I went for a long weekend (Saturday to Tuesday) to Iceland and had a jam-packed itinerary in Reykjavik and the surrounding areas. Here’s what I got up to in this short trip. All of the trips were done via coach and not by hiring a car. I booked them on Get your Guide but they ended up being ran by Greylines so maybe try them direct for cheaper tickets.
Things I did
Reykjavik
I stayed in the city centre, at Hotel Metropolitan, a very basic hotel but centrally located and with plenty of heating! It was easily to explore the capital but there wasn’t much there. The Hallgrimskirkja did look striking, however.
Blue Lagoon
100% worth the trip! The most magical spa I have ever visited!
Northern Lights Tour
I really recommend booking a trip that gives you your money back for free if the trip is cancelled. I visited Iceland late February / early March because I really wanted to see everything all snowy but this meant that snow storm cancelled my Northern Lights tour twice, never to be rescheduled again. Fortunately though I did get the money back!
Golden Circle Tour
This included a stop at Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, where you could walk the rift between two tectonic plates, exploring geysers at the Geysir Geothermal Area and a stop to admire the beautiful 30m waterfall at Gullfoss.
Things for next time
As you can see from the little map I've put together, I've barely scratched the surface of Iceland, staying close to the Reykjavik area. My major thing for next time would be to rent a car and explore the nature of Iceland more on a road trip, rather than relying on the coach trips, although the latter is completely doable. As part of this, I’d also be up for doing the below.
- Scuba dive in Thingvellir’s freshwater springs, Silfra Rift
- Explore an ice cave
- Spot some puffins
- See the Northern lights
- Visit the Library of Water
