Counting the days till trip to Iceland

 Iceland
WHEN?

From 3rd May to 7th May 2016

WHY ICELAND?

Iceland is a country I wished to visit for a long time. Reasons?

  • Stunning landscape
  • Geysirs
  • Aurora Borealis
  • Waterfalls
  • Icelandic Horses
  • Whales and dolphins
  • Blue Lagoon
  • Glaciers
  • Hallgrímskirkja church

Iceland seems to be amazing country. I would like to ask YOU my dear readers, who already visited Iceland, for some assistance. What are your favourite places in Iceland? What attractions are must see? What restaurants serve the best food? What accommodation would you recommend?

Any tip would be highly appreciated!

37 thoughts on “Counting the days till trip to Iceland”

      • Edwin Tan says:
        Reply

        The best sights are the incredible landscapes and the aurora borealis. It’s like you are on another planet.

        For getting around, it’s best if you could rent a car and drive about on your own. We went in Feb and it was winter and we were advised not to drive on our own. The weather in Iceland changes quite often and can be pretty extreme. So we were pretty stuck in Reykjavik and just followed the day tours.

        For stay, I recommend a service apartment or AirBnB with kitchen. Eating out in Iceland is damn expensive and it is more economical if you buy food from the supermarket and cook it especially if you are in a group. There some good restaurants in Reykjavik, just check TripAdvisor for recommendations. Cheapest food is the famous hotdog stand.

        For what to see, I recommend you go to the South coast, Snaefellness Peninsular and Golden Circle. If you have more time (like 2 weeks) then drive on the Ring Road to the north coast. You will pass by geysirs, glaciers and waterfalls on these routes, especially South coast and Golden Circle. The Icelandic horses are all over the countryside and if you drive, you can just stop by the roadside and cuddle with them 🙂

        For whale watching, you can just book the boat tours in Reykjavik Harbour. There are 2 major whale watching companies. I think all of them are the same quality. We didn’t get to see any whales on our trip because it was winter. We did see some dolphins though. If you don’t get to see anything on the tour, they will give you a return ticket for another tour.

        May is not really the peak season for aurora borealis watching. But you can try booking with the cruises and bus companies if they are organizing any tours during that time. I went with a private tour run by photographers to see the aurora borealis. These photo tours are better because they really make sure you get to see the northern lights and will cancel if the weather is bad or the forecast is no good. Since their customers are usually photographers, they will make sure you get a good photo. They also have good cameras and will send you their photos.

        We went to the Blue Lagoon, and you should book your ticket online as it gets sold out very fast. If you don’t drive, you can book the ticket with bus transport.

        What you can do is go to the tourist info building located in Reykjavik old town when you first arrive. There you can book tours, enquire on car rentals, change money, and get info. They are open everyday and the people there are extremely helpful and friendly.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Urska @ Slovenian Girl Abroad says:
          Reply

          Thank you so much for this informative reply! 🙂 It’s going to be extremely helpful. 🙂

          Like

  4. abitofculture says:
    Reply

    You’ll love it – Iceland is my new favourite country after Slovenia! We had five nights in Reykjavik last March so you should have enough time to see the highlights.

    I’d recommend the Best Western hotel in Reykjavik – http://www.hotelreykjavik.is/ but you must stay in one of the new “Character Rooms”.

    As for restaurants, if you love fish you’ll be happy. We ate really well at Fiskmarkadurinn, Harry’s, Icelandic Fish and Chips and the hot dog wagon everyone talks about (whee Bill Clinton went).

    We didn’t hire a car but went on excursions with http://www.grayline.is to Blue Lagoon (half a day) and Golden Triangle (full day).

    Enjoy!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Urska @ Slovenian Girl Abroad says:
      Reply

      I love fish! I won’t be hungry! Yay. 🙂
      We’re planning to rent a car, but I see the Gray Line offers some interesting tours we might be interested in.
      Thank you for all of your information Richard!

      Like

  6. sileas says:
    Reply

    Oh that sound so exciting! I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland, but unfortunately didn’t make it there so far. Anyway, I wish you a great trip and I’m looking forward to some stunning photos 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  7. laceduplutheran says:
    Reply

    I was in Iceland with my family last July. It’s absolutely amazing. I’ll be blogging about the trip in about a month (I’ve been catching up from other trips). Some of the most amazing things to see – any landscape that you can. The puffins are great too. The waterfalls, The Golden Circle, horses. We also enjoyed going to the local swimming pool that was geothermal heated – great experience. The hot dog stand in the capitol is pretty good too. You really can’t go wrong with anything in Iceland. We loved it.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. LivingTheQLife says:
    Reply

    We were also there in February and definitely would recommend renting a car. With a short trip, do the Golden Circle, it will take a full day. Also, go to Snaefelsness Peninsula, it considered “Iceland in miniature” and will also take a full day. Have a great trip, Iceland is absolutely beautiful! Feel free to go to the Iceland category on our web page to see pictures from our trip. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Urska @ Slovenian Girl Abroad says:
      Reply

      Snaefelsness is definitely one of the places we would like to visit, but I’m afraid there is so much to see. We’re definitely not having enough time at Iceland.
      I’ll definitely check your blog for details of your trip! Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. lexklein says:
    Reply

    With only a few days, I’d base myself in Reykjavik (I’m sure you are) and do the Golden Circle (because it’s the most famous route, but there are better places if you have time. 🙂 ). In Reykjavik, I liked The Laundromat Cafe, Berggson Mathus, the hot dog place, and Fiskmarkadurrin. If you have time for any driving on your own, go to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula! We also loved the south and southeast, but you may not have time for that – this time! – after one short trip, you will want to go back!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Urska @ Slovenian Girl Abroad says:
      Reply

      Thank you for your tips and suggestions! I know we have limited time at Iceland, but we’ll try to do and see as much as possible. 🙂 Although I’m only planning our trip, I think the chances we would want to go back after our trip are extremely high. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Sebastijan Videc says:
    Reply

    I must say I am a little envious. Iceland is one of the rare nordic countries I haven’t visited yet. But I am travelling even more to the North than Iceland in August/September. Wish I had a time machine to skip the waiting time 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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