Discussion
Easyjet have just started flying to Reykjavik from Belfast so I've booked flight for me and the wife in February. Can anyone suggest what area of Iceland we should stay, I think I'm going to hire a car to see as much as possible but wanted to know where should I base myself.
It will be our 10th wedding anniversary so would like to book a romantic restaurant as well if possible.
Can't wait!
It will be our 10th wedding anniversary so would like to book a romantic restaurant as well if possible.
Can't wait!
I spend a fair bit of time there and get asked quite regularly about stuff to do, below are my standard cut and paste answers which I send out. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.
• The airport is 45mins from Reykjavik and is close to the Blue Lagoon – therefore pre-book your airport coach to include a trip to the Blue Lagoon, either for when you arrive or when you leave. All the coach companies can do this.
• Iceland doesn’t have much public transport outside Reykjavik – you may need to hire a car if you want to go into the wilderness. It’s not cheap, although this place is at the cheaper end of the scale - www.sadcars.com, or just go an organised trip.
• Standard tourist trip is to the Golden Circle – this takes in Gulfoss (biggest waterfall in Europe), Geyser (the original geyser that all the others are named after) and Thingvellir (the location of the World’s earliest parliament and on the North Atlantic fault line)
• You can rent summerhouses all over the island – they’re self catering wooden cabins, but not that cheap just for 2 – they generally sleep up to 6 people but come with plenty of stuff – hot pot (jaccussi without the bubbles), bar-b-que, TV etc. Google will throw up some rental companies.
• Jokulsarlon is a glacial lagoon and rather spectacular, but quite some distance from Reykjavik. It contains the meltwater from the Vatnajokull Glacier and contains lots of little icebergs.
• Landmannalaugar is an area 4hrs inland where there’s a hot spring in a glacial river which is in the middle of a spectacular mountain range. You can swim in the glacial meltwater, which is pretty cool. We’ve been there twice and loved it. It’s also the starting point for some pretty major walks. Lots of people camp there in the summer and go hiking. Take your own food – there’s not much there other than changing rooms, WC’s and showers.
• Take swimming costumes everywhere – most small suburbs / villages have an outdoor swimming pool. Plenty have some amazing views from the poolside if you’re in the wilderness. We’ve swum in one in the North Western Fjords on the side of a mountain with a glass wall to the side and a view straight over the Fjords – was rather nice. The majority also have hot pots for a bit of relaxation.
• Most of the pools in Reykjavik are also outdoors, swimming is a national pastime.
• Our local area is called Seltjannanes, which is the spit of land to the north east of Reykjavik. There’s a really nice walk or jog around the peninsula and golf course if you have the time, plus they have a nice outdoor swimming pool and gym.
• Hot dogs are a national dish and are served everywhere. They’re cheap and tasty, particularly as they cover them in 3 different sauces and dried onions. Makes for an easy lunch from a petrol station.
• Take some booze with you, or if you don’t, make sure you buy your allowance in Kaflavik airport when you land (there is duty free when you land) – alcohol is rather expensive and most Icelanders get pissed at home then go out a bit later.
• Alcohol cannot be bought in supermarkets, you have to go to a government controlled off licence called a Vin Bud, their opening hours are not great so pre-planning is required at times. There’s a couple in the centre of Reykjavik.
• Lots of nice seafood restaurants down by the harbour as you’d imagine.
• Reykjavik is lively on Friday and Saturday nights. Check for music festivals or DJ listings before you go. People tend to start late.
• There are plenty of art exhibitions also, so worth checking before you go.
• There’s a restaurant called Perlan (The Pearl) just outside Reykjavik which is a revolving glass dome sitting atop 5 huge water towers. It’s a rather impressive expensive restaurant in the evening, but you can go during the day and get an ice cream or lunch and just take in the view – there’s an outside viewing gallery also. There’s also a museum downstairs and some quite nice walks in the woods that surround it. The food is good there, but it’s not the best in Iceland – you’re paying for the experience. You can go to the viewing Gallery without paying anything or eating in the restaurant during the day.
• These guys are apparently good for trips : www.re.is However, we’ve never really been on an organised trip whilst there. Although Mrs JQ has done whale watching with the boys and said that was good.
• Going into the wilderness – there are 2 choices, going inland or staying on the coast. Both are spectacular. Road 1 follows the whole coastline of the country, starts and finishes in Reykjavik and takes in some spectacular sights. We managed it in 3 days, but that was doing some long days driving. Going inland may be a struggle in winter, you’ll need to check the weather, plus the roads get a bit more uncertain – there will be certain roads that will be impassable in a car, you’d need a 4x4. That’s usually down to river crossings or snow, so it will be obvious if you can’t get through.
• I’ve not been to Katla (the big Volcano), and really want to go, but it’s quite some distance from Reykjavik.
