I spent years dreaming of going to Iceland to see all of its breathtaking natural wonders. Mount Kirkjufell, Skógafoss, the Blue Lagoon, and of course, the Northern Lights. I used to tell myself I would go “one day” too many times to count. But December 2025 was the moment I realized that “one day” is a trap. I booked a solo ticket to Reykjavik, packed more thermals than I thought humanly possible, and decided to see if it lived up to the hype that had lived in my mind for so many years.

The short answer? It’s BETTER. But it’s also windier, more expensive, and more beautiful than I had ever imagined. If you are planning to head to Iceland this year, here is my down-to-earth truth about surviving the “Land of Fire and Ice” on your own.

A Central Base at CityHub

Since I wasn’t renting a car, my choice of accommodation was make-or-break. I needed somewhere central and walkable but not to cost a fortune, so I ended up staying at CityHub Reykjavik, and it was easily the best decision for my solo sanity.

It is a “hub” style hotel, which means you get your own private, soundproof sleeping pod (called a Hub) with shelves, robes, and towels, but share high-end communal bathrooms and social spaces. It feels like a futuristic, cozy spaceship. You can even customize the mood lighting in your pod via an app. It cost me about $100 a night in December, but the prices will surely be more expensive in the summer.

The “Grocery Store vs Restaurant” Balance

In and around Reykjavik, you can easily spend $35 on a standard meal with a drink. To make the trip sustainable for my solo budget, I leaned into a more casual eating style. For half of my meals, I traded the sit-down restaurants for the aisles of Bónus and Krónan. Not only did it save my bank account, but it gave me a small glimpse into the everyday Icelandic life that you don’t see from a tour bus window. Here are some of the little grocery store snacks that kept my appetite at bay in between actual meals at sit-down restaurants. 

⦾ Skyr: This is your best friend. It’s high in protein, thick, and actually affordable.

⦾ The Gas Station Hot Dog (Pylsur): Don’t judge me. It’s an Icelandic staple, it’s decent, and  priced at around $5, it’s the cheapest hot meal you’ll find on the road.

⦾ Tap Water: Never buy bottled water here. Iceland has the cleanest tap water in the world. Even cleaner than the water I grew up with in Western New York (and if you know that area, you know that’s saying a lot). Bring a reusable bottle and fill it up for free everywhere!

If you want to balance these grocery runs with the city’s best atmosphere, check out this article for where to find the best local coffee and vibes.

And here are some of the restaurants that I tried and what I thought:

⦾ Chickpea (5/5): A vegetarian, Mediterranean-inspired takeaway restaurant that is incredible! I got the #7 with roasted cauliflower, falafel, pomegranate, etc., but I can only imagine all of their dishes are just as great.

⦾ Austur-Indíafélagið (5/5): Not your average Indian restaurant, this place cooks up, y’all. Great atmosphere, better food. If you like Indian food, I promise you will not be disappointed. 

⦾ Skal! (4/5): Upscale, intimate restaurant with decent food and good service. Not every dish was my favorite, but I enjoyed the raw scallop dish a lot. 

⦾ Icelandic Streetfood (2/5): Hmm..2 might be generous if I’m being honest. This place had such good ratings and I wanted to try “traditional” Icelandic dishes. I tried plokkfiskur, some pancakes, as well as Hákarl (shark fin). But, no. Aside from the very friendly service, there’s nothing about this restaurant that I would recommend. Maybe it’s an acquired taste…

The Patience of the Hunt: Northern Lights and Geysers

On social media and all over the internet, the Northern Lights look like a constant, vibrant disco in the sky. In reality, it’s a game of high-stakes hide-and-seek.

While I was very tempted to just rent a 4×4 and head to the quieter outskirts of Reykjavik, I decided it would be better to go with someone who knew where to go and where to look for the Northern Lights. So I booked a small group tour and on the day of, I received an email saying that it had been cancelled due to weather conditions. Which, to be fair, was understandable since I was at the Blue Lagoon at the time and I can attest to the fact that it was a stormy, cloudy day. I was automatically booked for the next night, as if I didn’t have plans (rolls eyes)…I didn’t, haha. 

