Inexpensive to get to from the east coast and under 6 hour flights from DC, Iceland was a great short visit. With mosts flights arriving early morning and departing late afternoon, and 24 hour daylight in the summer, no days are lost to travel. This means you can do Iceland in a long weekend, or less.
The People
The population of Iceland is 350,000, which is half of the population of Washington, DC, or 6% of the entire DC Metropolitan area. 60% of the residents live in the vicinity of Reykjavík. The people are extraordinarily nice. The only rude people were ones getting off planes from other countries. Everyone in any store, restaurant, hotel or otherwise, was extremely friendly. Icelanders begin learning English in 2nd grade, along with at least one other foreign language. With only three local television channels, their English is refined via Netflix (no subtitles). While Icelandic is the language they all speak with each other, most Icelanders spoke very good English, and some with barely an accent. Some from the country don’t have as much Netflix exposure, but you may never run into an Icelander without perfect English.
The Language
Similar to German but sounds much nicer, the letters haven’t been modernized from when they were used centuries ago. Letters like æ, ø, ∂, þ (’th’ sound) are common. Many words can be strung together to make larger words. The largest Icelandic word is vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúraútidyralyklakippuhringur and translates to something like 'road workers storage shed keychain ring’. Normal Icelanders don’t actually write or speak like that. Some ideas of pronunciation fo common words are:
Hallgrímskirkja - [ Hocks • greems • keer • kya ] - This is the very large and noticeable church seen when entering Reykjavík
Laugavegur - [ lu • ga • vey • goor ] - When attempting to repeat this word the way the hotel receptionist said it, I declared it totally unpronounceable. But you may be able to get by with how I’ve transcribed it. You’ll never get it right. Funny joke that it’s the Main Street of the shopping district. .
Eyjafjallajökull - [ Ey • yaf • ya • cla • yuh • clu • tl ] - A volcano that erupted in 2010, disrupting European airtraffic for weeks.
Snæfellsnes [ sny • fells • ness ] - a beautiful northwestern peninsula
þhingvellir [thing • vuh • clear ] - A beautiful park in the Golden Circle
þhingvellir [thing • vuh • clear ] - A beautiful park in the Golden Circle
Cellphones
Cell service is mostly provided by Vodaphone and I found good coverage anywhere within several hours of Reykjavík. I didn’t notice places in the airport to purchase SIM cards. But with ATT, you can enroll your phone in the International option online, which lets you use your plan in other countries, and bills you an extra $10 for each 24 hour period in a foreign country. You use your phone as is, like you’re home. Other than enrolling online, there’s no need to select dates as it will automatically kick in when your phone tries to connect. You can use the Internet, make and receive calls, etc., the same way you would at home. The only caveat is if you make calls within Iceland to Iceland, like to make a dinner reservation, it’s like you’re calling International from home, at $3/minute.
The Airport
Even though we traveled in the height of the tourist season, there were few crowds during our vacation. The airport was the exception. While not a very large airport, the layout is a bit different than US airports. The terminals resemble wide hallways and people line up in those hallways for their flights, leaving little room to get through the airport. This makes the airport seem a bit chaotic. Many signs are not translated in English, but the pictures do a good enough job, and I was able to find our bags easily enough at the baggage “reclaim”.
Getting through the airport on the way back was relatively easy, but be warned. After security but prior to the gates is a customs checkpoint. Once through security, we relaxed, had shakes at “Joe and the Juice” and relaxed. We headed towards our gate 30 minutes to departure to be faced with a very long customs line. Thankfully it moved quickly. There is a sign after security giving you a time estimate to get to the gates.
Car Rental and Driving
While you can do many things in a day trip from Reykjavík, most things will be a long day trip. For Snaefellsnes peninsula, you can expect to be gone 12 hours. Southern Iceland, 12 hours. Golden Circle, 8 hours if you do an excursion. There are tour companies that are easy to book from and will pick you up conveniently in Reykjavík. If you don’t think you are up for the long drives, the tour companies are a good option. But if you’re like me and you like to do it yourself, and stay as long or short at places as you want, then a car is a must. Nearly all adventure excursions also allow for meeting at a closer location. For example, we did a snowmobile excursion on Langjökull glacier and met at the Gullfoss parking area, but we could have opted for a Reykjavík pickup, with a golden circle tour.
