Crowdsourcing holiday advice

[dolorosa_12]

Friends who've spent time in Iceland (either living there or on holiday), I need your help. My mother and I are going there for a holiday for a week in late May, and I'm looking for advice about what to do, where to go, and where to stay.

Things to know about us: we both like very active holidays with a lot of walking and outdoorsy stuff. Although my mother is in her late sixties, she is fitter and healthier than I am — to give you some indication, she swims for about a kilometre almost every day, walks everywhere, and the two of us went on a hiking trip in a very hilly part of Devon and Somerset last year that saw us walk more than 100km in seven days.

We are unlikely to have our own mode of transportation. I don't know how to drive, and she has only ever driven in countries which drive on the left-hand side of the road (and I don't think Icelandic terrain is exactly the best place to start driving on the wrong side of the road).

At present we are weighing up whether to spend the entire trip in Reykjavik and go out on day trips using public transport, spend most of the trip on some kind of extended hiking tour (the kind where you go with guides and as part of a group, not the kind where you go off on your own and carry your own tents), or some combination of the two. Advice about which of these is likely to make the most sense (especially given that it will still be fairly early in the year, and potentially cold/difficult weather) would be greatly appreciated.

All suggestions welcome. If you don't want to post in the comments here, feel free to send me a message.

Comments

[jennaria]

:raises hand: Went there in February of 2014! Spent most of our time in Reykjavik, which is very pedestrian-friendly (more so than car-friendly, as I recall) and has plenty of museums/notable buildings/etcetera. Weather was slightly milder than Boston, MA. They have lots of bus tours around the Golden Circle, but I believe they're expensive. :-(

Otherwise: I seem to recall that puffins are a summer thing in Iceland, if that's of interest. We were going mostly for the Northern Lights, which are obviously more visible during the longer nights of winter.

[dolorosa_12]

That's super useful to know! I think we're likely to spend at least half of the week outside Reykjavik, so we're now at the stage of working out whether we do that with daytrips by bus (which would mean very long road journeys), hiring our own car and driving from place to place (which has the problems with my mum driving on the wrong side of the road, as I mentioned above), or some kind of guided hiking tour, which would probably be easiest in some ways, but the most expensive.

We are likely to be in Reykjavik for at least two days, so it's good to know that there'll be stuff to do! Any museums you'd recommend in particular?

I wish we could see the Northern Lights, but my mum is a wimp when it comes to the cold and will only visit the northern hemisphere in the summer. So I'll have to save that for another trip...

[hesychasm]

"Icelandic terrain" isn't really an issue -- there is one main highway that goes all around the country and it's very well-paved and not at all high-traffic, so if you occasionally drifted over to the wrong side, it would be okay. Other roads can be dirt or gravel, but those are also not high-traffic. (If you do decide to rent a car, you'll find that people will recommend you don't use them to go anywhere rougher than dirt or gravel, unless you splash out on 4-wheel drive or something.)

If you're more comfortable booking a GAP adventure type tour with a group and guide, that would probably have the added benefit of removing the pressure to book your own accommodation. Hotels and Air BnB can and do get full in the high season. Now is definitely a good time to be looking.

The benefit of driving yourselves is that you can control your own time and destinations. There are so many waterfalls and vistas you can drive right up to, with hiking trails that go on for quite a ways. Pretty much everyone speaks/reads/writes English. Be prepared for rain and wear lots of layers. Also, food will be incredibly expensive.

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you! This is all super useful advice. What you've said about the road matches the other advice I've been given (I also posted about this on Facebook, as a lot of my 'real life' friends have lived in Iceland for extended periods of time), so I've asked my mother what she feels about driving. She's never driven on the 'wrong' side of the road, though, and I get the impression she's a bit nervous of it, given that last year she and my sister went to the US and made certain trips by car on the condition that my sister would do all the driving. However, I think you're right that it would take a lot of the pressure away about destinations, journey times etc.

