and lava salt at 6.7. Skyr, Icelandic chocolate, candy, books, and wool accessories fill the rest of the top 10.

66°North, one of the top clothing brands in Iceland, takes 91 mentions and scores 6.1 upvotes per mention on the cult-favorite index. The brand was founded in 1926 to make clothing for local fishermen and now supplies clothing to Icelandic search and rescue teams.

Overall, the data shows stronger enthusiasm for souvenirs that are made or commonly used in Iceland than for generic tourist merchandise.

Grocery Stores Beat Gift Shops for Souvenirs in Iceland

Bonus and other grocery stores in Iceland are the most recommended places to buy souvenirs, with 539 venue mentions. That is nearly five times the number of mentions for airport duty-free shops, which received 110 mentions.

Travelers repeat one piece of advice: buy chocolate, licorice, salt, and skyr where Icelanders buy groceries. These products are also sold in gift shops, often at higher prices, so grocery stores can be a practical option for affordable Icelandic food.

The Handknitting Association of Iceland has 79 mentions. Founded in 1977, it is an association of Icelandic knitters who sell traditional hand-knit lopapeysur. Icewear takes 65 mentions as the cheaper option for machine-knit sweaters and accessories.

Charity shops take 51 mentions, led by Red Cross stores, where secondhand wool sweaters sell well below new prices. Kolaportid Flea Market takes 28 mentions and opens on weekends near the Old Harbor. Both rank among Reykjavik’s top secondhand stores.

Gift shops at Icelandic attractions receive 49 mentions in our study. Boutiques on Laugavegur Street receive 25 mentions. Grocery stores receive 539 mentions, showing that grocery shopping features far more prominently in the souvenir discussions we analyzed.

If you are looking for shops in Reykjavik that focus on locally made products, Made in Iceland Souvenirs is one option. It carries Icelandic wool, food, and art.

What Travelers Warn Each Other About When Buying Iceland Souvenirs

The most common warnings in our study concern Icelandic wool labels, alcohol prices, and taking natural materials from Iceland’s landscape. We counted how often each warning appeared in the Reddit discussions to identify the issues travelers mentioned most often.

Check the Label Before Buying a Wool Sweater

Wool labels draw 27 warnings, more than any other topic in the study. Travelers recommend checking the label before buying a lopapeysa or other Icelandic wool sweater because machine-made and hand-knit sweaters can look similar in tourist shops.

Some machine-made sweaters are produced outside Iceland and may use wool that is not from Icelandic sheep. A genuine hand-knit lopapeysa is made from 100% Icelandic wool and should state this on the label, so check the tag before buying at an unusually low price.

Alcohol Costs Less at Keflavik Airport

Alcohol is the second most common warning, with 11 mentions. Travelers recommend buying alcohol at the duty-free shop at Keflavik Airport after arriving in Iceland because alcohol is generally more expensive at other retail outlets. Outside the airport, Icelandic beer, Brennivin, and local gin are sold at state-run Vinbudin stores.

Never Take Rocks, Pebbles, or Moss

Seven comments warn travelers that lava rocks, pebbles, and moss are natural parts of Iceland’s volcanic landscapes, not souvenirs to take home. Removing natural materials is prohibited in some protected areas and can damage Iceland’s fragile landscapes. The practice appears in our list of the dumbest things to do in Iceland.

Which Souvenirs in Iceland Disappoint?

Fridge magnets, generic puffin merchandise, and mass-produced Viking items receive relatively little enthusiasm in our study of souvenirs in Iceland. We identified these items through low Reddit engagement rather than through complaints.

The results show which Icelandic souvenirs travelers discuss less positively, not which products everyone dislikes.

Fridge magnets received 86 mentions and rank 11th among the most recommended souvenirs from Iceland. They do not reach the top 10 of our cult-favorite index, which suggests that travelers mention fridge magnets more often than they recommend them.

Generic puffin merchandise also receives relatively little enthusiasm as a souvenir from Iceland. Travelers show much more interest in seeing Iceland’s puffins than in buying puffin keychains, and puffin shops appear in our list of tourist traps in Iceland.

Mass-produced Viking souvenirs draw some of the weakest reactions in the study. Commenters point out that most have no connection to Iceland at all beyond the shelf they sit on.

Paying gift-shop prices for everyday grocery products is the most common disappointment in the souvenir discussions. The same chocolate, lava salt, and licorice sold in Icelandic grocery stores can cost considerably more in souvenir shops.

When a purchase went wrong in these threads, the problem was rarely the item itself. The disappointment usually came from the price paid or from buying a wool sweater without checking the label first.

What Facebook Buyers Add to the Iceland Souvenir Ranking

Facebook buyers corroborate the main findings of this study. They name salt, wool, and Bonus store merchandise most often, and they repeat the advice to buy food souvenirs where Icelanders buy groceries.

While the Reddit research measures what travelers recommend, our 351-comment Facebook thread asked a different question: what souvenirs did buyers actually bring home and feel glad they had purchased?

Wool and Lava Salt Lead the Facebook Answers

Wool products are the most frequently mentioned souvenirs from Iceland in the Facebook answers, while lava salt ranked second. Wool appeared in 64 Facebook comments we captured, matching its strong position in the Reddit research.

