While it’s a popular belief that you cannot have the best of both worlds, you can make it possible by visiting Iceland. The country is a land of extreme contrasts as both glaciers and active volcanoes dot its landscape. With its diversity, no doubt the place is known as “The Land of Fire and Ice!”
Aside from being double-faced, Iceland is also a peculiar country as far as daytime is concerned. Unlike in America, Icelanders could bask in 24-hour Arctic daylights during summer and experience extremely short days during the winter season.
Iceland is also home to Vikings, Nordic culture, friendly small towns, and northern lights. With all these features, traveling to the country would mean a jam-packed itinerary. Not that it’s a problem, though, as each “must-visit” location would surely live up to your expectations, making your long “to-do” list blissful to accomplish.
Mulling over an Iceland vacation in the near future? Then let us answer your next question on how much does it cost to go to Iceland!
Cost Considerations
Most travelers who have spent a week in Iceland would tell you that the trip was expensive. The price range, though, is different for each visitor. For instance, where you’re coming from is a factor that affects the total cost as ticket prices tend to shoot up the farther you are from the said country. Your choice of airline equally has an effect on the total expenses.
Also worth noting is the peak season. The month of June tends to be popular as this is the time when you could experience the 24-hour Artic daylight. July to August are also periods where more tourists fly to Iceland because there’s a higher probability of a nice weather during the said months.
If you want to avoid heavy tourist traffic and save on airfare, you could try visiting Iceland during the offseason between mid-September and mid-October. Excellent deals are easier to come by if you book a flight within these months. However, note that the winter weather could pose some problems including heavy snowfall, fewer accommodations open for business, and shorter daytime. Fortunately, you could minimize the hassle if you plan accordingly.
Your itinerary would also affect the overall cost. There are a lot of attractions in Iceland that you could see for free, but if you plan to include museums and hot springs, or if you want to tour the whole land, then your budget should be higher.
Common-sense considerations, of course, include the number of travelers and the length of your stay in the country.
Cost Breakdown
The flight to Iceland is less expensive compared to other European countries but the total travel price remains high. Why is that? Let’s take a look at the breakdown of an Iceland vacation cost to find out.
Airfare
Icelandair and Wow Air offers direct flights to the Keflavik International Airport from dozens of major US cities including Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Washington DC, Baltimore Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.
To give you a rough idea of how much does it cost to go to Iceland, here are sample round-trip tickets from the said airlines scheduled on June:
- Icelandair (round-trip from JFK to KEF)
Economy $286.10 to $587.60
Economy Flex $437.10 to $663.60
Economy Comfort $592.10 to $1,500.60
Saga Business $1,014.10 to $1,437.60
- Wow Air (round-trip from LAX to KEF)
Basic $309.99
Plus $415.97
Biz $595.95
As for off-season prices scheduled on September:
- Icelandair (round-trip from JFK to KEF)
Economy Special $181.10
Economy $286.10 to $369.60
Economy Flex $437.10 to $663.60
Economy Comfort $592.10 to $1,005.60
Saga Business Class $1,014.10 to $1,437.60
- Wow Air (round-trip from LAX to KEF)
Basic $259.99
Plus $365.97
Biz $515.95
Note that these prices are only in the low- to mid-cost level.
Other airlines that offer flights from the US to Iceland include Delta, Air Berlin, jetBlue, and KLM, among others.
Accommodation
Iceland offers several types of accommodations that would suit any traveler’s budget including apartments, guesthouses, mountain huts and cabins, bed and breakfast, hostels, and hotels. Farms also offer lodgings.
If the weather condition is agreeable, you could go camping. Or if you want to save $10 per day, opt for a sleeping bag accommodation offered by guesthouses. This means instead of using their sheets and comforter, you’ll get a bed with a mattress, a pillow, and use your own sleeping bag.
As for the cost, here are some sample prices per night charged by certain establishments around Iceland:
- Apartment: AdventuraEHF (Djupivogur) $530 to $2,110 (peak)
- Guesthouse: Enskuhusin (Borgarnes) $130 to $215
- Cabin: Gljasteinn (Selfoss) $58.45
- Bed and breakfast: A. Bernhard (Keflavik) $90 to $170
- Hostel: Stay Akranes (Akranes) starts at $35
- Hotel: Foss Hotel $210 to $375
- Farm holiday: Asolfsskali Cottage starts at $266
- Camping: A Camping Ground $17 per tent
- Sleeping Bag: Gamla (Isafjordur) $36 to $45
The average costs of hostels in Iceland is $28 to $55 for bed in a shared room and $66 to $200 for a private room. Budget hotels, on the other hand, would cost $110 to $240. Prices per night in apartments, lastly, run about $90 to $165 and more.
