This past March my roommate Emily and I decided to treat ourselves to Birthday gifts… a trip to Iceland! Flights were fairly inexpensive, about 250$ round-trip from Chicago to Reykjavik on WOW Airlines.
March 26: Our flight was around 5 P.M. Chicago time, it was approximately a six hour flight to Iceland. WOW Air provides very inexpensive travel, however, the plan is a little cramped, they do not have in-flight entertainment, and you need to have a small bag or pay extra fees. BUT – it is definitely worth the price! While flying to Iceland our pilot pointed out the Northern Lights! Which was so awesome because I am now able to check that one off my bucket list!
Accommodation: ODDSSON Hostel
Emily and I stayed at the ODDSSON Hostel which was only a short walk from the bus station (from the airport) AND from downtown Reykjavik. The hostel lobby was adorable and had a cafe that sold snacks and coffee. All of our tours that we had booked (Northern Lights and Blue Lagoon) picked us up from our hostel too which was great. Overall, I definitely would recommend this hostel to fellow travelers.
The hostel was about 35 American dollars a night for a 12-bed mixed dorm, it had a great lobby and provided access to a kitchen.
Cleanliness: 8
Price: 8
Location: 9
Staff: 9
Overall : 8.5
Sites/ What to See and Do in Reykjavik
The Northern Lights: Luckily we were fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights while on the flight to Iceland. We did book a tour to see the Northern Lights with Bustravel Iceland – but it was canceled the first night – they do offer to take you the following night if it does get canceled, so we were able to go on the tour the night before we left Iceland. Sadly, we did not see the Northern Lights on the trip but we did get to have hot chocolate and Icelandic cookies, they even had fermented shark to try, unfortunately I couldn’t stomach the idea of trying it. Even though we didn’t see the Northern Lights on the tour I was happy we saw them on the way over – and the tour was cool anyways!
Cost: About 50-60$
The Blue Lagoon: This is a MUST! I definitely recommend visiting the Blue Lagoon. When we visited it was rainy and freezing outside but the geothermal spa was so relaxing and comforting I can still imagine how nice the water felt. They have free silica mud everywhere for you to put on your skin and one free drink was included with the visit! They have recently opened a hotel at the lagoon which I am sure is awesome. We did not participate in any of the extra spa treatments but I bought some really cool masks as souvenirs for loved ones.
Cost with bus transfer: I believe we paid about 100$ with the bus pick-up which is pricey, but it was a once in a lifetime experience and I would definitely do it again!
Hallgrímskirkja: This was a church with an awesome view of Reykjavik, it was only ten dollars to take the elevator to the top, and I feel like most people are obsessed with great views of cities (for some reason people love heights…weird).
Cost: 10$
The Phallic Museum: Well… this… is exactly what you’d imagine it is. A museum full of different animal and people penises. There was everything ranging from whale penises to a mermaid or goblin penis. Surprisingly I cannot say I enjoyed this museum as much as most people would. I just felt like… what. I can’t explain. It’s a strange and interesting exhibit – probably the only one in the world.
The Icelandic Punk Museum: This was a museum we came across that is in an old public toilet. I was drawn to the museum because I love punk music and culture and they had some information on The Clash and the Sex Pistols and then a bunch of other information and music of Icelandic punk music of the past. It was cool, but obviously it is not for everyone.
Harpa: Harpa is Reykjavik’s concert hall, it is one of Iceland’s social and cultural landmarks. I explored the numerous floors of the building and they had some very interesting things in the gift shop. I came across an entertaining Iceland cartoon that I have since viewed several other works from (the artist) since leaving Iceland because a friend I made (while in Iceland) often posts his works.
The Sun Voyager: This is just a sculpture that we heard was popular to visit… It is an ode to the sun. I love art, I love sculptures, and this was cool to see but I mean I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit it or spend hours staring at it.
(Things I didn’t get to do but would recommend)
The Golden Circle: I KNOW. We should have went and seen this but unfortunately I needed to watch my work hours for insurance (TMI, whatever) so we did not have the time. The Golden Circle is a route that consists of Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss waterfall. If you have more time while visiting Iceland (more than three days) definitely try to sightsee the Golden Circle.
Puffins (Seasonal): This is seasonal and unfortunately we weren’t visiting during Puffin season – but, some tour groups have Puffin tours where you can go see the little cuties in their natural habitats 🙂
Whale Tour: We wanted to go on a whale tour so badly! Unfortunately we did not know that our Northern Lights Tour was canceled until last minute and rebooked for the following night so we did not have the time or notice to book a whale tour – if you have the time tho you should!
Where to Eat/ Drink
***NOTE TO READERS: Iceland is super expensive.. even to eat or have drinks. I found that Iceland seemed to be more expensive than London, Denmark, Sweden… perhaps equal to Norway. I was not expecting to spend the amount of money I did while traveling Iceland, especially because we were there for such a short time! I have tried to include some information on where we ate and drank and here are some tips for budget travelers, I apologize if they aren’t too great.. like I said.. very expensive.
(Try to take advantage of happy hour deals!!!)
Matsedill: We had a very delicious traditional Icelandic beef stew here, it was so good! It was about 17 bucks… expensive I know.. but a burger was 25$ so….yeah.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur: I am a garbage human sometimes and will admit, I like hot dogs – and we just had to try an Icelandic hot dog! It was okay and decently priced but still doesn’t hold up to a Chicago dog.
Sæta Svínið Gastropub: This place had really adorable cocktails and a decent happy hour. I had one drink that was way too sweet but cute and served in an egg, and another girl had a drink that was served in a little piggy glass! We did not eat here but I heard that the hamburgers are pretty good.
HLOLLABATAR: This place had decently priced, good sandwiches – good drunk food, haha.
Icelandic Street Food: I HIGHLY recommend this place. For 20$ you get a bread bowl full of either beef stew or Seafood Stew and they give you refills. It’s super delicious and everyone that works here is so friendly! They also have breakfast!
The Drunk Rabbit and Irish Pub: This was just a fun little pub that we grabbed some beers at, I think they were a bit on the pricier side here but we met a few fellow tourists from South Africa, who were really fun and entertaining.
The Dubliner: Emily and I went bar hopping, unfortunately both of our phones died while out and the last bar we visited was The Dubliner – I remember this one because we befriended the bartender.
*When visiting Iceland it can be a little pricey to go out and enjoy the nightlife but I highly recommend at least going out for one or two drinks because you will meet such interesting individuals and have so much fun, I promise.
*Grocery stores are a cheaper alternative if the food is just way too expensive for you and if you have access to cooking material!
*Make sure to try a shot of Black Death!
The day we left was anything but relaxing… I forgot my passport and had to run back to the hostel before we caught the bus to the airport. When we reached the airport we discovered our flight was delayed an additional 3 hours. At this point we just wanted to be home! Emily and I had both spent way more money than we would have liked to and we were not looking forward to our cramped flight home. Overall, the trip was awesome and we experienced so much in such a short amount of time. The price of the flight was too good to be true – and was made up in costs everywhere else; I would recommend visiting Iceland on WOW air but just be forewarned, you get what you pay for when it comes to comfort! But don’t let that stop you – you can always find a way to relax at the Blue Lagoon on the way from the airport to your hotel/hostel/airbnb/tent. 🙂
Runaway Blond 