Wool runs through the thread in every form, from full sweaters to hats, blankets, socks, mittens, and yarn. Facebook buyers describe a sweater as a purchase they still wear years later, which matches how Reddit commenters describe the lopapeysa.

Lava salt takes a far larger share on Facebook than on Reddit, where it ranks sixth with 127 mentions. Icelandic skincare, Blue Lagoon skincare, handmade jewelry, and Christmas ornaments also appear more often on Facebook answers than on Reddit. Yule Lads books and figurines account for most of the Christmas answers.

The Most-Liked Answer Was Not Bought in a Shop

The most-liked Facebook answer is a piece of sea glass collected at Grotta Island and turned into a necklace and a keyring. That comment drew more reactions than any other answer in the thread.

The Bonus Tote Bag Holds Up Across Both Sources

The Bonus tote bag tops the Reddit cult-favorite index, and Facebook buyers also mention it frequently. The reusable bag with the pink pig is one of the most repeated answers in our Facebook thread, and buyers describe giving them away and using them weekly at home.

Everyday Icelandic Products Also Make Good Souvenirs

Several buyers mention crispy fried onions and sweet mustard served with Iceland’s famous hot dog as purchases they are particularly happy to bring home. Neither product is a traditional tourist souvenir, and no gift shop markets them as one.

The most-liked wool comment is not about a brand. The buyer explained they trusted their sweater was genuinely local because the woman at the counter was knitting while they shopped. It highlights the value some buyers place on knowing where and how a souvenir was made.

66°North Outerwear Doubles as a Souvenir

Practical clothing also appears in the Facebook comments, with 66°North named in three of them. The community’s verdict is that it is an investment purchase because of its price, with some recommending sales or the outlet for lower prices.

Icelandic Food Products Also Make Memorable Souvenirs

Food products are another recurring category in the Facebook comments. Hardfiskur, wind-dried fish traditionally eaten with butter, has 40 mentions on Reddit and appears in the Facebook answers as well. Read our guide to unusual Icelandic foods to see what else is worth trying.

Skyr also appears in the discussion, although it is less practical as a souvenir because it is perishable. Together, these answers show that souvenirs from Iceland range from traditional wool and local foods to jewelry, skincare, and practical clothing.

Chocolate, Lava Salt, and a Bonus Tote: Budget Souvenirs From Iceland

A budget starter kit from Iceland comes entirely from a grocery store. Icelandic chocolate, chocolate-covered licorice, lava salt, and a Bonus tote bag make up four of the 15 most recommended souvenirs in this study.

Travelers with a little more to spend add wool mittens or a hat, a paperback saga, or a print from a weekend stall at Kolaportid Flea Market. These options offer a way to bring home something more distinctive without spending as much as on larger tourist-shop purchases.

Travelers visiting Iceland in winter add Christmas ornaments and Yule Lad souvenirs to their shopping list. The 13 mischievous Christmas figures and books earned 60 mentions. The Reykjavik Christmas markets are a seasonal place to find them.

Card payments are accepted nearly everywhere in Iceland, so you do not need cash for most of these souvenirs. Some stalls at Kolaportid Flea Market are the exception and need cash. Our guide to currency in Iceland explains how payments work in Iceland.

 How We Ranked Iceland’s Souvenirs

We collected 10,437 comments from souvenir and shopping threads in r/VisitingIceland and r/Iceland, posted between January 2023 and August 2026. We counted mentions and upvotes for 30 souvenir categories and 12 shopping venues in Iceland. Mention and upvote counts were computed programmatically; figures reflect early September 2026.

We checked that ranking against a 351-comment thread in Iceland Travel Tips, Guide to Iceland’s Facebook group of more than 198,000 members. Facebook’s thread view loaded the comments, and we counted souvenir mentions across them.

Facebook and TripAdvisor Iceland shopping forums serve as corroboration only. Where the sources disagree, we say so. Facebook buyers favor lava salt and Christmas ornaments noticeably more than Reddit commenters do.

Conclusion

Across 10,437 comments, the souvenirs travelers recommend most from Iceland are the ones Icelanders make or use themselves. Icelandic chocolate leads at 399 mentions, and the lopapeysa follows at 379 with 2,805 upvotes, more than any other item.

Where you shop matters more than what you buy. Bonus and other grocery stores take 539 venue mentions, nearly five times the airport duty-free at 110, while boutiques on Laugavegur take 25.

The enthusiasm scores point the same way. The souvenir with the highest upvotes per mention is a Bonus tote bag that costs around 229 ISK, and fridge magnets take 86 mentions without reaching the top 10.

What this study measures is not which souvenirs are best, but which ones travelers still stand behind. The gap between a grocery store and a gift shop is wider than the gap between any two items on the shelf.

Buy your chocolate, licorice, and lava salt where Icelanders buy groceries. If you want a lopapeysa, the Handknitting Association of Iceland is the consensus source, and wool labels draw 27 warnings, more than any other topic here.

Explore More Iceland Data Studies

This article is part of Guide to Iceland’s original research series. You may also like our data-driven guides to the best tours in Iceland by satisfaction rate and how many days you need in Iceland. Its companion studies cover Iceland’s most recommended waterfalls and Iceland’s most recommended hot springs.

 

We would like to hear whether your favorite souvenir from Iceland made our top 15, or whether you brought home something the data missed. Share your experience in the comments below, and ask us anything about the study or about shopping in Iceland.