Anyone Been To Iceland?

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

The more I see & hear about this country, the more I want to visit. Grateful for any feedback from folks that have been. I know it’s very expensive!

It’s incredible, like nowhere else I’ve been. Also more expensive than anywhere else I’ve been! go self catering if you don’t want to remortgage your house for a holiday.

It's like nowhere else. It's a stunning country. It is expensive but you probably only need to start with a long weekend. Go in winter to reykjavik and then take tours out from there to the golden circle etc, get a feel for the place and then it's quite popular to hire a vehicle and tour around the country in summer. February time is supposed to be the best for seeing the northern lights.

Booked own flights & accommodation
Went in January a few years ago in winter, it was cold & windy with snow & ice
Booked tours once there
Did the Golden Circle tour in a small minibus with a local guide (no self drive)
Did Northern lights coach tour & did see the lights
Went to Blue Lagoon spa
The landscapes are amazing
Food & drink expensive
Very clean
The people are very proud of their history & culture
I would love to go back again in the summer & see more of the island & swim in more of the wild hot pools & horse ride.

Definitely worth a visit, or several, because it's not possible to even scratch the surface in one trip and different aspects are good at different times of year.

It doesn't even need to be that expensive unless you want to eat a lot of red meat and drink a lot of wine. We found cafe lunches to be cheaper than UK coffee chains for fresh, locally made food. You can also get a city card that gives free entrance to the public swimming pools, most museums (except Perlan, which is the 'big' volcano museum) and public transport.

Reykjavik is good for a wander around - we liked the big relief map in the town hall and walking around the pond. Golden circle tour definitely worth it for a first time visit but lots of other things to see and do that will have you wanting to revisit, it's not a place you can 'complete' in one trip, far from it.

I went and found it very “meh” I wouldn’t recommend it unfortunately. I’ve seen much prettier landscapes and although the blue lagoon was lovely it gave the same feels as a spa.
Sorry to be of the opposite opinion to the other posters.

I live in Iceland and it's an incredible country. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to help.

Very curious to see where you've seen scenery like Iceland but better? Id like to go there.

Also blue lagoon probably felt like a spa because it is a spa. It's man made. There are natural hot springs you can visit.

It's an incredible place particularly in the winter.

My advice, hire a car. Otherwise you will be stuck on buses with hundreds of other tourists. Iceland is easy to drive in. There is hardly any traffic.

My other advice. If you go to somewhere like the Blue Lagoon go at about 4pm. Then the tourist buses will have left and it won't be mobbed.

Did you go all around the country or stay in the south west? There are a lot of different landscapes. I think it's quite beautiful almost everywhere but SW is probably the least dramatic (probably this is why most people live there).

I don’t think anyone expects the landscape to be ‘pretty’ in Iceland? It’s wild and often barren and obviously volcanic and beautiful in it’s own way but it’s not pretty in the way that Mallorca is, for example. I’ve been twice, October and December and enjoyed both trips. Reykjavik is a great city with lots to see. It’s expensive but as a PP mentions mainly for red meat and alcohol (and taxis).

I have been in summer and winter, both amazing, such a different feeling - not only scenery but the environment. People were super lovely but it is pricey, we did a day trip for golden circle which was good - and visited the secret lagoon not the blue, much more basic but fab! Wouk’s definitely recommend!!

Stayed in SW. I just didn’t find it pretty or interesting tbh, which is fine, my partner thought the same. Reykjavík was nothing special to me either. I had wanted to go there for years and I felt it was all very underwhelming.

I haven't been, but there is going to be a total eclipse there next year. I would time going for that week if you do go.