I’ve had several people tell me to bring a bunch of food with us to Iceland. Ken person said he brought a suitcase! I see on the customs site that travelers can bring up to 3kg of food. Has anyone done this? Wondering how this goes over with customs.
We’re not afraid of Icelandic food, and plan to eat lots of it. We’re just aware of the cost of food there, and know how important snacks are when traveling with a child.
Thanks!
I always carry some sort of food in my travels. Keep it processed or in orginal packages and you should be fine if fresh, consume before landing.
The (restaurant) food in Iceland is expensive but absolutely delicious. There are grocery stores that are more affordable, even a Costco. I don't know why anyone would feel the need to bring in food unless it's something really specialized like trekking snacks.
I brought a jar of emergency peanut butter and jelly for my 10yo, but a suitcase full sounds like overkill IMHO. There's a duty-free grocery store in the airport which was doing a brisk business, especially with beer. You'll pass several more groceries on the way into town. Part of the fun of traveling for me is searching the local food stores. I might use that extra suitcase for a variety of clothes for the weather that changes about every hour.
Thanks everyone! I agree about the joy in finding local stores and restaurants. Good tip with the extra suitcase of clothes instead!
The price of food in Iceland is really relative to where you live and what you're used to.
If you have spent time in New York City and eaten at mid-range restaurants and bars, that's about the same as you'll pay in Iceland.
Soup & bread about $14 - some of the best soup and bread I've had anywhere. I started going out of my way to try it at different places.
Beer anywhere from $8 - 14...quite excellent beer in Iceland!
Pizza is a bit steep...$25-40
Burger w/fries & salad about $19 but that's at a gas station cafe - these cafes are actually pretty good with homemade food at a better price than a lot of other places.
Full dinner with appetizer, entree & beer...about $45 - 60 per person...of course you can pay more.
Maybe bring snacks for your child and then just budget enough so you can eat where you like. The food in Iceland is quite good and we enjoyed it even though it was a bit on the higher side price-wise.
I agree the food in Iceland is pricey but very good. If you are out driving, hiking etc all day, it is nice to have the fixings for a sandwich so peanut butter and jelly doesn't sound like a bad plan. There are groceries to buy some other essentials to keep prices down. I also hate waiting for meals when I am out and about and want to get to my next place. We usually ate breakfast in our airbnb and had really good soup for lunch. Enjoy!
I will be traveling with a 3 and 5 year old and staying at AirBnB's so I will be packing some food. I'm near NYC and food is expensive here but not Iceland expensive. I'd rather spend $$ on a nice lunch or two. I also don't want to send a good chunk of time in a supermarket. I plan on bringing oatmeal for breakfast, small jar of peanut butter, box or two of mac n cheese, and snacks (nuts, granola bars, fruit snacks, dried fruit, etc). We'll make a quick grocery stop for milk, bread, cold cuts, and fresh produce. Also packing a cooler bag and reusable shopping tote to bring food for day trips.
My son spent 10 days in Iceland recently, rented an RV and toured most of the island. He and his friends shopped in grocery stores and ate in a few restaurants. Price for food was shocking high. Super clean and delicious though.
We had a few early morning pick-ups scheduled for tours so we brought cereal from home and stopped at Bonus on the first day to get milk, yogurt and bananas (our hotel had a small refrigerator). We also took a few snacks and had no issue with customs although I have no idea how much it all weighed. Otherwise we enjoyed the Icelandic food.
So we’re here in Reykjavík and the grocery stores are ALOT cheaper than the ones at our home in Vermont USA!
Also, some really great vegan options in grocery stores.
