Is Iceland LGBTQIA+ friendly?

LGBTQIA+ travellers are those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (a more inclusive LGBT initialism), plus queer or questioning, intersex or asexual individuals, as well as those who identify beyond these commonly used sexuality and gender expressions. Specific situations and issues may present themselves to travellers who identify with one or more of these terms when visiting Iceland.

The people of Iceland have an open and accepting attitude to LGBTQIA+ communities, and Iceland is considered one of the world’s most LGBTQIA+ friendly countries. Since 2006, same-sex couples have had equal access to adoption and IVF, and in 2010 the Icelandic Parliament made a unanimous decision to define marriage as between two individuals, with the Church of Iceland following suit and allowing same-sex marriages from 2015. As might be expected in a small country, however, the gay scene is quite low-key, even in Reykjavik.

In 2012, further legislation was passed to formalise the name and identity changing process for the needs of trans and genderqueer individuals. There is still a way to go to achieve full equality, but Iceland is, in many regards, leading the way globally in LGBTQIA+ recognition and rights.

Queer culture in Reykjavik and beyond

As Iceland as a whole is very inclusive of LGBTQIA+ communities, and also because of its size, there is no distinct 'queer district' in the capital, Reykjavik. There are two explicitly gay bars, Kiki and Curious, but all venues in Reykjavik are open to people of any persuasion. Since 1999 Reykjavik has hosted an annual Pride Parade, which has grown to over 100,000 attendees and participants from around the world. It's often touted as the 'biggest small pride parade in the world'. The parade coincides with the annual Rainbow Festival, a celebration of LGBTQIA+ communities over a whole week in February. Iceland's drag scene is also gaining traction and becoming more and more diverse, with drag kings and genderqueer performers taking the stage alongside the more traditional queens.

Check out Gay Iceland, GayIce and the National Queer Organisation for more information about queer culture in Iceland.

Solo travel and room sharing

If you are travelling solo on an Intrepid group tour, you will share accommodation with a passenger of the same gender as per your passport information. If you don’t identify with the gender assigned on your passport, please let us know at time of booking and we’ll arrange the rooming configuration accordingly. A single supplement is available on some tours for travellers who do not wish to share a room.

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