ONCE UPON A TRAVEL GUIDE TO … ICELAND IN WINTER

What started out as a simple getaway to Iceland during the Winter holidays ended up being a full on travel experience.   My husband and I traveled there to ring in the New Year of 2018 and to meet up with my family from France. 

Spending New Year’s Eve in a foreign country is something that I’ve been doing for the last 8 years.  It’s usually the time of year that I don’t have my kids which makes it easier for me to travel.  Don’t worry, I do bring them along once in a while (Fès, Paris, Peru).  Also, work usually gives us extra days off which allows me to travel longer without busting my vacation bank.

Spending New Year’s Eve in Iceland was by far one of my wildest experiences.

I researched and read about Iceland for weeks and the more I did, the more I wanted to explore this incredible country. Had I known it would be so, I would have done things a little differently in terms of organisation from the beginning. However, it wouldn’t have worked out since we were meeting up with my family.

So, here is my first tip. After booking your flight to Iceland, do your research and plan your itinerary. Then, book your lodging and/or tours accordingly.

How to get there

The only sure way to travel to Iceland is by air.  You can use companies such as Icelandic Air or Wow Air.  Both offer planned layover stops in Iceland on your way to and from North America and Europe. How awesome is that?

If you have the time, you should consider doing a layover in Iceland for a night or two on your way to or back from your holiday.  The land of fire and ice is definitely worth a stop.

The downside of traveling during the holidays is that it’s more expensive and not always easy to find inexpensive airfare.

However, WOW Air is a low-cost company.  The basic fair does seem cheap ($500 CAD), but you’ll have to pay extra for just about everything else.  

You need to check a bag? Pay up.  It’s hard to not check a bag when you travel to Iceland during Winter, but Big Boss and I managed to just check in one bag.  If you get cold on the airplane or are thirsty it will cost you a few bucks.  So, don’t forget an extra sweater and to refill your water bottle before boarding the plane.

Need more travel planning tips?  We’ve got just the guide for you right HERE.

What to do when you arrive early morning in Reykjavik

We left Montreal on a chilly day, arriving in Reykjavik on the last day of 2017 at 5am with a good 18 degree difference but still in the minuses.  

We had to endure a woman singing Rudolph the red nose reindeer for 20 minutes while waiting to pass airport security and another one reciting her life story on the plane.  She just wouldn’t shut up and was very condescending.  Apparently, she was a retired divorce attorney, born in Denmark, raised on the anglophone side of Montreal hence ‘English is for smart’ people comment. I really wanted to get violent with her as her talking woke me up and I could have used the sleep. Namaste, namaste, namaste. More often than not, I seem to always end up with an airport or airplane story when I travel and Iceland was no exception.

So what is there to do at 5am in Reykjavik? I tell you all about the places where you can eat and activities you can do at the wee hour of the morning in Reykjavik before you are allowed to check into your lodging, right HERE.

Getting around

If you are staying a few days in Iceland, you should consider renting a car, especially if you aren’t traveling solo.  It will be more cost effective that way than going on organized tours.

We found a great deal through Guide to Iceland.  The company offers great service and also a lot of tours.  We booked our ice caving tour on the South Coast through them.

However, renting a car during winter in Iceland is more expensive than in summer.  Furthermore, driving can become tricky when you end up stuck in the middle of a blizzard.  That’s why it’s best to check on the road conditions with THIS WEBSITE, to make sure it’s safe to hit the road.

Just know that the car rental company might freeze a large deposit on your credit card.  Therefore, if you don’t have a huge limit on it, you might want to bring a second credit card just in case.

Do you speak the language?

Most people you’ll encounter in Iceland are foreigners and will speak English.  The only time I heard ‘Icelandic’ was at a gas station.  I felt completely dumb when the guy spoke to me and I didn’t understand.  We had already been in Iceland for a few days and wrongly assumed that everyone spoke English.

What’s in your wallet?

We didn’t withdraw any money while we were in Iceland because we paid by credit card the whole time or my mom who was traveling with us, paid by cash.

Iceland is VERY EXPENSIVE.  Food and lodging will explode your budget.

There are ways to save some money in Iceland, but it will still be expensive.  However, all the natural points of interests are FREE to access and so is parking (in most cases).

If you want to visit museums, pools, ride the bus or take a ferry to a neighbouring island of Reykjavik, consider buying the CITY CARD which will allow you to save money that way. Also, with the city card, you can get a discount on drinks in certain bars or on food in certain restaurants.

Food and beverage

Having been forewarned about Icelandic high prices wether be for food or alcohol, we stopped by the duty free liquor store at the airport on our way out. This store and others are always open. You pass by them on your way out so its a good way to check out prices and compare them with city prices. In the pictures below are the description of the amount of alcohol you can buy in the duty free store per person and it is a lot less expensive to do so this way.

Also, if you do enjoy a drink or two, go to the bars at happy hour as they serve up special deals.  It’s a good way to save money.

