FLIGHT
Easy Jet direct from Geneva. 285 Eu round trip. Dates : 3/8/19 and return 18/8/19.
I reached Geneva with Flixbus from Turin (18.90 + 18.90 Eu), and slept one night in a dormitory at the Geneva Hostel (34.50 Eu)
EXCHANGE
The currency of Iceland is the crown (ISK)
1 ISK = 0.00712 Eu
SLEEPING
To try to save as much as possible, I organized everything much in advance. I slept everywhere, except hotels. Dorms and private rooms in a hostel, private rooms in farms or guesthouses (found on the Hey Iceland and Inspired by Iceland websites), in private homes, booked with Air Bnb or Booking. By choosing the so-called “sleeping bag accomodation” I was able to benefit from a discount on the price of the single rooms. This type of accommodation requires the guest to bring along a sleeping bag and towels, the structure therefore saves the costs associated with washing and replacing linen
I slept a few nights in a single room, in others I shared a double room with my travel mate. Here are the details
All the chosen facilities were equipped with a kitchen, which allowed us to save considerably
CAR
890 Eu for medium size car ( Citroen C3 Aircross, a small SUV, but not a 4WD), 890 Eu for two weeks, including full coverage insurance, through Rentalcars (Thrifty). We drove 3598 km, and spent a total of 325 Eu of gasoline
As guides I used the Lonely Planet, and then a paper map, bought in a bookshop in Turin, very accurate
EXPENSES
285 Eu flight, + 50 Eu for a shared hold baggage
162.5 Eu my share of petrol (traveled 3598 km)
758 Eu hotels
445 Eu my share of car rental fee
90 Eu my share of food
Total: 1790.50 Eu
CIBO
We brought a lot of stuff from Italy (cereals, tuna, mackerel, meat, chicken cans, dried soups, saffron sachets, chocolate bars, legume pasta, broth nuts). As fruit, we only bought apples and bananas, the cheapest ones. As for vegetables, we noticed that frozen broccoli and spinach were cheap, like 299-399 ISK, and we often privileged them. In addition, tomatoes are grown locally in the greenhouse, and they too are not very expensive. We made a common cash for food, spending a total of 24,000 ISK (170 Eu). We never went at the Bonus supermarket, not a real reason, simply when we passed by we didn’t need anything, or either it was closed. We usually did our shopping at Kronan, Netto, and in the smaller supermarket in the tiny villages.
WEATHER
Undeniably cold. The first few days in the south were OK, quite open skies, and mild temperatures, around 14/15°C.
From Egilsstaðir onwards, up to Stikkishòlmur, we caught rain, cold and wind. The temperature in Akureyri and Ísafjörður dropped to 2/3° C, with snow on the surrounding hills. The whale watching in Husavik on 11/8 was canceled due to bad weather, and we gave up the circumnavigation of the Trollaskagi peninsula because the fog was low and we couldn’t see anything. From Patreksfjörður onwards we saw the sun again, but a very strong wind rose.
Indispensable: high waterproof boots, hat, rain trousers (bought at Decathlon, 18 Eu) and rain and windproof jacket, and some layers of warm clothing on the upper part of the body. On colder days, if I had also gloves I would have been happy.
I’m used to cold climates, I live in Turin, but I didn’t have technical clothing because I don’t go to the mountains. So I brought some fleece that I use in winter, and a light windbreaker. My cheap boots soon became soaked, so, not wanting to invest hundreds of Euros for those in goretex sold at 66North and Icewear, I bought on sale in a supermarket some rubber boots which served very well for the purpose (40 Eu). Furthermore, my Quechua raincoat practically ripped open at the first gust of wind, so I replaced it with a similar more robust one, purchased from Icewear.
COMMUNICATIONS
My provider, Ho, granted me 3 free GB, and unlimited calls and text msgs. However, I used almost everwhere the free wifi provided by the accomodations.
SHOPPING
I did not buy the typical sweaters (lopapeysur) because they are too heavy for Italian climate, preferring technical clothing from local brands (Icewear and 66North). In Akureyri there is a 66North outlet where you can do bargains. Other interesting typical products, quite cheap, and easy to carry around, are arctic thyme teas, or the characteristic crystals of black lava salt.
SAFETY
There is absolutely nothing to worry about. Rental cars are supplied without the rear parcel shelf, so the contents of the boot is visible from the outside. On the first days we put some black garbage plastic sheets on our luggage as a cover. Nobody touched anything. The other cars were also in our same condition. In the various forums, no one has ever complained. The roads, even the dirt roads, are in good condition. I speak of course of the normal ones, not the F roads.
WHAT I DISLIKED
The cold weather, undoubtedly, and, if I really want to be “picky” a certain monotony of landscape except in the South, premising that I did not visit the internal highlands. What made me most uncomfortable were not the low temperatures, which I’m used to, but the mix of rain and strong wind (umbrella are useless)
WHAT I LOVED THE MOST
The low density of human concentration, and silence. The civilization of the Icelandic people, their respect for everything is public. The cleanliness. The nice, golden sun light from 5 pm onwards. The empty spaces. The sense of desolation of some beaches whipped by the wind and rain. Puffins. Gender equality. The cold light of the glaciers, which I had never seen before. The seals. The bright green of the grass under the rays of the sun.