Kolaportið Flea Market
Kolaportið is Iceland's largest flea market, open every weekend in a converted customs house on the Reykjavik waterfront. Part jumble sale, part food market, part local institution — it's one of the most authentic experiences you can have in the capital without booking anything in advance.
Reykjavik's Weekend Flea Market in the Old Harbour
Kolaportið has been a Reykjavik fixture since 1989, when it first opened in a car park by the Central Bank. Today it occupies the ground floor of the city's former customs house at Tryggvagata 19, right on the Old Harbour waterfront. The name translates roughly as "the coal yard," a nod to the building's industrial past, though the atmosphere inside is anything but gloomy. On weekends it fills with a genuine cross-section of the city — families picking through second-hand clothes, collectors hunting vinyl and antiques, and visitors getting their first taste of fermented shark from the food stalls.
The market splits into two distinct halves. One side is pure flea market: vintage clothing, old books, handmade jewellery, Icelandic wool sweaters, and the kind of oddities you only find by digging. The other side is a food market where vendors sell dried fish, skyr, traditional flatbread, kleinur doughnuts, and a rotating selection of Icelandic specialities. It's worth arriving a little hungry. Most stalls still prefer cash, and there's an ATM at the entrance, so come prepared. Haggling is expected and often rewarded, particularly with sellers who aren't regulars.
Kolaportið is open Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 5pm, year-round. Its location in the Old Harbour puts it within easy walking distance of Harpa concert hall, the Sun Voyager sculpture, and the Reykjavik Maritime Museum, making it a natural addition to a morning exploring the waterfront. It's one of those places that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is — and that's exactly what makes it worth a visit.