But honestly, even if I had had plans, I could easily see myself cancelling or rescheduling them for a chance to see the Northern Lights. And that same night, on my way to dinner, I saw the Northern Lights right from the streets of Reykjavik. It was already a dream to see them at all and it caught me by surprise, given the tour for that night had been preemptively cancelled. 

The following night, however, completely blew. me. away. Our sweet tour guide drove us to a couple of places and each time we’d park, we’d all follow her out on some dark, quiet trail for a few minutes before hearing her say to go back to the van. On our third stop, we all got out once again. This time, there was no trail—more like an open field alongside an unoccupied road. But I swear, within 5 minutes of us all walking around a bit, looking up to the sky, we started to see a faint green smudge in the distance. We all started taking photos of course, but what nobody could’ve predicted was, minute by minute, that faint green smudge turned into a slightly more vibrant and defined streak, and that turned into a shower of a vibrant green painting in the sky, complemented by a deep reddish-purple. The Aurora Borealis quickly, but seamlessly erupted into swirls of emerald and flashes of pink and white, dancing in a perfect harmony, bringing the sky above to life. It was breathtaking to see Mother Nature put on such a colorful, mesmerizing show.

The camera truly does not do it justice. I know everyone says that, but it’s true. Seeing those colors pulse and dance in the Iceland sky in the middle of a silent field makes you feel tiny in the best way possible. Here are some guided tours to choose from to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. 

The same goes for Strokkur. You’ll see people standing in a circle, phones out, dead silent. You wait ten or fifteen minutes in the freezing wind and try not to blink because you know the eruption only lasts five seconds. It’s a lesson in patience that we just don’t get too often in this “instant gratification” era.

The Infamous Golden Circle 

Yep, you guessed it. For the Golden Circle, I decided to skip the driver’s seat and booked another guided tour. And I know, I know—I am not usually one to book guided tours. Not because they’re not valuable or enjoyable, but simply because I tend to prefer to go on adventures at my own pace, with the freedom of stopping wherever I want, whenever I want. And I may do just that the next time I go to Iceland (in the summer). But this time, I chose a small guided tour because along with the 19-20 hours of darkness, the not so great weather, me not knowing the area at all, and the cost of renting a car, this made the most sense for me. As a bonus, I met a Japanese girl who was also solo traveling and we instantly clicked and spent the whole tour together. I’m not the most social person, so when I meet people while traveling and we align, it feels nice.

A GPS won’t tell you about the brutal Viking-age justice carried out at Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park or the environmental activism that saved Gullfoss from being dammed for electricity or about the etymology of the Icelandic language. I really appreciated not only the wealth of knowledge that my tour guide had, but the ability to impart it in such a natural, fun way. Sometimes, having a local guide means you aren’t just looking at rocks and water; you’re learning the soul and history of the land.

Safety & Survival Tips for 2026

The nature in Iceland can be extreme, to say the least. Being down-to-earth means respecting the nature here, because it’s much bigger than you. If you are heading out, these are the two things you need on your phone:

⦾ Vedur App: The official Icelandic weather app. The wind here is no joke. Check this for wind warnings before heading out on your outdoor adventures.

⦾ Aurora App: This is a lifesaver for tracking solar activity and finding the best probability of seeing those colors dance.

So, is solo travel in Iceland worth it?

Maybe in another life, I would have stayed at my desk and kept scrolling or stayed in bed and kept dreaming of traveling solo in Iceland. But standing at the edge of the world, feeling the mist of a waterfall on my face and seeing a concert of colors dancing in the sky, I realized that these are the moments that actually matter. These are the moments that I want to prioritize in this short life. 

Iceland is expensive, it’s cold, and it will challenge your patience. But if you are looking for a reason to stop living to work and start feeling alive again, this is a great place to do it.