Buying Groceries in Iceland: Plan Food Around the Road
Use Bónus, Krónan and local shops around your route, choose meals for the kitchen you have and avoid buying food you cannot store.
A useful grocery stop makes the next day easier. It gives you breakfast before an early start, lunch when the walk runs longer than expected and something simple for an evening at a guesthouse. The aim is to buy meals you will use, not to turn the holiday into a search for one particular supermarket.
Check the branch, not just the brand
Bónus and Krónan publish branch locations and opening times. Look at the shop near your room or on the road you are taking. A small saving may disappear if you drive across town, pay to park or reach the shop after closing.
In Reykjavík, both chains have useful locations around the central area and farther out. Bónus lists its Laugavegur branch and other city stores on its English page. Krónan’s branch list includes Vík at Austurvegur 20 and Selfoss at Austurvegur 3. Check the current hours for the actual day, particularly around holidays, rather than relying on a remembered closing time.
Find out what your accommodation provides
A kitchen, kitchenette and kettle-only room support different meals. Ask whether you have a hob, pans, utensils, fridge space and somewhere to eat. A shared guesthouse kitchen can be useful, but you may need to fit around other guests or the property’s rules.
For a room without cooking facilities, choose breakfast foods, sandwiches and ready-to-eat items you can store safely. Do not buy a large bag of ingredients for a meal you cannot prepare. If breakfast is included in the room, remove the separate breakfast purchase from your plan instead of paying for both out of habit.
Build a small basket for the next stage
Start with one breakfast, one packed lunch and the evening meal you actually intend to cook. Bread or wraps, a suitable filling, fruit and a snack are easy to match to a road day. Add refrigerated items only when you have a reliable way to keep them cool.
For a longer stay in one room, a shared bag of oats or a larger pack can make sense. For a one-night stop, smaller portions may cost less overall because you use them. Check package sizes and the displayed unit price, then consider what will be left at departure.
There is no dependable rule that one shop cuts every basket by 50 percent. Prices, offers and what you buy all matter. Compare a few items that dominate your spending rather than treating a supermarket logo as a guarantee.
Use service towns before longer drives
On the five-day southwest plan, a Selfoss stop can cover the next breakfast and lunch before the South Coast day. Vík is another useful place to buy supplies before continuing east. Check opening hours before arranging a late arrival.
For the Ring Road, use Höfn and Egilsstaðir to prepare for the next stages rather than assuming every scenic stop has a shop. In the Mývatn region, check the location of services against the side of the lake where you are sleeping. A rural room may be some distance from dinner or groceries.
Carry food and water for the outing you planned, with a little spare in case the day takes longer. Keep rubbish with you until you find an appropriate bin, and use designated stopping places instead of stopping on the road for a picnic photograph.
Keep a restaurant meal you want
Self-catering does not need to mean cooking every evening. A simple breakfast and packed lunch can leave room for a meal in a town where you want to sit down and enjoy the evening. Look at the menu and opening time before building the day around it.
Compare a breakfast-included room with a cheaper room plus the food and time needed to arrange breakfast. The more convenient choice can be worth the difference on an early road day. Likewise, a café stop can be a useful rest rather than a failure to keep costs down.
Count shared groceries sensibly
If two people buy a basket together, divide the actual shared total. Keep personal extras separate if you want an accurate per-person comparison. On the site’s budget examples, replace the food allowance with your real spending; do not add the whole supermarket receipt on top of an allowance that already covers the same meals.
Before the last night, plan around what remains. A small top-up is often more useful than another full shop, especially when your next day includes a flight and you cannot use or take the leftover food.
Bónus locations and hours · Krónan branches · Reykjavík guide · Vík and South Coast