• I also really want to go to see the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam, which is the largest dam complex in Europe, but again it’s quite some distance away.
• You might be able to Ski depending on when you go, they have floodlit slopes outside Reykjavik.
• There’s lots of other stuff you can do which the tour companies can organise such as jeep safaris, glacier walks, ice climbing, off-roading, ski-doing etc.
• The reality is you can do all these things yourself without paying a tour company, there are very few restrictions in Iceland. It’s not a problem just driving to a glacier and going for a walk, and all the places I’ve mentioned above “should” be accessible by car. The problem is having the correct equipment for certain things like going to a glacier – we use a big 4x4 when we’re there and there are still places we’ve struggled to get to, or got stuck – you just need to be careful and sensible.
• For exploring the wilderness plenty of farms have rooms, which are far cheaper than hotels – have a dig round on google.
• One of the glaciers has a river running through it that you can walk down (essentially a natural tunnel under the glacier) , I’ve always fancied that too – I don’t know the name.
• If you’re likely to want internet access, you used to be able to buy a pre-payed 3G dongle either on the plane or at the airport - they’re actually quite reasonable. We have one that we just top-up when we’re there.
• Esja is Iceland’s highest mountain (not very high), and it overlooks Reykjavik. You can park at the bottom and walk up in a few hours. Get some good views from the top, assuming clear weather.
• The airport is 45mins from Reykjavik and is close to the Blue Lagoon – therefore pre-book your airport coach to include a trip to the Blue Lagoon, either for when you arrive or when you leave. All the coach companies can do this.
• Iceland doesn’t have much public transport outside Reykjavik – you may need to hire a car if you want to go into the wilderness. It’s not cheap, although this place is at the cheaper end of the scale - www.sadcars.com, or just go an organised trip.
• Standard tourist trip is to the Golden Circle – this takes in Gulfoss (biggest waterfall in Europe), Geyser (the original geyser that all the others are named after) and Thingvellir (the location of the World’s earliest parliament and on the North Atlantic fault line)
• You can rent summerhouses all over the island – they’re self catering wooden cabins, but not that cheap just for 2 – they generally sleep up to 6 people but come with plenty of stuff – hot pot (jaccussi without the bubbles), bar-b-que, TV etc. Google will throw up some rental companies.
• Jokulsarlon is a glacial lagoon and rather spectacular, but quite some distance from Reykjavik. It contains the meltwater from the Vatnajokull Glacier and contains lots of little icebergs.
• Landmannalaugar is an area 4hrs inland where there’s a hot spring in a glacial river which is in the middle of a spectacular mountain range. You can swim in the glacial meltwater, which is pretty cool. We’ve been there twice and loved it. It’s also the starting point for some pretty major walks. Lots of people camp there in the summer and go hiking. Take your own food – there’s not much there other than changing rooms, WC’s and showers.
• Take swimming costumes everywhere – most small suburbs / villages have an outdoor swimming pool. Plenty have some amazing views from the poolside if you’re in the wilderness. We’ve swum in one in the North Western Fjords on the side of a mountain with a glass wall to the side and a view straight over the Fjords – was rather nice. The majority also have hot pots for a bit of relaxation.
• Most of the pools in Reykjavik are also outdoors, swimming is a national pastime.
• Our local area is called Seltjannanes, which is the spit of land to the north east of Reykjavik. There’s a really nice walk or jog around the peninsula and golf course if you have the time, plus they have a nice outdoor swimming pool and gym.
• Hot dogs are a national dish and are served everywhere. They’re cheap and tasty, particularly as they cover them in 3 different sauces and dried onions. Makes for an easy lunch from a petrol station.
• Take some booze with you, or if you don’t, make sure you buy your allowance in Kaflavik airport when you land (there is duty free when you land) – alcohol is rather expensive and most Icelanders get pissed at home then go out a bit later.
• Alcohol cannot be bought in supermarkets, you have to go to a government controlled off licence called a Vin Bud, their opening hours are not great so pre-planning is required at times. There’s a couple in the centre of Reykjavik.
• Lots of nice seafood restaurants down by the harbour as you’d imagine.
• Reykjavik is lively on Friday and Saturday nights. Check for music festivals or DJ listings before you go. People tend to start late.
• There are plenty of art exhibitions also, so worth checking before you go.
• There’s a restaurant called Perlan (The Pearl) just outside Reykjavik which is a revolving glass dome sitting atop 5 huge water towers. It’s a rather impressive expensive restaurant in the evening, but you can go during the day and get an ice cream or lunch and just take in the view – there’s an outside viewing gallery also. There’s also a museum downstairs and some quite nice walks in the woods that surround it. The food is good there, but it’s not the best in Iceland – you’re paying for the experience. You can go to the viewing Gallery without paying anything or eating in the restaurant during the day.
