A Week in Iceland

Planning a trip

Given our time frame we decided to focus on the areas around Reykjavik and the south of Iceland. Friends had gone the year before and said it was really easy to drive yourself so we rented a car. If you don’t want to drive there are lots of tour companies to choose from. Another option would be to stay in Reykjavik and arrange day or multi-day tours from there.   

If you are ready to start planning, here are the resources that really helped me.

 

• Lonely Planet Guide- While there’s a comprehensive guide to Iceland, there’s also a Pocket Guide to Reykjavik & Southwest Iceland which was just what I needed.  
• There are loads of travel blogs with information about Iceland.  The two I found most helpful were Full Suitcase and Earthtrekkers
• Guide to Iceland is a leading travel agency in Iceland with all the information you may need on sites, tours, and everything else. I follow them on Instagram and found a lot of useful information in their posts.
• Aside from Instagram there is a lot of information on Facebook though I didn’t know this before the trip. There are groups you can join where people will ask and answer questions, make recommendations, etc. I’m currently in a group called Iceland Travel Tips.   

Some helpful hints

• Icelandair: They did not have any free food on our flights not even a bag of pretzels to go with the 2 drinks they served. If you want something to eat either bring it on the plane or be prepared to pay for it. The same goes for earphones. The adaptor for the earphones was an old type and did not fit the ones that most of us have nowadays so if you want to watch the on-screen entertainment you need to buy their earphones or, better yet, see if you have an old pair lying around.
• Check opening and closing hours for places you want to visit and restaurants where you want to eat. At least in November many places didn’t open before 11 or 12 and closed by 4 or 5. For instance, there’s a well-known tomato farm with a restaurant known for its tomato soup that’s a popular stop in the Golden Circle (Fridheimar).  But we were in the area only before opening so couldn’t go. It’s helpful to have this information while you’re planning.    
• Don’t overplan: There is so much to see that it’s easy to cram too much into your schedule.  But that wouldn’t leave you time to enjoy what you are seeing. You will want to stop and soak in the beauty of what you are looking at. You may also find things along the way that are worth a stop. 

Tips for renting a car

• There are lots of options, we used Thrifty.  At the airport different agencies have different pick- up areas. Some are in the airport terminal, some you need to go out the door to the right and walk to the bus, and others (like Thrifty) have a waiting lounge toward the left after coming out of customs. None of this was clear and we had to ask many people before we ended up in the right place.
• Not sure how common this is but the phone jack in the car did not fit our iPhone chargers. I asked about it when I dropped off the car and was told we needed an adaptor. It would be good to know this beforehand, especially since you will likely be relying on something like Google or Apple Maps (see below) which can drain your battery.

Tips for driving in Iceland

• Apple and Google Maps: We relied extensively on Apple and Google maps for directions though I also checked out all our routes before we left so I had an idea of where we needed to go every day. I had read that there are sometimes gaps in wifi coverage and that you shouldn’t always rely on it, but we never had a problem. That said, you can download your maps to your phone so it’s not an issue.
• Gas stations:  We never had a problem finding gas stations but you can go long stretches without seeing one. Also, for some reason most gas stations only take credit cards with PIN numbers so make sure you have at least one of those with you. 
• Hours of light:  If you go in fall or winter you may want to check how much light you will have during the day and take this into account when planning your driving and sightseeing times. 
• Parking: Many sites have free admission but you have to pay to park. Most places use the Parka app so it’s worthwhile to download before you go and then add in your car rental information once you have it. It makes paying very easy. There were a few exceptions like at Thingvellir National Park and Seljalandsfoss waterfall. At Thingvellir a lot of people lined up at the kiosk in the parking lot where it was cold and windy. You can skip that one and walk to one of the buildings (including the restroom) where there are more kiosks and the line was shorter and it wasn’t as cold.

For those of you interested in our detailed itinerary, keep reading.

Day 1: Arrival and explore Reykjavik Day 2: Drive to Husafell, visit Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls and tour Vigdelmir Cave Day 3: Explore the Golden Circle Day 4: Drive to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach Day 5: Drive to Vik, explore the south coast Day 6: More exploring in south Iceland and Vik Day 7: Drive to Keflavik airport

Day 1: Arrival and Reykjavik

We arrived at 6:30 am and eventually found our way to get our rental car (see above). It was only about 50 minutes to Reykjavik and we got to our hotel by 9:00. Our day in Reykavik was meant as a rest day, we didn’t have a big agenda. Mostly we walked around downtown – our main stops were:

• Hallgrimskirkja church (you can pay to take the elevator to the top where you will find beautiful views)
• Harpa Concert Hall -Worth walking around so see the award-winning architecture. I would love to see a concert there
• Lake Tjornin and the historic district
• Downtown where we wandered around including on the street famous for having a rainbow painted on it. 
• Check out Full Suitcase/Reykjavik for their recommendations of things to do.

