Iceland for a Holiday

[green nationalist]

Im considering going to iceland for a holiday. What is the weather like up there in december? Also how much is a pint of beer? Are there any strange drinking laws ( like in Sweden for example ) where one cant buy beer in the shops at weekends?

Beer is a very important part of the process you see:)

How about Hostels and Rail prices?

Any info regarding Iceland would be appreciated.
Cheers

[Telperion]

I visited there four years ago in late May. While it was interesting to experience the near 24 hour daylight at that time of year, it was surprisingly cold for that time of year (compared to what I am used to for May weather), and I had to buy a sweater and gloves while there in order to be properly dressed. So, I would imagine that December would be even colder, and also dark very nearly all of the time due to the extreme northern latitude. On the bright side, you should be able to get excellent views of the northern lights.

I don't recall drinking much beer there (the horror!), but everything is very expensive, alcohol included.

Icelandair offers organized tours of the island, and they are probably a good way for a first-time visitor to get a glimpse of it. Hostels might be good in the major towns at least, but there is no rail service anywhere in Iceland. I think there are bus routes between the major towns, though not off the beaten track. Getting around by renting a car would be very expensive, and hitchhiking would probably be a bad idea, due to the very long time you might have to wait between rides in the more isolated areas (bearing in mind it is apparently dark just about all of the time in December).

I would highly recommend visiting Iceland, it is a beautiful and fascinating country. My own advice, though, is you might want to consider postponing a trip until spring if possible, because you won't get to see much scenery in December (beyond the northern lights) due to the dark/twilight conditions.