Renting a car is easy. There are many car rental agencies. I rented using Costco Travel from Alamo. While Alamo and National are the same company, in Iceland they drop the ‘Alamo’ signage entirely so if you do the same, just look for National. There is a shuttle bus that is a short drive to the rental place. You could actually walk there in a little more than 5 minutes if you know where to go (we walked back). The rental agency experience is slightly different but generally familiar. They take a little more time to show you the car, walk around it with you, and explain that they will be holding a $50,000 damage deposit on your card. I nodded in agreement, realizing that he meant 50,000 Krónur, which is about $500.
Rental prices are reasonable if you’re willing to get a reasonable car. There were just two of us so we weren’t concerned with back seat space and were fine with one car class above economy. The first three car classes mostly all have manual transmissions, so you will go at least mid-tier if you need automatic. Streets are narrow and having the smaller car was very helpful for parking. Our car was a Nissan Micra and I was very happy with it. Many of the cars are models you will not find in the States. Another consideration is that gas is very expensive. We had a diesel and prices were about 227 ISK per liter, which is about $8.16 per gallon. Buying gas is a bit different. I found that the automated pumps did not accept any of my US credit cards because they use a ‘chip and pin’ style which the US does not support. In one gas station I was able to simply walk in and give my card to them while I filled the tank. In another I had to purchase prepaid gas cards in amounts of 3000 ISK or higher for use with the machines.
Driving is similar to the US but with European style signage. Speed and distance is in Kilometers and Meters. You drive on the right side (Like the US). They use dotted white lines to separate opposing traffic, as opposed to the double yellow that we are familiar with. Knowing this in advance may save you a scary experience leaving the airport.
Lights in Iceland give a courteous quick yellow flash prior to a green... very thoughtful. There were not many stop signs, but it would be wise to treat yield signs like stop signs. This popular sign confused me and means no parking or waiting. 
Google Maps (and probably Waze) work very well in Iceland, so if you’re driving around a lot, you want your cellphone. The Google Map voice does a valiant job mispronouncing the streets exactly as we would, which makes things nice and easy.
There is very little traffic around Rejkjavík and parking was easy. Parking is free on Sunday and after 6PM during the week and Saturday. Fees begin at 9am. There are several zones. I found it rather easy to find parking after metered hours, and even got lucky on Saturday night when the area is buzzing. There is always free parking around Hallgrímskirkja, which was only a five minute walk from where we were staying on Laugavegur. Spots are limited but I got lucky. I think if you’re ok driving around, you’ll always find parking.
The Currency
The currency is Icelandic Króna, or Króner (plural), notated as ISK. In Iceland, like much of Europe, commas are like periods and periods like commas. So something that is 2.455 ISK is two thousand four hundred… But converting to dollars is quite easy. Move the decimal point over to the right one and subtract a couple dollars and you’ll be in the ballpark. So 2.455 ISK is about $22 USD. Visa and MasterCard are accepted almost everywhere, and American Express many places. I didn’t notice the currency exchange locations in the airport on our way in (although I did see them on our way back) so I never did change currency. If you have a credit card you may not need any. The only time it may have been helpful was using the parking meter, which I ended up never really needing to use. Check if your credit card charges a fee for International conversation. Cards like Amex Platinum and Capital One Venture do not. But many credit cards surcharge for currency conversions. If yours does then you may want to consider enrolling in a different credit card or exchanging currency.
Taxes and Shopping
Taxes are built into the total. In many stores if you spend more than 6.000 ISK ($60 USD), you can get a tax claim voucher that you complete at the airport for a tax refund. There are nice things made in Iceland but you will be unlikely to find any bargains as things are generally much more expensive there.
Restaurants and Cafes
Let’s begin with the essentials, coffee. It is clearly evident in any food or drink item I had that Icelanders take pride in what they serve. You could have a hard time finding a ‘plain cup of coffee’ and instead have cappuccino or Americano options. There’s no Starbucks. The closest equivalent is Té and Kaffi, equivalent only because you’ll see several of them, but the quality is amazing. Even the other bakeries and cafes serve coffee with té and kaffi beans. Cappucinos and coffees may be a little smaller than what you’re used to, and will always have a nice flower or other design in the crema.
