Iceland is a beautiful place to visit. Whether you are doing just a quick stop in or are here for a longer time, here’s a few strategies that helped us to enjoy our trip and save some money.

Tip #1: Consider finding an Airbnb, rental, or camper with a small kitchen.

While we did indulge in some delicious meals while in Reykjavik, for the most part, we made our own food or packed picnic-style meals to eat on the go. Eating out, for the most part, is expensive in Iceland. As you get further away from the city (and closer to some of the most amazing parts of Iceland), good restaurants are hard to come by. Unless you don’t mind paying $32 for a small gas station (albeit a very nice gas station) pizza, this is a worthy investment. New to Airbnb? Use this link to save $40 on your first booking!

Tip #2: Check Out the Duty Free Shop Before Leaving the Airport

This is what we wish we had done. Beer, wine, and liquor are all much less expensive at the airport than anywhere else in Iceland. In fact, even the locals stock up whenever they take a trip. Barring that, the best bet you have for buying alcohol is the local chain Vínbuðin.

Tip #3: Do some Grocery Shopping

Bonus is the cheapest grocery store by far. We found decent grocery stores as far as Vik, and I’m sure there are more even further along. Fresh fish is surprisingly affordable compared to some other things in Iceland. It is sold in separate stores, such as Fiskbúðin in Sunlaugavegi. We made our own breakfasts and prepared all of our own meals for the road, leaving us extra money for other things.

Tip #4: Rent a Car to Bypass the Tour Buses

This is not a tip for those who plan on using the tour buses. However, if you’re anything like me, there’s nothing that destroys the serenity of an experience in nature like being surrounded by throngs of people. In the summer, our rental sedan got us everywhere we wanted to go (a little further than Vic). Obviously, take more caution if you are planning to drive much further or in the winter. Also, drive carefully as the terrain can be quite rough (like when we almost drove off a ledge near Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon and were saved by some German tourists!)

Tip #5: Take Advantage of the Midnight Sun

This tip probably won’t work as well if you don’t have a car or if you’re visiting in the winter. That said, if you hate crowds of people, consider doing some sightseeing in the eerie, but beautiful, light of the midnight sun. For Sean, midnight golfing was the highlight of our trip! And we had some magical moments on the road to Vic around 2 a.m.

Tip #6: Pack Warm Layers, a Warm Coat, and Some Sturdy Waterproof Footwear

This is another one I wish I had done better. We flew here straight from Croatia after a three week road-trip. I brought a few warm layers, a raincoat, and some good sneakers. I ended up buying a warm hat, a jacket, and longed for some sturdy hiking boots. Seeing that I was able to bring everything home, so I’m sure I would have been able to still pack light and include these essentials. If traveling in the summer, don’t be fooled by phrases like “eternal sunshine” or the concept that Iceland is actually supposed to be warmer than Greenland. It is still in the Arctic Circle and it can still get COLD— even in the summer.

Tip #7: Download Maps.Me

I tend to use a combination of both google and maps.me while traveling. If you haven’t tried maps.me yet, you have to give it a shot! It’s a free app where you can download the maps of the countries/regions you are visiting. That way you don’t need a signal or wifi for it to work. I’ve also found it to be much more accurate than google maps at times; this was especially true in Iceland. Google maps didn’t even register the road that our airbnb was on, while maps.me was able to show the exact building. Our airbnb host had never seen anything like it!