The 5 Best Things About Visiting Iceland

Whether you’re Icelandic born and bred or just visiting, there’s plenty to love about our little country. From its physical attractions and rich history to its culinary and musical gifts, there’s plenty on offer to make anyone love visiting the secluded island in the North.

The Icelandic landscape

It’s no secret that the further you go from the capital Reykjavík, the more breathtaking the views and landscape become. A visit to the countryside gives the perfect example of the beautiful landscape that Iceland can offer which makes you feel a world apart from the hectic pace of city life.

With a recent study showing that spending time in nature is linked to decreased anxiety, depression and stress, we believe that exploring the beauty of Iceland can have a positive effect on your mental health. When recovering from a day full of amazing music, we highly recommend taking a quick tour around the beautiful areas around Reykjavík, such as the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the Golden Circle or check out Night + Day’s magical festival location, Skógafoss waterfall. It can all be done in one day and just in time for the next night of quality music in the midnight sun. With so much on your doorstep, it’s impossible not to fall for Iceland’s beauty.

The fine cuisine of Iceland

Although Iceland is somewhat renowned for its unhealthy habits, the country does offer some delicious and surprisingly good treats. Dried fish and brennivín is no doubt the best cure for a hangover, and nothing quite beats a hot dog (with everything of course), any time of the day. If Bill Clinton loved it, so will you. We are also very proud of our lamb and like always think it’s the best lamb out there. For those with a sweet tooth, popping by at our various bakeries is always a good idea. At least you must try our version of the donut, kleina, and some say it’s even better dipped in some chocolate.

Although the country is freezing more often than not, we know how to make a good ice cream, and it’s hard not to stumble upon an ice cream shop in Reykjavik and other areas. There’s plenty of competition for the best ice cream and the only one way to make your decision is to try them all!

You also have to try our selection of Icelandic beers (if you’re into that sort of thing) and of course you can have some at Secret Solstice. We highly recommend Víking which is probably the most popular beer in Iceland. And guess what – we’ll make sure there’s plenty of it at our drinking booths.

Icelandic music

We have no idea why we like music so much and first and foremost why we are so good at making it. Some people say it’s something in the water and others claim that we were just born with it. Anyways, it’s a mystery why a small nation of only 330,000 people can produce so much music and for that we can thank Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men, Kaleo and so many more! This list will only get longer – trust us!

When visiting Iceland you can’t avoid hearing our music everywhere and if you come to Secret Solstice this year, you’ll notice it as well. At least we have plenty of artists to offer.

The environment

Icelanders are lucky to be able to access natural resources which can be used for renewable energy which is remarkable by both European and global standards. We heat our houses with geothermal heat and pollution in most areas are considered to be in the lowest index.

We at Secret Solstice also think about these things and will of course do our best to take care of the environment in Laugardalur, the festival location. In 2016, we were even certified as a CarbonNeutral® event with the help of Natural Capital Partners. This means that all CO2 from supplier and organiser travel, and event waste has been balanced out with the purchase of high quality, verified carbon offsets, which we have purchased from a rainforest conservation project in Madagascar. For this we think we deserve a pat on the back, don’t you think?

Icelandic sport

Who doesn’t remember Iceland’s success at the UEFA Euro 2016? It was the first time our men’s team qualified to play at an international level and we sure came, saw and conquered! Now our football ladies will also compete at UEFA Women’s Euro in the Netherlands this July and not for the first time! We thank dedicated sports programs for kids for our success in this sport and can’t wait see more of our finest football players in the future. You’d be so lucky to stay in Iceland while we are competing and witness the craziness with your own eyes. We might even give you some Viking clap – even though we are sort of over that whole thing.

We are not only good at football but also handball, golf, athletics, gymnastics and yeah, that’s about it. We may not have many Olympic medals but the few we have, we wear proudly. And of course, we like to brag about them as well. Who wouldn’t?

Be sure to grab your ticket before it’s sold out and perhaps stay a little longer to enjoy the rest of our musical island.

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