First, let me say that Iceland is certainly worth a trip. It’s a truly unique and unforgettable place. I lived there for two years and still travel frequently for business. I, of course, don’t know everything about this country but, I have learned a lot. This article will give you much of the basic information you’ll need to make the most out of your trip.
Language
The Icelandic language is one of the most difficult. My working vocabulary is limited, despite being married to an Icelander for 16 years and living in the country. That said, I can often follow along with conversation. I remember my first trip to Iceland and taking photos of the street signs. Icelandic looked so foreign to me. The words can be comically long and the alphabet has numerous characters that are quite foreign to many, especially Americans. Take for example the small town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a small town in southeastern Iceland with approximately 150 inhabitants. Many of the signs for this town don’t use the full name because of its length. You’ll often see it written as “Kirkjubæjar,” which means “church town.”
Pronunciation:
Icelandic has characters in its alphabet that may seem quite foreign to some. Here’s a quick guide to help with your pronunciation
Ð (capitalized)/ ð (lower case): called “eth” and pronounced like the “th” in there.
Æ/æ: called, “aye” and pronounced like the “i” in Iceland.
Ö/ö: pronounced like the “u” in further or murky.
Þ/þ: called “thorn” and pronounced like the “th” in thin.
Á/á: pronounced like the “ou” in ouch.
É/é: is like a normal “e,” but with a subtle “y” before it. For instance, the Icelandic word for company is, “félag” and is pronounced like “fyelag.”
Í/í: pronounced like the “ee” in eat.
J/j: are pronounced like a y in ‘yell’. Example, Jon in Icelandic sounds like “Yone”
Ó/ó: pronounced like the “o” in open.
Ú/ú: pronounced like the “o” in move.
Icelandic belongs to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. The language has changed little since the time of the sagas, something that Icelanders (Islendingur) take much pride in. As far as I can tell almost every word is Icelandic is conjugated, even names. My wife’s name is Svava and depending on the context of the conversation would be conjugated as Svövu (her’s is an easy example). Another example is the name Sigríður, which is conjugated as, Sigríði and Sigríðar. No wonder I never learned the language. Picking up a new language as an adult is very hard. But don’t worry, the vast majority of Icelanders speak English quite well.
Weather
Iceland’s weather is notoriously capricious. Even in the height of summer, you can experience 3 seasons. Annual temperatures range from about freezing to 55 degrees F on average. So, while Iceland is certainly not the coldest place on earth, it is almost never ‘warm.’ That said, I have experienced many summer days that were in the low 70s. Given the country’s latitude that’s pretty warm. It is good to be prepared with waterproof hiking shoes, rain jacket, fleece of wool inner-jacket, hat, mittens and sunglasses. You want to bring layers. This especially true if you are going to be in the countryside. And, don’t bother with an umbrella, it’s often too windy. Here’s a good site for checking the weather.
Accommodations
Hotels in Iceland are expensive. There are no two ways about it. If you can afford it, that’s great. But there are alternatives. There are two hostels in Reykjavik. There are also flats for rent, which are a better deal if you are going to be travelling with a small group. Outside the capital city, I suggest staying in guesthouses. Most offer sleeping bag accommodations and are pretty affordable. Most of the hotels will have a list of guesthouses but, you’ll also see sighs along the Ring road, Iceland’s only highway.
Car rentals
In my opinion, the best way to experience Iceland is to rent a car and explore. Since there’s only one main highway, getting lost is not a big problem. Renting a car is not cheap – nothing in Iceland is – but it’s worth it. I suggest you pick up a map of places off the main highway.
Driving in Iceland
Keep your wits about you. Iceland’s ring road is a fairly narrow two-lane road. the speed limit is 110. I suggest not driving much faster than that, even weather permitting. Out in the country, there are dozens of single lane bridges. These can be dangerous. In fact, I got into a small accident on one of them. Here’s a link to useful information about driving in Iceland, in 4 languages.
Food
Read another article I wrote, “A guide to low cost eating in Iceland“
Things to do
Swimming. There are numerous public pools in Reykjavik, and dozens more sprinkled across the country. they are cheap, clean and generally offer everything from lap pools to hot tubs to steam saunas.
Iceland tours. I have gone on many tours in Iceland. My two favorite tour operators are Icelandic Mountain Guides (www.mountainguides.is) and Iceland Rovers (www.icelandrovers.is). Icelandic Mountain Guides specializes in hiking, climbing, backpacking, trekking and skiing. They offer Iceland tours for people of all levels. Some of their most popular tours are glacier walks. Iceland Rovers specializes in guided super jeep tours. These jeeps can seat 7 and can go just about anywhere. The main takeaway is that booking an Iceland tour with one of these companies will afford you the opportunity to see Iceland’s beautiful outback; places the buses don’t go and places you generally can’t and shouldn’t take a rental car. They both offer a great selection of day tours and overnight tours, depending on what you want to do and how much time you have. Another good resource for Iceland travel is the Icelandic Travel Market. They have a website, www.icelandictravelmarket.is as well as a booking office in downtown Reykjavik. You can choose just about any Iceland activity you can think of, either online or at their sales office.
