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Planning a holiday to Iceland? Here's everything you need to know

Direct flights to Iceland have started from Cork, meaning Ireland now offers 10 flights a week. P...
Newstalk
Newstalk

13.34 12 Jun 2017


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Planning a holiday to Iceland?...

Planning a holiday to Iceland? Here's everything you need to know

Newstalk
Newstalk

13.34 12 Jun 2017


Share this article


Direct flights to Iceland have started from Cork, meaning Ireland now offers 10 flights a week.

Pol O’Conghaile, travel editor with Independent News and Media, spoke to The Pat Kenny Show about making the most of your Icelandic getaway.

"Direct flights start from €59.99 each way, €69.99 from Cork," he said. "If you can get your times and the days you want, theoretically, you can get your flights for €120."

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However, he added that as it's a low budget airline, other add-ons such as checked bags, seat selection and food are all extra.

While flights are relatively cheap, O’Conghaile explained that the minute you step foot in the country, things get pricey.

"There's no getting around it - €5.10 for a coffee, you couldn't get a pint of beer for less than a tenner," he said.

Towel rentals at the public baths are in or around €8.

Big things come in small packages

In order to get the most bang for your buck, O’Conghaile recommends availing of a package deal. 

"WOW Air does packages on its website but Wallace Travel and Travel Department also do trips where they include the hotels and the flights together, so you can get a two or three night trip for about €550."

Reykjavik - the country's capital - boasts it's own happy hour app, which shows bars and pubs offering discounted drinks at the time.

How cold is it?

An Icelandic winter usually offers temperatures of anything between freezing to -10 degrees Celsius.

"It's Baltic - you need to dress for it, you need your thermals, you need your woolies," he said.

Despite the stark temperatures, it's absolutely still worth visiting during the season.

"Winter is when you see it covered in this Narnia-like droves of snow and ice [...] It just looks beautiful. It's bright by 10am and dark at 3pm though, so you have to cram it in."

When it comes to seeing the Northern Lights, your best bet is to visit between November and early March.

During the summer, you get the complete opposite - the Midnight Sun - with beer-gardens full to the brim with revellers. 


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