What you need to know before traveling to Iceland

Things You need to Know

Below are a few tips and tricks on several important bits of information that might help you plan your next trip to Iceland. Plan in advance but stay flexible. Sometimes you need to go with the flow and seize the moment. Take your time to enjoy places, people and landscapes. Iceland won’t disappoint!

Costs

Everything about Iceland is expensive. And when I say very expensive I mean it. Get over it and make the most of your trip. Their local money is Iceland Krona “ISK”. Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere you can pay with a credit card. I got a small coffee at the gas station, and let’s be honest it wasn’t my Starbucks Grande Chai Latte half sweet with almond milk haha, it was a gas station kinda coffee. Guess how much it was? 58 Kr (6.5USD $ or 9CAD $)

Tip: Instant coffee satchels may not taste as good as the real thing, but will save you a fortune.

What You Need To Bring

A pair of hiking shoes, a windbreaker, a good jacket, gloves, beanie, good pair of socks and a good camera. These are always good to have all year around. You might want to throw a cute bikini in if you go during summer, as Iceland offers beautiful beaches. During winter the weather is in average 0 celsius degrees and during summer it varies from 5-15C.

Internet

It is accessible in every gas station and it’s free. How cool is that! It was also available to us at our Airbnb. Wifi is accessible everywhere here so it is not a problem. SIM card prices are very reasonable here for some reason which is great for data and Google maps – check out some more info –https://www.siminn.is/prepaid/

Visa

You don’t need a visa to visit Iceland. Of course, if you do have a passport that is less “popular” you might had to do some extra research to be sure before booking your flights.

Tourist Traps

Don’t do all the tours available to you, otherwise you will empty your bank account. Just rent a car and do everything on your own. Driving around Iceland will blow your mind away. It is spectacular! There are  few places that require a tour, so brave it on your own! Make sure your car is covered with full insurance, especially if you have not had much experience on driving on slippery roads before. Better safe than sorry with these things.

Gas

Compared to other countries, gas is very expensive (2$/L). Our suggestion is to rent an economic car, you don’t need a big SUV. Filling up a small Volkswagen would cost almost 100$ CAD/ $80USD.

Food

Avoid eating out where possible. Not due to the quality of food but simply as the price is sky high. On our first night, since it was late and we didn’t have any groceries at our Airbnb, we decided to eat out. 2 Pad Thai + 2 Beers = 75$ CA/60$ US. I mean the Pad Thai was good but for 75$, we didn’t expect it to be so pricey. That’s when I realized what people meant by Iceland is expensive.

Hot Tip

Pack some food from home in your suitcase you’ll need it. Bring some peanut butter, tuna cans, Cliff Bars or any other little good that provide you with some energy but you can still stomach. These will save you a lot of money (if saving your money is something that you enjoy doing!!!)

Accommodation

AirBnB the way to go here. We stayed in Selfoss for most of our journey which is about 45 mins from Reykjavik. This location was perfect for us because it was central to a lot of places we wanted to explore. Don’t book the same Airbnb your whole stay, be flexible and try several. Hotels here are good quality but due to the demand being higher than the supply, prices have increased every season and keep going up.

Must see

Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon (one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen) it’s a glacial lagoon in southeastern Iceland. The blue waters are dotted with icebergs. The lagoon flows through a short waterway into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving chunks of ice on a black sand beach. If you’re lucky you might even see seals.

Blue Lagoon: You need to book it weeks ahead if you want to be able to reserve a spot but there is a reason why. A must see place.

Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral (located in Reykjavik): I don’t normally go to church but the architecture of this cathedral is just amazing. It took 41 years to build it and it is the tallest church in Iceland.

Harpa Concert Hall: Harpa is a concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavík. The building features a distinctive colored glass facade inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland. Pretty damn cool!

Sun Voyager sculpture: A sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason located in Reykjavík. Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun.

Reykjavik Food Tip: Make sure to grab an Iceland Hot Dog, you won’t be disappointed.

Kerio Crater (Golden Circle): Is a volcanic crater lake located in South Iceland. Charge of entrance fees RE 400 ISK (as of July 2017).