Fire, ice, and everything N(Iceland). Welcome to Iceland, dare I say it? Now one of my favorite and most beautiful countries that I’ve ever visited. Seriously, I cannot say more great things about this place and definitely think this should be top of your list of places to visit. Known as the land of fire and ice due to its volcanos and ice glaciers, this country has it all and is perfect for my nature and adventure loving rovers.
I spent 4 days in Iceland in December of 2022, which during this time of year only has about 5 hours of daylight. During my trip, the temperatures stayed around 30o F, which was freezing to me, but considered a “warm” winter for the locals. I highly recommend packing some thermals, a heavy coat, waterproof gloves, a warm hat, and fleece lined pants. Oh! And some hiking/waterproof shoes with wool socks. Let’s stay warm as we go through these adventures together.
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How to Get to and Around Iceland
I flew into Keflavik Airport (KEF) and stayed in the main city of Reykjavik. This airport is 45 minutes away from the city, and the only two options to get into town is either by bus (about $50 USD per person per trip) or car. Keep in mind that Iceland does not offer any ride shares like Uber or Lyft but taxis are available. My husband and I decided to rent a car since it made the most sense financially and it turned out the be the best decision we made on the trip. Not only did it save us from paying the round trip fees to the airport and the Blue Lagoon, it really allowed us to take our time at different locations during our own South Coast tour. I definitely recommend renting a car, and if you’re traveling with a group, this could be the cheaper option if split. TIP: Most cars in Iceland are manual, so be sure to pay attention to which car you’re booking.
Stay
We stayed at the Sand Hotel by Keahotel, which was honestly the perfect location. It was in the center of the town, walkable distance to many of the shops and restaurants, and where most of the tours pick up from. However, if you rented a car, you would have to find and pay for street parking from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re traveling for most of the day, but if you aren’t taking the car, you could park at Hallgrimskirkja (the infamous church in the center of the capitol city) for free. Our hotel concierge recommended this to us, and luckily our car was still there with no tickets; but I did read in another blog that someone else received a fine for doing so… So, park at your own risk.
Things To Do
On our first day in Iceland, we stepped out of our hotel to explore the streets of Reykjavik. It was truly magical. I felt like I were starring in my own Hallmark movie walking along the streets, window shopping, and staring at the Christmas lights hanging above. There was even a small skating rink set up with surrounding booths selling hot chocolate and sweet treats. Tell me I wasn’t in a cheesy holiday movie.
While you’re in the city, find Skólavörðustígur Street and follow the rainbow to Hallgrimskirkja. This towering church was breathtaking to stare at and you can even go inside (if there are no ceremonies going on). I didn’t get the opportunity to check out the interior, but researched that you could pay IKR 1200 ($8.39 USD) to climb the tower to get an overview of the city.
Explore Iceland’s three most popular natural attractions with a Golden Circle Tour. We booked an 8 hour excursion with Your Days Tour, who took us to Gullfoss Waterfalls, Geysir, Thingvellir National Park, and three other sites. My favorite site that we visited throughout the day was Thingvellir National Park. It was so fascinating to walk in between the gap of the rocks, seeing the tectonic plates of North America and Iceland, and really just taking in the beauty of the area. As my husband and I walked down the trails, we were mesmerized by the streams under the bridges that we crossed and loved gazing at the mountains in the background. It was absolutely breathtaking. Things to keep in mind: If you’re debating about arranging a day trip, there are some things to consider prior to booking, such as spending a majority of the day on the van, each stop having limited time to explore (some with just 15 mins), and even more time spent loading/unloading fellow passengers. However, I did find that it was great to be driven around to catch up on some sleep in between rides, I did not have to worry about driving on the icy roads, Wifi was provided, and we got additional information at each site from our tour guide. Ultimately, if a guided tour isn’t for you, you could definitely do your own Golden Circle tour as well.
I was so excited when I found out that our trip was prime time for the Northern Lights. Research states that the best time to see the auroras are in the winter, between September and April. I booked a Northern Lights Tour with EastWest, mainly because they offered a smaller group interaction, hot chocolate, and photos. This tour literally takes you on a hunt for the lights, where you will hop on and off the van to chase the clearest skies possible to view the rays. Northern lights are not guaranteed on any night, but EastWest will continue to take you on their tour until you see the lights; this offer is good for up to two years after your purchased date. Thankfully, my husband and I got to see the lights on our second attempt. I highly suggest staying outside the van and making your own memories; the tour guides are super knowledgable and easy to talk to. Beware though, this is a super late excursion and we got back to our hotel around 2 am on both nights. Can you believe our tour guide said this was a 3 out 10 in Northern Light intensity?
