The Fashion Girl's Guide to Iceland: What to Pack, See and Eat
Iceland Was Named One of the “it” Destinations for the Fashion Set
This past year the folks on the WhoWhatWear podcast declared Iceland as one of the top 3 destinations for the fashion set (Mexico City and Puglia, Italy, were the other two). As I was driving in my car, listening, I was beyond excited! Because Maggie (my daughter) and I already had our bucket list trip to Iceland planned.
I have a bad case of wanderlust - always have. My bucket list is looong, maybe too long if that’s even a thing. Earlier this summer, I was lucky enough to visit Iceland with my daughter Maggie. It was the ultimate girls trip, and the trip of a lifetime too. If you follow me on instagram you might have seen some of the stories. And I will say, the photos did not do the views justice, at all!
And many of you reached out with questions about the trip, what we saw, where we stayed and what we packed. I thought it might be a good idea to just do one big post with all of the info, to answer all of those questions.
Ok, so back to the podcast…As I said, I was driving while listening and really hoping for tips on what to pack. Even though I help my clients pack for all kinds of trips all the time, the outdoor nature of an adventure in Iceland was not really in my personal wheelhouse. I’m a little more Saks and a little less REI, if ya know what I mean.
Anywhoo, the podcast, while interesting, did not really cover what to wear. So I needed to do my own research. And I realized there was not a resource out there for ladies that lean more fashion yet were going on a more functional kind of journey.
Another Question I've Frequently Been Asked…
Both online and in person, I’ve been asked why my husband Greg and our sons didn’t go with us. Iceland had been a bucket list item for me for some time. And, whenever we talked as a family about where to travel next, I’d suggest Iceland. Maggie would vote YESSSSS, and the others would nix it and vote for other destinations.
Honestly, I sort of get it. First, my husband Greg is cold ALL OF THE TIME. Like if it dips below 70 degrees, he’s layered up. Yes, we’ve had it medically checked, and thank G-d he’s ok. But the cold really makes him cranky. Needless to say, a trip to Iceland - the land of fire and ice - was completely unappealing to him. We could not even convince him with the promise of midnight golf, lol!
And secondly, our boys both were working this summer and could not take the time off. So, Maggie and I decided we didn’t need to wait for any men and made it a girls’ trip!
What to Pack for Iceland
This is The Million Dollar Question
After talking to my outdoorsy friends and clients, consulting with folks that had already traveled to Iceland, and taking stock of what was in my own closet, this is what I came up with. I will say I wore every single thing I packed and felt like I was appropriately dressed for all of our adventures.
We wanted to pack in a carry-on because of all the airline horror stories we’d heard and because the trip was relatively short (5 nights). I needed to really pare things down; however, it was completely doable. I repeated items a lot and focused more on the daytime hiking outfits than the going-out dinner stuff.
Also, Maggie, being a teenager that does not want to listen to her mother, flipped the script. She had a lot of variety for the evening and not a lot for the daytime. She will admit she mis-packed. She did not wear much of what she brought for dinner plans (her crop tops and leather pants didn’t see the light of day, or night), and Maggie ended up borrowing my stuff. I am not saying I told you so… But I kinda am!!
What I Packed:
Backpack (for day trips)
Foldable tote with zipper (for overflow and moving locations)
Hiking boots (these were so comfortable, right out of the box. And kept me warm, and dry with great traction)
Ankle boots (for evenings)
Jeans (1 pair)
Cloth coat (for evenings)
Hiking pants or technical joggers (2 pair)
Smartwool socks (3 pair)
Hiking bra (2)
Packable Raincoat (in a color I didn’t hate - because it was in ALL the photos)
Cashmere Scarf (for the plane and dinners)
PJ’s (2 pair)
Eye mask (it was 23 hrs of sunlight)
What I didn’t bring but wish I did:
Telescoping hiking sticks (luckily our guide has some I borrowed and they made a HUGE difference)
How My Packing Worked:
Like I said earlier, I literally wore every single thing I packed, some items multiple times. One thing I found helpful was to change my mindset a bit. Often when I travel, and in my everyday life too, my outfits are my self expression. For this trip, it was way more about function. I needed to be true to myself, because I am a firm believer in a look good/feel good correlation.
But, that being said, I would have felt foolish wearing heels or a silk set when going out to dinner - even in Reykjavik, Iceland’s major city. It is a rustic country. And the weather is ALWAYS changing - meaning layers are getting put on and off throughout the day. Rain is a daily occurrence, so a raincoat (with a hood) is your Iceland BFF. Overall, the dress code is fairly casual.
As I looked for technical clothes (raincoat, puffer, rain pants, hiking boots) I found that everything came in random colors that did not necessarily “coordinate” with one another. TBH, that really bugged me - while I was getting over myself in the fashion sense I also didn’t want to look like the little kid that got dressed in the dark. Truth be told, there were many travelers we saw that did look that way. And then a handful of others that seemed to put the fashion before function and looked equally as awkward.
