Iceland in Pictures

Anonymous asked: Hi! I want to do some hiking in iceland but i'm only free during the first half of June. Are any of the trails open then? Or do they all only open late June?

Most hiking trails in Iceland are not that organized that they officially open or close. However if you are thinking about the most established hiking route in Iceland, Laugavegurinn, then early June is a gamble. The route starts in Landmannalaugar which is up in the highlands and the roads to there can open anywhere between mid May to mid June.

Lower lying hiking routes should however be accessible without any trouble. But keep in mind that you can experience full winter weather any time of the year up in the mountains. Check out SafeTravel.is for some good tips.

michelephants asked: A second visit to Iceland in 2014 is in the works. We flew in Keflavik and only stayed in Reykjavik for the 6 short days we were there. We are planning on a two-three week visit, flying in and renting a car. Would you recommend us flying into Akureyri renting a car and working our way back down to Reykjavik, or start in Reykjavik and work our way up to Akureyri? I must see the North of Iceland, should our route be through the middle or of the coasts? I must see Dettifoss and glaciers. thanks :)

It is a bit unfortunate that domestic flights are located in Reykjavik, while international flights go through Keflavík (45 minute drive). I’d say skip the domestic flight and drive the whole circle. It takes 4-5 hours to drive from Reykjavík to Akureyri and with more than one person in the car, driving is definitely cheaper than flying (here are some tips on travelling around Iceland).

Since you’ve seen Reykjavík already, just rent the car at the Keflavík airport, drive through Reykjavík and head north. Spend your first night somewhere north of Reykjavík. The small town of Borgarnes is a good choice with plenty of charm.

Day two, drive out onto the Snæfellsnes peninsula and if you can afford it spend the night at the awesome Hótel Búðir. Otherwise have a stay in Arnarstapi or Ólafsvík.

Day three, drive on the northern side of Snæfellsnes to Stykkishólmur. On the way get an awesome pizza in Grundarfjörður and eat some shark in Bjarnarhöfn. Spend a full day or two in Stykkishólmur (my favorite town) and be sure to go on one of the boat tours.

From Stykkishólmur you can either take the car ferry to Brjánslækur on the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) and explore them for a week if you are staying for three weeks. Otherwise head east for a really scenic drive back to Highway 1. Spend the next night in Sauðárkrókur or someplace on the way. If you would like a scenic day of driving, drive the new roads on the northern coast of Tröllaskagi, through Ólafsfjörður and Dalvík to Akureyri. Spend a couple of days in Akureyri, relax in the pool and enjoy the town.

This puts you on day 6-8. Next, head east to visit the Mývatn lake, Goðafoss waterfall and possibly go to the town of Húsavík for whale watching. Stay somewhere in the area.

Next go to Ásbyrgi, part of Vatnajökull National park. Ásbyrgi is amazing and also only a short drive from Dettifoss. If you are camping, then the camp site in Ásbyrgi is really nice.

Next head further east. If you want a long but interesting drive, drive the coast. You will go through the tiny towns of Kópasker, Raufarhöfn and Vopnafjörður (lived there when I was a kid) and see many abandoned farms along the way. Keep your eyes open for foxes as well.

Otherwise take the much shorter drive along Highway 1 to the East Fjords (Austfirðir). Egillsstaðir is the main hub in the east, but you can spend as many days as you’d like exploring the small towns in the nearby fjords. This is also a great area for hiking, so if you want to hike, skip some of the longer drives previously mentioned and spend more time in this area.

Once you’ve spent 2-5 days in this area, head south towards Höfn í Hornarfirði. From there you have a six hour drive to Reykjavík, however it is easy to spend a week.

The south coast is so well documented and popular, I won’t go into details. But be sure to do a glacier tour in Skaftafell (I recommend the 4 hour Glacier Adventure with Icelandic Mountain Guides (I guide this tour sometimes)) and go to Ingólfshöfði (a.k.a. Puffin Island).

You also ask if it’s a good idea to go through the Highlands. It certainly is, but it is a very different experience. The roads are only open in the summer (mid-late June until mid-September) and they require a decent 4x4 vehicle.

Anonymous asked: Is it true that in Iceland people need the appoval of the neighbours if they want to have a dog?

Only if they live in an apartment building with a shared entrance. But it is true that rules regarding dogs are pretty strict in Reykjavik.

Here’s a picture of my dog.

Anonymous asked: Hi, before than nothing, thanks for all the info. and beautiful pics of your beautiful country, it's a world pride. Now, i'm from Argentina, and i'm thinking on visit Iceland in Feb. becouse i'll be traveling, and it's like a dream coming true. What i want to know is, how much money do you think that i gonna need for 5 days? I would like to do something like an "icelandic life" more than a "tourist trip" if you know what i mean. Takk.

