Tips for visiting Iceland

So I haven’t written anything in a long while- lots of stuff has been happening at home. But recently I went on holiday for a second time (and yes it was just as amazing as the first!). So I’ve decided to do a blog a bit different than usual and write about some travel tips that I have learnt from going to this amazing country twice.

Eating in Iceland:

If you ask anyone that’s been to Iceland about the food, chances are they will say it is expensive. And yeah, they’re definitely right. Pretty much everything in Iceland can be expensive. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat affordably, even in Reykjavik where we stayed this second trip.

The best thing to do is to research places near where you are staying before you go. Stock up at much as you can at supermarkets such as Bonus to get cheaper food. If you want to eat out, I would highly recommend somewhere like Icelandic street food (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g189970-d12714471-Reviews-Icelandic_Street_Food-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html) where you can get unlimited soup in a bread roll for around £12. There’s also hotdog stands in the city centre which although I didn’t try, are meant to be amazing. If you want to try an amazing amazing burger, try le kock (http://www.lekock.is) which do incredible burgers, as well as own a bakery that does amazing iced coffee, as well as selling a filled bagel, donut and coffee for £6!! One of my biggest regrets is I didn’t get a donut from here because they looked so good.

If your hotel has breakfast included, take full advantage of this- our hotel breakfast was incredible. Make sure to look out for happy hours as drinks can be very expensive (happy hours are more common around lunch than dinner). If travelling from the UK, as you are going to a non-EU country, the duty free is crazy cheap if you want an easy way to save money on alcohol.

Now the weird thing about food in Iceland is all the food is really rich- even potatoes come with a creamy sauce on. It tastes incredible but wow you get full very easily, so be prepared for some rich food- don’t feel the need to order loads and loads as you really won’t need it!!

Golden circle tour

If you look online, you are bound to see many things about the golden circle tour. I have been on this tour twice now and it is simply incredible. On the tour, you will see Gullfoss which is the largest waterfall in the country, Thingvellir National Park where you can walk in between the continents of Europe and North America and see the volcanic geyser which erupts every 4-8 minutes. You can also get to see some other sights depending on which tour you go on.

If you can, I highly recommend going on a small group tour. It is around £20 extra per person than a large group tour but well worth it. It means that the transfers are a lot shorter and you get a much more personal experience. On our tour, it was me, my parents and one other couple- we had to wait for two other people to get back to the minibus rather than another 30. This made a big big difference, especially as we went on the northern lights tour that evening. We had the same amount of time at all destinations than other tours, but the tour only took around 7 and a half hours, instead of the 11 hours some can take! We went with a company called EastWest and had an amazing guide called Tony who was so friendly and taught us a lot about the incredible landscape of the country (https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g189970-d13816280-Iceland_Golden_Circle_and_Waterfalls-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html)

The Northern Lights

It is well known that the northern lights are incredible. And if you ask your hotel, they will recommend you book a northern lights tour- I have done this tour both trips, and had very different experiences.

The first time, I went with college. We went to a field and stood there, freezing for a couple of hours, saw nothing and went back to the hotel. It was simply to cloudy and the conditions just weren’t right.

The second time we were so so lucky. It was the best conditions for a few years and we got an amazing display. We once again, went on a small group tour as these go out of their way to “chase” the northern lights, instead of simply going to a dark field and staying there even if they aren’t visible in that sight. I can’t remember the name of the tour provider as we booked it very last minute, but hot chocolate and Icelandic pastries were a nice touch to the tour. You really can’t guarantee to see the lights so I would never book a trip to Iceland just to see them- you are likely to just leave very disappointed. Wait until you get to the country, and ask at the hotel if the conditions are right. If there is a high chance of seeing them, it is worth booking a trip as the light pollution in Reykjavik makes it difficult to see them.

When going to see the lights, I recommend downloading an app for pictures, as most phone cameras do not pick up the lights. By typing “northern lights” into the App Store, and choosing the first option, you will get an app for 99p which does the settings for you automatically- you just have to try to keep the camera still in the cold long enough for a long exposure 😆 The lights will be completely different than you expect. Pretty much every picture you see of the lights has filters on so they are a lot brighter green than in reality. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t completely breathtaking but expect more of a pale green than the green you see in pictures (including the ones I took down below).

We also didn’t realise just how cold it would be on this tour- it was -8 Celsius when we went, and let’s just say, I had three pairs of socks on and couldn’t feel my feet for about an hour after the tour. Wear as many clothes as you can- you can always take them off if you get hot. You have to remember on the tour, you are going out at night (cold) and will be standing outside for a couple of hours (cold) with not much movement (very cold). Preparation is key and just be prepared for it being a lot colder than you expect.

The Blue Lagoon

The blue lagoon is the most famous geothermal pool in Iceland, with the water said to have healing properties. It is one of the most popular spots for tourists and it’s very clear to see why.

