Guest Post from Katie Spoon (the Wandering Daughter) at The Traveling Spoon

 

Hello! Thank you for reading my guest post.  I am based in Iowa, USA, with my dog Indy. I’ve been to 19 countries so far, and have many to go!

One of my most recent trips was a week in Iceland with my cousin/best friend, Alanna. It was a spur-of-the-moment trip; from deciding to go to boarding the flight, it was just about one month. 

With limited planning time, we used the excellent Guide to Iceland, which coordinates self-guided driving tours. They arranged everything: our hotels, our tours, and our car rental. Their website is easy to use, and their team communicates efficiently before the trip and during if any problems arise. Luckily, only a couple of things went wrong on this trip, but they were great about it! 

We did the Unforgettable 7-Day Self-Drive Tour of West & South Iceland with the Golden Circle, with our own little changes to better suit our needs for this quick trip. Iceland might be a small country, but it is jam-packed with nature and sights! With only a week, we did not want to rush through the entire Ring Road (the road that circles the whole country), so we stuck to Reykjavik (the capital), and the South. 

Overview:

Iceland was absolutely gorgeous, and you’re never lacking for something to see! From planned stops to spontaneous pulling over to see something, Alanna and I had a jam-packed 6 days of driving around the South of Iceland. (If you’re like me and you sometimes just want a quick list and ratings, click here.)

Tips for Iceland:

• Bring layers! I’m from Iowa, so I’m used to – and in fact, thrive in – cold weather. But even in June when it was 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with the wind and rain, it got pretty dang cold. I doubled up my jackets several times and even found myself wishing for a slightly heavier layer. 
• Waterproof everything. My rain jacket and waterproof hiking boots were my best friends! 
• Driving in Iceland – It is very easy once you get used to it! Especially outside of Reykjavik. Be prepared for a lot of roundabouts.  Also, be mindful of the speed limits – they do not play around with speeding, and their ticket prices are very high.
• Stop at the airport Duty-Free / grocery stores. If you’re looking to save some money, an easy way to do that is food. The Duty-Free has a ton of snacks and alcohol to choose from. Alcohol is pretty expensive in Iceland, so it was helpful to have some with us when we didn’t want to go out or spend any more money. Grocery stores often have handy pre-packaged meals you can eat on the road. 
• Bring an eye mask.  If you’re going to Iceland in the summer, definitely add this to your packing list – sometimes the curtains just aren’t enough to keep that midnight sun out.
• Don’t buy bottled water. Iceland is all glacier water, so don’t buy bottled water. You can fill up your water bottle in any stream or water feature you come upon.
• Take your time. Our favorite day was when our planned tour got canceled. We just messed around all day, pulling off the road whenever we wanted to, spending as much time as we wished, and having the best time.  
• Bring your camera. Seriously. Iceland is one of the most naturally beautiful places I’ve ever been, and there wasn’t a single moment I wasn’t wishing was forever ingrained in my memory!
• Don’t worry about the language barrier.  Everyone we encountered spoke fluent English.

Our Itinerary:

Day 1:

We landed in Reykjavik in the morning, went to the airport duty-free store to grab some beer (it’s VERY expensive in Iceland, so that’s a great way to save a little money!), and picked up our rental car through MY CAR. It was easy, and our RAV4 was in great shape. It also came with a 4G Internet Box, which was invaluable during our trip because, let’s face it, we all live by GPS these days!

We had planned on going to the famous Blue Lagoon to wash away the jet lag, but unfortunately, due to volcanic eruptions, it was closed. I definitely will go there next time I’m in Iceland! So, we just went straight into Reykjavik to grab lunch at Islenski Barinn, where we both got burgers and beer. 

After lunch, we went to The Icelandic Phallological Museum – yep, you read that right. A museum of penises! It sounds…odd, yes, but it was actually very cool. It featured art, casts, and specimens of penises from the animal kingdom and more. They even have a part for mythical creatures, which was entertaining! 

