If you read my pre-trip post for our Iceland travel adventure, then you know we put a lot of planning into this vacation. As with any trip, some things go as planned or better, and some don’t turn out to be what you expect. Now that we’ve had time to decompress and talk about our time in Iceland, I feel confident putting together a list of top do’s and dont’s! Follow along to see tips on what we would definitely recommend, and suggest skipping after our time in Iceland!
Do’s
Before we get rolling, here’s a little background as to what kind of travelers we are. Aubrey and I really enjoy city travel versus rural travel. We love exploring downtown areas and seeing what city life has to offer in different places. That being said, we both enjoy sight seeing natural phenomenon’s too. But, we would usually choose to spend our time exploring in a new city, not driving across a countryside.
#1 – Spend Time in Reykjavik
With that introduction I’m sure this first “do” is not a surprise. We spent 4 of our 6 nights in the country’s capitol of Reykjavik and absolutely loved it! Hotel Borg is right in the middle of just about everything. Once we parked the car, we were able to walk to see and do everything we wanted. There are a ton of different restaurants, bars, and landmarks to explore in Reykjavik that will keep you plenty busy! We didn’t have big plans for restaurants we wanted to try, but that changed as we started exploring the city. I’ll more than likely be doing a 3rd post on food and drink we really enjoyed during our visit!
Here are a handful of our favorite pictures from time we spent in Reykjavik.
#2 – Rent a Car
Do not be afraid of driving in Iceland! They follow almost the exact same rules of the road that we do in the U.S. Iceland is not huge, but there are beautiful natural wonders spread all across the country. We chose to map out 2 full days of driving for our trip. Even though we were completely exhausted by the end of it, these were some of our favorite days! One day we spent 10 hours driving, which I know sounds crazy. But we were able to stop and see a bunch of waterfalls, beaches, and glaciers along the way. The second day of driving wasn’t nearly as long, but we had activities at some of our stops that took up time throughout the day.
We saw a lot of warnings about there being minimal options for food and gas while driving in Iceland. The truth is, there were plenty of options to stop for those things along the way. Now, we would certainly suggest filling up and grabbing a few snacks before you head out for the day. But, we stopped for both lunch and dinner while on these driving days and had no problem with finding gas!
Here are some pictures we took during our long driving days. Well worth the time and travel!
#3 – Schedule Once in a Lifetime Activities
There are a handful of things you can experience in Iceland that you simply cannot do other places. We scheduled a couple of activities that I would say are well worth their price. For us, the helicopter ride over the volcano and visiting the Blue Lagoon are must do’s. The Blue Lagoon daily admission tickets are not expensive, and it is a popular tourist attraction for a reason! The helicopter ride over the active volcano is around 45 minutes in the air for $700, but that is something we may never get to do again in our lives! These are things to talk about before your trip, and then schedule your top choices to do.
Here are some pictures from our must do’s.
#4 – Fly First or Business Class if Possible
Aubrey will be proud to see that I put this on the list of do’s for Iceland. But, honestly, I swear it makes that big of a difference! We flew main cabin all the way to Iceland, and I truthfully didn’t mind one bit. I have never flown first or business class before, but that changed on our flight home from Reykjavik to JFK. At lunch one day over bread bowls and Gull beers, Aubrey talked me into upgrading our tickets for the long 6 hour flight home to Delta One. Full transparency, this was expensive. But, at the same time, after having the experience I will tell you it was 110% worth it!
With Delta One, you will have actual meal service with options you want to choose from. We had the choice of steak, chicken, or ravioli. We both chose steak and it was very good! The best part, though, is your seat can lay all the way down flat. This makes restful sleep an actual possibility! We sat in two “pods” right next to each other, so you don’t lose the companionship of flying with your partner. I really just can’t say enough good things about our experience with it. Bottom line: pricey but worth it!
Top tip: be picky on when you fly first or business class. Not every flight you’ll have on an international trip will actually have what you would consider first class seats. Make sure to do your research on what type of plane you will be on and only pay for the upgrade when it makes sense! My suggestion is to only fork out the cash if you’ll be in the air for 5+ hours, want some real rest, and want an above and beyond experience.
We snapped a few pictures before laying down and getting some much needed sleep!
#5 – Keep a Window of Free Time Open
We were both very intentional on wanting to make sure we didn’t have ourselves scheduled to death for this trip. We knew there was a lot of we wanted to see and do. But, we also wanted to have open time to have to do whatever struck us in the moment. I am glad we made sure to keep some free time available because we were able to do more of what we figured out we enjoyed while over there! For us, that meant spending more time in the city. We explored the food and bar scene, checked out some rooftop options, and just bopped around downtown. For you, it might mean adding an extra drive for a waterfall or hike to the bottom of the volcano. Regardless, make sure you give yourself some leeway when it comes to schedule!
Dont’s
Again, keep in mind that not everyone is the exact same type of traveler that we are! However, after having the first hand experiences, there are some things we would suggest skipping. You can take the time and money you would spend on these things and put it towards something mentioned above!