A pleasant surprise was that all of the food options were amazing. Even traditional American or asian fare in Iceland is deliciously altered and you’ll experience something that tastes so much better than most of the restaurants you are used to here. However, an unpleasant surprise was how costly restaurants were. It is typical for a Hamburger to be 2.400 ISK ($21) and a sushi roll 1.800 ISK ($16). I was surprised when I saw my bill for two martinis, while delicious, was 4.700 ISK ($43). Alcohol is taxed at 84%. Cocktails are outrageous, but beer is not bad. There are local beers which are quite good and affordable, and the Danish Somersby cider is a nice option.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stock up on your favorite energy bars before you leave for Iceland for both cost and convenience. In the country there aren’t as many quick food stops, and certainly not cheap ones. If you want to snack like a true Icelander, you can get a bag of harðfiskur, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
While it was easy to find the ‘recommended’ restaurants from friends, tour companies, and hotel front desks, I sought some that were off the main drag and looked like more affordable options, yet had great TripAdvisor reviews. Everywhere we ate I will review here. Every place was fantastic.
Breakfast
Traditional breakfast out is not very popular in Iceland, and most restaurants and cafes do not open until 9am. Most US flights arrive early in the morning, so it’s common for an American to look for a place for early food, but not necessarily for an Icelander. Sandhölton Laugavegur is a well regarded bakery which opens at 9am. Around the corner on Frakkastigúr was another bakery called sourbródthat looked amazing.. everything fresh from the oven. Given that we are gluten free I did not have anything from these places, but I don’t think they’ll disappoint. A favorite of ours was Eldur, a gelato and crepes place, with gluten free options. Their desert (think Nutella, banana, and chocolate) crepes were delicious, as were their breakfast crepes, which can be had with eggs inside and any other filling you could want along with delicious sauces (ginger hot sauce). A more traditional brunch which is apparently popular with locals is Coocoo’s Nest, which is open Sundays at 11am. I was advised to get there when they open in order to guarantee a table. We did not eat there but heard several recommendations.
Lunch / Dinner
You can make reservations, but we were fine without any. If you can reserve, great. If you can’t don’t worry. Although in one restaurant, the waitress had no problem saying, yes we can seat you but we need the table back at 8. This matter-of-factness is ok with me.
Reykjavík Fish House- Frakkastigúr. I went to this casual spot for a pre-dinner ‘snack’ after coming back from a tour and wanting to try traditional Icelandic fish soup. The soup here was a clear broth, similar to a vegetable broth, with cubed carrots and potatoes and some fish. It was not very filling and only mildly flavorful, but nevertheless hit the spot and was a perfect snack. I understand their Fish and Chips to be their specialty. Fish and More on Skólavörðustígur looked really good from the window. Perhaps give it a try and let me know how you liked it?
Public House Gastropub- Laugavegur - I think the term ‘gastropub’ has a more savory connotation in Europe than in the US. Nevertheless, this place was an amazing find, specializing in Asian fusion, tapas style. Both the edamame and the Shisito peppers were excellent and contained a flavorful Icelandic twist. We almost skipped the ‘aubergine and mushrooms’ because we didn’t realize that aubergine is another word for ‘eggplant’. Again phenomenal. The sushi was decent, but perhaps not what you’re used to in the states, other than they cook their rice ‘al dente’ which was unique. For good bar and general advice, seek Patrick, the manager, who was extremely friendly, had great bar recommendations, and won’t steer you wrong for any question you have.
Rok- Frakkastigúr. Rok, also tapas style, is located across the street from Hallgrímskirkja. It’s also tapas style, with slightly larger portions. 3 dishes may be perfect for two people. This trendy scene only employs women at the bar and wait staff. Friendly service, great food, cozy bar, good conversation.
Hotel
41 - A Townhouse Hotel— Our trip was planned only a couple weeks prior and I found most hotels to be quite expensive, at $400+ per night. So again I looked for off-the-beaten path recommendations that traded traditional hotel amenities for a boutique experience or better location. While the Kex Hostel seemed to have a fun vibe and also had traditional rooms, an Fosshotelwas rather large and a bit of a walk from the main district, we opted for '41 - A Townhouse Hotel’. This 2-year old boutique establishment is identified only by the number ’41’ on a door, which represents it’s number on Laugevegur, and a keypad, where a number given to you in an email is used to gain entry. Step in 20 yards to the reception desk, where you’ll be warmly greeted by extremely friendly and accommodating front desk receptionist. It is perfectly located on the main shopping district street, seconds from restaurants, bars, and shops. Due to their availability, I had booked a Deluxe (Penthouse) room for the first night, and a Small Studio for the next two nights. The Small Studio was just a smaller version of the Deluxe, but still had plenty of space, chic accommodating chairs and table, a small kitchenette (with glassware and an oven) and a smaller version of the the Deluxe bathroom. Both styles were modern, stylish, and clean, with very comfortable sitting chairs and table. If you choose a studio, you’ll need to weigh the fantastic first floor view (In Iceland the ground floor is the 0 floor) above Laugevegur against the sound of late-night revelers. The bars stay open until 5AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Earplugs are a wise choice if your room is on a lower level.