 

 

Guide to Iceland booked us at the Storm Hotel that night, which was perfectly suitable for two people with two twin beds and a little desk, a small wardrobe, and a private bathroom. For most of the hotels in Iceland, think of a typical Hilton or Marriott, but smaller and with two twin beds rather than one king (although, a king bed was an option). 

After a much-needed shower, we went across the street to Bjorgardurrin for dinner and a couple of drinks. The food was really good, and the vibes of the place were great! 

 

Day 2:

Our itinerary had us heading to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, however, we decided we wanted to spend more time in Reykjavik. So, we happily spent another night in the capital.   Snæfellsnes will be the first thing on my list for the next trip, though! 

We started our second day of whale watching with Elding Tours. While we only saw the back of a minke whale, we did have a great experience with a few dolphins! We were on an RIB boat, so it was small (only 12 people), and I highly recommend that. You get much closer to the sealife, and you’re not disturbing them as much as a big boat. The dolphins were swimming from one side of our boat to the other, under the boat, and surfacing mere feet away!

 

After our play date with the dolphins, we grabbed a coffee at Reykjavik Röst, right by the tour office. It was a super cute coffee shop, with great coffee and some yummy snacks.

 

Next, we headed to  Omnom Chocolate, which is a brightly colored chocolate and ice cream shop. We picked up some gifts for people, some bars for ourselves, and a quick ice cream treat (cause, I mean, how can you resist?).

 

 

Our hotel that night was Canopy by Hilton. I highly recommend it! It is perfectly located to explore the city. We parked our rental car in a nearby parking garage for the night, as the Hilton doesn’t have any parking available.  If we weren’t doing this pre-arranged tour, I would’ve just picked up the rental car on the way out of Reykjavik so we didn’t have to deal with parking in the city.

To cap off our day, we did the Funky Food & Beer Walk with Funky Iceland. I love doing food tours, especially early on a trip. You learn so much, not only about the food, but also the culture and history of the country you’re visiting. Our guide, Lalli, was a knowledgeable local. We had smoked lamb and trout, dried fish, pancake, fish stew, soup, fish and chips, beer, a famous Icelandic hot dog, and, of course, fermented shark. The hot dogs are, indeed, better than the ones in the US, and the fermented shark… was something. We were told not to breathe in when chewing it if that gives you any idea of the taste!

 

 

 

We walked down the famous Rainbow Street, and ended our night at the ÆGIR Taproom, where some musicians popped in to play. It wasn’t a featured event = – it just seemed like something they do every once in a while: go to a bar to play some music and sing some songs. It made our hearts happy.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3:

Today marked the beginning of our road trip. We woke up bright and early to drive to Þingvellir National Park.

Our activity for the day was snorkeling between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Iceland! The water is so, so clear you can see all the way down with nearly perfect visibility. It’s also glacial water (as most of the water in Iceland is), so it’s just above freezing year-round. Yeah, it was cold. Our dry suits helped quite a bit, though they were one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever worn. Guide to Iceland booked this tour for us through Tröll Expeditions, and they were great. On time, knowledgeable, and our guide took photos with her GoPro for us to keep! 

After the tour, we walked around the park a little bit. The park itself is very important in Icelandic history; it’s where the country started! The sight of the first parliamentary assembly (or Alþing) of Iceland is right by the snorkeling spot. They met there every year from 930 AD to 1798. So, even if you only spend a little time in the park, definitely keep an eye out for the flag – that’s the spot! There are also lots of trails that lead to some of the many, many waterfalls in Iceland. 

 

 

After the park, we went to Efstidalur Farm, a family-run farm not far from the park, for lunch and homemade ice cream. Then, we went to Laugarvatn Fontana, a geothermal bathhouse that is also a geothermal bakery! They make rye bread by burying the starter, and the hot springs under the ground heat it. In 24 hours, they pull out the container, and voila! Rye bread! It’s much more dense than the rye bread I’m used to. It’s great topped with butter and smoked trout/lamb… Icelanders really like their butter. It was a very cool experience! 