• These guys are apparently good for trips : www.re.is However, we’ve never really been on an organised trip whilst there. Although Mrs JQ has done whale watching with the boys and said that was good.
• Going into the wilderness – there are 2 choices, going inland or staying on the coast. Both are spectacular. Road 1 follows the whole coastline of the country, starts and finishes in Reykjavik and takes in some spectacular sights. We managed it in 3 days, but that was doing some long days driving. Going inland may be a struggle in winter, you’ll need to check the weather, plus the roads get a bit more uncertain – there will be certain roads that will be impassable in a car, you’d need a 4x4. That’s usually down to river crossings or snow, so it will be obvious if you can’t get through.
• I’ve not been to Katla (the big Volcano), and really want to go, but it’s quite some distance from Reykjavik.
• I also really want to go to see the Kárahnjúkastífla Dam, which is the largest dam complex in Europe, but again it’s quite some distance away.
• You might be able to Ski depending on when you go, they have floodlit slopes outside Reykjavik.
• There’s lots of other stuff you can do which the tour companies can organise such as jeep safaris, glacier walks, ice climbing, off-roading, ski-doing etc.
• The reality is you can do all these things yourself without paying a tour company, there are very few restrictions in Iceland. It’s not a problem just driving to a glacier and going for a walk, and all the places I’ve mentioned above “should” be accessible by car. The problem is having the correct equipment for certain things like going to a glacier – we use a big 4x4 when we’re there and there are still places we’ve struggled to get to, or got stuck – you just need to be careful and sensible.
• For exploring the wilderness plenty of farms have rooms, which are far cheaper than hotels – have a dig round on google.
• One of the glaciers has a river running through it that you can walk down (essentially a natural tunnel under the glacier) , I’ve always fancied that too – I don’t know the name.
• If you’re likely to want internet access, you used to be able to buy a pre-payed 3G dongle either on the plane or at the airport - they’re actually quite reasonable. We have one that we just top-up when we’re there.
• Esja is Iceland’s highest mountain (not very high), and it overlooks Reykjavik. You can park at the bottom and walk up in a few hours. Get some good views from the top, assuming clear weather.
Ciaran said:
Wow, talk about comprehensive - thanks!
I get asked a lot.I struggle with restaurant recommendations I'm afraid - we don't eat out that much and trends change so quickly that what's cool last year is often closed this year. One comment though - Perlan is not really romantic, much better places in town for that sort of thing. If you're brave try some shark, yuk!!
JQ said:
I get asked a lot.
I struggle with restaurant recommendations I'm afraid - we don't eat out that much and trends change so quickly that what's cool last year is often closed this year. One comment though - Perlan is not really romantic, much better places in town for that sort of thing. If you're brave try some shark, yuk!!
To be honest, I'll eat anywhere!I struggle with restaurant recommendations I'm afraid - we don't eat out that much and trends change so quickly that what's cool last year is often closed this year. One comment though - Perlan is not really romantic, much better places in town for that sort of thing. If you're brave try some shark, yuk!!
Renting a car is definitely a good idea, try going around the whole ring road if you have time!
Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
BrabusMog said:
Take plenty of cash
I didn't use a single note or coin. Most credit card friendly place ever.Shaoxter said:
Renting a car is definitely a good idea, try going around the whole ring road if you have time!
Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
1. Yes - definitely rent a car. We went the last week in January in 2012 and there was plenty of snow and ice around - just go steady and stick to the main roads. We had an Octy estate 1.6TDI 4motion - did the job.Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
BrabusMog said:
Take plenty of cash
I didn't use a single note or coin. Most credit card friendly place ever.2. Disagree on the food point. We had some fantastic meals while we were there - yes there is a lot of fast food about (usually in petrol stations) but do your research and you will have some of the freshest fish you will ever taste.
3. Blue Lagoon is touristy but an absolute must-do!
Links of use:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Some of my pics. Just wish I had my 600d back then.
Edited by matt3001 on Wednesday 9th July 16:23
Shaoxter said:
Renting a car is definitely a good idea, try going around the whole ring road if you have time!
Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
More appropriately, budget to spend lots Golden circle and Blue lagoon were nice... but too touristy (relatively speaking). For me Iceland is all about the astonishing natural scenery - Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell, Reynisdrangar, etc.
Food was definitely the lowlight of our trip, we arrived at hotels in the evenings and most of them stop serving food at 8pm or even earlier! Instant noodles came in handy
BrabusMog said:
Take plenty of cash
I didn't use a single note or coin. Most credit card friendly place ever.
d! 
//j17 said:
Not sure how advisable it would be in Feb but when I've gone in late summer a 4x4 was a must for us - the 4x4-only roads are great fun and even better in a hire car!
F roads are closed in Feb and even if they were open I'm not sure you'd want to attempt them!Do get a 4x4 though, even though the main roads are all paved and in excellent condition there are off road bits to some of the attractions.
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