nature, Photography

If You Visit Iceland

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Iceland is a fabulous country to visit and I have been a number of times, including during the turn of the millennium when the whole country put on a brilliant party.

Many people only visit Reykjavik and the nearby countryside for just three or four days but if you are thinking of a longer, more in-depth visit, here are some things to be aware of or to consider.

Although Iceland is not a member of the EU, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association and has non-voting but participatory status in a number of EU agencies and programs, including business, environment, education and research. It therefore can feel quite European although I find that Iceland is very decidedly itself, too.

Rainbow Street in the pedestrian zone of downtown Reykjavik.

Everyone speaks amazing English. It is the designated second language and Icelanders are very adept with it and have a high rate of fluency. Icelanders are also very polite and helpful, even though they must at times feel impatient with all the tourists. According to the UN, it is also the safest country in the world; at no time have I ever felt uncomfortable about my security while visiting.

Downtown Reykjavik.

The food is out of this world, especially the fish and seafood in general. We ate in a variety of restaurants from the high-end to the basic, and the food was always stellar. However, you will see horse meat on just about every menu as it’s a very common dish. Ditto lamb, as it’s also very common. On our drives through the countryside we saw many, many sheep but fewer cows; the ones we saw were mainly dairy cattle. Nevertheless, every menu has at least one beef dish.

A bowl of one of the best chowders I’ve ever had.

Icelanders use a lot of eggs in their cooking, too, and in ways with which Canadians or Americans might be unfamiliar. For instance, I was served a sliced chicken breast sandwich that had chunks of hard boiled egg in it. I actually liked the combination, and especially the dipping sauce that came with it, but initially I was quite surprised. The beer is excellent as is the local gin and of course, good akvavit is also available.

Salmon.

The weather, ergo the wind. During our visit in June, many locals told us that their weather was unusually cold and stormy, and since they were headed for 24 hours of daylight or nearly so, their weather seemed unusual to me, too.

Reynisdrangar Sea Stack.

Having experienced the Northwest Territories for six years, I know that the midnight sun can really send the temperature quite high, well into the 20s or even low 30s, but Iceland definitely wasn’t experiencing that! The temperatures during our visit averaged around 12° (54F) or so; we had two days of 18° (64F). Given that geographically, Iceland is near the Arctic Circle – in fact, the Arctic Circle passes through a northern tip – it’s probably best to be prepared for all weathers, good and bad. Remember that in such a northern country spring arrives late and autumn arrives early, so it’s best to dress in lots of layers and to bring along good footwear, rainwear and an umbrella, too.

A very misty, windy day.

The wind can be a serious challenge, especially if you are at a higher elevation. Tourists are warned to watch the doors of their rental cars as the wind can literally take them off their hinges. When we visited a bird sanctuary, the wind was strong enough to send us flying, especially if we lost our footing. So come to think of it, make sure you bring along good windbreakers!

Volcanic sand beach near Dyrhólaey Bird Sanctuary.

Driving is on the same side of the road as North America and Europe. We drove all around Iceland and didn’t see a single speed trap and only one highway patrol-type vehicle.

The Icelanders have employed other means to make people slow down, however. There are many rivers and all of them in the country have single-lane traffic bridges. Additionally, the road shoulders are very narrow and have considerable drop-offs.

One- way bridge.

Driving can be challenging, especially if you aren’t used to winter conditions. We drove through a major snowstorm on June 5, and even though we are seasoned winter drivers we found it difficult. The narrow roads dropped to snow-covered single-lanes and there were road closures, as well. The plowing and sanding were efficient, however, and closed roads re-opened quickly. We were glad we chose to rent a 4-wheel drive, though.

One other note: off roading is illegal in Iceland as it damages the environment. Fines for doing so are hefty and jail time can also be imposed. It’s important to remember that Icelanders take this prohibition very seriously. The F-roads are back country dirt roads that people can use only between July and September. A 4×4 is required for these roads but it’s important to remember that they are not to be used as access points for off-roading.

Winter driving in June.

