BEST TIME TO TRAVEL TO ICELAND

Best Months: May-October (Most of the tours and parks close throughout the harsher winter months!)

Best Months for viewing the Northern Lights: August through March

Personally, I suggest going anytime between April and September, because that’s when about 60% of the Atlantic Puffins are there!!!♥

**TIP: If you don’t want to do a long stay, they offer 1-5 day stop-overs in Iceland with no additional airfare when traveling across the Atlantic!! Stop in to experience Iceland’s remarkable beauty for a few days and then head on to your next destination!

WHAT TO PACK

1. Hiking boots
2. Warm socks
3. Thermal Underwear
4. Toboggan(s)
5. Selfie stick
6. Rain jacket (Umbrellas in Iceland are uncommon due to the high winds and mist. Umbrellas won’t protect you from the wet, so a hooded rain jacket or poncho will be your best friend!)
7. Waterproof gloves (Trust me when I say you will want these! I wore regular gloves when glacier climbing and almost got frostbite lol!)
8. Swimsuit (All pools are heated and there are lots of Hot Springs!)
9. Fleece lined leggings (I literally bought some in the kid’s section at Wal-Mart for $5.82 and they were so warm and comfy!!)
10. Cover-Up/Robe (for after showering): Nudity is VERY common in Iceland, so if you’re cool with that, then no robe necessary! However, I liked having something to put on after the shower while getting ready since we were sharing a room with 6 strangers, so I was glad I had mine!
11. Flip-flops: I could be weird but just throwing it out there that I don’t like standing in the shower where others have just bathed! I forgot my flip-flops but luckily got to keep the ones from the Blue Lagoon, so I felt much better showering after that!
12. Europlug (Be sure to get the circle ones– not the square!!)
13. Refillable Water bottle: Water is free and delicious in Iceland!! Take a refillable bottle to stay hydrated on your journeys!
14. Backpack: There is a high likelihood that when you venture out of Reykjavik there will be very few places or stores. I suggest taking a backpack with anything you may need (ibuprofen, food, water, swimsuit, towel, etc.) These are easy to carry on your hike and it is definitely a good idea to stay prepared.
15. Food/Snacks: Honestly, when we go back, 65% of my suitcase will be non-perishable food items. Yes, the food is THAT expensive. I obviously wanted to try Icelandic cuisines and enjoy the culture, but I would much rather eat out once a day and have my own food for the rest of the time. That way, I am saving LOTS of money for other things while still getting a “taste” of the Icelandic dining experience. (See what I did there?!)
16. 9 million dollars: Did I mention Iceland is expensive? 😉

Public Service Announcement: Hagkaup is like a fancier Wal-Mart!! You’re welcome.

MONEY CONVERSION: KRÓNA (ISK) to DOLLARS (USD)

• 1 USD = 121.250 ISK; 1 ISK = .00824742
• We thought it was easiest to just think of about 100 ISK=1 USD so that we could estimate everything in our heads without having to get out our phone each time. For example, if something was 1204.5 ISK, we just estimated it to be about $12 USD.
• • Click here for a Króna to USD calculator!!

SIDE NOTE: You can use your credit card in Iceland, like most other countries. Just be sure to check with your credit card company to make sure that they don’t charge foreign transaction fees!

• Currency Exchange:

• • Best rate: Exchange your dollars in for Krónas in the U.S. at your bank to get the best exchange rate!
• • 2nd best rate: Exchange at a U.S. airport
• • Worst rate: Exchange at a foreign airport

SHOULD I RENT A CAR?

• I HIGHLY recommend renting a car! Although there are plenty of tours that will take you to various landmarks, the absolute best way to see the island is to just get in your car and GO! We did the math before going and determined that car rental + gas was cheaper than paying for all of the guided tours we wanted! Keep scrolling for info on self-guided tours!
• →Sixt Rental is AMAZING! 
• Be sure to ask for a FREE UPGRADE! All we did was ask and they happily upgraded us to a Range Rover for no additional cost–plus they threw in a free pocket Wifi that we got to take everywhere!!! 
• Rent a Diesel! (Diesel is much cheaper in Iceland!)
• Rent a vehicle with 4WD… There’s always a chance you’ll have [or want] to go offroading!

SELF-GUIDED TOURS

I recommend using the maps instead of GPS! The names of landmarks, roads, and cities are very long and complicated to the average tourist. This makes plugging places into your GPS dangerous, as you could misspell easily. Also, there are many places with almost the exact same name so it can get confusing. I rely heavily on my GPS on most occasions, but in Iceland, it’s much safer to use a map!

There were several brochures provided at our Hostel, but I attached a link [just in case] that will give you the best FREE Printable Iceland Tourist Maps! 🙂

**The ONLY driving tour I would really suggest doing with an actual guide is the Northern Lights Tour! We drove around forever searching for the lights, but the experienced guides will know the best viewing spots! One of our Hostel-mates said that the guides will typically keep hunting until they are able to find a great view for you!

