That’s right, Iceland for your next destination. Day and I went to Iceland for a long weekend, and were blown away. Iceland has something for everyone. The capital city, Reykjavik, has museums, great restaurants, pubs that are hopping every night, and the people are fantastic. Iceland also hosts a number of music festivals every year, for the music lovers. If you are a photographer or just like beautiful scenery, Iceland is like no other, with its’ fantastic landscapes and the Aurora Borealis. You are sure to get some great pictures and even better memories. And, if you are an active outdoors person, where better to hike, bike or camp, than on a glacier or volcano? So, let’s get started.
Choose the right time of the year to go, remember it’s Iceland, and the winter season is long and dark. Winter is however, the right time of year to go if you are looking for the Aurora Borealis. If you are hiking, you probably want to pick the summer months.
The Aurora Borealis, not my picture
If I had to guess, there are three types of tourists who travel to Iceland: people who love to go somewhere, for no other reason than they haven’t been there before; people who want to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, and lastly; the active outdoors people who wanna hike or bike the crap out of Iceland. I will discuss each one of these but, no matter which one you are, your first stop should be the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon, not my picture
Most flights going into Iceland are on the “red eye”, so you land early, and probably cannot check into your hotel until 12 or later, so everyone goes to the Blue Lagoon.The spa actually has buses to pick up travelers at the airport and bring them to the spa (check their website for booking info). The Blue Lagoon is a spa resort with a first class hotel, restaurants and bars, a spa with all the amenities you would expect, and, the blue lagoon you see in the picture. A lagoon full of water, heated to 104 degrees, by geothermal energy. After a “red eye”, there is no better way to refresh yourself, than here. Pre-booking is required, so again, check their website.
Iceland for no other reason than you haven’t been:
Iceland is a great destination for travelers who love to explore with no agenda, and a great place to start is in the capitol city. Reykjavik is a great city and small enough to see most everything in two or three days, leaving you plenty of time to do a few day trips outside the city. There are plenty of museums, big and small, shopping is quite varied with a couple of large outlets and plenty of small art and antique shops. Reykjavik has quite the nightlife if drinking and dancing is your thing, with bars staying open til the wee hours of the morning. The food was fantastic, with something for everyone, but the seafood doesn’t get much better than in Iceland. Be sure to eat at the Icelandic Fish and Chips for dinner, and the Laundromat Cafe for breakfast. Day and I are big fans of guided tours, and our favorites are the food tours. There is no better way to get a taste of the local cuisine than with a guided tour.
When we were in Iceland we hadn’t started doing these tours yet, so unfortunately, we missed out, but I have done some research so you don’t miss out. For a food tour, try Reykjavik Food Tours or Reykjavik Food Walk. If you are interested in the history of the city and Iceland, try City Walk. Your options are limitless, so do some research on your own. TripAdvisor is a decent place to start, but Day and I have found a new site, ToursbyLocals, that we really like. Guided tours may seem a bit touristy, but we love them. We like to do the tours in the beginning of our trip because it really helps to get a lay of the land. The guides are full of information that might help you plan the rest of your trip, and they know the best places to eat. We like to pre-book them and try to get a private tour or at least tours that remain on the smaller side with 6-8 people. Once you have had your fill of the city, rent a car and head out for some day trips. The driving in Iceland is easy and the scenery is spectacular.
Day trips outside the city might include the “Golden Circle” or a glacier hike. Drive the Golden Circle yourself, fill up your gas tank, grab a coffee and some snacks for the road and most important, your camera. The Icelandic landscape is breathtaking. Plan on a full day and visit Pingvellir National Park, Geysir and the Gullfoss Waterfall. Next, hike a glacier. Hiking a glacier sounds more difficult than it is, ours was more like glacier walk, but there are tours for all levels. Seriously, the one we did could have been done by your grandparents. Our guide was fantastic and the views were stunning, so head out and be a little adventurous. If you’re a scuba diver, you can dive the Mid Atlantic Ridge, where two continental plates meet. The water is said to be crystal clear, great for underwater photography. If you are the type of traveler who is looking for a bit of everything then Iceland is the place for you, and all of this would keep you pretty busy, but if you’re looking to relax and do nothing, go for the Northern Lights.
The Aurora Borealis for the travelers who want to relax:
If you’re idea of vacation is relaxing in a first class hotel, spending your evenings in an outdoor hot tub with a bottle of wine, go to Iceland for the Northern Lights. There are plenty of hotels that cater to this type of traveler and vacation. These hotels usually have a good restaurant, fireplaces for a warm and cozy atmosphere, a spa with all the amenities and outdoor hot tubs to relax in while you drink wine and wait for the light show. Go on TripAdvisor, Iceland as your destination and search “Northern Lights” and tons of hotels will come up. Here are a few that I read about and they rated very good on TripAdvisor:
Hotel Borealis, Hotel Ranga, and the Ion Adventure Hotel
Ok, when should you go to see the Northern Lights? From September to April, some might even say November to February to improve your odds and for the best displays. Also keep in mind the lights are cyclical, they are usually active for two or three days and then inactive for four or five days. So, for the best odds of seeing them, plan on staying for a week. If the Aurora Borealis is what you are interested in, remember it’s winter in Iceland, the shortest day of the year is in December, the sun rises at 11:20 and sets at 3:30, the good news for photographers, during the short days, it’s always the “golden hour” for getting great pics. But, the days are short for sightseeing and the weather is unpredictable. If you decide to travel to Iceland in the winter months to see the Northern Lights, this website is a must read: Iceland in the Winter, enjoy!
Day and I are most like these first two tourist. We are active, but we don’t hike or bike the crap out of anything. If you’re that type of traveler I can’t give you any personal account, but I have done a little research for you and added some useful links to get you started.
Iceland for the incredibly active adventurous traveler:
If camping, biking and hiking is your thing, Iceland should be on your list! Again, the scenery and landscape is amazing, glaciers, volcanoes and geothermal pools are everywhere. Day and I where there for just a long weekend and like I said, we are not quite that active. So I can’t speak from personal experience, but I have done a little research for you crazies.
For anyone who might be interested in guided tours for any level, these guys do it all, hiking, biking for just the day, or if you’re crazy, for six days: The Icelandic Mountain Guides
Some good reads if you are a hiker:
For the bikers and campers here are a couple:
Experience Iceland on Two Wheels, and
There is enough information here to get you adventurous travelers started. I do want to add a few more links for everyone who is considering Iceland for their next destination:
I always check out the official website of wherever I am going:
Iceland’s tourism and travel guide
Wikipedia because I like some background:
And Wikitravel, this is a great site: What money do they use? Which side of the road do you drive on? Do they speak English? This site answers all the questions a traveler may have:
And, I must take this opportunity to shamelessly promote my
Facebook Photo Album: A Long Weekend in Iceland
I took this one on our way to a glacier hike
Well there you have it, Iceland in a nutshell. My post just begins to scratch the surface of Iceland. Like I said, Day and I were blow away by beauty of the landscape, the food and the people of Iceland and we look forward to returning someday. Ask around, do some of your own research, but for sure, Iceland is a great destination for everyone, so get going and…
explore, dream, discover and travel to Iceland,
Luv ya,
Curly
I tried to explain you, what is SPA. Now I am glad, that you use this expresion in yout blob (even several times). I have to be proud of myself, that I succeeded.
Perhaps sometimes Helena and I will wisit Iceland too.