The bus from the Keflavík airport to Reykjavik costs 2000.

In February it’s too cold for camping, so the cheapest option for accommodation (unless you find some lucky hotel deal) will be the hostels. I listed all the hostels in this previous post. That will be somewhere between 3 and 5 thousand ISK per night. The cheapest places to eat (fast food) charge about 1000 ISK per meal. For 2-4000 you can go someplace nice.

You can walk pretty much anywhere within downtown Reykjavik, but you can get a full day bus pass for 900 ISK or a three day one for 2200.

Museums and such generally charge between 500-1500 ISK for entrance. If you have any sort of school ID you can almost always get a discount. Many of them also are free on Mondays.

Getting out of the city is more expensive, unless you are a group of friends and able to fill a rental car. Most day tours from Reykjavik cost about 10000-25000.

Be sure to go to some of the local swimming pools. Entrance only costs 400-500 and it’s a great place to meet people, relax etc.

Another reference you could use is that the average tourist to Iceland spends 35,000 ISK per day.

Hope this gives you some idea.

lollajames asked: Hey! I've been to Iceland twice in the winter time, and next year I plan on going in the summer. I've done most of the touristy things already like Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon, several of the museums in downtown Reykjavik. What would you recommend I do when I go back?

I’d recommend to get as far away from Reykjavík as possible. If your budget allows, rent a car, bring a tent and drive around Iceland chasing the best weather. Go swimming every day, either in a natural hot spring or in a local swimming pool. Every town in Iceland and every neighborhood in Reykjavik has a swimming pool. They are super cheap and awesome. If a rental car is out of your budget there are other ways to get around Iceland.

Also, I always recommend going for a glacier walk. This you can do as a daytour from Reykjavík or from either the Sólheimajökull glacier close to Skógar and Vík or in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park.

Take a bath in a real natural hot spring (not the Blue Lagoon). This you can do in some day tours from Reykjavik, but also in many places around the country by yourself.

If you prefer to be based in one place and travel from there, skip Reykjavik and fly or take the bus to Akureyri. It’s the biggest town outside the capital area and in many ways a much nicer place. From there you can do all sorts of excursions.

fightacrosstheconstellations asked: Hello! I'm going to be on exchange in Reykjavik from this next August to June, and I was hoping you (or a lovely follower!) could give tips on housing, food, etc. for when I'm there. Even contacts! I do love contacts and having new friends. Any help would be wonderful! Thank you so much, and I love your blog! Good luck on moving!

Hi. If your exchange program is with the University of Iceland, your best bet might be to live in a student apartment or room. It’s usually the cheapest and puts you close to likeminded people for company. Alternatively, you could rent a room or apartment privately. The Icelandic rental market isn’t great, but the two major sites for renting apartments are these: Vísir (click “Eignir til leigu), Mbl and Leiga. They are only in Icelandic, so you’ll need to use google translate.

You can find a good deal of info about cost of living etc. in past questions about studying in Iceland as well as in other questions about Iceland.

Good luck!

Anonymous asked: I'm going to Iceland in May, literally my dream come true. But I'm only going for a week and by myself. What are the must-sees? Do the majority of people speak English? And do you have any cheap accommodation to recommend in Reykjavik?

The typical must-sees are things like the Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, Bæjarins Bestu hot dogs, whale watching etc. Virtually everyone does them and they are nice. What I would add to that list is #1 walk on a glacier, #2 bathe in a natural hot spring (not just the Blue Lagoon) and #3 visit one of the local swimming pools.

The first two are most easily done by taking a tour. I would recommend this tour which combines both (I’m biased because I used to guide it. But it’s a great tour, at least with me as a guide).

The swimming pools are great and a good place to socialize. There’s a couple of dozen in Reykjavik, so just find the one nearest to you (or visit several).

The cheapest accommodation (unless you find some online bargain) is probably in one of the hostels. Since you are travelling alone and don’t have anybody to keep you company on bus rides, I recommend the ones downtown. There’s Downtown Hostel, Reykjavik Backpacker’s and Kex.

Pretty much everybody speaks fluent English, but you’ll make people smile if you learn some Icelandic phrases.

Góða ferð!

Anonymous asked: My friend and I will be visiting Iceland in May for the first time and we are so excited! She is Black and we have heard mixed experiences from other Black people who have visited Iceland. Some have said that people are open while others say that people are racist and give them the cold shoulder. I am just wondering which one is the case and if it depends on which part you are in. The people in Iceland seem so open and welcoming so I can't see why they would be racist.