Cook your own food

I don’t have to tell you that eating out is always more expensive than eating in.  If you don’t want to live off lamb soup (least expensive option) during your entire stay in Iceland, you might want to consider going grocery shopping.

You don’t tip in Iceland!

The Bonus grocery store is the least expensive one to shop at and can be found in Reykjavik and its surrounding area.  You can’t miss it as its logo is a huge pink pig with a bright yellow background.

Where to sleep

Staying in a hostel, private rooms do exist, an airbnb or renting out an apartment might be a more budget friendlier option.

We stayed in a hostel at Hlemmur Square which is now closed due to Covid-19.  It was a dorm room of 12 people and we did not like it.  The hostel was great and the beds super comfortable.  We just didn’t like sharing the dorm with 10 other people and being in the dark all the time as someone was always sleeping.

Luckily when my mom, brother and nephew met up with us in Reykjavik, they had rented an apartment.  We decided to crash with them and slept on the sofa.

Activities to do during winter travel in Iceland

One thing that you will have to factor in while you travel through Iceland during winter is the daylight.  While we were there, there wasn’t much of it.  The sun would start rising around 9:45 am and go back to sleep by 5pm.  That is not a whole lot of daylight to play with.

However, you can still see plenty of gorgeous sites in one week in Iceland.

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Some activities that you can do in wintertime that you can’t do during the summer is Ice caving and spotting the northern lights.  The frozen waterfalls, glacier lagoons, windy black sand beaches, hot springs in the mountain all make up for an exciting trip.

What to bring back from Iceland

If you have the budget and the use for it back home, get yourself a Lopapeysa. 

I wanted to go to the flea market Kolaportid to see if I could find one but luckily I had checked ahead and found out they were closed on New Year’s Eve.  They are only open on Saturdays and Sundays. 

So I went to the next best thing, the Hand Knitting Association located on the main street that leads from the big church in Reykjavik.  The service at the store was very good and I was able to find one that fits just right. If you purchased Reykjavik City Card, you’ll get 10% off your handknitted sweater.

Prices can vary a lot from store to store and being machine made versus hand made makes a big difference in price.  Sometimes it’s even machine made outside Iceland! The type of yarn and pattern can also affect the price. So do your research before splurging on one of them sweaters. 

Also, I heard you can also find some at the Red Cross unworn or outside the city up north directly from the factory (I don’t recall the name, unfortunately). 

At first, they can be very itchy so wear clothing underneath that covers the whole sweater area to avoid contact with your skin.  Also, they lose a lot of hair at the beginning.

If you do happen to find curly hair in your soup, it’s most likely from your sweater and not from somebody’s body part.

Now, if you are into fashion and enjoy the outdoors, you might want to check out  66 North.  It’s an Icelandic brand and we bought hats there for my boys back home.

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Things to pack for Winter travel to Iceland

Winter in Iceland, is just like back home when you go up to the mountains to ski.

You’ll need winter hiking boots, a winter coat, snow pants, hats, gloves, sweater.  Whatever you usually wear when you go skiing.  Try to wear layers of clothing as the weather in Iceland is ever-changing, even in wintertime.

It might sound silly, but if you know anything about Iceland, you’ll know about their hot springs.  Don’t forget to pack a bathing suit, a travel towel, and possibly some flip flops.  Flip flops will come in handy when you are walking around outside in the cold.

Because of the lack of daylight, a lamp torch will come in handy.

Also, a portable phone charger and pocket warmer will prevent you from missing out on capturing shots of the serene landscape because your phone caught a cold and died.

Places to visit in winter in Iceland

When you travel to Iceland during Wintertime for a week, we were there the first week of January, there isn’t a whole lot that you can do.  This is partly due to the fact that some of the roads are closed due to heavy snow and difficult driving conditions.

It’s usually not possible to drive the ring road loop entirely during winter. However, if you do want to try it, keep in mind that the loop is 1400km, and due to the scarcity of daylight and the ever-changing weather conditions, driving might be slow and difficult.

You’ll need to build flexibility into your plans to allow for changes due to weather.

Once you’ve walked around Reykjavik, enjoyed their street art, and the major sites such as the Harpa, the statue of the Sun Voyager, the Hallgrímskirkja church, the parliament building, you might be ready to venture out of the city. 

Day trip ideas from Reykjavik

South Coast

Discover

Hot Springs

Discover

Golden Circle

Discover

Can you travel to Iceland with kids?

Of course you can travel with kids to Iceland.  It’s safe, clean and friendly.  They have all the commodities that you have back home.

You can even go into hot springs with them, so you won’t have to pass up that opportunity.  However, it isn’t recommended for kids under the age of 2 to go into them.

We really enjoyed our time in Iceland, especially on New Year’s Eve.  If you have kids, they will forever remember that night, at least, just as much as you.

Travel to Iceland during the winter holidays and discover on your own what Icelandic culture is all about.