Iceland 2017

I decided that once my summer season working in Mallorca had ended, that I would travel and explore somewhere new, that I’d never visited before – after having a think about places I’d always wanted to go, Iceland was pretty much at the top of my list and ticked all the boxes. It was a short enough flight, just 2 hours from Manchester, was suitable for a short city break (4 days) and fitted my budget well.

Iceland is a notoriously expensive place, sometimes you can pay upwards of £800/$1,200 plus just for 3 or 4 nights, so imagine my delight when I discovered a tour operator offering 4 nights, in a 2-star Bed and Breakfast, with 2 excursions included, plus flights and airport transfers for only £425 per person – so it was decided to book and with less than 4 weeks until traveling, it was time to get my things sorted.

As you’d expect this time of year, Iceland is typically quite cold reaching right down to temperatures around -12/-13 degrees Celsius, so it was paramount to pack warm clothing to keep the cold out. Winter is the perfect time to visit Iceland – it’s a beautiful city in Summer, but when it gets towards Christmas the city is perfectly decorated, not overdone by any means with the warm glow of the lights illuminating its streets.

One of the most popular excursions in Iceland is the Golden Circle Tour, which takes in the Haukadalur Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall and Þingvellir National Park. The Geysir is stunning, erupting every 8-10 minutes with 80-100-degree water a stunning sight to behold. The Gullfoss Waterfall, located just 10km from the geysir, translated into English as ‘The Golden Falls’ this fall lives up to its names – the icy blue waters pour over the edge of the fall at a rate so fast, it can fill up 20 articulated lorries in a second (an impressive force). The last stop of the day to Þingvellir National Park is a treat to all, perhaps even more so to the fans of Game of Thrones, where a large portion of the show is both filmed and based, has a vast scenery of mountains and forests with the rock formations really standing out – the Golden Circle is not to be missed if a visit to Iceland is on the cards!

We spent the next two days exploring the beautiful city that is Reykjavik – our hotel was just a 15-20 minute walk from the centre of the city, with great views of Mt. Esja from our room! While a small city in size when you compare it to the likes of London or New York, there is still plenty to do and things to see.

A visit to the Hallgrímskirkja Church is a must if you’re looking for the best views in the city – you’ll have the opportunity to see far and wide, and capture some great photos too – and with entry at 990ISK per person, it’s an opportunity that is not to be missed!

It would be rude not to mention the excellent restaurants on offer – although food can be quite pricey (typically 1.5 times your typical British Pound or US Dollar) there are many restaurants to chose although I would advice that you are careful to avoid the tourist trap places where they charge overwhelming prices for tiny portions. TOP TIP – if a restaurant doesn’t have a menu in its window, don’t go inside! One great thing about dining in Iceland is that tap water is provided for free and 100% safe to drink as Iceland has some of the purest natural water in the world.

There’s far too much to mention about Iceland, because this would quickly become a novel and not a blog post, but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Mt. Esja