We then headed to  Geysir Hot Springs. We get our word “geyser” from this Geysir.  There are a few geysers in this area, one of which erupts about every 10 minutes. They’re not my favorite natural feature, but it was fun to see for sure. However, we mostly stopped there because it was on our way to Gullfoss. (-foss is the Icelandic word for waterfall, so anything ending in -foss means it’s a waterfall!). This waterfall was HUGE, loud, and beautiful.

After getting sprayed a little, we headed to our hotel for the night – Blue Hotel Fagrilundur.

This was my favorite hotel that Guide to Iceland booked for us. We were right by a rooftop hang-out space, so we definitely used that! We were also within walking distance to Vínstofan Friðheimar, a wine bar extension of the famous tomato farm, Friðheimar.

Alanna isn’t the biggest tomato fan, so we compromised and went to the wine bar rather than the whole restaurant. It was wonderful! The wine bar itself is gorgeous, and the food was amazing. We got several snack-type dishes to share, and it was quite filling. I’d suggest trying to go to the actual tomato farm if you can, particularly if you want a full meal. Definitely make a reservation.

 

Day 4:

Today we spent the day in and out of the car visiting many, many waterfalls (or, as Alanna and I started saying, “fosses!”). We were supposed to take a glacier hike on Solheimajokull (also through Tröll Expeditions), but that was canceled due to weather. It was very windy, and at the glacier, it was raining. Rain + ice + wind = not a good idea! 

It ended up being our favorite day of the trip! Sometimes simply wandering is the best way to have the most amazing experiences.  We meandered as we wanted, stopped wherever, and took our time. Our food guide leader told us that fences are for the sheep and horses in Iceland – not people! They believe the land is for everyone, not just who owns it. So, if you see something you want to look at or see a stream from which you want to fill your water bottle, feel free to just do it! Respectfully, of course.

To that end, we saw a waterfall over the tops of some trees and decided to stop. After opening a fence, wondering if our guide lied to us, deciding he wouldn’t do that, and following a small path, we found our favorite waterfall of the trip, Thorsteins Grove! We were the only ones there, the wind was pushing it all around, and there were tiny little Icelandic-style houses right by it. We even got to climb up alongside it. 

 

Then onto Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind! We got soaked here, but it was so worth it. The wind didn’t help, ha! Our final waterfall of the day was Skógafoss, which was the biggest we had seen and had black rocks/sand around it. The surrounding nature at all of these was so green – the moss, the grass, everything – that the black ground is very striking.

 

 

We also stopped at  Solheimajokull Glacier despite the tour cancellation. We still walked up to it, saw all the colors, and basked in the glory. It was devastating to see where the glacier was in 2010 versus where it is today. It has shrunk so much, in such a little amount of time, and continues to do so. 

 

We visited the famous Reynisfjara Beach on our way to Vík. It is so worth it! Even with the weather, which even windier by the water, it was so beautiful. The black sand beach with the basalt columns is so distinct, and the jagged rocks coming out of the water are becoming an identifier for the small South Iceland town. Do be cautious of the sneaker waves though – keep an eye out for warnings, and don’t get too close to the water. People have died from not taking the warnings seriously! 

 

We ended our day with food and beer at Smiðjan Brugghús, a local brewery in Vík, followed by dessert and another drink at Ströndin Pub. If you like gin and tonics, you’ll be very happy at that pub (and indeed all of Iceland!).

We walked to the beach behind the pub after our drink and took in a little more of the crashing waves before heading to our hotel for the night, Hotel Katla. This was another great hotel choice by Guide to Iceland, mostly because of the hot tub and sauna! We took advantage of these amenities before crashing for the night after a long, adventurous day! 

Day 5:

 

We started our fifth day off with a bang, stopping at Skool Beans for our morning coffee. This super cool cafe is in a school bus! It also has a bunch of local art, which I found lacking in other parts of Iceland. A great stop for coffee/tea, as well as souvenirs that aren’t mass-produced: that’s a win-win!

