lesconner8

Hello! My husband and I booked our flights, car rental, and lodging for July 1-9. We are spending 3 days in Reykjavik, 2 days near Gullfoss, 1 day near Selfoss, and 2 days in Keflavik.
Any recommendations for sites we must see?
Any food recommendations?
Any packing list recommendations?
Your advice is much appreciated!

PalenQ

the most expensive country I have ever been in - bring anything with you from home that you can and that you will need - anything, including booze!

lesconner8

What is so expensive? How much should I expect to pay for a typical meal?

Jay_G

The prices in Iceland have dipped following the bank crashes and are actually much lower now than they were a couple of years ago.

I found that prices for most food and drinks (other than alcoholic drinks in bars) were similar to prices in central London (around £2 for a soft drink or coffee and between £10 - £15 for a main course in a half-decent sit down place for lunch). You can of course pick food up for less (and much more) than this.

If you want to go cheap, look out for the Bonus supermarkets, their logo of a pink piggybank on a yellow background is pretty hard to miss...

I recommend that you don't leave Iceland without eating their lamb, which is as incredible as the prices charged for it outside of Iceland attest, and of course as much seafood/fish as you can get your hands on.

For packing recommendations, you've probably already got these covered, but a sturdy pair of boots, waterproofs and plenty of layers will undoubtedly come in handy. The weather can change in the blink of an eye and often does.

I'd suggest also taking some of your standard 'going out' clothes,as the Icelanders are very fashion forward and lots of them are very well-dressed, so you may feel underdressed/uncomfortable if you're in a bar in your waterproofs and are surrounded by beautiful (and beautifully dressed Icelanders.

I'd say that the boots don't need to be anything particularly fancy or technical, but strong enough that when you're clambering over volcanic rocks, or through a moss covered field to get that perfect shot, they give you a bit of support. Your ankles will thank you...

As for sights to see, I'm sure you've got all the biggies covered and if you may be uhming and ahing over whether the Blue Lagoon is "worth it" I'd say that it definitely is.

Leslie_S

Jay_G -- most importantly how much should we expect to pay for beer this summer?

Leslie_S

Jay_G -- most importantly how much should we expect to pay for beer this summer?

Jay_G

Apologies Leslie_S for missing out the most important info!

A beer will set you back between about (the equivalent of)£6 for a bottle, up to about £8 or £9 for a pint. Of course it depends where you get it from and what you're drinking, as it can go higher than this...

Due to these sort of prices, the nightlife doesn't really get going until midnight / 1am as the Icelanders prefer to start drinking at home then head out once suitably lubricated. Reykjavik in full swing at 2am at the weekend is certainly a sight to behold!

Mathieu

I briefly met a colleague last week who told me that she and her husband spent a week in Reykjavik in May this year. She loved the unusual landscapes and raved about the country's beauty in general, but said that dining out was very expensive.
When pressed for details, she cited the main course alone (of a three course dinner) at an average restaurant was running at C$83.00 each (about 3 or 4 times what you'd pay for similar quality here in Canada). Mains at other similar restaurants ran at about +/- C$15 of this price.
(They are a middle-aged, fairly sophisticated, city, working couple who enjoy good food and don't mind paying for good value, but not for anything less).

She said they found a very nondescript Pizza place that served surprisingly good pizza at reasonable prices for the quality (she didn't say how much) and made it pretty much their go-to place for dinner during their stay. She also added that it was packed in the evenings with other similar aged and profiled visitors from all over the world who were attracted (she thinks) by the restaurant's good prices and pizza. She said the atmosphere was just like being at a more culinary diverse restaurant and that they didn't think that they'd be eating as much pizza on vacation (it's quite an ordinary meal here), but it really was very good. They needed reservations each time they went.

She said that Reykjavik is small and you can walk around it very quickly and check out all the restaurants, so you may find other reasonably priced places to eat at as well.

Leslie_S

Don't know how I managed to post my question twice but I guess it was important enough to warrant that!
Thanks a lot for replying. Those prices aren't too, too terrible that it'll have to be a dry vacation. Yay
Pizza sounds like a good option too.

Thanks again!
Leslie

Jay_G

No problem Leslie.

The prices really aren't that bad at all, just more than I'd like to pay. But then again in an ideal world I would never have to pay for a beer...

Mathieu - I have to say that I'm really surprised by the experience of your colleague in Reykjavik's restaurants. I've been three times now and have never paid anything approaching that for a main course.

To make sure I wasn't going crazy and remembering my holidays in Iceland through rose tinted er, memory things, I looked up the restaurant at Hotel 101 (used as my own personal yardstick to measure prices in the nicer places in Reykjavik) and their most expensive main course item; Crown of lamb with blueberries, djion mustard and root vegetables 'only' comes in at 4,800 ISK.

This works out at about £25 or 40CAD and I can assure you (having been lucky enough to stay there) that 'sensibly priced' is not the target they're aiming at.

Regarding the pizza, there did seem to be a bit of a pizza arms race going on when I was there last, with lots of pizza places all trying to outdo and undercut each other.

A cheap *faints* place to eat is the famous hotdog stand down by the harbour. They're so good (and cheap) that I would always buy two at a time...

Enjoy your trip!

lesconner8

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I'll lookout for pizza and hotdogs Are there many vegetarian options? My husband eats meat but I'm vegetarian, though I suppose on vacation I may have to break that rule for myself. We'll see!

I've also heard rain showers are common in July. Should we expect them on a daily basis? Do they last a lot of the day or will we also have some sunshine?

Jay_G

I know there's no good way to ask this question, but are you a vegetarian who eats fish?

There's loads of good fish and seafood to be had in Iceland and they're also partial to a salad. I feel fairly certain that if you wanted a certain dish (such as pasta or a salad) without the meatilicious ingredient(s) they'd be more than happy to serve it without. The service at all the places I ate was always friendly and very accommodating.

