I visited Iceland in 2015 with a group of friends. I wanted
to visit Iceland in winter for two main reasons. One to see the Northern
Lights, and the second to visit the Glacier Caves. We were there for a week starting on February
24th 2015.
I am from Canada and most of the flights to Iceland from
Canada is directly to Reykjavik Airport, Iceland. Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and about
two third of the population of Iceland lives in Reykjavik. We rented a car from
Sixt Rental near the airport. They were kind of enough to upgrade us to an SUV
with snow tires at no extra charge!
We choose to drive in Iceland in winter due to the following
reasons:
- We needed to drive to Jokulsarlon Lagoon which
is about four hours from Reykjavik for the Glacier Cave Tour. There were no day
tours available from Reykjavik, and there were four of us. It was more
economical to rent.
- The car also saved us money on transfer from/to airport.
- The car also gave us more flexibility in terms
of driving out to see Northern Lights at different times ( not during a
specific time of a tour)
- It also allowed us to go into downtown and to
different parts whenever we decided to do something spontaneously. Gave us a lot more flexibility.
- We were worried about the driving conditions in
Iceland. However, we were from Toronto and Ottawa in Canada and was used to
driving in heavy snow and ice conditions. One of the things we did not expect
was the heavy wind in Iceland. It made for some scary drives during our trip
- Also you would read on some forums that the area near Reykjavik is flat . Not fully true. Even within 15 – 20 minutes of Reykajivk there
are some mini hills and slanted roads in which you need to be careful in winter
driving conditions.
In hindsight, I would still recommend driving in Iceland in
Winter. You may have a few steering wheel griping moments, but all the flexibility and
cost savings will make up for it. I believe the driving makes the whole
experience richer. One of my favorite memories in Iceland is driving from
Reykajivk to Jokulsarlon.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik. It was a very nice
hotel, with clean well decorated rooms and lobby. The staff at reception was
very helpful. Daily breakfast was included in our stay, and the breakfast was good.
Had lots of choices and tasty food. One day I was able to see the Northern
lights from my bed in the hotel! Parking
was included in the stay, and there was always parking available. This hotel is
about 15 minutes from downtown Reykjavik, but not an issue for us since we had
a car. We always took the car into the city. We were able to find free parking
in the city whenever we went in.
For food, we had a heavy breakfast (included with our hotel stay),
for lunch we did grocery shopping and made sandwiches and snacks, and for
dinner we mainly ate out at different places in Reykjavik and near Reykjavik. Since we had a car, we had the flexibility to
drive around find different places to eat at.
We were prepared in terms of clothing. We dressed in layers
and had snow pants and parkas for most of the trip. We all had winter boots. We
were never cold. Important to dress for the weather, or else your experience
will be ruined from the cold.
I loved Iceland. The ruggedness of the landscape and the kindness
of the people left a lasting impression.