Our stops today included Fjaðrárgljúfur, a gorgeous canyon about 2 million years old with a walking path and some great views! It was not a paved road to get here, so if you don’t have a four-wheel drive, check the road conditions before going. We then went to Skaftafell Nature Preserve, where I wish we could have spent more time. With a ton of hiking trails and camping spots, one could easily spend a couple of days here. We then stopped at Freysnes (another side-of-the-road-attraction we stumbled upon), to get a little closer to the glacier. The lupines are in full bloom, with a glacier in the background… it’s just so beautiful! 

 

 

Our tour for the day was a Boat Tour on Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Vatnajokull National Park. Our boat operator, Jules, was hilarious! He was so knowledgeable about glaciers, and this iceberg lagoon. He picked up a piece of the glacier from the water and told us to eat it. We did, of course! 

 

Not far from this lagoon is another, more famous one, Jökulsárlón. There are boat tours here too, but we wanted to experience one with fewer people, so we booked it at Fjallsarlon instead. I’m glad we did – there were so many people here! We walked a little away from the crowds to take it all in before heading across the street to Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash ashore. The black sand and the clear icebergs make them look like diamonds!

 

To end the day, we drove all the way to Höfn (past our hotel for the night), to eat at Pakkhus. This was a fantastic meal, and I couldn’t recommend it enough! Alanna got lobster and I got langoustine. We shared an octopus appetizer, and it was possibly the best octopus I’ve ever eaten.

I wish we’d had more time to explore this little town, but we were exhausted, so we headed to our hotel, Lilja Guesthouse. This was honestly my least favorite hotel of the trip – the pillows were like pancakes (and only one for each bed), and the curtains didn’t do much to block out that midnight sun. It was 10:30 pm and it looked like 4 pm, which is super cool… until you’re trying to fall asleep, and the sun is peeking through. 

 

Day 6:

Today we headed back to Reykjavik, but not before one more stop at Skool Beans! We also took the time to pull over whenever we wanted to, seeing a few more fosses, the famous Yoda Cave, and more. Iceland is so beautiful, I could spend a whole week just wandering around!

 

We returned to Storm Hotel by Keahotels for the last night. We started the evening at Bryggjan Brugghús for a quick local beer.  It just wasn’t my favorite spot, but if there were more people I think it would’ve been more fun! Then we returned to Skulí Craft Bar, which we discovered on our food tour. This was my favorite bar on our trip – they often have all Icelandic beer on tap, and the space is so cool. 

Our final dinner was at Matur og Drykkur, a Michelin Star restaurant that was featured on the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil.  This restaurant is hyper-seasonal, offering a 6-course tasting menu focused specifically on local produce and classic Icelandic recipes. This meal was off the charts wonderful, especially with the drink pairing. This was my favorite meal of the trip (with the octopus and langoustine from Höfn being second). It was a wonderful way to end the trip – the food was top-tier, and the service was friendly and knowledgeable, and you could watch the chefs cooking the food!

 

I hope you enjoyed this guide to 6 days in Iceland! I think it’s a great way to spend a week, and there’s room to add even more – the plus side of 20 hours of sunlight. Iceland certainly made my top 5 list, and I can’t wait to go back to do the rest of the Ring Road, and hopefully see the northern lights next time!

 

Quick info:

Here is a map of our trip: Iceland Map

Reykjavik:

• The Icelandic Phallological Museum (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Whale Watching through Elding Tours (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Funky Food & Beer Walk with Funky Iceland (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

South Iceland:

• Þingvellir National Park and Snorkeling (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Laugarvatn Fontana – Geothermal Bakery Experience (⭐⭐⭐½) 
• Geysir Hot Springs (⭐⭐⭐)
• Gullfoss (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Thorsteins Grove (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Gluggafoss (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Seljalandsfoss (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Skógafoss (⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Solheimajokull Glacier(⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Fjaðrárgljúfur(⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Freysnes (⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Boat Tour on Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Vatnajokull National Park (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Diamond Beach (⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Yoda Cave (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

South Iceland: 

• Efstidalur Farm (⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Vínstofan Friðheimar (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Smiðjan Brugghús (⭐⭐⭐⭐½)
• Ströndin Pub (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Skool Beans (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
• Pakkhus (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)