I'd say not to expect rain showers every day, but be prepared that this could be the case! The first time I went was in July and the weather ran the full gamut from rainy and windy, to cloudy, to sunny (sometimes all on the same day).

You will most probably have some sunshine, but don't expect it to be particularly warm. I'm used to English 'summers' and even when the sun came out it was never warm enough (for me) to take off the jumper or jacket I was wearing.

Mathieu

Hi Jay_G,

Being a bit of a foodie myself and having traveled and eaten quite widely all over the world, and currently planning to visit Iceland possibly in September (which was why I met with my colleague), I too was very surprised by what she said. I even queried if she was sure about that price, and if it was a fairly standard representation for average restaurant fare (as it seemed very high to me) but she was firm. Knowing about her diverse past travels and respected, accurate reviews, I accepted her account. I knew Iceland is expensive and my research thus far points especially to foodstuff, but I thought it would be hard for locals and tourists to subsist at those prices. That's why I reported what she told me without any opinion nor validation of the observations hoping others might shed more light, which you did, so thank you !
I can imagine some restaurants charging those prices (to create niches), but not all of them.

I'm glad to hear that the lamb and the fish (both of which I love) are more reasonably priced so as not to make price an issue over the dining experience, and must also tell you that I've read elsewhere about those terrific hotdogs ! I believe there's a hot springs bathing place within walking distance of central Reykjavik which the writer of the article I was reading had recommended, and said that the hotdogs were an excellent and perfect snack to eat on the way back into town.

Jay_G

Hi Mathieu,
Glad to be of some help! There are definitely restaurants where you can easily pay the sort of prices your colleague mentioned, but I think it's by no means standard.

The alcohol is another matter, and is always pricey. I once had to send a bottle of wine back as it was corked and actually felt bad for doing so (due to the price) but the waiter took it without hesitation and brought another bottle.

There a few pools just outside the city centre and a hotdog would definitely cancel out any health-giving benefits of an open air dip! Just remember to ask (in the buddhist tradition) to be made one with everything. The special hot dog sauce they use is indeed pretty special.

If you can push your visit back a little (and if it's your kind of thing) I'd suggest going in October when the Iceland Airwaves music festival is on. It really adds another dimension to the nightlife in the city and as it's such a small place, you could well end up rubbing shoulders with some of the artists on a night out.

lesconner8

Jay_G - thanks for the info. I don't typically eat fish so I'm glad to hear they will often make things without the meat included. My husband will enjoy plenty of fish, though!

PalenQ

The prices in Iceland have dipped following the bank crashes and are actually much lower now than they were a couple of years ago.>

I should have said this was a few years ago - I did not think the banking crisis had much to do with expenses but rather that everything had to be imported from such distances - this being basically a barren volcanic field - the whole country with very little agricultural production except fish - if that is even agricultural.

MarthaNotMarty

Hi lesconner8,
I just returned on June 13th from 5 full days in southwest Iceland. We stayed in Reykjavik first and last nights; in Vik one night and in Gullfoss one night. We bought beer, gin and tonic in the airport duty-free and it was a wise thing to do. From our hotel, The Grand, we walked down to the Phallological Institute (yes, phalluses - from whales to birds to humans- a very amusing way to spend 30 minutes) and right next store is a large-ish convenience store called 10-11. It's very clean and well-stocked, and the young men we found working there were cheerful and friendly. We picked up Skyr, cheese, really good bread,fruit,some pastries and cookies. They had sandwiches, too. We were happy to have a picnic backup as we travelled,so we didn't have to make a lot of stops. The cafes at Geysir and Gullfoss have amazing food, beer, wine, and pastries. Your husband absolutely has to have hotdogs (pylsur or pylsa)! We ate at the Strondin in Vik, the Reykjavik Restaurant in the old harbor area, and one other in the same neighborhood, and there were vegetarian choices in all of them. As for prices, at RR we chose the buffet dinner and it was wonderful--we were stuffed!-- and with one bottle of wine dinner worked out to $56.00 USD each. That was our 'splash-out' dinner on our last night, and was less than what I'd expect to pay for similar quality restaurant here at home.

Ask where the nearest Bonus (or other grocery store) is when you get to your hotels, and get some staples. We found that breakfast was included at every place we stayed, and ranged from very nice to WOW!

The weather in Rekjavik was in the upper 50s F during the day, cooler in the evening, sun peaking through clouds both days. Once we headed south to Vik, though, we had misty rain and wind, wind, wind most of the time. At Geysir it was cool and overcast, a little windy; At Gullfoss it was very windy, with some misty rain on and off. The sun tried to get through at times. We went whitewater rafting at Drumbosdottir (Arctic Adventures -- strongly recommend them!)near Reykholt and thankfully the day was dry, overcast on and off, and comfortable at about 60 F or so. No wind!

At Westman Islands it was windy, chilly, and misting rain on and off.
But we weren't there for the weather and the clouds and mist made the scenery very dramatic.

I was glad I'd brought a waterproof windbreaker, a fleece jacket, and quick-dry tops for layering. Jeans got very heavy when they got wet (open boat tour around Westman) and I found I wore my light-weight quick-dry hiking pants more than I'd thought I would.

Friends who've been there later in July have told me they experienced a few days of unusual temps in the 90s, so having layers to add and remove is a good idea.

MarthaNotMarty

I agree about the lamb and seafood -- I love both, and it was like I was eating lamb and fish for the first time! Felt the same way on my first trip to Ireland, the chicken and the dairy products were unbelievably flavorful.

ulinda7

excellent information about costs of food. Many thanks for all the posts. Ulinda . Australia.