I don’t really understand why I get all these posts asking about racism in Iceland. I really don’t think Icelanders are racist as a whole. Of course there are bad apples and neither we nor anybody else is perfect. But I’ve worked as a guide in Iceland for several years and I’ve never heard any visitors complain of racism.

There is currently a discussion in Icelandic media about racism following two incidents. A TV station aired a supposedly humorous ad that featured a stereotypical Japanese game show host. The other incident, just last week, was a group of Icelandic teenagers (of Asian descent) that got into a verbal fight with an ignorant man in a shopping mall. They recorded the incident and the man’s very racist comments on a mobile phone. These incidents are unfortunate, but I think the amount of media attention and public discussion they provoked shows that we have a very healthy and open society.

hypersleep asked: I've been following your blog for a while now and just wanted to say you post such wonderful pictures and articles. I have never been to Iceland but I love what I am seeing of this wonderful island and the language (sadly there are no courses as I would really like to learn it one day :)). Wish you a wonderful day and a cheerful christmas time! Flo

Thanks and I hope you do visit.

There are several online alternatives available to learn Icelandic as well as courses in Iceland and a few universities around the world. Check out these previous posts about Icelandic for some examples.

Anonymous asked: I saw your answer about driving on the Ring Road in February... I was just wondering what the conditions would be like in June-August, as I'm planning on taking a trip then?

Very different. By mid May and until at least late October, the weather and road conditions are much more favorable. Most highland roads open around May/June, with the last roads opening late June. Those however are rough gravel roads that most tourists don’t drive on rental cars anyways.

Anonymous asked: Good evening and thanks for inviting questions! My friend and I will be traveling to Iceland from US in late February 2013. We would like to rent a car and circumnavigate the island. Do you think this is foolhardy?

It should be fine as long as you don’t expect things to go as planned. It is a full on winter at that time, so be prepared for some proper winter driving, delays and closures. The Ring Road is generally open all year long, but stretches of it will close for a couple of days every once in a while during the winter. It is particularly prone to closure in the Eastfjords.

Foolhardy? Heading out in a Toyota Yaris with no winter driving experience would be foolhardy yes. But if you have a decent car, preferably a 4x4 with studded tires, you are used to drive on icy and snowy roads and you are careful, then you should be fine.

Check for road conditions and closures on road.is. The website is not that great in English, but the map in the upper right hand corner shows the conditions at each given time. The map on the left links to webcams around the country which can be useful. As you can see, mountain roads are closed all winter and although the Ring Road is usually fully open, there often are some hindrances.

Follow weather forecasts at vedur.is and if you are in doubt, ask some locals. They’ll know how it is to drive a given road or mountain pass in that day’s condition.

This cheesy video by the Road Safety Commission has some useful tips. They also have a useful brochure. Finally, check out the  SafeTravel website.

In Reykjavik and larger towns such as Akureyri in the north, everything is open, but unfortunately, in many parts of the country, tourist things such as museums may be closed during the winter. You could be in for some awesome northern lights and beautiful winter landscapes though. There’s nothing like lying in a hot spring out in nature in a snowy landscape, gazing at the aurora filled sky. Plan to have extra time around Mývatn. That is a beautiful area in the winter.

Have a fun and safe trip.

Anonymous asked: Hi! I am bringing 2 friends to Reykjavik, dates 27.12-03.01. I have been there several times before, and have already a fullset timetable til new years eve. Do you recomend something other than Blue Lagoon, Geysir and Gullfoss, Laugardalslaug , ice skating and the weeend-marked? I really want to make my friends love the city as much as I do. Is it possible to borrow ice skates and go ice skating on the pond in Reykjavik? Best regards from Norway :)

Hi. New Year’s Eve is a great time to be in Reykjavik. Just don’t expect to be able to get anywhere in the evening or during the night. It’s impossible to get a taxi and the streets are blocked by leftovers of fireworks. There are three things you should try to do on New Year’s Eve. First, go to a bonfire. There are about 10 large bonfires in Reykjavik and they are generally lit at 20:30. After that, aim to be either someplace downtown, perhaps by Hallgrímskirkja or somewhere high up with a good view, around midnight. Buy some fireworks from one of the rescue teams and bring them with you. The rescue teams in Iceland are almost only funded by selling fireworks for New Year’s Eve. Finally, enjoy the party.

The first day of the year is a very closed day. It’s a holiday and very few things are open. Some tours do run though. The nightlife can be pretty good on the first as well, but most places won’t open until after midnight.