Excursions
In July, while there is a sunset, it doesn't get dark in the evening. If rainy or cloudy, you’ll experience a dusk at around midnight. Midnight sunset is about midnight. Sunrise at 3AM.
With the fact that you will be arriving early in the am, and the lack of darkness, it means you can make the most of your travel without having to worry about being back before dark. Unusual hours could also help avoid the crowds, which were rarely seen anyway even though we were visiting during the peak tourist season.
Originally on our first day, we were going to simply explore Reykjavík and not plan much. But having dropped our bags off at the hotel and sat for some delicious coffee, we realized that we could take advantage of our very early start to travel to a further destination; the lack of darkness meaning we could take our time coming home, and even stop somewhere for a brief nap if needed.
Snaefellsnes
The Snaefellsnes peninsula is a peninsula a couple of hours north of Reykjavík. It will take another couple of hours to drive around it, not including stops. This was about a 12 hour excursion for us, including stops. Generally, the stops were short with only a brief walk from the car, which was nice, but there are options for extended hikes or activities. I found many people chose southern coast over Snaefellsnes for their excursions. I don’t know why. I based my choices on Icelanders’ recommendations over other tourists. We needed a break from all of the driving so we skipped my southern coast itinerary, so I can’t tell you for sure which is better. I think southern coast has some fantastic glacier hiking opportunities. Visit both if you can. For our snaefellsnes trip, it was a very cloudy and somewhat rainy day for us, many of the mountains blanketed in clouds. The scenery would have been better had it been clear, but it was still very enjoyable. On your way, you will pass through an impressively long tunnel, which is a much nicer tunnel than anything we have in the US. There is about a $10 toll each way, and you can pay with a credit card.
Gerduberg cliffs, aka ytri-roudamellur — Shortly after you see these cliffs off to the right, you’ll see a sign for Gerðuberg. It looks like you’re on someone’s driveway, but keep going an you’ll soon be in a parking area just beneath the cliffs. I read that going above the cliffs is fun also.
Lýsuhólslaug — We didn’t stop here. But if you’re into dipping into the various hot geothermal baths that dot Iceland, this is a known good spot. I bet a day could be spent seeking out different geothermal pools. You’ll see a sign to the right somewhere between Gerdubourg and Arnastapi.
Rauðfeldsgjá— You’ll see a sign on the right for the parking area. A very worthwhile 10 minute hike. It was so cloudy we didn’t even know what we were hiking too. It’s worth it to walk into to canyon. You can step over rocks in the stream to get in, but risk getting your feet wet.
Arnastapi- A good place to get a good view of the ocean and worthwhile to drive down, but not too much there unless you want to take the hike to or towards Hellnar and see the Gatklettur Arch. While I bet its a fantastic hike, I think you’ll need a couple of hours for it. Also along the way is Vatnshellir cave. We didn’t stop but it is about an hour excursion and probably something the kids would really like. There is a Cafe/Restaurant in Arnastapi although we did not stop in it.
Hellnar— Hellnar is next and maybe worth a quick drive to see what it is all about. It’s essentially an extremely small village. It has a cafe. We stopped in to use the restrooms.
Londrangar— These are large basalt columns that extend up from the sand on the beach. We did not hike to them, but got an ok view from the parking lot. It was quite cold and rainy for us so we were a bit more choosy on which places were worth a hike.
Dritvik - Djúpalónssandur — Black sand and/or pebble beaches. We took the path to the right toward Djúpalónssandur. The initial descent toward what seemed like a hobbit den was magical. The black pebble beach, with leftover ruins from a ‘40s shipwreck strewn about, was interesting to see, but perhaps not worth walking all the way to the water if you have other places to see.
Saxholl— A volcano with a well-defined crater at the top. There are stairs which lead you straight up and into the caldera. Jog up it for 15 minutes of exercise. Quick and strenuous, but a worthwhile trek.
At this point, we continued along the northern peninsula and took hwy 56 through the peninsula and back. The northern peninsula was beautiful and you absolutely must drive it if you are in Snaefellsness. The views of the ocean and Kirkjufell Mountain were fantastic. There were also some more populated fishing villages that may have been worthy of a stop, but we were quite tired from all of the activity following our red-eye flight and expressed it back to Reykjavík.
