Facts About Iceland

Tips From Travellers: Icelandic Clothing - Deciding What to Wear

"Don't even think of deciding what to wear by looking out of the window in the morning: Always carry all your gear, at worst you'll get tired or hotter than you like."

Tips from Travellers: Iceland Temperature - A Heatwave in Iceland...

The Iceland temperature is not always to be counted upon...

"Never expected to be hot in Iceland but encountered a heatwave! We were hiking - there is no shade and the rocky trails produced a ground-level oven effect. The Icelanders were running around almost naked, enjoying the sun and heat; we had long pants and long sleeve shirts and were sweltering. Pack a pair of shorts and at least one short sleeve shirt if you are traveling during summer."

Tips from Travellers: Iceland Shoes - Running Shoes are Not Sufficient!

Think about what kind of shoes you should bring with you to Iceland!

"If hiking or in any case venturing outside roads and trails in Iceland, your running shoes will not be sufficient. Sturdy leather hiking boots give you a good foothold and protect your feet and ankles from getting cut."

What To Pack for Iceland? Packing List

What to pack for Iceland if you intend to visit during the winter? What to pack for a summer visit?

For your winter visit, I suggest you simply pack the warmest clothes you've got, and then some! You will often feel the wind and in winter there is much precipitation in the form of rain or snow. So think cold temperature clothing, such as ski pants, boots, hats, scarves and good gloves. Parkas are  good to bring along. Waterproof pants also. You might end up not needing any of this but that's Iceland for you :).

If you plan to come during the summer, you'll really need to pack clothes for every season. Why? Because you have to be ready for all kinds of weather. Especially if you're going camping. The weather can be unbelievably unpredictable. You won't really believe it until you experience it.

A few years ago an Italian friend came to visit and I made her pack some heavy clothes before she went exploring the countryside. Needless to say she wasn't very thrilled when I almost forced her to take my "long johns" along... :-) Several days later she almost tearfully thanked me, admitting that the long johns had "saved her life" while she went whale watching....

Light clothes for the good days when the sun shines and you'll think you've landed in Gran Canaria. Very warm clothes for the camping and the whale watching, the river rafting adventure etc. And for the rain you'll need warm and protective clothing.

Iceland Packing List:

• Bathing suit
• Sturdy walking shoes
• Tennis shoes (sneakers)
• Rubber boots (if you want to visit the interior)
• Long johns (thick and warm!)
• Light trousers
• Thick trousers
• Light sweater
• Heavy woolen sweater, (preferably the Icelandic one!)
• T-shirts
• Shorts
• Mittens
• Scarf
• Cap
• Woolen socks
• Watertight protective clothing for the rain  (e.g. gore tex or sympatex pants or long jackets
• Parka or a thick jacket.
• Walking socks
• Walking sandals (for crossing rivers...)

For information about the weather and weather forecast for the next days you should take a look at the website of the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

Photos: The town of Kopavogur during winter and Borgarfjordur during summer.

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No umbrellas!

Why shouldn't you bring an umbrella to Iceland? Of course you can - only you might not be able to use it since the rain in fact seldom falls straight down in Iceland. Due to wind, it tends to fall from all directions!

Electricity and socket type

The voltage is 220V. Frequency is 50Hz. The most common type of socket head is the “Schuko” plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts. However, you can also use a normal two rounded pins socket type as the plug accommodates both.