Iceland

We have wanted to go to Iceland for awhile now & Sam’s 32nd birthday was coming up so we finally decided to make it happen! Seeing all of the beautiful landscapes & filming locations while watching Game of Thrones caught our eye & made us really want to go. Shoutout to my fellow GOT fans!

We chose this time of year because we have always heard that September/ October was a good time to go to for increasing your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, we never saw them while we were there… It is always a gamble!

7 nights - One week breakdown

1 night Reykjavík 1 night Vík, 1 night Höfn, 1 night Seyðisfjörður,  1 night Húsavík & 2 more nights in Reykjavík.

We flew Icelandair from ORD to KEF on a Saturday night. It was about a 6 hour flight direct from Chicago which was nice. We left around 7:30pm & got into Iceland around 6 am local time. It’s a 6 hour time change from Chicago. 

Day 1- Sunday

First things first, the Blue Lagoon! On the website it recommends you book the Blue Lagoon in advance as it fills up. I was able to book it the night before, but 8 am was one of the only spots available & that was right when it opens. You have an hour window from the time you book to be checked in. It ended up being the perfect amount of time we needed to get there after our flight.

We did a tour that included transportation from the airport to the Blue Lagoon & then from the Blue Lagoon into Reykjavík. The whole thing cost around $250. But it was nice to have the transportation provided after the jet lag from the flight to not have to mess with getting a cab or renting a car. We knew we were going to stay in Reykjavík that first night, so there would be no reason to rent a car that day.

The Blue Lagoon was amazing & just what we needed after a long flight. I had read mixed reviews about it being too “touristy” nowadays, but I would 100% recommend it. I think we got lucky going right when it opened at 8 am & maybe that is why I didn’t feel like it was overcrowded.

It was so relaxing! It is unlike any place I have ever gone before. I loved it! We had initially booked it from 8-12:15, but we ended up taking the 11:15 bus instead. It was nice to know that the transportation is somewhat flexible. The water is hot & the steam from the hot springs makes it even more relaxing. You get a drink & a face mask included in the cost of the comfort package.

They also have storage for your luggage if you are going to or from the airport & locker room with blow dryers to shower & change before entering. Most people make trips to the Blue Lagoon before or after flights as it is closer to the airport than to Reykjavík, so this is helpful to know. It takes around 20 minutes to get to the Blue Lagoon from the airport & around 50 minutes to get there from Reykjavík.

After leaving the Blue Lagoon we take the bus to Reykjavík. The driver took us to a bus stop where we had to transfer to a local bus in town that will take us to a stop close to the hotel. The hotel was a short walk from the bus stop.

We stayed at Alda Hotel. It was in the city center, but that first day compared to the last few days we were there felt like we were in a completely different town. It didn’t help we didn’t walk around much to see what was going on, but the last two days we fell in love with the city so we were bummed we didn’t explore that first day.

It seems like that is how it always is for us when we travel though. We like to have that first day as our “bumming” day to relax & catch up for busy week ahead.

We get to the hotel around 1 pm & unfortunately we weren’t able to get the room as an early check in since it was booked full the night before. So we waited around in the lobby for around an hour. We may or may not have fell asleep in the lobby. Haha it would have worked perfect if we would have stayed at the Blue Lagoon until our normal time, but I was being optimistic that a room might be open if we left early. Not always the case, but it doesn’t hurt to try!

After we were checked in we knew we wanted to take a real nap. We woke up & started planning our week out. We had figured out we wanted to go the “counter-clockwise” route of the Ring Road in Iceland & started by going to the Golden Circle.

Day 2 - Monday

The next day we woke up & went to the car rental place, Reykjavík Rent a Car.

We had paid to rent a Volkswagen Golf because it was cheaper, but of course we get there & ended up getting a Nissan Pulsar. 

One thing we would for sure do differently would be to rent a 4x4. 100% I would say rent one no matter the time of year. We had considered it, but ultimately ended up going with the cheaper option. What we didn’t realize was how bad the weather was going to get on a few of the days (transitioning to winter in October) as well as all of the gravel roads we had to take to see some of the sites. 

The Golden Circle is a common route between 3 natural attractions in Iceland - Thingvellir National Park, Geysir & Gullfoss waterfall.  

Thingvellir National Park was beautiful to walk around! We ended up walking down to Öxarárfoss waterfall. For my fellow Game of Thrones fans out, there they filmed a lot here.

Gesyir

Gullfoss

There is also the Kerid Crater that many people do as well. We decided to skip it & make our way towards Vík. We knew we still wanted to see Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss waterfalls instead before dark.  

We stopped at a gas station for lunch & to try our first Iceland hotdog. I was not that impressed, but mustard & fried onions on top helped. Lol but not going to lie, these did become a staple for us during the week because they were cheap & are available everywhere.

Seljalandsfoss was a cool waterfall to visit as you can walk behind it! To be honest the climb up after was on some rocks & I struggled a little being short. Sometimes my fear of heights gets to me!