#1 – Don’t Let Mother Nature Break Your Heart
A lot of why people want to visit Iceland is all of the beautiful, natural wonders it has to offer. I know that’s why it was high up on my bucket list! But, you can’t rely on mother nature to be on your schedule. For example, we planned our trip at the time of year we did with high hopes of being able to see the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for us on this trip. We also were not able to see the volcano actively erupting, spewing lava all over the place. Those are things that are incredible because they are so sporadic and hard to predict. Go into your trip having other exciting plans so that if/when mother nature’s schedule doesn’t line up with your own it won’t totally wreck your experience.
#2 – Skip Snorkeling or Diving the Silfra Fissure
This was an activity that I was super excited about ahead of time. We did enjoy it in the moment, but wouldn’t recommend to someone traveling to Iceland their first time. The first reason we recommend passing is the amount of downtime involved. The vast majority of the 2-2.5 hour excursion is standing around waiting to put each layer of equipment on. If you’re not so good at waiting around the same way we aren’t, that can be tedious.
Second, to be abundantly clear, this water is COLD. Not cold like the lake the first day you go out for the season. This is cold like it’s melting off of a frozen chunk of ice out in the middle of the ocean, because that’s what it is! This is glacial water that has filled the space between tectonic plates, and it is freezing! Yes, you have on a dry suit with all types of layers in between. But, you still have water in your gloves, seeping through your hood, touching your face directly, etc. We were cold enough that it started to take away from the beauty of the experience because we were counting down how much longer we would be in the freezing water.
Now, I will say that our guides were great, and they did had hot chocolate and cookies for you after! This also wasn’t overly pricey, coming in at about $350 for the two f us. Take it all into consideration, and if you really don’t think the cold will bother you that much then go for it!
#3 – The Northern Lights Inn
We have a lot to say about our experience at the Northern Lights Inn, but I’ll keep it brief. First, don’t let the pictures and 4.5 star online reviews fool you. This is essentially a Motel 6, right next to a power plant, where you are held hostage on food and drink options unless you want to drive 30-45 minutes back towards civilization. The power plant in your back yard produces an extreme sulfur smell, lots of steam and light, and plenty of noise. We somehow missed this when booking, and it was not a fun find when we checked in.
Here’s what I mean by “lots of steam and light”…
Next, Max’s Restaurant. This is the restaurant inside the hotel that is portrayed to be a nice dining experience. For our experience, Aubrey had an undercooked cheeseburger and I had buttered spaghetti noodles. We also each had a drink that was 95% mixer, and a tiny out of the box dessert. This dinner cost us almost $150 dollars and was the most difficult spend on food to swallow of our entire trip. The problem is, unless you want to spend $500 at the Blue Lagoon restaurant, this is your only nearby option.
Being fair, not everything about the Northern Lights Inn was a disaster. It was extremely convenient to the Blue Lagoon, and the rooms were kept clean with a nice amount of space. There is also a spa and gym that we didn’t use, but could be an amenity someone else might enjoy. Overall, our suggestion would be definitely skip this hotel. Instead stay in Reykjavik, and just drive to the Blue Lagoon for your morning or afternoon visit. You can also easily drive out of the city to see the Northern Lights without wasting your time and money staying here.
#4 – Don’t Expect Food/Drink to be Cheap
It took us a day or two to shake off the awe of being in Iceland and start paying attention to what we were spending on food and drink. Now, some places are priced higher than others, and there are lots of happy hour options in Reykjavik. However, anytime you go for a meal of any sort plan to pay an average of $50. Fish and chips at a food truck? $50. Soup bread bowls with a beer for lunch? $50. An easy breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes? $50. I will say we saw mention of the coffee scene being priced absurdly, and I would disagree. Maybe it’s because I’m used to paying $7 for my Starbuck’s coffee, but I was not surprised by the price of coffee in Reykjavik.
Please don’t let this be a deterrent for you visiting Iceland! I only want to provide insight so you don’t come with unrealistic expectations for what you will spend to eat and drink while you’re there.
#5 – Don’t Do the “American” Things
There are some bars that were American themed that you’re not missing anything if you skip over them. One bar, The Lebowski Bar, is popular in downtown Reykjavik. They have a ton of different versions of the White Russian and clever thematic bar decorations. Another, the Miami Bar, is themed in 80’s Miami décor, and has a ping pong table downstairs. Here they serve drinks like the Miami Vice and Cosmo. Please leave these bars to people visiting from outside the U.S. You’ll be spending another $50 for drinks at a place that you’ve seen done better here in the States. On top of that, there are so many awesome local places to eat and drink you’re simply doing yourself a disservice to miss out on any of those.
Final Thoughts
If you’re considering traveling to Iceland, GO! We had a great time exploring, eating, drinking, laughing, and having new experiences. The country itself is easy to visit with intuitive road rules and lots of English spoken. Even with the current entry and exit COVID requirements, we have no complaints on that part of the travel. Take some time to do research on what you want to see, save up for all the awesome eating and drinking you’ll be doing, and book this destination for a trip of a lifetime!