Roads trips. Even if it's 2 days or 20 days, you need to get your butt out of the capital region and go see this amazing landscape. With common sense, Iceland is an extremely easy country to navigate around, so don't be scared! It's the way to do it. We promise. Check out our road trips page to get yourself going.
Although the weather is always having an identity crisis, the temperature is more mild than one would expect. The summer temperature tops out around 75F while the winters average around 35F.
Layers! With at least one very waterproof layer! There's a saying that goes “If you don't like the weather in Iceland, wait 5 minutes.”, and nothing could be more true. Iceland has A LOT of weather going on. It will be sunny, rainy, snowy, windy, and sunny again all within an hour. And let's talk about that wind for a second. Iceland's fierce winds sting in such a way it's hard not to take it personally. So bring a hat and scarf no matter the time of year. As for footwear, again, you need something very waterproof. And you'll also definitely want to pack a swimming suit because Iceland has many brilliant places to soak your bones.
Don’t speed! Tickets can be thousands of dollars if the cops (or cameras) catch you. Watch for sheep. They are everywhere. Every. Where. Stupid tourists like to stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of sheep so be careful of that. The roads are narrow and bridges are often one lane (whoever gets there first has right of way). Feel free to pick up a hitchhiker or two since there aren’t a lot of murderers in Iceland. If the weather sucks, check the road cameras before you leave at www.road.is. They drive on the “right” side of the road. 95 oct is the same as regular gas (it’s usually the green one). When you get gas with your credit card, you put the money limit you want to get. If you don’t get that much gas, it only charges you what you got. It’s confusing in words, but you’ll understand in real life. 7.000 kr (about $55.00) is probably a good limit to start with. Also, most gas stations have the same price, so don’t worry about finding the cheapest place.
It's possible to see the northern lights between October and March, but don’t get your hopes up for this teasing temptress, and count yourself lucky if you do see her. We would never suggest anyone go to Iceland JUST to see the northern lights (unless they want to spend a month or two), because there's just no way to know if you'll see them or not. For example, Katie's mom and sister were coming out to visit for a couple of weeks. The entire month previous to their arrival was a crazy northern lights party. We saw them every single night for weeks. But as soon as they arrived? Nadda. Neither of them saw the lights during their entire two week trip.
To try your luck, walk outside away from street lights on a clear-ish night and let your eyes adjust for a few minutes. Clouds will trick you if the lights aren't bright, so try to look for color and movement. If you have a car, drive out away from the city lights a little bit. There is an aurora forecast website, but it’s not always accurate, so it’s worth checking out the sky even if it’s not forecast.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Icelandic is the official language (it kinda sounds like elvish spoken backwards), but Icelanders—especially those under the age of 50—are quite multi-lingual. Although they usually have a strong accent, most people speak excellent english, making it extremely easy to get around. Any website you would need to use will have an english option, points of interest should have english signage, and restaurants will always have an english menu. It simply is not hard to navigate verbally in Iceland (unless you're a tourist trying to speak Icelandic).
Iceland's currency is the Icelandic krona (ISK). Check the current value of the krona against your local currency here. Most places accept credit/debit cards and ATMs are readily available near banks in the cities, but might be harder to find in the countryside. Don't be confused about the use of a period instead of a comma in prices. For example: 56.000 kr = 56,000, 125.000 kr = 125,000, 3.000 kr = 3,000, 750 kr = 750 etc etc.
We're sorry to break it to you, but Iceland is expensive. It just is. This website exists for those of us who don't have unlimited funds to blow on opulent dinners and private tours, but even then, you should still expect to spend around $70 per person per day minimum (though it can easily be up in the $170+ range even when choosing cheaper options).
To give you an idea of how expensive things are, here is a rough cost breakdown of common things you may buy:
A delicious hot dog from a stand: $3
A drink from the gas station: $1-$2
A dinner at an average sit-down restaurant: $25-50+
A small box of strawberries at the grocery store: $5-8
A hand-knit lopapeysa (Icelandic sweater): $120 to $300
A cool local name-brand coat: $400-$1000
A liter of petrol: $1.65
A one-way bus fair in the capital region: $3
A small rental car per day: $50-$120
Camper van rental per day: $100-$350+
One night at a mid-range hotel: $150-250
One night at a hostel: $45-90
One night at a campsite: $15
Entrance to the national parks: Free, because Iceland is cool like that.
One of the best ways to save money is to buy your food at the grocery store. The main chains--Bónus, Krónan, Samkaup, Nettó, and Hagkaup--can be found in any large town around the whole island. Stick to simple (aka, cheap) things like skyr (Icelandic yogurt), milk, bread, and pasta to save your moolah. You can try the local candy, but beware if you're not into black licorice! Produce is usually ridiculously expensive and not particularly fresh. Meat of any kind is rarely budget friendly. Another thing to remember about grocery stores is you have to bag your own groceries and you have to pay for plastic bags. Don't let that catch you off guard.