Golden Circle Self-Guided Tour

The “Golden Circle” is made up of more rocky areas with yellow, brownish scenery (Hence why it’s referred to as “golden” maybe?!). Anyways, it is a loop that takes you to Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall and the Strokkur Geysir! There were numerous other neat attractions on the way, as there are when doing any of the tours! I did love Gullfoss waterfall! It was MONSTROUS and gorgeous! I’ve never been to Niagra Falls, but I would say that Gullfoss would probably give it a run for its money. We even caught a rainbow stretching right over top! Þingvellir National Park was also interesting for the fact that one of the rifts (Silfra) is the location where two tectonic plates meet! The Strokkur Geysir was the other large attraction we visited.

ICELAND DINING

Highly Recommended: 

Laundromat Cafe. Delicious. American food. Decent Prices. AND you can do your laundry in the basement while you eat! #winning

Saeta Svinid Gastropub. I had the most delicious and expensive cheeseburger that I have EVER experienced in my 28 years of existence. I highly recommend this restaurant for the little touches and intricacies all around the inside, as well as the quality and taste of their food!

Devito’s Pizza. This restaurant was amazing as far as friendliness, helpfulness of staff, and pricing!! I totally get wanting to eat Icelandic food, but I highly recommend it if you don’t care to eat pizza in Iceland!

Cafe Babalu. I kept wanting to go inside this place every time we passed it! It was probably the coziest, most eccentric little cafe I had ever been inside, and it was absolutely delightful. Everything was reasonably priced and DELICIOUS. They also offered “Take Away” coffee, which wasn’t super common elsewhere. Sitting inside Cafe Babalu, I felt like everything in life just seemed so simple! These people served coffee, baked delicious muffins and were genuinely happy doing it. I almost can’t think of a better way to impact the world than to start everyone’s day with a cup of coffee and a warm smile. 🙂

Hard Rock Cafe. I realize this sounds so basic, but OMG– it was actually the most delicious food for the best prices. I highly recommend it!! Our server was from Portugal and spoke 5 other languages!! It was crazy to realize how lacking we [Americans] are in our worldly views and knowledge of other cultures. I loved learning about the outlooks, experiences, and cultures of our new German, Australian and Portuguese friends. I never realized how different other countries operate.

Reykjavik Fish Restaurant. Yes, that is the name of it and it was DELICIOUS!! I typically don’t even eat Fish & Chips but boy am I glad I did!! 

Not Recommended:

Black Beach Restaurant. We ate lunch here for like $80 a person (slight exaggeration, but only slight). I would not recommend dining here for much other than the view, but one perk was that we got to gaze out at our very first black beach while eating our meal!!

Halldorskaffi. We were excited to go here because we love finding secret local treasures! Sadly, this restaurant may have been secret and local, but it wasn’t what I would refer to as a treasure. Not sure if we had “stupid Americans” across our face or what, but for whatever reason, we didn’t have very good service. I was starving and it took foreverrrr to get seated… foreverrrr to get greeted. And then foreverrr to get our food. The food was okay, but I would definitely recommend dining closer to Reykjavik if possible!

Tapas Barinn. Okay, my first mistake here was that I had no earthly clue what Tapas was (I mean, is Tapas singular or plural??), but Matt mentioned tacos so I was immediately on board, expecting Mexican food. After being seated, I found that not only did they not know what queso was, but they charged an outrageous amount for baby tacos. It was a very fancy place, though, so this is likely to be many people’s cup of tea.. it just wasn’t mine. 🙂 (We later went to a hot dog stand for me.)

Loki. Neat little local diner. I ordered the crepes (thin pancakes) but they didn’t know what syrup was so I agreed to whipped cream and fruit jam. I think we paid $30 for the tiniest crepes in the world. Matt had a cold ham and egg sandwich– which was apparently the norm there. It was interesting, but not surprising since we had little success with our choice of dining!

FUN FACTS:

• Iceland drinking water doesn’t have to be purified because it comes directly from the Glacier. It’s cold and delicious!!
• Icelanders love hot dogs! There are hot dog restaurants all over! They also have lots of condiments!
• Icelanders smoke their meats more often than grilling or frying
• Shark and lamb are very common dishes in Iceland
• You can also order sheep’s head, sour ram balls, puffin and whale

WHAT TO DO IN ICELAND?

*Blue Lagoon*

• The Blue Lagoon is a MUST!!!!! It’s a gigantic, heavenly geothermic spa with face-masks, a sauna, poolside bar, and restaurant.
• When we booked our package, we chose the Premium option, which allowed us robes, an extra mask, slippers, sparkling wine, and a table reservation at Lava Restaurant– PLUS, we walked right in instead of having to wait in the long line!! It was TOTALLY worth the $24 USD upgrade fee in my opinion!
• Pre-booking is required, so be sure to book online before arrival! This link will take you to their Day Visit page for info and booking!!
• Lava Restaurant: I ordered off the kid’s menu and got the same amount of food for $9 as everyone else got for $35! (Finally, my child-like tendencies proved beneficial!)