It is impossible to be sure if The Pond will be frozen at that time. I guess it is about a 50/50 chance. A skating area is usually cleared once the ice is thick enough close to the City Hall. Unfortunately, there is no skate rental by the pond. There has sometimes been one for special occasions, but not regularly. There is, however, a skating rink with a rental in Laugardalur.

Go walk on a glacier! You can do a glacier tour like this one (all year long), or an even better one like this one (there might be departures even though it says its not running at that time of year).

If you have the money, try a super jeep tour. Otherwise, just stroll around town and enjoy not taking part in everybody else’s Christmas stress. Walk through the “Kolaportið” flea market, drink plenty of hot chocolate and enjoy the lights. Since Iceland’s winter is a dark one and since we have super cheap electricity, a lot of people go pretty crazy on Christmas lights.

michelephants asked: It's been almost three months since I visted Iceland. Sometimes I will randomly pick up a scent of the sulfur or my body gets a twitch when I think about Skogafoss. I have this problem where I look at Iceland as if it's a person I've left behind. But maybe it's the person I became when being there that I left behind, I miss the humbleness of your country and the way my skin shined. I hope to see Iceland soon. That island is alive.

It sure does have a pull and it looks like I’ll be moving back home soon :) I get the same twitch when I see icy streets in Stockholm. It makes me think of slightly more vertical ice in Iceland.

You have a nice blog by the way. I’ve scrolled through a few times before.

As annie points out, your ask is probably the most poetic ask I’ve yet received. Icelandic is a poetic language, so here’s a somewhat poetic translation/adaptation.

  „Þremur mánuðum eftir að ég sótti Ísland heim, vakna vit mín við hverafnyk eða ég kippist til við hugsun um Skógafoss. Það er sem Ísland sé vera sem ég skildi eftir. En ef til vill er sú vera, veran sem landið gerði mig að. Ég sakna auðmýkt landsins og hvernig það fyllti mig birtu. Ég vona að ég sjái Ísland á ný, land elds og ísa. “

Anonymous asked: hello! this may be a silly question, but i'm currently in the market for a good winter coat in north east USA, but I also plan to be staying in Iceland next winter. I'm shooting for a wind-proof and possible water-proof/repellant coat that could be used as a top layer (so not too, too heavy- I tend to overheat!). Do you have any Icelandic wisdom to impart as far as popular brands or types of coats Icelanders prefer in the winter?

I don’t know whether you are thinking of a jacket for hiking or around town. But currently my favorite around town winter jacket is this winter parka from Patagonia. It’s relatively warm, waterproof and you can zip out the lining and hood for warmer weather.

If you are going to be hiking you will want something breathable and lighter. That means you will want a three layer system, plus an insulating jacket in winter. By three layers, I mean a thin undergarment (if you shop in Iceland check out Cintamani’s underwear - my favorite), sweater (e.g. fleece) and a waterproof shell. Brands don’t matter that much imho, just make sure it has either GoreTex or eVent membranes. I like Goretex Paclite jacekets since they are light, waterproof enough (nothing is fully waterproof in Icelandic weather anyways) and they are cheaper than some of the heavier GoreTex materials. For winter it’s nice to have an additional light synthetic or down jacket that can go over or under your waterproof shell (or be worn on its own).

If you end up shopping in Iceland, there are three Icelandic brands of outdoor clothing. Cintamani, 66°North and Zo-On. You can find 66°North in the US as well (much cheaper than in Iceland).

Anonymous asked: Hi there! I'm heading to Iceland in January for a weekend from the UK, I'm 18 here so I'm obviously allowed (and am accustomed to!) alcohol, and I wanna experience some Rekyjavik nightlife! How strict do you think bars and clubs are in Iceland on asking for ID from tourists?

The drinking age in Iceland is 20 and the age to enter a bar after (I think) 22:00 is 18. This means that they could legally let you in. However, the bars/clubs don’t really see the point in letting people in that can’t buy alcohol and they don’t want the extra hassle of checking IDs at the bar, so they usually set the limit at 20. Some of them even set it higher.

Most Icelanders start going to the clubs well before they turn 20, but much of the night can be spent waiting in lines only to be turned away at the door. The bouncers are actually trying to follow the law, so unless you look older or they are overwhelmed with guests, it can be tough.

I don’t know if they give much more slack to tourists. The fact that you are a tourist raises the odds that you are over 20 though, so they may be less diligent in checking your ID. I actually used to pretend that I was a Brazilian and didn’t understand Icelandic. That often got me waved through.

What you can do to avoid the hassle is to go to a concert or a bar with a live band. Then it will usually cost in but instead they typically put the age limit at 18.

Góða skemmtun!