~~ Iceland megathread ~~

liamoreilly

...Yeah Hammer, I will be eating there for the 4 days, so am mentally (probably not financially) prepared to be disgusted by it!...Really looking forward to the trip, will be great start to the New Year...If I keep decent track of things I'll throw up a TR...

Hrududu

If you plan to do the Blue Lagoon then my tip would be to book the very first slot in the morning. We did this and there were way less people there at that time. Plus the experience of being there in the dark and have the sun then come up was great. Make sure to book well in advance as the tickets sell out.

rdhma

In Reykjavik, have a look at Hallgrimskirkja cathedral, try Noodle Station on Laugavegur for fairly sanely priced food.
Most of what Iceland has to offer is in the natural sights though.

If you are doing the Golden circle tour and have your own vehicle, the Secret Lagoon hot springs is close to the route, cheaper and less crowded than the Blue Lagoon.

I put together a set of routes to take in as many sights as possible in a few days, when I was there in 2017,
Touring routes in Iceland

Aglomerado

rdhma wrote: »

In Reykjavik, have a look at Hallgrimskirkja cathedral, try Noodle Station on Laugavegur for fairly sanely priced food.
Most of what Iceland has to offer is in the natural sights though.

If you are doing the Golden circle tour and have your own vehicle, the Secret Lagoon hot springs is close to the route, cheaper and less crowded than the Blue Lagoon.

I put together a set of routes to take in as many sights as possible in a few days, when I was there in 2017,
Touring routes in Iceland

Go to the top of the Hallgrimskirke. The view is amazing (it has a lift )!

pixbyjohn

Seen from Reykjavik in October. Enjoy your trip
Aurora Reykjavik, Iceland by Pixbyjohn, on Flickr

pixbyjohn

View from Tower of Hallgrimskirkja Church, Reykjavik. Iceland by Pixbyjohn, on Flickr

pixbyjohn

Iceland 2015 by Pixbyjohn, on Flickr

deco72

liamoreilly wrote: »

...Heading on NYD with my GF for 4 nights and can't wait...Itinerary wise we're pretty set...Im wondering/hoping people that have gone could mention some nice restaurants that are good value?...Anywhere that do special offers etc?...We will pick up some drink in airport although we are more foodies than drinkers...Can't wait!!!!...

How did you get on in Iceland, Im heading over tomorrow for 4 days. Hoping to see the Northern Lights tomorrow however have just seen the tour tonight was cancelled so its not looking good for tomorrow, explore the town on Saturday, then Golden Circle/Ice Cave and snowmobile Sunday and Blue Lagoon Monday before flight home.

Any recommendations on places to eat drink?

retalivity

Heading to reykjavik for 3 days myself at the end of the month, chexking the weather forecast and it is actually quite mild i.e. not snowy. So would i get away with a cheap car rental for the 3 days, that is not a 4x4? There are 4 of us and it makes sense to rent a car and drive around thay paying €80+ each per day for a tour

quietsailor

retalivity wrote: »

Heading to reykjavik for 3 days myself at the end of the month, chexking the weather forecast and it is actually quite mild i.e. not snowy. So would i get away with a cheap car rental for the 3 days, that is not a 4x4? There are 4 of us and it makes sense to rent a car and drive around thay paying €80+ each per day for a tour

The roads outside the main towns are tarred but local roads, even ones leading to well known attractions were gravel. A car can travel them but the jeep might be more comfortable. For such a short stay you could just book tours, i know you said you don't want to but we found them very good and the guides interesting. I've forgotten our tour groups name but they had a nice system going; drive to the attraction giving a talk about the countryside on the way, quick talk at the car park about the attraction them you could stay with the guide and walk around the attraction or head off on your own.
Some groups will collect and drop you to your hotel.

Its bloody expensive. €15 for a burger, chip and can of coke meal where you'd pay €7-8 here in cork for the same meal. We bought food - cold meat, bread rolls, some tomatoes etc and yogurts most days in a supermarket. Funnily enough the high end restaurants were better value for money. I booked one called Perlan that was located in an old water tower overlooking Reykjavik for my wifes birthday and it was excellent.

Nigel Fairservice

retalivity wrote: »

Heading to reykjavik for 3 days myself at the end of the month, chexking the weather forecast and it is actually quite mild i.e. not snowy. So would i get away with a cheap car rental for the 3 days, that is not a 4x4? There are 4 of us and it makes sense to rent a car and drive around thay paying €80+ each per day for a tour

If you're just going on Route 1 a car rental would probably do in decent weather conditions. We did it in a hatchback but it was Autumn time and we had good weather. No way would we have gone too far off Route 1 in the car we had though.

Suckler

quietsailor wrote: »

The roads outside the main towns are tarred but local roads, even ones leading to well known attractions were gravel. A car can travel them but the jeep might be more comfortable. For such a short stay you could just book tours, i know you said you don't want to but we found them very good and the guides interesting

+1

kearneybobs

Going to be heading to Iceland towards the mid/end of Feb.
Booked flights already for a full week. Accommodation is gonna get booked ASAP once we know what we're ideally gonna do and where to do it.