On our second day of the trip, we needed some time to relax, which is why we planned a day at the Blue Lagoon. Originally, our intent wasn’t to stay here all day, but it was so fun and relaxing that we ended up sticking around for six hours. To get to the Blue Lagoon, you can drive about 50 mins from Reykjavik or schedule a bus transport for ISK 6900 or about $48 USD. Keep in mind that a bus transfer reservation is required to be made prior to pick up as well as a reserved time slot to enter. I highly recommend reserving your time slot in advance before all tickets sells out; I reserved our tickets about a week in advance. All reservations can be made online through their website, where you will also choose from three different packages offered. We opted for the Premium package that included three face masks, a complimentary drink, and robes for ISK 13490 or $94.36 USD. (TIP: Don’t forget to pack some sandals, otherwise overpriced flip flops can be purchased.) And y’all, this was absolutely worth every penny. The water was a beautiful powder blue, so beautiful that I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw it. It was also the perfect temperature all around and was large enough to go off in your own private corner. The masks offered were all luxurious and left your skin feeling so hydrated and soft. The drink included in your entry ticket could be anything offered at their drink station and more could be easily purchased with the tap of your wristband. (Stay hydrated out there!) If you get hungry, you could purchase snacks/meals at their food station or have an upscale sit-down meal at the Lava Restaurant. Robes are accepted to dine in at the Lava Restaurant until 4:30pm, which was so convenient to not have to change just to eat. This overall experience is A MUST in Iceland!! Trust me, this will leave you talking and dreaming about for years to come; I’m already planning a visit back to Iceland just to take another dip in the Blue Lagoon.
After some much needed rest, you can spend a whole day exploring Iceland’s South Coast. There are two ways to do this, book an 8 to 10 hour South Coast tour or do one on your own. My husband and I decided on the later option and WOW; hands down one of my favorite day out of the whole trip. By doing your own tour, it really allows you the leisure and time to spend however you’d like at each site. We woke up early to visit Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Solheimajokull Glacier, and even got to see see some turf houses along the way. It got too dark for us to visit Reynisfjara Beach (black sand beach) but will be on our list for our next visit. Absolutely no regrets on doing this tour on our own, and every stop was breathtaking and somehow always seemed to beat the last spot we visited for most beautiful scene.
Seljalandsfoss The first stop on our South Coast tour was to Seljalandsfoss, which took us about two hours to get to from Reykjavik. TIP: Be sure to have a battery pack, full tank of gas, snacks, and water on your trip. The drive was nice but also scarce on gas stations and restaurants along the way. Don't worry about getting lost though, there were several signs as you get closer to Seljalandsfoss to let you know that you are on the right track. Once we arrived to Seljalandsfoss waterfall, we were in such awe as we laid eyes on this massive waterfall that was both powerful and majestic. You could even walk behind it by climbing the steel steps to the right of the waterfall. The climb is a relatively easy and short walk but definitely not handicap accessible. After my husband and I made it behind the fall, we just stood there in amazement while feeling the mist hit our faces. I highly recommend bringing a waterproof coat or rain jacket because you'll leave soaking wet. This is definitely a memory of a lifetime. After your time at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, climb down the wooden stairs and take the path to your right, to follow signs to Gljufrabui. Trust me, you'll want to take that 10 mins walk down the paved road to find this hidden waterfall at the end. This waterfall was so beautiful and mysterious and if you have the appropriate shoes, I recommend taking a step inside to take a closer look! In the end, I was happy that my husband dragged me out there, and I hope you will feel the same way afterwards. Skogafoss Just a few minutes down the road from Seljalandsfoss is another breathtaking waterfall in Skogafoss. Didn't I tell you that each location was better than the last? I don't know how that's possible but that's exactly what my husband and I were trying to figure out. Skogafoss waterfall looked like it came straight out of a National Geographic magazine. Honestly, photos just doesn't do it any justice. If you think the view was beautiful from the bottom, just wait until you make it to the top of the steel steps. Beware, it is a little bit of a workout, but it is definitely worth it. Once you're there, take in the view from the top of the fall and get mesmerized by the water; then take another walk further down the trail to see miles of a stream that has smaller waterfalls along the way. The calmness will make you want to sit there all day to enjoy the scenery. Solheimajokull Glacier And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it does. When my husband and I took the short drive to Solheimajokull Glacier from Skogafoss, we both gasped when we saw the glaciers from the road. Imagine our reaction as we hiked up the trail and got a closer look at these icebergs. As we made our way down the black sand, we couldn't believe the beauty before our eyes. The large iceberg was a powder blue with some spots covered with the black volcanic ashes. We even saw some visitors climbing the glaciers with a tour guide, which is now on our to-do list for our next visit. And on our way to and from the glaciers, we found a stream trickling down from the top of the mountains that provided fresh water. We stopped by to take a few sips straight from the stream (don't worry we asked a local if it was safe) and OMG. That was the freshest and coldest water I've ever had. Our biggest regret that whole day was forgetting our water bottle in the car, but it was absolutely one of the coolest things we did on this trip.
Food to Try
Iceland isn’t really known for their food, other than their classic dishes like fermented shark, which isn’t really for everyone. Here are some restaurants my husband and I tried on our trip.
