Going to Iceland has been our dream for a long time. However, we postponed it because Iceland is expensive, plane tickets are expensive and many more unknowns. We decided to make Iceland one of our 2018 routes, and on my birthday, we got our Iceland flight tickets as a birthday present. Afterwards, we started researching how we can travel in the most convenient way and what we should pay attention to in Iceland. Considering both our research before we went and what we experienced there, we made a detailed analysis. Iceland travel guide I prepared. Those who are thinking of going to Iceland, continue reading!
A Short Brief About Iceland
Let's get to know a little bit of Iceland first, shall we?
- About 350.000 people live in Iceland. Yes, yes 350 thousand! That's all. According to the last census, the population of Kadıköy is 482 thousand, so take your share from there.
- People are few, geography is tough. With many active volcanoes, Europe's largest glacier and many more glaciers, hot springs and geysers in the country, it gives the impression that the world has not yet completed its formation.
- Vikings first settled on the island in the 9th and 10th centuries. They also brought the handsome horses on the island here. The reason the horses were stunted was that they brought horses large enough to fit on small Viking ships.
- The first parliament in the world was established here by the Vikings, so they believe that the first steps of democracy were taken here.
- Iceland is immaculate! The country is sparkling and they have posted warnings in many places to ensure this.
- When 350 million tourists came to the country with a population of 3 thousand last year, they experienced a shock. Infrastructure had a hard time lifting so many people. They also tried to keep the tourists under control with warnings and heavy penalties everywhere.
- Iceland is one of the countries with the highest quality of life, the best education level, equality between men and women, abolished gender discrimination, and reached the top of civilization level like other northern countries. In Iceland, where there is a total of 9 months of maternity leave and same-sex marriages are free, no one says winter to anyone's chicken.
- When people are scarce in the country, many things are self-service. You go to the hotel, they give you a password, you go inside with it, you leave the hotel without seeing any staff. Restaurants and cafes are mostly self-service, many services at the airport are self-service. The greengrocer left a box, you take the tomato and put the money in the box. They put a box in front of the toilet, when you leave, you put your money in the box. Why? Because there are no people 🙂
- Of course, no one explodes these boxes. Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world.
- Average monthly income is 3500 euros in Iceland. There are a thousand witnesses to say that the country has recently experienced an economic crisis. As such, everything is at the expense of fire.
- Since the bottom of the country is constantly boiling, they meet their needs such as energy and heating from geothermal.
- Very few fruits/vegetables are grown in the country, and they are in greenhouses near geothermal springs. Greenhouses are heated with hot water systems.
Best Time To Go In Iceland, Best Season?
If you ask Icelanders, the best time to go to Iceland is “anytime”. Of course, since we are not Icelandic, we have chosen the month of September, which we think is the best time for ourselves, by evaluating the pros and cons of each season.
Summer Season in Iceland: From May to August
Iceland's high season is summer season. This is the period when the weather is around 15 degrees, you can see the sun a lot, and at the same time, the tourist crowd is the highest.
If you come to Iceland during the summer season;
- Since all roads will be open, you can easily travel around the country.
- You can take long nature walks.
- You can benefit from the sunlight at the maximum level, in this region close to the pole, in the summer period, the weather gets bright again before it gets dark.
- Summer is the best time to see puffin birds. At the end of August, the birds begin to migrate.
- Again, the best time for whale watching tours is summer.
- Since the ice in the glacial lakes has completely melted, you can join boat tours.
Autumn Season in Iceland: From September to November
In our opinion, the best time to go to Iceland is autumn or even September. The air temperature is still around 10 degrees, and the tourist crowd has decreased a bit in this period, the weather will not get cold yet, and you can still benefit from the daylight.
If you go to Iceland in the autumn season, especially in September;
- Since all roads will be open, you can easily travel around the country. When we went in the third week of September, it had not snowed yet, but it started a few days after us. It is better to choose the beginning of September.
- You can take long nature walks.
- Since the weather starts to get dark around 18:30, you can still benefit from the daylight on your trip.
- Puffins are gone now, we were eager to see, but in vain 🙁
- Since the ice in the glacial lakes has completely melted, you can join boat tours.
- And the best part is, you can see the northern lights even though it's not too cold yet. The northern lights season, which starts in September, continues until the end of March. We were very lucky that we had the opportunity to watch several times and for a long time.
Winter Season in Iceland: December to February
Why go to Iceland in winter? I didn't know 🙂 The days are very short, the weather is very cold. But now is the best time to see the northern lights. However, I would not prefer to go during the winter months.
Spring Season in Iceland: March-April
Instead of going in winter, it may be much more logical to prefer spring. The days are getting a little longer and the weather is getting a little warmer. You can still see the northern lights and visit the glacier caves. Since the snow will still not melt, you will have the chance to see Icelandic landscapes covered in white.
Transportation to Iceland
Unfortunately, there is no direct flight to Iceland from Turkey. We went to Reykjavik with Lufthansa's connecting flight from Frankfurt. Since we bought our plane ticket 8 months before our trip, it was very economical. With a very short transfer time of 2 hours, we made the best use of our time.
It is possible to find cheap flights to Reyjavik from Denmark, Sweden or Norway. Iceland Air and Wow Air are the airlines you can fly to Reykjavik. If you choose one of these routes, you can spend a few days visiting the transfer point. But remember that places to visit in Iceland The more time you can spare, the better.
