To begin with, FABULOUS trip for an early winter getaway! I feel so lucky to have had the chance to have one week in Iceland. It was everything I ever dreamt of and more.

Things to know: I was definitely doing this on a budget so you will find that hostels were the primary accommodations throughout the trip. There are many other super cute cabin options however you can find through Airbnb. Second, some things that definitely took me by surprise was the cost of groceries & food. Moreover, average meal may cost you $30-70 USD, and a coffee may cost you $10-15!

Third, A four-digit pin number was required for most credit cards, which you will need at the gas station. You can use credit cards at most places when shopping, except the occasional small souvenir shop. I contacted my bank before leaving to place a pin on my card. If you want to take out money you will need to use their currency ISK, but I wouldn’t take out much. I would make sure you are budgeting appropriately and set yourself a spending limit for each day. Tap water is perfectly fine to drink so bring a water bottle with you!

My suggestions: Go on as many glacier tours and ice cave tours as you can! This was such a neat experience that not many countries are able to offer! Importantly, plan ahead when hitting the road by having the directions pre-printed, mapped out, a physical map, or a downloaded map. Having your own set of wheels would be the best and most convenient, however I had a friend who hitch-hiked her entire trip! Gas is expensive (over $8 a gallon) so I would have your routes pre-planned and not stray too much. I had a friend who rented a camper van for a week in Iceland and she spent $600 on gas for a week stay. I am putting my itinerary exactly as is, however, I honestly would suggest skipping the Blue Lagoon as it’s more of a tourist trap. There are MANY other hot springs.

What I packed for a winter in Iceland: 1-2 pair thin leggings, Rain/hiking pants, 1 set pajamas, long sleeve base layer, North Face fleece, 700 fill down jacket, North Face thin water resistance rain proof rain jacket, flip flops to wear in house and hot springs, North Face beanie, swimsuit, winter hiking boots, towel, hydroflask, sleeping bag for linen. By all means, check the weather before your trip to pack accordingly! To be sure of additional items you may need, look into your hostel to see what they do/don’t provide.

Requirements: You must always shower your entire body and hair with soap before getting into a hot spring. Given that, you will need to be comfortable being naked in front of others as you will shower publicly in the locker room. Another key point, you will also always need to have your shoes removed when indoors at a hostel, so bring your slipper or flip flops as house shoes. Above all, drive the Ring Road, which can take 5-7 days, but if you’re short on time you can drive the Golden Circle!

See below for my one-week itinerary in Iceland.

March 2 (Thurs) – Depart LAX @ 11:20 am

March 3 (Fri) – Arrive Reykjavik @ 4:10 am. Iceland is a different time zone so you may feel some difference with the timing as the day continues.

• First, get rental car from airport
• Then, grocery shop!
• Breakfast at Sandholt Bakery right on Laugavegur main shopping street
• After breakfast I suggest you go to Hallgrímskirkja church to check it out and go up to the tower of the church (church opens at 9 am and it costs 900 ISK).

• Spend the day in Reykjavik checking out the wall art, shops, beautiful view
• Visit the Icelandic Phallological Museum (fancy term for Penis Museum)
• So far, you may be tired so… nap time!
• By the time you wake up from your nap you may want a walking tour for 50 dollars per person http://www.iheartreykjavik.net/the-tours/our-tours/the-iheart-reykjavik-walking-tour/ OR walk the town yourself (recommend!)
• Stay in Reykjavik City Hostel

March 4 (Sat) – Drive Golden Road

• 45 minute drive from Reykjavik, you will find Þingvellir National Park – where you walk between two continents!
• Fontana Geothermal Baths are situated in the town of Laugarvatn, on the way from Þingvellir national park to Geysir or Seljavallalaug lagoon
• Dettifoss waterfall
•  Haukadalur, a geothermal area about 60km away from Þingvellir National Park. Geyser called Strokkur  – erupts every 10 min 
• Gullfoss waterfall
• Seljalandfoss waterfall

• Check in to Hotel Katla about 5 km outside Vik
• Secret lagoon
• Checking out the Northern lights if they are out!

March 5 (Sun) – Visit Vik & surrounding area

• Black sand beach
• Reynisfjara Beach to check out some wicked cool geometrical shard rocks
• Myrdalsjokull Glacier or Solheimajokull Glacier  
• Jokulsarlon (the glacier lagoon)
• Stay in Vagnsstaðir Hostel for the next 2 nights

March 6 (Mon) – Skaftafell National Park

• Stay in Vagnsstaðir Hostel
• 10AM- 2PM: Into the Glacier at Vatnajokull – Combine glacier hiking with ice caving in a naturally formed ice cave in Vatnajökull glacier. This tour departs from the Glacier Guides booking house in Skaftafell. From here, you will have a 15-minute drive to Falljökull glacier. All necessary glacier gear, crampons, helmet, and harness is included.

March 7 (Tues) – Hofn area during day

• Drive to Selfoss (5 hours from Hofn) and explore
• Stay in Selfoss hostel
• Selfoss geyser
• Kerid crater
• Hveragerði and choose the hot spring of your liking

March 8 (Wed)

• Return to Reykjavik
• Blue Lagoon (~2 hours) (undeniably the worst tourist trap ever)
• Kirkjufell (Game of Thrones filmed here!) (2 hours from Reykjavik)
• Snæfellsnes Peninsula
• Drive back to Reykjavik
  

March 9 (Thurs)

• Return rental car and fly out

At this time, it is difficult to say what the cost of things however as I am sure things have gone up since 2017. However, below you will find how much we spent on each activity.

Total Budget:

Lodging: $748 total

Car rental: $453 total

Gas: ~$200

Ice cave tour: $172 each

Blue Lagoon: $93.33 each    

Food/Alcohol: ~$350 (one bottle of wine was like $20-40!!) We honestly lived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the “breakfast” that was provided, and cheese/crackers. We occasionally “splurged” and went to 2-3 restaurants throughout the week.

Disclaimer: You may find this post has some hotel affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I get a small portion for the advertisement, if you click through and book. However, I would absolutely never recommend something to you that I don’t 100% agree with!

At last, hope you enjoyed what you read and enjoy your one week in Iceland! Overall, it was a fabulous trip and highly recommend during any season!

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