What an extraordinary country! My husband and I flew direct from Dallas (avoid Dallas if you can, because that airport is complete chaos and they only have one flight a day to Iceland) to Reykjavik. As you probably already know, my vacations are non stop. This European trip was no different. I made the most of every hour of every day. Pinterest is one of my best friends before a trip. I search (and save) tips, places to see that are off the beaten path, restaurants and more! Lots of these recommendations came from there. Pinterest – Wander and Roam
We only spent 3 days in Iceland before we were off to Ireland, so I had to map out everything out perfectly. I was so excited to find several things for us to see near the airport, which was convenient because we had a late afternoon booking at The Blue Lagoon (more on that later). Important tip: rent a car! Don’t take the tours!! Enjoy exploring at your leisure, not to mention, rentals are inexpensive. We stayed in an amazing AirBnB just outside of Reykjavik. AirBnBs are less expensive than a hotel. My cell phone worked almost the entire time (I have AT&T), but we did use this book a lot: Top 10 Iceland 2019
Add Iceland to your bucket list. Make it a stop over if you’re headed to Europe. Spend a few days or a week. You won’t be disappointed!
Day 1 – Southern Peninsula
The Bridge Between Two Continents – located in along the Reykjanes Peninsula. It has a small footbridge where you can walk over what is said to be the connection between the Europe and North American tectonic plates. Black sand lava and super cool rock formations made for a really neat stop along the Southern Peninsula.
Sultan Hot Springs – Incredible geothermal activity can be found at these hot springs. Easy drive along the gorgeous coast. On the way to the springs, you are met with some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Mossy lava fields, sea cliffs and incredibly bizarre landscaping. Don’t skip out on this. It really is a sight to see.
The Blue Lagoon – When someone mentions Iceland, you automatically think of The Blue Lagoon. Believe it or not, I wasn’t as excited about it because it seemed so commercialized. First mistake. It was breathtaking, amazing, surreal. The blue, thermal pool produces minerals that are so good for your skin. We walked around the pool, “swam” up to the smoothie/juice bar, applied a mask to our face and relaxed for about an hour in the lagoon. The experience was outstanding. Best advice: purchase your tickets online weeks before your trip. It books up fast and you’ll save money by booking online. I read hundreds of tips about the lagoon and the only four that are important enough to share are: 1) don’t get your hair wet 2) the lockers are a pain in the ass. 3) take an under water camera or waterproof case. 3) Bring flip flops. They really do have everything else you need.
Day 2 – The Golden Circle
Gullfoss Waterfall – This was an amazing drive and walk up to the waterfall. Every angle of the falls had a different vibe and a different sound. You absolutely MUST try the lamb soup they sell in the cafe. It was on some of the travel blogs I read and I highly recommend it.
Strokkur Geyser – My kids and I spent some time in Yellowstone National Park a couple summers ago, so I was familiar with geysers. My husband had never seen one, so it was a really cool experience watching him observe this magnificent natural wonder. All of these places, including Strokkur are super easy to find while road tripping through Iceland.
Thingvellir National Park – Another beautiful drive. You can stop along the way and check out the amazing views. We stopped several times, but a cool spot was seeing the Tectonic Plate. Basically Iceland is “ripping in 1/2″ at 1” per year. I enjoyed seeing all of the sheep and horses roaming the island. Some of them even came up close to the car, so we had so great photo opportunities.
Day 3 – Reykjavik
The Capital of Iceland – Stroll through this fun city by foot or bike! The architecture is super cool. Iceland is expensive. A typical dinner with an appetizer and dessert for 2 without alcohol was approximately $150-$200. If you add a class of wine or two, it could be well over $200. Even breakfast and lunch was $100+. With that said, the food was delicious. I love to try new things and eat non traditional food when traveling. We walked around the downtown area and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Coffee and Kleinur (Icelandic Donuts) are incredible in Iceland. The coffee is so much different and better than our coffee here in the states. Don’t leave without trying them! Hotdogs are another “must eat” in Iceland. They’re made of lamb and come with lots of toppings! You can get them from hot dog stands or in the gas stations, believe it or not.
Add Iceland to your bucket list. Make it a stop over if you’re headed to Europe. Spend a few days or a week. You won’t be disappointed!