After that we visited Skógafoss. This waterfall was amazing! You can get right up next to it, but of course you will get soaked. Sam ended up getting super close. I stayed further back & was still getting wet from the wind blowing.

Fun fact — This is the waterfall where Jon Snow & Daenary’s kissed in Season 8.

If you didn’t know by now there are more than 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland. We quickly discovered this as soon as we got there. There are literally waterfalls everywhere.

After leaving there we had about an hour drive to the town of Vík, which I read would be a good place to stay. We ended up renting a cottage there, it almost felt like we were camping. It was apart of the hotel chain Icelandair Hotel, so we still had the free breakfast included in that lobby the next day which was nice.

Before we checked into the hotel we ventured over to the grocery store & stocked up on some drinks & snacks to have for the week. Iceland is very expensive, so we were trying to save as much as we could. A lot of Iceland is small towns where the grocery stores & liquor stores close early. We ended up walking across the street for dinner at Strondin Pub & called it a night! Successful first day on the road!

Day 3 - Tuesday

The next day we woke up & headed straight to Reynisfjara Beach. This is a beautiful black sand beach with basalt columns. The waves were so big here! They actually say this beach can be dangerous a lot & even part of the time we were in Iceland it was closed due to falling rock, so be sure to check that out before you go! Here is a local website that is helpful for weather / driving conditions.

Fun fact: You may recognize this beach as it’s been in many movies & shows including Game of Thrones, Star Wars & Star Trek. It is the beach at Eastwatch by the Sea where the men in the Night’s Watch are guarding the wall!

Then we started making our way to Höfn.

Our first stop was at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, which was cool to walk around. It was about a 20 minute ride on a gravel road off the main road.

After visiting the Canyon our day made a turn for the worst, which was a bummer since this was one of our most anticipated days of the entire trip. There was harsh winds & heavy rainy all day so we had to drive really slow & even then we were still getting blown all over the road.

We did get to at least stop by the Jökulsárlón Glacier & Diamond Beach, but didn’t get to see them & spend time at them like we wanted. I ended up not even getting out of the car at either because of the weather. Sam did bring me a piece of the ice off the beach, so I got to touch it. Haha I thought that was sweet of him.

Total bummer the whole day though. I guess that is Iceland weather for you though… You never really know what to expect. We end up in Höfn, where we stayed at Milk Factory guesthouse.

We went to eat at Kaffi Hornid. We split the “surf & turf”, which was langoustine (an Iceland delicacy) & lamb ribeye. It came with some roasted root vegetables! Soo good! 

Day 4 - Wednesday 

The next day we were on our way to Seyðisfjörður. This day was basically just a day of driving, which made it kinda nice to have no plans. We stopped at Nykurhylsfoss Waterfall.

After stopping to see that waterfall we actually turned off to continue down Highway 1. The GPS was trying to take us a different route to Egilsstaðir, which shows was faster but in all reality it was another gravel road which we were not about to take. (It was Highway 939 so avoid that way). It was better to stay on the paved highway & go a little out of the way in our eyes. We stopped in the town of Breiðdalsvík next (to give you an idea of the way we took). You just basically keep following the highway along the ocean.

After we pass the town of Egilsstaðir, we realize you have to cross a mountain pass to get to Seyðisfjörður. This was Highway 93.

This was okay going there, but we quickly found out it is supposed to be snowing that next morning, so it honestly made us fear for our lives a little bit. Not even kidding. There are no guard rails on a lot of the cliffs, as well as not having a 4x4 car we felt unsafe. Tried to just relax the rest of the night & not worry about it until the morning hoping for the best.

We stayed at our very first hostel here, Post-Hostel! Even though we had our own private bed & bath, it was technically still a hostel. On the website you can see a birds eye view of how much of a hidden gem this town is!

We walked into town which took about 10 minutes. The town itself is rather small, everything is pretty much all right there together.

Fun fact — You might recognize this town from The Secrets of Walter Mitty! The road that leads to this town is where Ben Stiller rides his longboard.

We ate at Kaffi Lara for dinner!

Day 5 - Thursday 

We survived the drive back to Egilsstaðir! Ugh seriously can relax now, that drive was stressful!!! I would recommend visiting that town any time but winter! 

We to head to Husavík. Sam wanted to stop at Stuðlagil Canyon.

We ended up skipping over Dettifoss, because we found out it was another gravel road & it was just something we decided to skip. Gravel roads make 20 minute drives feel like an hour. Plus you have to worry about anything going wrong with a rental car. 

We briefly stopped at Myvatn. This is one place I wish we would have taken the time to stop at & explore. All of the driving every day just caught up to us so we had to pick & choose where to make stops & the most of our time. The have the Myvatn Nature Baths there, which i’ve hard are very similar to the Blue Lagoon but less crowded.

Grjótagjá Cave is here as well — the cave where the famous scene of Jon Snow & Ygrette were at in GOT. But once again it was something we decided to skip that day, but if I could go back I would have definitely tried to make the time to stop.

We arrive into Husavík & stay at Fosshotel. This was a good location in town & the hotel was actually super modern & nice. 

