By Candice Walsh, Matador Network
I seem to be drawn to the world’s most expensive countries. Having already drained my bank account during a five-week stint around Ireland this year, the only logical thing to do next was book a three-week trip to Iceland. I regret nothing.
Iceland road. Photo: Chris Ford . All other photos: Author.
It wasn’t easy, but the challenge became a sort of game. I lucked out with a $450 round-trip ticket from Halifax, Nova Scotia. And the rest sorta went like this.
When to go
Peak season, as you might have guessed, takes place between May and September. I went in October.
This was mostly due to the ridiculously cheap airfare I found, but as it turns out, October was an amazing time to be in the country. Temperatures mostly averaged between 5-10 degrees Celsius, off-season prices were in full effect, and we ran into almost no tourists. It was absurdly easy to meet locals because of this.
Booze and nightlife
Drinking and bar hopping in Iceland was by far the most expensive part of the trip, but if you’re in Reykjavik, you owe it to yourself to experience the nightlife. Beer wasn’t legalized until 1989, and so it seems the Icelandic folk are now making up for lost time. The rúntur (literally, “round tour”) occurs every weekend in the city. Basically it’s the name given to the improvised “pub crawl” that sends Icelanders jumping place to place in search of spirits and fun. Sometimes I didn’t crawl into bed until 6am.
1. Pick up your booze in duty free.
At the Halifax airport, before flying out, my friends and I each picked up some supplies to get us through the weekend. What we DIDN’T think about, however, is that you can also pick up booze at duty-free in the Reykjavik airport when you land. Damn.
2. Pre-game.
This probably explains why the nightlife in Reykjavik doesn’t kick off until at least midnight, and it’s a popular tactic I use at home in Canada. Find a house party, get drunk, and THEN head out on the town. Note: The liquor stores (Vínbúð) have erratic hours and are few and far between.
3. Seek out drink specials and cheap bars.
On average, pints of beer were between 900-1000 KR ($7-8US). I’m pretty used to these prices in Eastern Canada, but my American friend Luke was distressed (I found out why upon discovering $3 pints in Florida shortly after my return). Many bars do happy hours, albeit early in the evening. BUT there’s also Olsmadjan Bar, a quiet pub with pints under $5US.
4. Just don’t drink at all.
Lame.
Eating
In the great toss up between drinking beers and eating good food, beers always win. I likely spent most of my Iceland trip in a calorie deficit, living off ramen noodles and cheap burgers. Eating out in Iceland is kind of outrageous, actually. You get the cheaper fast food places like Subway with its usual prices but then even the pubs with their Americanized pub food are expensive as hell. I think I paid $20 for a bowl of soup one day.
Icelanders seem to empathize with this fact, though, and are pretty keen to please. I asked a server once to split my burrito between my friend and I, and it was delivered basically as two smaller portions for half the price.
The one big downside to this, of course, is that you’ll miss out on some epic and weird Icelandic food. On my final night in Iceland, I dropped one krona into a slot machine at the Casino and won $150US. I treated Luke and myself to a seven-course Icelandic food tasting menu at Tapas barinn for 5990ISK, or $50US. It included everything from a starter shot of Brennivín, tasty puffin drizzled in blueberry sauce, surprisingly tender minke whale in cranberry sauce, and lobster tails baked in garlic. Not a bad deal. If you splurge, splurge here.
Read the full article by Candice Walsh from Matador Network.