It is useful to pay attention to your baggage allowance when buying tickets from cheap airlines. If you are carrying your own food like us, you will need maximum capacity. Lufthansa's luggage allowance of 23 kilos per person has been very useful for us. However, there is only one baggage allowance per person, excluding cabin baggage. Even though the staff at the counter helped us, even though we had a large number of luggage, without causing any problems both on the way out and on the way back, they just kindly reminded us.
Transportation in Iceland | Car Rental in Iceland
It's not enough to reach Iceland, if you ask what to do with transportation in Iceland, renting a car in Iceland is the best option. Car rental in Iceland In my article, I wrote all the details about what you need to pay attention to when renting a car, take a look at it.
If you say you don't want to rent a car, of course, there are bus and daily tour options. However, car rental is still the best alternative in terms of both time and cost.
Accommodation in Iceland
Accommodation in Iceland is a wound in my heart 🙂 Since Iceland is a very expensive country, accommodation is also expensive. Especially when the euro/dollar rate is at these levels. We preferred different options such as tent + guesthouse + hotel. accommodation in Iceland You can find all the details in my article.
What to Have in an Icelandic Bag?
Of course, what you will have in your bag will differ depending on when you will go to Iceland. Let me tell you what we had;
- We brought around 17 kilos of food. We took a suitcase with a squeegee so that it would be easy to carry and not be crushed.
- Two-person tent, mat, sleeping bag, camping stove material filled one of our bags.
- In order to resist windy, rainy and cold weather conditions;
- a jacket with windbreak and rainproof,
- All kinds of materials that will protect you from wind and cold, such as berets, gloves, scarves/neck collars, must be in your bag,
- Bathing suit and towel for entering the hot springs (towels are extra in most spas),
- rainproof boots (summer, winter, spring does not matter),
- Do not carry an umbrella or something, it is not possible to open an umbrella in that wind.
- If you are going in winter, thermal underwear, snow jackets, snow boots and snow pants are the best.
How are the prices in Iceland? Is Iceland really that expensive?
Iceland is really that expensive 🙂 Come on, it's expensive for us, but even the Europeans we meet on the way complain about it. To give a few examples; The most popular tourist food in Iceland is unlimited soup and bread, because it is the cheapest meal. There are menus where you can buy unlimited soup and bread for 15-20 euros. Toilet is 2 euro (Euro was 7,3 when we went, 15tl is given to the toilet :))
Iceland trip cost In my article, I tried to explain the situation in detail with sample prices 🙂
Traffic in Iceland
There are speed limits everywhere in Iceland. If you don't obey the speed limit, your license plate will be fined. While renting the vehicle, the company official warned us to follow strict rules. The speed limit is 90 maximum.
They have made pockets on the roads at certain intervals, if you want to stop, you use those pockets. If you stay outside the pockets, you are subject to a penalty.
You must wear your seat belt and keep your headlights on all the time.
The roads are generally well-maintained and smooth. It is also forbidden to enter F-Roads (secondary roads) with passenger cars. So if the road is bad, you have to enter with a high vehicle. Otherwise, let the punishment come 🙂
The rules are clear, the penalties are heavy!
Eating in Iceland
Eating in Iceland? We did not eat anything unique to Iceland. We transported all our food from Turkey. Since we were in Reykjavik for a very short time, we missed the recommended hot dog there.
We preferred the markets for our needs such as bread and beverages. For cheap shopping; You can use bonus and Netto markets. Do not forget to pay attention to the opening and closing hours of the markets. It was very interesting to us that there are variable opening-closing times on a day-to-day basis 🙂
BONUS MARKET – Opening and Closing Hours:
- Monday – Thursday 11:00 – 18:30
- Friday 10:00 – 19:30
- Saturday 10:00 – 18:00
- Sunday 12:00 – 18:00
Don't hesitate to pick up materials left by previous stayers in hostels and guesthouses. We met the tube need of our camp stove by buying one of the tubes (cartridges) left by those who stayed before us. You cannot insert cylinders/gas into the plane. It was enough to bring the cooker head with us and just buy a tube.
When Can We See the Northern Lights in Iceland?
The Northern Lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Aurora Borealis is named after the Roman goddess Aurora and Boreas, the north wind. How beautiful isn't it? During the winter months, it is possible to see the northern lights in Iceland mostly in green colors, and if you are lucky, in colors such as purple/orange. These lights dancing in the sky are one of the most magical events I have ever seen in my life. I wish everyone who wants to experience it one day.
The visual feast of the northern lights in Iceland begins in mid-September and can be seen until mid-April.
To see the northern lights;
- be in Iceland between September and April,
- the weather should be as cloudless as possible,
- the sky is dark,
- away from the city lights,
- solar activity must be at a sufficient level.
To follow the intensity of the northern lights; From vendur.is northern lights predictions you can follow. However, it is not enough just to follow the lights, if there is a cloud, you cannot see it. That's why you need to follow the cloud density, again Vendur.is cloud state It is useful to follow the maps.
Iceland is a completely different world with its northern lights and magnificent nature. You should definitely add it to your list of countries to visit.
My Iceland Travel Articles
You can find my travel tips about Iceland such as transportation in Iceland, accommodation in Iceland, car rental in Iceland from the links below:
- Car rental in Iceland
- Iceland trip cost
- accommodation in Iceland
- Iceland Keflavik Airport
- Silfra rift diving and snorkeling experience
- Iceland Golden Circle Route places to visit
- Iceland Attractions
Stay on track.
Don't forget to follow my social media accounts to be informed about my new posts and for more photos and videos!
- Instagram: cokokuyancoktraveler
- Facebook: cokokuyancoktraveler
- Youtube: cokokuyancoktraveler
2 Comments
It is a very detailed article. Thank you.
thanks