To save on your Iceland vacation cost, you could avail discounts in booking websites like Booking.com.
Food and Drinks
If you’re on a budget, food in Iceland would cost you $45 a day inclusive of three meals and some treats. Prices in the capital would be a bit higher, though.
Note also that dining in restaurants would cost you a lot more, with dishes on the menu starting at $12. For instance, burgers and pizza averages $15 to $22 each while lamb with potato and salad costs $25 to $40.
As for the drinks, here are sample prices:
- A pint of beer out: $8
- A pint of beer from grocery store: $3
- Bottle of wine from grocery store: $18
- Cappuccino: $3.50
There is no “must-try” cuisine in Iceland so you’re better off shopping for ingredients and cooking your meals to significantly cut down on costs. Iceland’s supermarkets have standard prices which would greatly help if you want to save money on food and instead splurge on the attractions.
Attractions
Sight-seeing in Iceland is a treat, and it’s sweeter as most scenic attractions are free of charge! So if you’re just aiming to see for yourself the famed glaciers, waterfalls, and volcanic beds of the country, you could do so without spending anything.
As for attractions and activities that charge fees, here are some sample prices:
- Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa ($49-$85)
Located near the Keflavik International Airport, soaking your body into the Blue Lagoon’s geothermal waters would be instant relaxation after a long flight. Luxury accommodations in the spa would cost about $477.
- Reykjavik Public Pools (starts at $5)
If you want to try what the locals love to do, then don’t miss the public pool. It’s similar to the Blue Lagoon as you’d be soaking yourself into hot water, minus the privacy.
- Hiking and Trekking (starts at $270)
Iceland is one of the best places for hiking and trekking in the world. Aside from the challenge, hikers and trekkers would find a treat in seeing breathtaking sceneries below and over the slopes of the country. Tour guides should be with you if you plan to try such activities. For instance, Trek Iceland has a variety of day tours that would cater to any level of wanderlust.
- Northern Lights Tour (starts at $180)
If the weather is nice, it’s a chance for you to spend the night in Iceland under a blanket of dancing lights. It would be best to opt for guided tours, like those offered by Arctic Adventures, as they have enough know-how to ensure that you won’t miss the night sky show.
For other activities, you could check the official tourism site of Iceland.
Local Transportation
Touring is best when the weather is good and you had rented a decent car to drive around. If there are no impediments, you could try driving on the country’s Ring Road (N1) and attempt to reach the end of the route. If you could do that, you have every right to say afterward that you have conquered the whole of Iceland!
For the cost of renting a car for a week in the country, here’s a sample list from Price of Travel:
- 2-wheel drive compact (manual) $230 + add-ons
- 2-wheel drive compact (automatic) $270 + add-ons
- 2-wheel drive mid-size $450 + add-ons
- 4-wheel drive van or SUV $650 + add-ons
Additional costs include gravel coverage ($10/day), GPS ($10/day), and additional collision waiver ($10/day).
You could also hop on buses if you want to experience commuting in the country. A quick day trip from the airport to some local sights would cost you $90. Longer travels would run around $130 to $250. A Ring Road passport, on the other hand, amounts to $400 per person.
Total Trip to Iceland Cost
To calculate the estimated trip to Iceland cost, let’s refer to the prices we have listed so far.
A budget travel for one week in the country would have the following averages:
Airfare $300 to $1,400
Accommodation $35 per night or $245 for 7 days
Food and Drinks $25 per day or $315 for 7 days
Local transportation $230 (manual, compact car)
TOTAL AVERAGE COST: $1,090 to $2,190
Note that the price does not include the cost of attractions and activities as well as the add-ons for car rental, as the decision on how much to spend for them lies solely to you as the traveler.
Aside from the estimated cost, always separate a budget for shopping souvenirs, trinkets, and anything that you would like to bring home.
Iceland, with its natural beauty, is like a country-wide national park. If you long for adventures and nature-tripping, go ahead and include the said country to your bucket list and you’ll never go wrong!
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