Iceland is expensive. Expect it and save for it. You will pay much more for lodging, meals, rentals and activities such as hot springs visits. One thing that you will not have to do is tip. Tips are already included in your bill as part of the VAT (Value Added Tax, which is anywhere from 11 – 24%). It may feel odd to not leave a tip, particularly in a restaurant, but it is considered somewhat rude to do so as servers might assume that you think they aren’t paid properly.

We avoided the very famous hot springs – the Blue Lagoon is the most famous of all but it was closed due to a nearby volcanic eruption – because they can be extremely expensive. The ones further away from Reykjavik and more off the beaten track are much more reasonable and also excellent.

Reykjavik

The currency is the Icelandic króna. Icelanders use debit and credit cards; we didn’t see cash being used at all. We used a “no foreign transaction fee” card for everything which saved us from having to convert and was extremely practical. That said, the major tourist areas usually accept many different currencies.

I don’t usually do this but I am going to recommend the Berjaya Iceland Hotel chain as a clean, comfortable alternative to many other hotel offerings. This is a local chain with hotels all over the country at relatively reasonable prices (prices vary in Reykjavik) and most have restaurants or are within walking distance to restaurants.

A visit to Iceland is all about exploration of this country’s long seafaring and pioneering history, rugged geographical and geological beauties and stunning waterfalls (excellent food, too!), so be ready to do lots of walking and admiring and most of all, have fun!

42 thoughts on “If You Visit Iceland”

    1. It does, indeed, and a wonderful mixture of wilderness and civilization at close proximity. I guess it’s the weather and the terrain that dictate the foods you mentioned are most common?

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      1. Over the centuries Iceland learned to be very self-sufficient and to take advantage of geothermal energy, among many other things. I would agree that weather and terrain dictate some of these foods but others are cultural too I think, so it would be a combination. Many of the early settlers were sheep herders and of course sheep do well in this environment; beef or dairy cattle much less so. Horses were often a necessity, too, and then they wound up in the stew pot! I’ve tried horse but I’m not fond of the flavour or texture although I wonder how much of that is mind-over-matter!

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    2. Thank you very much, Jay. 😊 I have enjoyed every one of my visits to this special country. If you love to explore nature and natural phenomena, Iceland is a treasure trove. M and I discussed that idea and thought that we could easily live there, too. Cheers.

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  2. Excellent overview of Iceland. We loved our time there and also found the people to be extremely friendly and helpful. We also found the wind to be ferocious. When visiting Gullfoss Waterfall, we were nearly knocked over by the wind! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you very much, Tricia. This was my fourth holiday visit but probably the worst I had seen of those winds, and you are right, ferocious is the word for them. We almost took a header at Dyrhólaey Bird Sanctuary when some particularly strong gusts started pushing us down an incline. The Icelandic wind definitely has a big character!

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  4. Lots of good information here, the weather seems quite challenging. I am very fond of Icelandic novels and they are probably the closest I will get to Iceland!

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    1. Thank you very much, Jude. I had previously visited Iceland in June and the weather had been great – sunny and calm – but this this time it really felt like winter was about to descend (or had already given the snow storm we encountered)! I have been meaning to try an Icelandic novel but haven’t yet. Do you have a suggestion?

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  5. Excellent piece, Lynette. I enjoyed this account of your stay.
    Not been to Iceland (and unlikely to go now) so your pics and prose have filled in some gaps in my knowledge.
    I don’t know if you are aware that Iceland spans two continental tectonic plates and is slowly being ripped apart, which is why it is so volcanic. But they’re a canny lot, they use the heat from this activity to heat their homes and also to allow them to be one of the most productive suppliers of bananas!
    I bet the fish there is lovely, too. We had a short ‘war’ with them over fishing rights some years ago, when they tried to extend their ocean sovereignty beyond the usual ten mile limit to 100 miles. It ended relatively amicably I pleased to say.

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    1. Thank you very much, Stuart. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I did know about Iceland’s geological position across those plates. Having lived in the subarctic, I admire how much the Icelanders have taken advantage of what they have. It’s an incredibly self-sufficient country; the rest of us could learn a lot from them.