On our first night in Reykjavik, we had dinner at Sushi Social, a very modern and vibrant restaurant filled with friends getting dinner and some on dates. We started the night with fried edamame and avocado chips, which both were to die for. The fried edamame was the best I’ve ever had, it was both buttery and salty with the perfect char on it. It was so good, my husband and I ordered it togo on another night. The avocado chips were fried battered avocado slices, which were also very delicious but we got tired of it pretty soon. (At least you got the bang for your buck on this one.) We also tried their Surf’n’Turf roll, Hot Maguro roll, and some pieces of nigiri. The sushi pieces itself were just okay, I found the rice to be hard but the fish was fresh. I’m not sure if we just got the bad batch of rice that night but I definitely think this place is worth a try. If anything, get the edamame.
As mentioned earlier, my husband and I dined at the Lava Restaurant during our time at the Blue Lagoon. This was definitely a gourmet dining experience and super convenient if you’re already there. To start, we were offered some bread and butter with salt flakes, which were delicious! Then we ordered the Langoustine soup, also known as Norway lobster, but I found it to be a bit fishy for my taste. We then followed the soup with our our main courses, the cod and lamb fillet. The cod was fried to perfection and was just the right amount of saltiness. The lamb fillet was grilled perfectly and very tender. Overall, we really liked what we ordered and would come back to dine whenever we visit the Blue Lagoon again.
If you’re looking for another modern, energetic, and vibrant restaurant, stop by for a bite to eat at Sumac for a Middle Eastern and North African infusion treat. We ordered the crispy falafel, hummus, lebnah, and grilled flatbread as starters, with the goat shoulder as the main course. All of which were made fresh and were delicious. I really enjoyed the flatbread and the goat shoulder. For dessert, we shared the baklava, which is a pistachio ice cream with filo and lemon. This was very refreshing and had a unique texture to it. Overall, we enjoyed our food and experience here.
On our last night in Iceland, we decide to have dinner at Apotek. This is definitely more of an upscale restaurant that offers a dimly lit dinner, perfect for dates and a night out. My husband and I waited 2 hours for a table, and truthfully, it wasn’t really worth it. We started with the artic char on a Himalayan salt rock, which was…salty. We also had the lobster tail with big prawns which were fresh but just okay. For our main courses we had the lamb rump steak and a beef steak dish. Both were served more on the rare side and were overall decent. My experience and rating of the food at Apotek is that it was just okay.
Sweet Treats
My husband and I started almost every morning with a pastry from Braud and Co. Just a 5 min walk from our hotel, this place was delicious. Our favorite treat was their raspberry cheese danish, it was so good we even tried to get one last danish before our early flight back home. The danish was a perfect amount of sweetness and tartness with a beautiful flaky crust. We even got to try a chocolate chip cookie which was also divine. I highly recommend stopping by this colorful storefront for a morning pastry or just for a sweet treat.
Speaking of bakeries, we stopped by at Iceland’s oldest bakery, Bernhoftsbakari; Opened since 1834, Bernhoftsbakari offers artisan breads and fine pastries. My husband and I stumbled upon it waiting for our tour to pick us up near bus stop 14. We got a croissant and some bread for the road which was both flaky, soft, and overall okay; honestly it didn’t stand out much to me. Another place that didn’t make my “must try” list was Sandholt Bakery. This bakery was conveniently connected to our hotel and we decided to give it a try one morning. We got their cheese danish and croissants and these were probably my least favorites I’ve ever had. However, the presentation was beautiful, so maybe it is better suited for someone who cares more about photos than taste.
Reykjavik only had one store front offering gelato called Gaeta. We stopped by for a sweet treat at the end of our first night and it was the only time we ever went. I found that it wasn’t really gelato though, it was definitely more of an ice cream texture, so I wouldn’t recommend this to any gelato lovers like me. But hey, desperate times! Surprisingly, Iceland’s Costco offered gelato which I found was better than Gaeta. It was huge and shareable. I mean, how can you not walk out without a smile holding this giant cone?
Overall View
Iceland is truly magical. It was way more beautiful and so much more fun than I could have ever imagined. The views are enough to take your breath away and the activities offered are an adventure of a lifetime. My favorite things I did on this trip was lounging at the Blue Lagoon and the self South Coast tour. I hope that this post has provided you with some insights to Iceland and that your trip is everything you hoped it would be, if not better. I can definitely say that I fell in love with this country and I can’t wait to go back!
Things to keep in mind for your trip:
- Iceland is one of the most expensive countries to visit
- Northern Lights are never guaranteed
- Winds are strong in Iceland, so be careful traveling/driving
- Weather in Iceland is unpredictable. It changes very quickly, so weather apps are not always reliable.
- Do not touch the moss, it takes almost 50 years for it to grow.
- Be respectful of nature
- Almost everyone speaks English
As always, thanks for being here!
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Lena The Rover 