Iceland in March

My friend and I randomly decided we wanted to take a girls trip to Iceland. I have dreamed about a camper trip in a foreign country and heard great things about doing this in Iceland. When I started my search on what to see and do when visitng Iceland I got mixed reviews about going in March. What is nice is that it is off season so the crowds are not there, but the weather can still be wintery early in the month. I was prepared for all weather and focused on packing layers and light since we would be camping for part of our trip.

Here is my experience of Iceland in March.

Iceland has many direct flights from cities, we did not have one from where we were so we connected in Boston for about a 9 hour travel day. I always recommend direct flights if they are available. Our first night we spent at Silica Hotel on the Blue Lagoon. It was an exciting arrival since the volcano near by, had some recent underground activity and could erupt at any moment. The hotel talked us through what to do if an evacuation was necessary! This was a first for us, yet I reminded myself that this is just another day living near a volcano for them. The breakfast buffet was lovely and fresh with a great view of the lagoon. Then we went for a swim in the lagoon before checking out to pick up our camper.

Campsite with Cozy Camper.

Our first couple days were a winter weather advisory around the island. It was a snowy day of driving and decided not to travel too far. We used Cozy Camper, they have great campers and friendly staff. Our camper slept two people and had storage for groceries, which we pick up before heading out. We did not need as many groceries as we thought since there are many places to eat out. The tricky part was finding a campsite in March since most of them are only open in the summer.

The first night in the camper was exciting to say the least. Due to the winter advisory there were gusts up to 50mph. I have never slept in a van with these winds and learned to take them seriously. We were advised to park the car into the wind. Through the whole night the van would move and shack in the gusts, there are also stories of roads being closed due to wind since cars can be tipped over. The whole night I was praying that we would not tip over, by the third night I was more relaxed and slept easy to the rocking van. Iceland has extreme winds and March is a wild card when it comes to weather. We had heavy snow and wind then sun throughout our days. The summer may be easier weather conditions, yet even in the summer prepare for cooler temperatures.

We camped four days and were able to cover most of the southern part of the island. As you drive further east it is beautiful to go from city to glacier to black sand beaches. At moments I felt like I was driving on a different planet! This was a highlight to the trip and I recommend driving through the island to truly see the vast landscapes of Iceland. We made stops at a few small seaside towns, my favorites were Vik and Höfn.

Vik is located near the water off a black sand beach. Driving up the hill behind town to Vík i Myrdal Church, you can see a beautiful view of the ocean and town below. We stopped for food twice on our way, I would recommend having lunch at Black Crust Pizza. I had a delicious pizza with dates, cream cheese, veggies, and pesto on the unique black crust. If you are looking for soup I would recommend The Soup Company, it is a little off town and next door to the Lava Show. I new when traveling to Iceland that I wanted a traditional wool sweater. In Vik, there is a wool studio run by a local women and walking in I new I needed to buy one from her. There are many tourist shops selling sweaters at a crazy price and are not made by locals. I would recommend stopping at Katla Wool Studio for an authentic wool experience. Her dog might be there and he loves a belly rub!

Knitting Association of Iceland.

My other favorite town was Höfn, a fishing village of the southeastern part of Iceland. We drove to this town for dinner at Pakkhús Restaurant. It is located near the docks full of fishing boats and a view of the ocean. They offer rotating specials each night along with langoustines, local lamb, and fresh cod. There is an assortment of local beers to try, I recommend the Helga if you like sour fruity beer. From Höfn we spent the night at a viking village near by where we were lucky to see the aurora borealis!

Aurora Borealis at Viking Village

We spent three days in Reykjavik after our camper trip to explore the city.

The food in the city is really good! Most of the restaurants we ate at were great, even the hot dogs. Here are some of my favorites in the city. Skál is a culinary delight with small dishes and great drinks. It is a small restaurant and I would recommend reserving a table, we did not and got lucky with a seat at the bar. The seafood is fresh and the flavors complimented each dish very well. This restaurant is a fun, special occasion. The next spot is the iconic Icelandic hot dog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. The meat is sourced locally and the topping are a mix of mustard, mayo, and onions. A hot dog with a coca cola was the perfect lunch in between museum visits. In our short trip these were my favorites, however there are many that we did not get to try. The one dish I miss from Iceland is a fish pie, it can be found at most icelandic resturants and it so good!

Skál

Rejkavik is a very walkable city, it is not that big and everything is near each other. The sights that I recommend visiting are Hallgrimskirkja, The Settlement Exhibition, and Perlan. Hallgrimskirkja is an evengelic lutheran church that sits in the center of town. The bells play every hour and tourists are always outfront taking photos. The inside has a simple scandinavian design with a beautiful organ. You can pay money to go to the top of the church. The Settlement Exhibition is the creation story of Iceland, it has artifacts from the first settlers all the way to more modern times. The exhibits are well put together and give a picture of the challenges that the people faced. When we were walking through we had a cat walk passed us and knew exactly where it was going. Rejkavik has a reputation for having many cats on the street.

The Perlan is a history museum and water plant. The tanks surrounding the building hold the water for the city. In the museum there is a northern lights show and ice cave. At the top is a cafe and look out. The look out gives great views to the active volcano near by and the city. If you have time I would also recommend visiting the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre there are many different exhibits and shows. They off a mix of free events and ticketed.

Iceland in March can be cold and windy or cool and sunny, it depends what day of the month you go. I enjoyed visiting during the off season because it allowed me to see more of a local view of the island. I could wear my wool sweater and I enjoyed the adventure of the winter. The crowds were less at the campsites and even in the city. It is a lovely time to visit see all the colors of the Icelandic culutre. I also can’t wait to visit again!