      There’s a slight smell of sulphur in some areas when you turn on the tap and of course, there’s the geothermal heating! They used to produce lots of bananas but when the tariffs against imported bananas were removed in the early 60s (as part of a trade deal), banana production declined and they no longer produce them for sale. One greenhouse maintained by the Agricultural University of Iceland produces them as a nursery crop to protect world banana supply against Panama Disease which is apparently a very serious issue. Here’s an article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_production_in_Iceland

      The fish is lovely, as one would expect, but they make use of a lot of fish farms, though. I understand that the existing ones are much more ecologically sound than in the past, however. Glad to hear the fishing issue was satisfactorily resolved!

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      1. I hadn’t realised my ‘banana’ information was so out of date! I’ll have to inform my informant!
        Yes, I’d heard of the disease that’s threatening the production of bananas worldwide. Good to know Iceland is still involved in that particular battle.

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  6. This was well worth the wait Lynette. It brings back many fond memories of our 2017 visit. We were there at solstice time and the highest temp we had was 15. Walking around Reykjavik around supper time, all you smell is fish. They have some of the best fish meals of any country. Reykjavik is also the most expensive capitol city in Europe, so saving up is a good idea. It is also a good ideas to take all optional car rental insurance, as they use mirrors to inspect the undercarriage on car returns. If the spot any damage they always double the repair/replacement cost of the part. That was our experience with Sixt anyway. But it is one of the best trips we ever had. Have a great day. Allan

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    1. Thank you very much, Allan. I could easily visit again, if only for the fish chowder. I ate enough fish in June that it’s a wonder I didn’t grow gills!
      We rented from Hertz and had a good experience with them. A woman had opened her car door right into ours and left a terrible dent; the impact was strong enough to shake our vehicle. I got out and talked to her about it but she immediately denied it. When I pointed to the damage, she pretended it didn’t exist (I’m sure there had to be politician DNA going on there!).
      When we returned the vehicle we showed them the damage (we had the additional insurance) but Hertz declined to charge us since they had some sort of blanket “hit and run” insurance they could use. Thanks for sharing your experience with Sixt. I always am alert to rental scams as the Enterprise/Alamo/National outfit tried to charge me for nonexistent hail damage on a rental a couple of years ago. I’ll never use that conglomerate company again.

      I agree Allan, visiting Iceland is fantastic. We had a fabulous trip as well.

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  7. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Iceland is such a special country. It’s where my love of travelling and hiking first began after spending three weeks there in 2015. We didn’t eat out much because of the cost and mostly went to the grocery store to make our meals. We also camped the whole time, which was a bit tough in the wind and rain. We also went in June. The famous hot springs were overrated. We went to them, but much preferred the local geothermal pools.

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    1. I couldn’t agree more, Linda. M and I could live in Iceland. I can see how your love of travelling and hiking would start there. There’s such amazing scenery and it’s truly a land of fire and ice. I did an earlier holiday visit to Iceland in June and the weather was great. Sunny and calm the entire time; so sorry to hear that you had to deal with much more demanding conditions, but you could warm up in the hot springs, at least! Agreed – the more famous hot springs are overrated.

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  8. It certainly would be a different experience from the usual tourist holiday. Thanks for the tour and all the first-hand info that you wouldn’t necessarily find in a travel brochure.

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    1. Thank you very much, Anneli. It is certainly a wonderful country to visit; I’ve loved every trip. There’s a ton of information about Iceland online but I wanted to include the more practical, everyday things that people like to know. Cheers.

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  13. We are very tempted by Iceland as everything we’ve seen and read just spells the word “spectacular”. Pretty certain that we wouldn’t risk self driving though as we’re not as used to proper winter driving as you are. Best we start a separate savings account for the occasion!

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    1. It definitely is. The food, the waterfalls, scenery, whales, birds. Wonderful. You could wait until later in the summer as self driving really gives you the freedom to explore. Or alternatively you could stick to the southern end of the country. We encountered that storm just below the Arctic Circle. I hope you decide to go. Cheers.

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