This is an example of the random colors. We saw a lot of this. I am truly not criticizing what someone else is wearing. If it works for them, hallelujah. I know it does not work for me, and it was challenging to find pieces, especially at a somewhat reasonable price, that didn’t give me these random color vibes.
She would have looked fab walking through NYC or London - but her jacket got soaked visiting the waterfall and she was slipping everywhere walking in her court shoes that had no traction. And don’t get me started on the no socks - it was freezing!.
We also visited in late June - early July, and those are the most temperate months. To put it in perspective, the highs were 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lows were 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Not warm at all to us midwesterners - but warm for Iceland. If you’re traveling to Iceland to see the Northern Lights in the colder months of October-March, plan to add some extra warm layers because they’ll be needed.
What to See in Iceland:
I’m sharing our itinerary. We had a wonderful guide (follow his IG here). And because of this, and the weather, our daily activities changed a bit depending on the forecast. I’ll also note, our guide had a “monster truck” for our time in the interior and it was essential. We witnessed many tourists traveling on their own, in 4x4 rented cars, that became stranded. Rocky terrain and flash floods from melting glaciers made this area (that was spectacular and not to be missed) a challenge to navigate without the proper vehicle.
If you’re more of a cliff notes person like me - I’m bullet pointing the ultimate highlights, Maggie and I agreed can’t be missed:
Iceland donuts (snudur) from Braud Bakery
Inside the Volcano
Gullfoss Waterfall
Tomato Farm lunch
Landmannalaguar hike and hot spring
Thorsmork Glacier and snowmobiling
Seljalandsfoss waterfall - walk behind the falls
Reykjanes peninsula and lava fields
Blue Lagoon hotel and in water massages
Fish and chips in one of the fishing villages
Anna Maria jewelry in Reykjavik
Day 1
Arrival 08:30am.
Reykjanes peninsula, hike to the site of the volcanic eruption last year, nature exploration. Still never further than a 1 hour drive away from Reykjavik so in the afternoon when you can check in and feel very tired after the all night flight, we can make a run for it to the city.
Hotel in Reykjavik. Dinner at GrillMarket
Day 2
Leave Reykajvik around 7:30am and early entry into the Þríhnúkagígur volcano, before their operation begins. It’s a very unique experience, but also a bit pricey. https://insidethevolcano.com/
Afternoon tour over the so-called Golden Circle to visit the Gullfoss waterfall, the spouting hot spring Geysir, and the Thingvellir national park, the site of the first Viking parliament in the country and where you see the North-American and Eurasion tectonic plates practically drifting apart. An amazing site, historically important for Iceland and Icelanders, and geologically unique.
Lunch at the Tomato Farm
Hotel in Reykjavik. Dinner Apotek
Day 3
Landmannalaugar area. A tour with a 4x4 super truck into the interior. Landmannalaugar is a highland center and famous for its natural hot pool. If you google it you see a number of tours. We will however take some less traveled back roads where there are practically nobody, a nice two hour hike, and dip in the natural pool
Hotel at the South Coast for two nights. Close to the villages of Hella and Hvolsvöllur.
Hotel Renga. Dinner at hotel
Day 4
Thorsmörk glacier valley. Very beautiful valley in the Southern part of Iceland. You need a 4x4 to get there, as it’s a gravel road and glacier rivers need to be crossed. Some 2-3 1 hour hikes. If there is interest in snowmobiling and if it's still feasible and can also be done today.
Also a stop by Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
Hotel Renga. Dinner at hotel
Day 5
South Coast to the village of Vík, Skógafoss waterfall, Reynisfjara beach and basalt columns.
Possibility for horseback riding.
Hotel by the Blue lagoon
In water Massages, spa ritual and dinner at Blue Lagoon hotel
Day 6
Departure day
Where To Eat in Iceland
I collected many more food suggestions than I had time for, so I’m passing the list along to you. For the places I made it to, I added a *.
Rekajvik:
FishHouse - The fish market
Fish & Chips Wagon
Pizza Place with no name
Forretta Barinn
Hverfisgata 12 -Mikkeller & Friends
*Braud Bakery (by church side streets)
MeatMarket
Dill
*Grill Market
Glo
*Apotek.
Golden Circle/Country by glacier
*Fridheimar (tomato farm restaurant)
Halldorskaffi
Iceland - It’s a Bucket List Destination
Our final night, when we were at the Blue Lagoon Hotel, we started chatting with other travelers on the tail end of their vacations. Many of us hit the same highlight spots. Maggie and I realized we spent more time hiking, snowmobiling etc in the interior and others spent more time exploring Reykjavik.
We have zero regrets. However there were three things we heard about that sounded interesting and I’d like to share, just in case you’re reading this and have wiggle room in your itinerary.
Reykjavik food tour
Whale watching tour
Rye bread baking in the ground
Do you have any questions about anything I didn’t cover? Or have you been to Iceland and have some suggestions to add? Comment below!