Advice for Honeymoon in Iceland (5 days)
 

My fiance and I wanted to take a trip to see the northern lights at the end of September.
Any tips about Iceland...good packages or hotels that are recommended? We are going to take it pretty easy and just see a glacier or some waterfalls.

We are thinking about flying into Reykjavik.

Should we just get a hotel there and camp there for 4 nights?

Also, should we get a car or just take daily tours?

I highly recommend "your day tours" golden circle tour. It is run by Icelandic brothers and the driver plays icelandic music, gives you great info on Iceland (people and culture), and even makes you smoked lamb on flat bread!

We rented an airbnb in Reykavik... loved it!

We were there for 3 days in March. If you've never been it is amazing how cold it is... Not sure about in September. Also make sure that is a good time for the northern lights because I think winter or close to it is when they are easier to find (but people did have luck in March).

Firstly don't arrange a trip to Iceland and plan anything.

It's at the Northern extreme of the North Atlantic drift and the climate is at best totally unpredictable. In theory it is placed in a latitude to see the Aurora when the KP factor is 3 which is pretty good.

Unfortunately, the cloud cover can last for weeks as high pressure can find it difficult to form. It also suffers from some of the most severe winds on the planet.

In terms of short term weather, it can be anything at anytime of the year.

We visited in February this year and it was 6oC every day with very little snow. I didn't find it romantic at all, just dank and dismal. It was also absolutely swamped with tourists and ridiculously expensive. All in all, our worst trip of 60 odd countries.

You would be far better advised to visit say Northern Norway during winter if the Aurora is what you seek.

We will only go for 4 days and nights.

Is that enough time to do stuff in Iceland? Also, should I book a hotel only in Reykjavik or do I need to go to another city to get a better shot to see the nights?

Depends on what you want to do. We went on a Golden Circle tour and tried to see the Northern Lights. Spent 5 days there and originally had 3 tours scheduled but 2 got cancelled due to weather and volcanic activity. I thought that was plenty of time.

Here's a trip blog I wrote with photos, our itinerary, and recommendations:
http://fanofblank.blogspot.com/2017/...-and-more.html

Thanks, I just read your blog and it was very informative.

So I really should expect to pay 50 dollars for lunch for two poeple and 100 for dinner? Geez...that is steep....

BritishCaicos -

60c? Do you mean 6 degrees C? 42F?

Starwaker -

Food prices are very high. We paid $25 for two flat whites and two pastries. Soup in a bread bowl was $22 each. A 10' pizza was $24. Fish of the day could run $31-42 per person.

A bottle of beer can cost as much as $12. Gas is $8 a gallon.

If you rent a car, you'll save money by renting a manual.

If you like a drink here and there, Happy Hour is your friend. And duty free upon entry into Iceland is a budget saver.

oh yes.... beer very expensive... buy at the airport!

Thanks Starwaker!

Yes, food prices are pretty steep everywhere, it seems. At the end of our trip I dropped US$9 on a tiny package of pistachios and chips and I was numb to the shock. Lunch for 2 can easily run $50 and dinner much more.

I guess just go in knowing the prices (avoid that DCC scam and don't pay in your home currency). Everything is expensive but you've got beautiful sights and clean air and water...