Hidden Gem 💎

We had made reservations at Geosea Thermal Baths for that night for Sam’s birthday, so we walked over there once we were settled in at the hotel.

It was amazing! Infinity pool views over the ocean. It is natural hot springs similar to Blue Lagoon, super relaxing. This place actually just opened up this last year, so it’s a more secluded in the sense that people do not know about yet.

We ate dinner at Salka Restaurant for Sam’s birthday. We had langoustine pasta there. Really good!

It was such a cute town on the harbor. It is actually famous for Whale Watching too if that is something you are interested in!

Day 6 - Friday

The next day we went to Godafoss waterfall & then off to Akueryi where we will stay the night. This is the “unofficial” Capital of the North. We decided to split up the trip this way to break up our driving time & give ourselves a break on the road. We only ended up driving about an hour that day, which was way shorter than what we were averaging most other days (which was around 3 to 4 hours).

We checked into our hotel at Hotel Akureyri Dynheimar. We stayed in a Micro Suite here. This was a good location about a 10 minute walk from town. We walked around the town for a bit & then went to hang out at the hotel for awhile to rest up until around dinner time.

We went to Einstok Brewer’s Lounge for a flight of Icelandic Beers & then to dinner down the road at Mulaberg Bistro & Bar.

Day 6 - Saturday 

The next day we drive back to Reykjavík! This was our longest driving day, but it actually ended up not being so bad It was our very last driving day of the trip, so we were happy! The weather was okay too, which made for a better drive.

Around 5 hours later we drop the car off & take a taxi to our hotel. We were supposed to have the car back around 4pm & I think we ended up arriving around 2pm.

We stayed at the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel in the city center. This time we were truly in the heart of town which we loved.  

We were right by the famous hot dog stand, Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. In my opinion the hot dog did not taste any different than all of the hotdogs we got at the gas stations. Haha but Bill Clinton made an appearance there years ago & put it on the map. 

Then we ate at Grillmarkadurinn for dinner.

Fun fact — The Kardashians ate at this restaurant when they went there! 

One of best meals of our trip! It was where we got to try some authentic Icelandic foods. We tried whale, puffin, horse & reindeer.

For dessert we headed over to the Big Lebowski bar to have a White Russian. Sam got the Caucasian & I got the White Chocolate Russian. Both really good!

After that we walked over to see Hallgrímskirkja Church. It was truly breathtaking in person!

Then headed back to an Irish pub, The Dubliner for a nightcap.

Day 7 - Sunday 

We decided to stay another night so it was nice to be able to sleep in the next day & chill out & do whatever.

We ended up walking around & shopping for a little bit for some souvenirs.

I actually had heard that Reykjavik was home to many street cats, but I can’t believe I didn’t end up seeing any. I did find out that there was a Cat Cafe there after & was sad I didn’t know about it at the time. So my fellow cat lovers, you're welcome.

Then we headed over to Bryggjan Brugghús Brewery.

After that we got some fresh seafood from a little whole in the wall, The Sea Barron Restaurant that I had read about.

It ended up being soo good & the perfect last meal of the trip! You literally walk in & they have the food out on display of what you can order to have cooked fresh right then. It was probably our favorite meal of the trip. We got the lobster soup to start & skewers of grilled scallops & Redfish.

We headed over to the American Bar to watch the Bears game after, where we actually ran into another couple from Chicago & called it a night.

Day 8 - Monday 

The next morning we had to leave super early as the flight we were trying to catch was at 8:30 a.m.

We left the hotel around 5:30 a.m. We ended up doing a semi private transfer, so we only shared the car with another couple.

We got to the airport around 6:30 a.m., but it ended up being okay with time. The line looked long we we first got in it which worried me a little, but it actually moved really quick. We only were in line around 20 minutes or so. 

We flew from KEF-JFK on Delta. We ended up getting Delta Premium for the ride home with was nice! Thank you Delta! Once again we didn’t sleep, but the flight attendant was amazing to us! JFK to ORD & home at last!

I hope you enjoyed my Iceland post!

When planning your trip to Iceland there are a few extra tips i’d like to suggest. Obviously we did the Ring Road in a very short amount of time, the more days you add the more time you can spend at each place & it can also help break up the driving time. Even though we did the whole “Ring Road” essentially, we did skip out on the Westfjords & Snæfellsnes Peninsula which is something to consider adding on.

Also, if we could go back we would actually just try to take tours of certain areas instead of driving trying to see everything. It was a lot to take on & we were literally driving 3-4 hours every day with stops.

Another thing I wish we could have done no matter what way you go if you do decide to drive (clockwise or counter-clockwise) is to fly to or from Akureyri from Reykjavík instead of driving to start or end the trip. It would save about 5 hours driving time that doesn’t really include any major stops or sightseeing. It is only about a 30 minute flight I believe.

Last but not least, stop at the Duty free store for alcohol before leaving the airport once you land! We only ended up getting a bottle of vodka & wine there, but we wish we would have got more. It was literally half the price of everywhere else on the whole island.

Life is short, book the flight! Skál!

xoxo, Tarah