10 useful tips

25.1.2016

First post, so let's start light with some useful advice. There's (at least) ten things you need to remember if you find yourself in Icelandic territory.

1. It rains. And it's windy. Like you won't believe it. The wind outside right now is considered a storm in Finland, but here it's nothing. The weather is truly ghastly and it changes quickly. Today it has been sunny then we got some regular rain, then some sleet and now the wind is trying to rip our roof off. Or that's how it feels anyways.
2. When buying water or milk READ THE BOTTLE CAREFULLY. Otherwise you may find yourself with black coffee and yoghurt or water that tastes like really really mild Funlight raspberry juice. And neither of those situations is hoped for.
3. You cannot rent a car unless you have visa with credit ability. Debit is worth absolutely nothing in here. So if you wanna rent a car, get a credit card.
4. You can use a debit/credit card anywhere, so you really don't need cash beforehand. Some flea markets, like the bigger one near the Reykjavik harbor, may have sellers that accept only cash but you can get it easily from ATMs.
5. Don't come here when it's the peak of the tourist season. The flights and the hostels cost twice as much as usually. Despite the weather, i recommend travelling between January-March. Cheaper to fly at least.
6. Iceland is extremely expensive (yes i would use the adjective extremely) so you really need a good budget. Cheapest place to get beer is apparently Ikea, which is a very popular restaurant among the locals too. It is a lot more expensive than in Finland thou. Average meals in Laugavegur, the main shopping street, are around 20 euros for the main course only. So go a little further from the downtown, explore. Clothes are really expensive too, the same shirt that was around 40 € in Finland was almost 75 € here in Lindex. But why buy from there anyways when you're in Iceland. But just saying. Food in general is expensive. Meat especially. So keep your eye out for discounts, buy in bulks and put them in the freezer.
7. If you have used the hot water from your tab, run the cold for a while before drinking. Hot water contains higher levels of sulfur and other minerals since it's pumped straight from the ground. They aren't dangerous but can make you gassy.. And that's uncomfortable for you and the people around you. The hot water can sometimes also smell bad, like spoiled eggs, that's the sulfur talking. Again, not dangerous, just nasty.
8. If you are a vegetarian, pack your own soy. You can't find soy, tofu or anything like that in normal stores. And in the special stores the prices are high. 
9. Parking is really cheap, even in downtown. With 4 euros you can park pretty much the whole day, Quite a difference to Finland where it can be 3 euros or more per hour. So don't leave your car too far. Thou walking in Reykjavik is nice, it's a pretty and cosy city.
10. Last but not least, the people here are really nice and helpful so don't hesitate to ask if you don't know the way or are other ways confused. The locals speak english really well and since a million people come to visit Iceland every year, they are used to people who are a little lost. Icelandic is a really hard language to learn, and the words seldom resemble swedish, which would make it a little easier for finns to understand signs, maps and other infos.

-Sirja