Affordable Iceland: Walking, Wildlife, Natural Wonders On A Budget

Don’t let the land of fire and ice’s rich reputation put you off. Here’s how to enjoy Iceland’s spectacular treasures without making your wallet weep…

How do you put a price on a bowl of fish soup? You may well have had cheaper chowders than the cream-topped broth of salmon and prawns served at the Fjöruhúsid café, but when sat on its terrace, snug between the glittering Atlantic and a snowcapped volcano, shelling out just over a tenner will seem like an absolute bargain.

Walk the clifftop path between Arnarstapi and Hellnar and you’ll find a pair of far-flung fishing villages at the tip of West Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It’s only a short walk – barely 3km. But in the couple of hours that you will spend ambling along the wave-gnawed coast, you may spot seals squirming in kelp off a beach of polished basalt pebbles or a white-tailed eagle pirouetting against a meringue whip of ice on 1,446m-tall Snaefellsjökull. The coastline is a brine laced sculpture of sea arches, caves and blowholes, with fulmars and kittiwakes fussing around seabird citadels, their wings shining like chips of quartz against black cliffs of lava – and it costs nothing.

One day of natural wonders for the price of a bowl of fish soup: food for thought before you write off Iceland as too expensive. No one is suggesting that the Land of Fire & Ice can’t burn a hole in your wallet, but what many people forget is that its biggest attractions – from mighty waterfalls to mesmerising seascapes – are completely free. And there are ways of travelling to minimise the costs, so you can travel out of this world for not-so-astronomical prices. Read on to discover how Iceland can be great value for money.

Golden Circle

The ‘greatest hits’ weekend

DURATION: 2–3 DAYS

Best for: First-timers, shortbreakers, highlights-hitters

ROUTE: Reykjavík • Gullfoss • Geysir • Thingvellir