Sólheimajökull Ice Climbing & Glacier Hike

We booked this excursion through Troll Expeditions, which turned out to be extremely helpful! They emailed us clear instructions and directions to the address of our meeting place! We also LOVED our guide as you can see!  Click this link for more information and booking!

Horseback Riding 

Hraunhestar. We went on a Guided Horseback Tour through the lava fields! The staff provided us with clothing and gear to wear atop our own in order to prevent the spreading disease that can come from exposing Icelandic horses with germs tourists may carry over from American Horses. We were given horses based on our level of confidence and experience. We all had help saddling and mounting our horses. When we returned, we were able to relax and warm up with free and delicious hot chocolate.

FUN FACT: Iceland horses have their own specific gait that no other horse has, called the tolt! It helps them to walk more smoothly on the uneven ground of the island.

OTHER EXCURSIONS:

There were several AMAZING excursions and activities we had no clue even existed until we stumbled upon them while doing the self-guided driving tours! Some we didn’t even know about until we left! There are just so many amazing things to see and do in Iceland. Here are a few things on our list for next time:

Thrihnukagigur Volcano Tour: We really wish we would’ve done this!! It’s a 5-6 hour hiking tour through the center of their dormant volcano! The tour is 44.000. ISK–so about $440 USD– and includes pick up/drop off, safety gear, tour guides, and a meal! Here is the link for more info and booking!!

Silfra, Between the Continents Scuba Diving:  Silfra is a fissure in between the North America and Eurasia tectonic plates that was opened up by several earthquakes! It is continuously changing due to the constant moving of the plates and the effects of each earthquake. We did get to hike through this area, but this tour allows you to SCUBA DIVE in between the continents!! The water is said to be the clearest in the world because it melts right off the glacier and then is filtered through underground lava for up to 100 years before it ever reaches Silfra! Click this link to find info on tours and much more about the science behind the creation and evolution of this world wonder!

Solheimasandur Plane crash site: A DC-3 Plane crashed on one of the beaches in the southern part of the island! All passengers survived, thankfully, and the wreckage still remains in the exact location of the crash (exact coordinates are 63′ 27.546-19′ 21.887). There is now a parking lot near the road for tourists, but it’s still around an hour walk to the crash site and an hour back. I have heard it provides great photo opportunities but is very crowded during daylight hours.

Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours: We didn’t go to the Glacier Lagoon, but the pictures will take your breath away!! The glacier lagoon consists of clear water and pieces of the glacier that have broken off from the larger glaciers (due to climate change and global warming). This site allows you to book your boat tour and learn more!

NIGHTLIFE

• Bars and Clubs typically start getting fun around midnight and don’t close until 5 am on the weekends!
• Legal Drinking Age: 20
• Use the AppyHour app to find the best drink specials!

Prikid was a bar we had seen in passing several times that we were wanting to try so we went there for a couple of drinks! There was a DJ downstairs and a live band upstairs. I definitely recommend Prikid for a fun time and good drinks!!

Austur was my favorite night club! It was classy, but not too fancy that people didn’t dance! There was a DJ playing awesome dance music (apparently Icelanders love Kendrick Lamar) and plenty of people on the dance floor! [They even had a room to hang your coat!]

Shooters Coyote Bar is a straight up brothel. But they have good drink specials.

Bjarni Fel is a sports bar right in the middle of the strip! We liked the atmosphere and had some good craft beer!

Souvenirs

Considering they sell cans of air for about 11 USD, I would highly suggest creating your own souvenirs to bring back for your loved ones! We brought home some Krona coins, black sand and lava rocks, which everyone loved probably more than they would’ve liked a cliche key chain! Here are some ideas for DIY souvenirs:

• Lava Rock magnet
• Pet Lava Rock
• Lava rock paperweight
• Black sand in a bottle
• Krona coin magnet

ICELAND CULTURE FUN FACTS

• Icelanders believe in elves and trolls!! I loved this part of their culture. People put mini houses out in the middle of yards or random fields so that the elves have places to live! If something strange happens, it’s usually attributed to the trolls. Their folklore also contains much about the history of elves and trolls in Iceland!
• Iceland ranks at the top of the list of cleanest countries in the world!
• Parents will leave their sleeping babies outside of restaurants, coffee shops, on porches, or even in gardens while they meet up with friends. (This is not seen as unusual or dangerous, because of the low crime rates!)
• Speaking of low crime rates, Iceland is ranked very high on the list of safest countries!
• Icelanders are typically very laid back and accepting. Their Queer Bar, Penis Museum, and graphic condom packages were pretty quick indicators that they aren’t worried about offending others. They actually rank highest for the most gender equal and LBGT friendly country!
• Icelandic is one of the [if not the] hardest languages to learn! We met someone who had lived there for 11 years and still couldn’t speak the language!
• We made friends with a local who told us that they usually experience the weather of all four seasons each day.