Day 2.  Drive to Husafell (driving time 2 hours)

We drove north of Reykjavik to Husafell, our next stop.  Right before Husafell we stopped at Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls which I mentioned were among my favorites. Just past Husafell is the Vigdelmir Cave and we took the 90-minute tour of this lava cave.

Day 3: Golden Circle (driving time to Thingvellir 1 ½ hours)

After a wonderful breakfast we drove to the Golden Circle. First stop was Thingvellir National Park. This is a unique historical as well as geological site (you can even take a snorkeling tour between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe). There is a pathway to take and we walked as far as Oxafoss Waterfalls (about 3 miles round trip).  From there it was a 35 minute drive to Geysir, another popular stop. We didn’t spend much time there, maybe it’s because we’ve been to Yellowstone and have seen Old Faithful we weren’t that interested. Last stop, just 10 minutes from Geysir, was the stunning Gullfoss waterfall. It was freezing cold and the wind was so strong we were grasping the handrails, but it was worth it. 

Since we weren’t able to eat at Fridheimar tomato farm (as I mentioned above), we opted for a mushroom farm instead and ate mushroom soup and bread at The Farmer’s Bistro  in Fludir, about a 30 minute drive from Gullfoss. 

Hotel: Hotel Gullfoss . This is a very nice and laid back hotel just minutes from the waterfall.

Day 4: Drive south to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach (driving time 4 hours and 40 minutes)

This was our longest driving day. From Gullfoss we headed through Selfoss and headed west driving through South Iceland. We made a few stops including at the Eldhraun lava field which I think is worth seeing (it’s a quick stop off the Ring Road near Kirkjubaejarkaustur).

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach were also highlights of the trip. They are across the street from each other so you park at one and walk to the other. Both are beautiful in different and unique ways. 

Hotel: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon . A beautiful hotel with good food but very busy. It seemed like a stop on the tour bus route. After the more low-key hotels of the past few days it took some getting used to.

Day 5: Drive to Vik (2 hours and 25 minutes)

This was maybe our best day.  We drove back east toward Vik but this time stopping at several places within the Vatnajokull National Park. First stop was Fjallsarlon glacier lagoon, a smaller version of Jokulsarlon but just as pretty and not nearly as crowded. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the waterfront viewing point.

Next stop was Skaftafell National Park. From the visitor center it’s about 1 ½ miles to the Svartifoss Waterfall, with some climbing involved. 

And then the final stop of the day was Fjaorargljufur canyon, a magical place that both my daughter and I say is our #1 favorite place we visited. You can take a trail along the edge that runs a little over a mile. It’s hard to tell people it’s my favorite place since I’ve no idea how to pronounce it. But Kyana Sue Powers (an American photographer living in Iceland who I follow on Instagram) refers to it as the canyon with the unpronounceable name so I think I’m going to start using that.

Hotel: Hotel Vik Another very nice and friendly hotel conveniently located in Vik. I was very appreciative of how helpful they were when we wanted to stay an extra day due to a need to change our itinerary (see below).

Day 6: Vik and South Iceland

This is the day that did not go as planned. Originally, we planned to continue on the south coast heading to Grindavik on the Reykjanes Pennisula where we had reservations at the Blue Lagoon and at the Northern Lights Inn.  However, the threat of an imminent volcanic eruption in the area around Grindavik closed everything down and meant we had to revise our schedule. Visiting the Blue Lagoon or one of the other thermal lagoons is very popular in Iceland. But we decided to spend more time on the south coast and not complicate our trip by trying to get a reservation at one of the other thermal lagoons in another part of Iceland. So a few things we planned to do on Day 5, we pushed to Day 6 and we added in a few more stops. 

We started the day at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, then drove back toward Vik to go to Skogafoss Waterfall, making a stop at Rutshellir Cave.  From there it was up a very winding, steep, narrow road to Dyrholaey Lighthouse & Arch which had an amazing view but was so cold and the wind was so strong it was hard to look for too long. After winding our way down our final stop was Reynisfjara Beach which is famous for its black sand and basalt columns. 

Hotel: Hotel Vik

Day 7 Drive to airport in Keflavik (driving time 3 hours)

Before starting our drive we made a quick stop at Skoolbeans – a very unique coffee “shop” in Vik.  I strongly recommend the hot chocolate with the works. 

Our final stop before the airport was at a geothermal area we passed along the road.   

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