Anyone got any suggestion on how best to plan the trip.
I would imagine staying in Reykjavik for the full week would be a waste and could possible get a bit further out for a couple of nights.

Think we're planning on having about 3-4 nights in Reykjavik and the rest somewhere else. Possible doing a 2 day excursion along the south coast.

Not planning on renting a car.
Any suggestions on where to possibly go and how to get there?

In terms of booking excursions/daytrip for the northern lights, whale watching etc is there any one website that is reliable to most people. Looking for a relatively cheap option but willing to splash out for something a little special if needed.
Should I book the first couple of days up and wait until i get there to see what can be done in person.

I hear the tourist office is great to point you in the right direction for tours.
Did people find that booking short notice a day or two ahead was OK for these trips or is locking them in online before you go the best option?

rainbowtrout

kearneybobs wrote: »

Going to be heading to Iceland towards the mid/end of Feb.
Booked flights already for a full week. Accommodation is gonna get booked ASAP once we know what we're ideally gonna do and where to do it.

Anyone got any suggestion on how best to plan the trip.
I would imagine staying in Reykjavik for the full week would be a waste and could possible get a bit further out for a couple of nights.

Think we're planning on having about 3-4 nights in Reykjavik and the rest somewhere else. Possible doing a 2 day excursion along the south coast.

Not planning on renting a car.
Any suggestions on where to possibly go and how to get there?

In terms of booking excursions/daytrip for the northern lights, whale watching etc is there any one website that is reliable to most people. Looking for a relatively cheap option but willing to splash out for something a little special if needed.
Should I book the first couple of days up and wait until i get there to see what can be done in person.

I hear the tourist office is great to point you in the right direction for tours.
Did people find that booking short notice a day or two ahead was OK for these trips or is locking them in online before you go the best option?

You will need a car.

You can do the day excursions outside Reykjavik as part of a tour but if you plan to do a two day trip along the south coast you’ll need the car. Don’t know what it’s like in winter for booking accommodation but it’s scarce in summer.

Also there are no cheap options in Iceland. If you are staying for a week expect to spend a lot of money.

BailMeOut

kearneybobs wrote: »

Going to be heading to Iceland towards the mid/end of Feb.
Booked flights already for a full week. Accommodation is gonna get booked ASAP once we know what we're ideally gonna do and where to do it.

Anyone got any suggestion on how best to plan the trip.
I would imagine staying in Reykjavik for the full week would be a waste and could possible get a bit further out for a couple of nights.

Think we're planning on having about 3-4 nights in Reykjavik and the rest somewhere else. Possible doing a 2 day excursion along the south coast.

Not planning on renting a car.
Any suggestions on where to possibly go and how to get there?

In terms of booking excursions/daytrip for the northern lights, whale watching etc is there any one website that is reliable to most people. Looking for a relatively cheap option but willing to splash out for something a little special if needed.
Should I book the first couple of days up and wait until i get there to see what can be done in person.

I hear the tourist office is great to point you in the right direction for tours.
Did people find that booking short notice a day or two ahead was OK for these trips or is locking them in online before you go the best option?

I'd book a car, it will make a big difference for your trip. Did you check how much daylight you are getting while there as you will want maximize every minute of it if the days are short.

Drumpot

Ive effectively got 3 full days end of feb.

Plan is to book Aurora tour on the day we arrive because we don't have the full day and if its postponed cause there is no show I believe you can go the next night and so on ?

Also was looking at tours that have a bit of everything but would you be better off giving more time to one thing ? Like one day just completely on the ring . One day for the Blue Lagoon and maybe something else. . Most tours with the Blue lagoon included are limited to 2 hours there, is that enough (maybe it is) or is it nice taking your time and spending longer ? I know it works out cheaper doing that but I was wondering if its worth spending a bit more money and time at these places ? I am asking, cause I am not sure whats the best way to use our three full days (I don't include the day we arrive at circa 2pm which is why I thought we goto view Aurora tha night!).

rainbowtrout

Drumpot wrote: »

Ive effectively got 3 full days end of feb.

Plan is to book Aurora tour on the day we arrive because we don't have the full day and if its postponed cause there is no show I believe you can go the next night and so on ?

Also was looking at tours that have a bit of everything but would you be better off giving more time to one thing ? Like one day just completely on the ring . One day for the Blue Lagoon and maybe something else. . Most tours with the Blue lagoon included are limited to 2 hours there, is that enough (maybe it is) or is it nice taking your time and spending longer ? I know it works out cheaper doing that but I was wondering if its worth spending a bit more money and time at these places ? I am asking, cause I am not sure whats the best way to use our three full days (I don't include the day we arrive at circa 2pm which is why I thought we goto view Aurora tha night!).

Two hours is plenty in the Blue Lagoon. It’s a nice experience but essentially you are in an outdoor geothermally heated pool. Granted you can get food and drinks there but most people don’t spend all day in a pool unless they are really into the spa thing.

