A few months ago we stumbled across an article from late 2017, saying how the Northern Lights were going to be decreasing for almost the next decade! While we did catch a brief glimpse in Lapland (northern Finland) when we first met almost nine years ago, we didn’t get to see the full sky filled with a beautiful display of aurora. This would be our last chance, so to speak, to try to catch the Northern Lights for the next few years.
Click here if you want to skip to our 5 Top Iceland Travel Tips. If you'd like to watch our Iceland experience on video, check out Bettina's Instagram stories here.
How We Got To Iceland
Soon after we read that article, WOW Air came out with a great fare sale from Chicago to Iceland, which allowed us to pick up round trip tickets for the two of us for only $220 each. You can’t beat this kind of price for a direct flight to Iceland! We left Chicago late on a cold Friday in January and flew overnight. The beauty of over-night flying is that you don't need to get a hotel and you have the entire arrival day to explore.
Weekend In Iceland Itinerary and Story
We left Chicago on a cold Friday in January and were actually heading to warmer temperatures up in Iceland, the land of ice and fire! You may know Iceland from Game of Thrones. The series captures some of the most incredible film destinations in Iceland. You may even recognize some of the sights we explored!
Arriving around 5:30am, our first stop was Joe and the Juice, a great coffee shop in the airport, and then to Avis to pick up our rental car. We then had a 3 hour drive in front of us, to our destination: Vík.
We passed by top sights such as Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss but unfortunately, at this time in the day, it was still pitch dark and we couldn’t see them. It wasn’t until we closed in on Vík closer to 10:00am that the sky started to brighten. We were lucky to have done a complete Iceland road trip back in 2015 and have seen most of the main sights already. We were thus able to focus on one of our favourite areas of Iceland: the South-East coast.
When we were visiting Vík in 2015, it was late August and lush, green, and almost warm. Things were slightly different today, with temperatures hovering around 0C (32F) combined with wind and snow. That did not stop us from getting out and capturing some amazing photos at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. If you are looking to venture further north, make sure you include the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in your itinerary. Also, check out Isafjordur (a tiny town buried deep in a fjord in northwest Iceland).
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The combination of wind and snow meant we ran back to the car quickly to warm up. The clouds had also moved in, and it began to rain, putting a bit of a damper on our moods. However, one thing to know about Iceland is that the weather changes quickly, is unpredictable, so you just have to expect the unexpected!
We began our drive back towards our hotel in the direction of Reykjavík and did take the time to stop at the Dyrhólaey lighthouse and both Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss for more pictures despite the continuing rain.
The sheer power of the waterfalls is absolutely amazing every time you see it.
During the winter months, Iceland does not get a lot of daylight. With 5 hours of daylight, the sun was already setting as we were heading towards our hotel.
Since we really only had one night in Iceland, this was now our chance to see the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, the aurora forecast was not great. It was also a cloudy night, so our chances were slim at best. It was however supposed to be clear skies in the early morning, so we decided to get up at 6:00am and see what we could see. We drove a few minutes out of town to get away from the surrounding lights and stared out at the pitch black sky.
After fiddling with the camera a bit in the bitter cold, we were able to capture some reflections of the Northern Lights off in the distance. Not quite the epic full sky pictures you see in the travel brochures, but we were happy to have seen something – our trip had not been in vain!
After heading back to the hotel to freshen up and have breakfast we were off again, but this time under blue skies and shining sun, exceptionally rare for this time of year, made all the better by the light dusting of snow from the night before.
We drove south towards the ocean and stopped for pictures at Strandakirkja. The views here were absolutely incredible and made us so thankful for our decision to actually do this weekend trip.
Continuing through the Reykjanesfólkvangur Nature Preserve, we came across even more awe-inspiring views.
We were a bit pressed for time at this point to head back to the airport and catch our flight. After a brief stop at the local Costco for a cheap snack and fuel – off we went back to the airport!
Despite having only about 30 hours on the ground in Iceland, we had experienced so much in such a short amount of time that it felt like we had been gone for days. If you have the chance to spend a weekend or longer in Iceland, we highly recommend – it is one of our favourite places!
Top 5 Iceland Travel Tips
1) Expect the unexpected when it comes to weather.
You could easily experience weather from all four seasons, so be prepared and take it in stride! Make sure you bring warm and water-proof clothing. These are the best coats for Iceland in winter and summer. We wore Sorel boots and Fjallraven jackets to keep us warm.
2) Find meals at the local Bónus or Krónan grocery store.
Eating out is really expensive. We’re talking $20 to $25 for a basic entrée excluding drinks, starters, or dessert. However, you can find a good selection of food for somewhat reasonable prices at the grocery store. If you can, bring some snacks with you. Trail mix and protein bars travel really well.
3) Rent a car no matter how long your trip.
Iceland is all about getting out and seeing nature, and there’s no better freedom than having your own car to explore. We rented a car with Avis and everything went smoothly.
4) Bring your Costco card!
The store is relatively new in Iceland and you will save big time on fuel, groceries, and snacks from their restaurant! We got gas at Costco right before returning our rental car, and even snuck in the Icelandic version of the famous Costco hot dog.
5) You don’t actually need cash.
As long as you have a chip and pin credit card, you won’t need to exchange for any Icelandic Krona. We used our cards everywhere without problem and saved the time and hassle of exchanging currency.
Would you visit Iceland just for the weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
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You guys really made the most of a short trip. The photos look absolutely amazing, and they give you a really good feel of things you’d want to see during a visit there!
Thank you so much JP. We always try to see as much as possible when we travel and it really makes you feel like you were able to get a 3 -4 day weekend out of a 2-day weekend.
X,
Bettina
This looks like an absolutely amazing and breathtaking trip! I still am so impressed at how much you managed to do in one weekend! Iceland is absolutely on my bucket list 🙂
It’s such a beautiful country and I was so sad when we flew home. The scenery is breathtaking and like nothing I’ve ever seen before! You should definitely go! I’ll make sure to post flight deals from Chicago to Iceland on my Instagram stories once I come across them.
X,
Bettina
thank you for your valuable insights on things to know in iceland while surely keep all this things in mind and also pass on the information with my husband as well so that we can plan accordingly.
I’m so happy to hear you found it useful! When are you going to Iceland? If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to help!
X,
Bettina
Such gorgeous photos! Iceland is at the top of my travel bucket list, thanks for these great tips too 🙂
Well done Bettina :). The photos are stunning. My favourite ones are the ones at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach ! We also visited Iceland a little longer than you as we stayed 5 days. But we didn’t have a chance to capture the Northern lights so we will have to come back.