What we learned while traveling to Iceland - top advices for winter travel

Iceland is getting more and more popular destination in all seasons of the year. This means a lot of visitors, sometimes even crowded top locations and high demand for accommodation, therefore many hotels being fully booked. But at the same time, such mass of tourists forces the country and local people to adopt to it; like building new infrastructure (roads, hotels, guest houses), opening new restaurants and preparing more and more attractions like geothermal baths. 

After our winter trip to Iceland we can share some of our top advices for future travelers:
  • Iceland is expensive! Face it, accept it ... there is nothing to do about it.
  • To save a bit, you can follow our tricks:
          - don't eat out! Even fast food is expensive for our (central European standards). 

          - Find accommodation, where you can use kitchen and do self-catering. 
          
         - Buy groceries in Bonus - that's the cheapest shop in Iceland (although still expensive for us).              If you have the possibility, bring some food from your home.

          - Bring your sleeping bag with you! This might save you 10-20€ per night in a hostel. 

  • Shops and museums have quite short opening times. Normal they open pretty late - around 10 or 11am and close early - at 6pm. 
  • You don't need any cash. Credit cards are accepted everywhere! Even toilets can be paid by credit card! 
  • Speaking of toilets ... there are not many of them outside Reykjavik, so a roll of toilet paper might come in handy. But be warned: there are not may bushes or forests around the country either, so girls ... good luck with search for (natural) toilet ;)
  • Accommodation and activities (like glacier walks, ice caves etc) get booked out quickly, so don't hesitate too long and book well in advance.
Ice cave by Matej Meglič
  • Most natural attractions and national parks charge no entry fees. Yaay :) But guided tours like glacier hikes are from 100€ on.
  • Weather in Iceland is very unpredictable and it changes every 5 minutes. So, our advice is not to plan too much or too tight. There might be a day on your trip when the weather is so terrible that you won't be able to leave your room safely!
  • Pack water- and wind-proof clothes. This will keep you dry and warm while visiting waterfalls and exploring other Icelandic sights.
  • Northern lights can be seen between October and March. But in order to see them the following 3 conditions must be fulfilled: clear sky (which is not a common thing in Iceland), high solar activity and dark night (no full moon and away from the light pollution)
  • Winter is ideal time for orca-watching in Snaefellsnes, but bad time for whale- or puffin-watching.
  • Ice caves can be visited only during the winter months (November to March), but other glacier activites are available throughout the year.


We hope that our advices helped some future travelers to Iceland. Wishing you all a good and enjoyable trip to the Land of fire and ice.
But for those who have already visited Iceland we have a question:
Do you have any other advices about traveling to Iceland? Please share it in the comment below. 
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Katarina

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