Hammer Archer

I'd second renting a car. Public transport outside of Reykjavik is pretty much non existent. While I was nervous about driving there, it was the best decision we made.
Blue Lagoon is alright. It was nice to experience it but wouldn't really go again given how crowded and expensive it was.
In February, you'd have a good 9 hours of daylight (9am - 6pm). If you're on the road early, most sights on the south coast will be within reach in the car. You'd also be able to go up a good bit of the west coast in the day from Reykjavik. Obviously if you want to see the north or east of the country, you'd be best staying somewhere like Akureyri or Höfn.

Up to you about the car but I absolutely loved the freedom of going where we wanted when we wanted.
For accommodation, I'd suggest self catering (AirBnB or the like). While food is expensive in supermarkets, restaurant prices are astronomical.

kearneybobs

Thanks guys. We're planning on cooking some food in the AirBnB at least a few nights as I understand it's really expensive eating out.

I've seen a few 2 day tours available online where you get accommodation and travel with a few other people.
Not cheap but for the price we'd be paying for accommodation, food and sights it's that much more.
It would allow us to get out of the capital and then see some of the sights that might not be accessible to us from there on the south coast.

As far as booking excursions, you recommend trying to book it all online before you get there or what?

deco72

Definitely do the Northern Lights the first night. We had booked for the night we arrived but it was cancelled due to weather but we got to rebook for the next day. Make sure you set your camera/smart phone up right to capture the lights too, quick search on google if your not used to setting these yourself.

Just back from Iceland last week, was there for 4 days. We stopped in the Blue Lagoon on the way back to Airport as it is on the way, spent about 5hrs in total there, was good could have done less time but it was perfect for us to just chill before our flight.

Food and drink is expensive but yeah if you can cook at the place you are staying one or two nights will save a bit. Would recommend the Tapas Barinn restaurant if you are going for food, it was lovely, I think we got 4 tapas dishes, 1 glass of wine and 1 bottle of IPA for around €100 but the food was good and filling.

Also the free walking tour is good this goes from centre of Reykjavik, he pointed out a nice little Icelandic restaurant called Icelandic Street Food thats serves soup in a bread bowl with refills. Their motto is no one leaves hungry so it is a good place to fill up. They also have free bites like biscuits/cakes out on the counters.

BelovedAunt

Lads I'm finding that renting a car through WowAir is cheaper than going through Blue Car Rental. Anyone else find this?

retalivity

I had found that sixt through ebookers was cheapest, 2 months ago. Got cashback as well

sydthebeat

DEFINITELY get windscreen cover on any rental !!!!!

Nigel Fairservice

sydthebeat wrote: »

DEFINITELY get windscreen cover on any rental !!!!!

I would second this. Even on highway 1 there was a lot of loose material/gravel on the road. At one point on the trip I was certain we'd crack the windscreen.

Noel Mc12345

Hi . I am travelling to Iceland for 5 days in august. I am staying for 3 days in Reykjavik but I would like to rent a car for two days. I would like to drive for a full day leisurely, stopping for photos, probably not trek or anything, stay a night somewhere, maybe in Vik and then drive back to Reykjavik the next day. The south road of Reykjavik appears to be the common choice,would anyone have any recommendations? Am I missing out more by not doing the north part?

Thanks

Noel

Greg81

Noel Mc12345 wrote: »

Hi . I am travelling to Iceland for 5 days in august. I am staying for 3 days in Reykjavik but I would like to rent a car for two days. I would like to drive for a full day leisurely, stopping for photos, probably not trek or anything, stay a night somewhere, maybe in Vik and then drive back to Reykjavik the next day. The south road of Reykjavik appears to be the common choice,would anyone have any recommendations? Am I missing out more by not doing the north part?

Thanks

Noel

Iceland is beautiful. wherever you go you will find something interesting. If you heading towards VIK go a little bit further. Jukursalon is amazing. On the way there you can stop at Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Skogafoss waterfall. When you past VIK and black beach visit abandon DC plane

https://expertvagabond.com/airplane-crash-wreckage-iceland/

Near Jukursalon there is a Diamond Beach a must visit place.

Also few places where you can go and really touch the glacier.

While staying in Reykjavik remember to do the Golden circle tour.

Northern parts of Iceland are awesome as well. Visit it as well when you get a chance.

EDIT:

Check those threads

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=95111776&postcount=2

Noel Mc12345

Thanks great tip, thank you much appreciated

uck51js9zml2yt

I drove last year in April. Had a 4wd and was glad of it as wee went cross country thanks to my sat nav

We went to bifrost,. Fludir, vik and hofn.

A lot off driving but spectacular scenery.

There's a good thread on Iceland.

EverythingGood

Just back, was there for a 7 days. Driving is simple and straightforward. Get an SUV type car. 2 days is enough in the capital, get out of the city for a bit longer if you can...its an amazing place. We went all the way to east Iceland, did the whole island.

Noel Mc12345

tatranska wrote: »

I drove last year in April. Had a 4wd and was glad of it as wee went cross country thanks to my sat nav

We went to bifrost,. Fludir, vik and hofn.

A lot off driving but spectacular scenery.

There's a good thread on Iceland.

Thank you so much. Can i ask how long it took to drive between bifrost,. Fludir, vik and hofn.