The Golden Circle and Snowmobiling Langjoküll
Snowmobiling Langjoküll
We booked snowmobiling a few days before from Extreme Iceland. This was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I think you need to do this. The tour was led by Iceland Adventures and I highly recommend them. They offer a Reykjavík pickup but we opted to drive and see some of the sites along the popular ‘golden circle’ ourselves. Snowmobiling options were 9:45am at Gullfoss parking lot or later times. We opted for the earlier time, thinking we’d get our day started early to give ourselves more flexibility later. I highly recommend this option.
The drive to the Gullfoss waterfall parking area is about a two hour drive from Reykjavík. The Adventure Iceland van arrived about a half hour early and was easy to spot. We then drive in their van for about 35 minutes to their base, where we suit up into their provided snowmobiling overcoats, gloves, and a helmet. I recommend waterproof hiking shoes as you will be walking in snow. I had ‘rocky socks’ which are a goretex outer sock which sharone wore over her regular socks, keeping her feet dry. If you don’t have waterproof shoes, don’t worry. Pick up a pair of wool socks, which won’t feel as uncomfortable when wet.
After suiting up, we drive another 30 minutes— a very short distance, but slow because it was over a boulder field to where the glacier begins and the snowmobiles are. I hear most people book 2 to a snowmobile, but you can pay a little extra to have a single. Most people in our group (20 somethings) had singles. The reason for the recommendation to book the early trip is because you’ll have ‘fresh tracks’ on the glacier, and your group is less likely to be crowded. We were extremely lucky that the people on our tour (about 6 of us) didn't hesitate to drive insanely fast on the snowmobiles, and the tour guides were thrilled by it. We covered more ground than we ordinarily would, and the experience was terrifying, but exhilarating. After a very brief tutorial on how to control a snowmobile, we were open throttling it at speeds of up to 90kph across the glacier. There are two guides so if you fall behind, someone will stay back with you until they stop to regroup at the front. But if you know you will be very slow, well then, my early group wouldn’t have been good for you. I am an experienced mountain biker with little fear barreling down rocky descents, and a past motorcycle owner. Yet I was the slow guy in this group.
Gullfoss
Well, you’re already there, so walk over to see it. This really is a must-see. I had no idea what this was. I had already seen some waterfalls in Snaefflesnes, so I didn’t think I’d be very impressed. Well I was very impressed. This and Geysir was about the only place (other than the huge screen in Reykjavík square for the World Cup final) where I really saw some crowds. It was not a big deal, however, and it was very easy to go where you wanted to go to see the sight.
Geysir
I’ll leave it to you to form your own opinion about this site. The larger geyser apparently hasn’t been active for three years, but it’s smaller counterpart, Strokkur, erupts every several minutes. Check it out. It’s on the way.
þhingvellir [Thing • vuh • clear ] - Very pretty to drive through. We drove the ‘bottom’ of the circle outbound, but the top of the circle, through þhingvellir, coming back. It was very nice. There are some nice stops and somewhere you can walk between two continental plates. We were a bit tired and looking forward to being back to Reykjavík, so we made no stops. I hear this is a beautiful place to research and consider a hike.
Blue Lagoon
If you’ve never been in a geothermal hot bath, I think you’ll really like it here. It’s very touristy and I’m sure quite different from any other geothermal pool in Iceland. The blue water from the silica and the natural fog created against the cool air makes this quite an interesting place. The lagoon is very large. While I hear it gets incredibly crowded, we actually purchased our tickets for 10:00PM, thinking it would be something relaxing to do in the evening. It was busy, but perhaps not as bad as things I’ve read (long lines, etc.). Admission comes with a free drink at the swim-up bar, which is nice.
Reykjanes Peninsula
This was a the perfect idea for departing day. We needed to be back at the airport at 3PM, and slept in a bit. You can drive about the peninsula and then get back to the airport in a relatively short period of time. I had planned to go to the harfnerberg cliffs and some other places near there, but our late start would have made it a stressful trip. So we drove around the upper peninsula. We drove towards Sandberg, where there is a seafood restaurant called Vitinn in the village of Sandgerdi. Upon arriving, it was quite fancy, rather expensive, and we were the only guests. We opted to continue the drive towards the Gardur lighthouse, where we found a restaurant called Röstin. It was a fantastic choice. Prices were reasonable and the food was very good. I had Plokkfiskur, a type of fish stew encased in a layer of melted cheese. It was rich and quite delicious. While I didn’t spend the time, if you look carefully, about every 20 minutes you can spot a whale. There are binoculars out on the deck to help if you are interested and not too cold standing out there against the wind.
Comments