Iceland is often considered a part of Scandinavia, and with its Nordic vibe, amazing art and design scene (some describe Reykjavik Airport as “A huge Ikea with a bar”) and love of the outdoors, it’s not hard to see why. Iceland has a culture all of its own and, combined with the awesome scenery, tons to do.
Icelandair offers frequent service from Canada, and many Canucks choose to stopover for a few days enroute to Europe.
Activities for the active traveller include cycling or ATV-riding past endless lunar landscapes, whale-watching tours, hiking past geysers and waterfalls and of course hanging out in the Blue Lagoon, an amazing, vast, natural turquoise hot tub enjoyed by the locals as much as the visitors. A truly unforgettable experience is a helicopter ride – if you can wangle the front seat it will be a true Top Gun experience.
If you’re culturally inclined you’ll love checking out the local design, art and fashion scene: there’s more to Iceland than Icelandic sweaters, though it seems every second local is wearing one. There’s cutting edge music – after all, this is Bjork’s home – and the world’s only penis museum. (You read that right). Plus a hot culinary scene with specialties you don’t have to try such as puffin.
Speaking of food, Iceland is not the cheapest country in the world (US$22 for a chicken sandwich?) so be prepared for a little sticker shock.
Yet with all its quirkiness, legends, crazy nature and genuinely welcoming people, Iceland is definitely worth a visit.
Ready to go?