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HOME >Iceland >tips

Iceland travel tip

  • GENERAL TIPS
    • How many hours of lights are there?
    • What's the temperature in winter?

  • NORTHERN LIGHTS:
    • What's Aurora Borealis?
    • What are the condition necessary to see Aurora?
    • How I can see the northern lights?
    • How the organised tours work?
    • Isn't better if I choose an accommodation in the countryside to see Aurora?
    • How frequent is Aurora?
    • At what time is it?
    • Can I take a picture?


  • RENTING A CAR
    • Do we need a 4wd drive?
    • How can I drive in winter if the roads are iced?
    • How I can monitor the situation of the roads? What about if there's too much snow?
    • Which is the higher risk during wintertime?
    • In winter can I drive along the whole roadring?

 

  • ACCOMODATION:
    • Is it better to rent an apartment or an hotel?
    • In the apartment going with a baby what I' find?
    • Was the apartment warm enough in wintertime?
    • What it's important to have in the accommodation?

 

VISA

Show up with your ID and it'll be enough


MONEY

The currency is the Icelandic Krona, after the 2008 collapsed now it has recovered vs euro(1€= 163 IKr, Dec2013).

 

GUIDE BOOK

I had Iceland Lonely Planet (in italian 5th version), I found quite useful and well done.

 

HEALTH

In Iceland health won't be your problem.

 

GENERAL TIPS

  • -How many hours of lights are there?
    In december are 5h of light(11.00am to 4.00pm), while in June are 21h. From the chart you can see that during the year the latest dawn is the 25thdec (11.24am), while the earliest the 18th July (2.53am). As for the twilight the earliest is the 16th dec (3,27pm) while the latest 23th June (12.06am)



    -What's the temperature in winter?
    In december min -3C, whole max 3; of course the perceived temperature due to the wind can be lower.Temperature is not as cold as you might think. Nevertheless the perceived temperature due to the wind can be definitely lower so be equipped (scarf, thick cap,...)
    If you have a small baby consider to carry him by a wrap


 

  • NORTHERN LIGHTS:
    -What's Aurora Borealis?
    An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere)


    - What are the condition necessary to see Aurora?
    To see Aurora you need two conditions:
    - enough solar wind intensity
    -it must be above you - no cloudiness
    both such condition can be checked on the website (Aurora forecast)

    - How I can see the northern lights?
    You can see Aurora in the night (from 22.00 to 2.00am): so or you rent a car and drive by yourself or you join an organised tour (you tried both the options)
    If you rent a car you need to check the above mentioned conditions by yourself, while if you join and organised tour they will manage everything.


    -How the organised tours work?
    There are few different organised tours and you can have the list in the REYKJAVIK TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE.
    Organised tours leave in the evening (when they deem conditions good enough and they decide everyday after 17.00). You can check if they leave calling them. You can also book a pick up (for free) from your accommodation to the place where buses leave. Buses leave at 21.00 and they literally go hunting for Aurora. Prices are around 5400 IKR (32€) (https://www.re.is/day-tours/northern-lights-tour). (price are almost the same, apart some of the tours offering something to drink or eating)
    If you have a baby they will have a babyseat for the bus. When we got the tour we wandered by bus till 2.00am but without seeing any real Aurora. Anyhow in such case you can join again the tour the following evening for free till see it. What we did was to take the tour the first time and the second (since the first we didn't see anything) go by our car

    - Isn't better if I choose an accommodation in the countryside to see Aurora?
    There are few hotel in countryside claiming to be Northern lights hotel (Ranga Hotel, www.hotelranga.com) ; unless you don't want to have an experience in the countryside or you won't stay there 1 month, I don't recommend it if you are interested just to Aurora. It will be quite hard to have the right Aurora intensity and no cloud exactly above you in the days you'll be stay there. It's better you stay in Reykjavik hunting for Aurora in the evening.


    - How frequent is Aurora?
    In wintertime Aurora happens very frequently (at least every second day), the point is to understand if it happens above you, if there's a intensity enough to see something, and if the sky is clear. Just as thumb rule at least once/ twice per week if you aren't particularly unlucky you should see something . OF course if you plan to stay in the capital one weekend your chances are small. Don't really hope to see Aurora in Summertime, even if statistically it may happen


    - At what time is it?
    The phenomenom can takes even the whole night; usually from 10.00pm to 3.00am

    - Can I take a picture?
    Don't think to get good pictures snapping pics with your cellphone, you don't need a professional camera, though.
    My photos
    have been taken by a Canon handy camera. The most important setting you need is the lens aperture, I used at least 15 secs. The last but not the least is to carry a triple


    RENTING A CAR
    - Do we need a 4wd drive?
    Unless you don't plan off road you don't need. Beside take into consideration that standard insurances will not cover you so you need a special one If you want to try the all roadring a 4WD might be very useful.

    - How can I drive in winter if the roads are iced?
    In winter all the cars by default have winter tyres that will make driving on the ice feasible. Take into consideration I had no experience I had managed without important issue.

    - How I can monitor the situation of the roads? What about if there's too much snow?
    The situation of the roads can be monitored in the website road status, and if there's too much snow the road will be closed.

    - Which is the higher risk during wintertime?
    The wind, since it happens when you open the doors having a tailwind, doors breaking the hinges

    - In winter can I drive along the whole roadring?
    Generally no, but depends on how much the winter is harsh. The 2013-14 has been quite a mild winter so it was feasible but still the north eastern part was assessed as 'difficult to be done'. If you really want to try a 4WD is a must.




  • ACCOMODATION:
    - Is it better to rent an apartment or an hotel?
    Considering the cost and variety in eating in the restaurants I'd opt for a place with a kitchen, hence an apartment or a guesthouse with shared cooking facilities. You'd be surprised by the offer the capital has in term of accommodation (even relatively cheap). In our case it was wintertime and we had a 1yo baby so we had no other choice than an apartment in downtown (www.grettisborg.is)

    - In the apartment going with a baby what I' find?
    Before booking you must have confirmation baby cot and highchair are available. They are quite common but don't take them for granted.

    - Was the apartment warm enough in wintertime?
    Yes indeed. I can guarantee in Iceland heating won't be your problem

    - What it's important to have in the accommodation?
    Wifi! And it's not the request of a tech nerd but since for the road situation and Aurora Boreale forecasts will be need to be constantly updated, unless you don't have an Icelandic SIM you'll need at least Wifi in your accommodation





 
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