Iceland is a country that has been on my Husband’s bucket list for years and this year we decided to make it happen. Whenever you mention Iceland to someone, the first thing they say is how expensive it is, but the first thing that came to my mind was beauty. I love travelling to hot countries, as they are a perfect way to top up your vitamin D and great for relaxing, but sometimes its nice to experience something completely different.
Iceland is full of some of the most incredible landscapes and its the perfect trip in which you can completely detach yourself from everything but nature. Before heading on our trip we planned our route for the 3 days, booked a little airbnb in the middle of nowhere, and hired a 4X4 (this is essential if your going off main roads. A great way of sourcing places to visit is to go on Instagram and see where others have been. Our favourite Instagram accounts for locations to visit in Iceland are @norrisniman , @icelandic_explorer and @siggizoom.
Must See Places
Seljavallalaug Geothermal Pool (beautiful natural version of the blue lagoon)
Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall
Black Sand Beaches
Dyrhólaey (Lighthouse on a cliff)
Solherumasandur Plane Wreck
Travelling to Iceland doesn’t have to be expensive, you just have to be savy with your money. Staying in an Airbnb dramatically reduced the cost of accommodation, for example our one night stay in Reykjavik was almost the same price as our two nights in a airbnb, of course, note that the nearest town was 30km away, but thats what we wanted. Food wise as our airbnb had a little kitchen we could cook our own meals, which also saved a lot of money. The most expensive part of the holiday, apart from the flights, was the car and fuel but without the car we couldn’t have discovered some of the breath taking landscapes.
Top Tips when Traveling to Iceland in Autumn / Winter
- You will need thermals, as its so cold when the wind is blowing (which to be honest is most of the day as its the 3rd windiest place in the world.) My key wardrobe pieces were Timberland Books, Rab Cirrus Flex Jacket & Uniqlo Heat Tech Thermal & Sweaty Betty Leggings.
- Be prepared for any weather sun / wind / rain / snow as the weather changes so quickly. Ignore the weather forecast, it means nothing.
- Hire a car (preferably a 4×4) as despite the beautiful coloured buildings, a few architectural features and incredibly nice people, there isn’t much in Reykjavik, however 15min outside the city nature takes over and the views change to beautiful landscapes and rolling mountains.
- Take a camera, some of the best photographers visit Iceland for its impressive natural features.
- Make the most of every moment, every breath and every sight.
Even though we were only in ICeland for 3 days, we saw so much of its stunning landscapes and beautiful Waterfalls that we now want to go back again. Next time we would love to go to the Blue Lagon and explore the north of the Iceland.
Have you ever been to Iceland? Which places where you favourite?
Steph x