Now I’m going to be honest, visiting the lagoon is expensive to say the least- setting us back around £100 per person for the transfer and the most basic package of entry. In this package, you get entry to the lagoon for as long as you want, the use of a towel, lockers, a free drink of choice (including alcohol) and a free silica face mask. There are more expensive packages available but I really wouldn’t recommend these unless you are planning to eat at the restaurant (you can eat in the cafe with the basic package, which again is expensive but good for a quick bite looking out across the lagoon).

There is full use of showers with conditioner and body wash as well as pretty spacious lockers- plenty of space for all of those layers 😆. Make sure you put conditioner on your hair almost like a hair mask before you go in, and tie your hair up for in the lagoon. Although the minerals in the water can be healing, they can also be very drying and can cause some issues for people’s hair- better to be safe than sorry. Now. The showers in Iceland pools can be interesting to say the least. It’s a different culture and people will shower naked in full sight. Iceland swimming pools are all very clean without the use of many chemicals at all so it is mandatory for you to shower without swimsuit before entry- but don’t worry there are doors on the cubicles!! Just be prepared to see people who are a lot more confident in their bodies than me, letting it all on show.

In the lagoon, there is a bar, mask bar and many extra little places such as a steam bath. All of the things are charged onto a wristband so if you want any extras, you can just pay for these upon exit. I had a smoothie from the bar which was super nice and refreshing in the warm environment. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but this suited our needs and we did feel like we had enough time in the lagoon. I had been to the secret lagoon on a previous trip which is another geothermal pool. This lagoon is a lot cheaper but you just can’t beat the beauty and relaxation of the blue lagoon!!

The blue lagoon is located pretty close to Keflavik airport which is almost definitely where you will fly in and out of. Because of this, many people decide to do the lagoon straight after arriving, or before departing Iceland. I would only recommend this if you were in a complete rush. It works for a lot of people’s schedules ;however, we were all exhausted after the lagoon- something about it made us all want to sleep. I can’t imagine going all through the airport process after that- I think I would fall asleep going through security!! If you can, take a bit of extra time out to visit the lagoon- your body will thank you.

We were recommended by the hotel to book it through the blue lagoon website- this was very easy and overall a really stress free process.

The weather

I’ve been to Iceland- there is the word ice in the name…. and yet I’ve always been surprised how cold it is there!! One time it was raining and very very windy, and the second it was amazingly clear but this made it so cold that all the lakes and parts of waterfalls were frozen (enjoy this picture below of a man walking on a lake and one absolute nutter spotted on our golden circle tour) . I have never been in such cold weather before.

Bring more clothes than you think you will need. Bring as many clothes as you can fit in your suitcase. Layer, layer, layer. You can get thermals fairly cheap from shops such as decathlon- I highly recommend having both thermal tops and trousers. I wore about 4 layers on top each day, and still found myself getting cold at times!

The weather in Iceland is unpredictable to say the least. I would say it’s pretty much essential to bring a decent waterproof layer- it’s one thing being cold, but being wet and cold can be miserable.

Make sure you bring hat, scarf and gloves- your extremities are where you lose the most heat so keeping these covered will be essential in keeping warm. You will feel very bulky walking around in so many layers- but it is a lot more comfortable than being freezing. Do not expect to buy clothes out there, as although the wool jumpers and clothes from brands such as 66 degrees north are very warm, they also come with one hefty price tag. Pack smart and you will be fine with the weather!!

How busy should I make my schedule?

This one really depends on how much time you have free and what you want to get out of your visit to the country. The first time I went, I stayed outside of the capital and also went down to the south of the island where we saw lots of waterfalls, climbed a glacier and went to the black sand beach. This was incredible but was not suitable for the second time I went. If you are going to the south of the island, you really need to stay there overnight as it takes a long time to get there, and to truly experience the south, you really do need that extra time there. All this means- if you are going for just a few days, I would stay predominantly to Reykjavik and the surrounding areas, if you are going for a week, the south is an amazing place to visit.

Reykjavik is definitely not the biggest city but it is incredible. There is an amazing cathedral that is shaped really cool (picture below) and a lot of amazing places to eat and shops to look around. The first time I went to Iceland, we only got to look around Reykjavik for a few hours and after the trip, I was saying how I would’ve loved to spend longer there (we spent the majority of these hours going to the penis museum). The people in Iceland are so so friendly and it’s honestly just amazing sometimes to be in their company. The country is so stress free and it’s lovely just spending some time soaking in the culture, instead of trying to fill every second of your trip with activities.

If you are going to Iceland for the first time, I would book a couple of excursions but definitely make sure you leave some time to just wander around- it really makes the difference. Most excursions can take up the whole day, so it is nice to have some down time to just do what you want to do!!

So- your thinking of going to Iceland?? I can’t say I blame you!! I’m already thinking about how I want to go back to this amazing country again. If you have any questions about either of my trips please post them in the comments!

Thanks for reading!!

Zoe x