12 days in Iceland : itinerary and budget
In 2021, my only trip of the year would have been Iceland ! And I am so grateful to get through COVID restriction slot and enjoy some time off to fly to one of my dream destination !
[PLEASE CHECK ENTRY REQUIREMENTS ON EMBASSY WEBSITE BEFORE DEPARTURE SINCE IT MAY HAVE CHANGED]
Mid-September 2021, I got to spend 12 days in family in this beautiful island ! A reasonable length of stay to explore a pretty amount of spots throughout the island. I am detailing you down below my itinerary, the budget and some tips and tricks for you to prepare best your own trip to Iceland.
THE ITINERARY
D0 : Keflavik
D1 : Reykjavik
D2 : Vik
D3 : Hofn
D4 : Eidar – Egilsstadir
D5 : Akureyki
D6 : Grundarfjodur
D7 : Grundarfjodur
D8 : Akranes
D9 : Cercle d’or – Eyrarbakki
D10 : Reykjavik
D11 : Reykjavik – Gardur
D12 : Return
I arrived the day before my 2 brothers (because airplane tickets were cheaper!) and I could get the car, a Hybrid Toyota Yaris 2021 booked online on MyCar ! I highly recommend this agency because they were efficient, very professional, the advisor was adorable, he came to pick me and drop me off at the airport thanks to their free shuttle service.
THE BUDGET
No surprise to anyone but Iceland is really expansive ! I advise you to travel with people to share costs and allow you to enjoy the country without breaking your bank account. By 3, we could share expanses on accommodations, rental car, gasoline and parking.
The budget is our own travel style : some comfort while trying to reduce costs
Airplane tickets costed me 275 € : outbound with PLAY Airlines (Icelandic low cost company) and return with Transavia.
As for accommodations, we stayed at hotels, guesthouses, individual apartments and cottages. In all, per person, it came for 443 € (being 40 € per night per person).
For rental car, we went with MyCar agency because they offered the newest cars. We booked in advance online an automatic transmission Hybrid Toyota Yaris 2021. The trunk is small but it can contain 1 big suitcase and 2 small carry-on (50x40x20 cm size). They have a partnership with N1 gas station (not the cheapest one) which made use to save some money on gasoline and having a free coffee !
The car was such a dream to drive, very solid for a small size car and great adhesion to the road !
In all, 12 days rental car costed us 677 € (being 225 € per person).
On to gasoline… which makes the vehicle drives ! The big pro of hybrid is that below 40 km/h, it only uses its electrical energy and so, in the cities or villages, it is quite handy and save us some money ! We had to half-fill our tank almost every day. We didn’t wait to run out of gasoline but as soon as the tank was half empty, we went to the gas station. In all, for 12 days, our gasoline spend was 197 € (being 66 € per person).
Info : N1 station never accepted our N26 Mastercard … We always had to pay with our premium VISA.
And finally, the parking in every touristy spots. In Reykjavik, I suggest you to look out for parking zones because they don’t all have the same price ! You can pay on site directly or via their mobile app (that I never figured how to use). In all, we spent 30 € of parking (being 10 € per person).
To sum up, 1 person budget for 12 days :
Airplane : 275 €
Accommodation : 443 €
Rental car : 225 €
Gasoline : 66 €
Parking : 10 €
TOTAL : 1019 €
To that, you need to add food which is completely up to anyone. And extras, meaning excursions, souvenirs etc…
I believe it is a fair budget, considering the destination. We obviously went outside high season, in shoulder season, and by booking in advance.
Now, let me talk you through some useful tips.
USEFUL TIPS
- It was already cold mid-September, already 0° and a maximum at 7° ! On top of that, add the wind !!! Feels were really freezing !!! Take every warm clothing you have !!
- It can already snow from mid-September !! We could get through driving in really bad snowy conditions, especially in a northern country. Weather is changing very quickly and I advise you to keep an eye on weather and wind forecast several times a day.
- Here are some useful websites :
for weather forecast (wind, rain, snow and northern lights) : https://en.vedur.is
for road conditions (conditions, surface et closing) : http://www.road.is et/ou https://safetravel.is - You can enter with you ID card (if you are an European citizen) because Iceland is part of Europe
- Watch out for entry requirements due to COVID situation before leaving
- Make groceries at the supermarket if possible to save money (Bonus, Kronan…)
There you go for Iceland !! I loved this destination !! There is so much hidden spots to explore, I will definitely go back one day for sure !!
Look for my others trips : in Argentina here, in Colombia here, in Guatemala there or even in Peru here.
So.