Any particular recommendations about waterfalls, glaciers etc to visit? We're already planning to go to Vík, and to Jökulsárlón.

Thank you for the warning about accommodation. We're looking at getting that sorted in the next two weeks (basically once we've decided whether we're hiring a car or not, and whether we'd be based in Reykjavik or drive from place to place, staying wherever we go), but it's good to know that things book up fast.

Thanks also for the warnings about the weather, and the food. We have good wet weather gear (including hiking gear), and have been hiking in Norway, so we know a little of what to expect in terms of the weather. We're also prepared for expensive food prices — Norway prepared us somewhat, although I know that in Iceland it will be even more expensive.

[hesychasm]

I'm envious of you getting to go to Iceland this year! We went recently (August 2016) for just one week, and I can't wait to go again and spend more time. It was really magical.

You'll probably get a lot of the same places recommended to you -- with good reason! -- but I particularly remember Skogafoss Waterfall having hiking trails at the top, once you climb a fair number of steps. We took pictures of Vatnajokull Glacier from a distance but didn't have time to hike it. That's near Jokulsarlon. I saw you mentioned your mother likes swimming; hot springs aren't really for swimming but we really really enjoyed the Myvatn Nature Baths near the town Akureyri.

Basically we did a sort of highlights road trip. We landed at the airport, hit the road immediately and drove the whole ring around the country, seeing as much as we could. Then we ended the trip with an afternoon doing the Golden Circle, before spending the last night in Reykjavik. To be honest, I felt no need to see more of Reykjavik than we did -- food and accommodation, for one thing, were more expensive than anywhere on the road.

Regarding driving: I understand you probably don't want your mother to be uncomfortable, but from my own experience it's easier than one would think to "snap" into the mindset of driving on the other side. I grew up in the USA but I have lived in Australia and the UK and have driven in both. It's scary for the first hour or so, and occasionally you might need reminding about which lane to turn into. But with everyone else driving on one side versus another, it becomes very automatic. And if there's any country to try driving on the other side in, it's Iceland -- it's so low-traffic, seriously.

But, absolutely, your mother should be comfortable! (And I forgot to mention that rental cars are godawful expensive as well, so shop around for those. Beware of Sixt, which has a terrible policy for canceling bookings.)

[dolorosa_12]

Thanks for the recommendation of Skogafoss - that's super helpful! We're thinking at the moment of spending one night in Rekjavik at either end, and spending a day or so at other places - Vik and Jokulsarlon are definitely on the list, and maybe Akureyri might be another option.

Hot springs are definitely on the list, so thanks for the recommendation of the Myvatn Nature Baths.

Thanks also for your advice about the car. We're leaning towards buses at the moment, because friends based in Iceland have said it's possible to get everywhere we want to go that way, as long as we're prepared to be bound by bus schedules.

I think at this point, what we'll be doing is drawing up a short list of places we want to go and arranging our travel based on where they lie on the ring road, with a day/night in Reykjavik tacked on at either end of the week. We're likely to book accommodation in the next week or so.

[naye]

Eee Iceland! You should come over and borrow our box of guidebook + maps + tourist leaflets! We have some excellent stuff - you'll probably want to buy your own, too, but just to start you browsing? Why don't you come pick it up next time you're getting bread from Alison's. ♥

It's SUCH a fantastic place to travel. There's buses that go everywhere - they may only run once an hour or so, but they'll get you all the way around the country should you want to do that. I totally understand not being comfortable with the whole renting a vehicle and driving it around, so I suggest doing some research into bus routes and schedules, and then booking a few nights out of Reykjavik. (There's lots of accommodation available, but Iceland is swamped in tourists, so book early!)

There's also tons of companies that run tours out of Reykjavik so you get back from the sights the same day, but for some places (like Jökulsárlón , which I DEFINITELY recommend) that would mean most of a day spent in a bus, with very little time spent out exploring the landscape.

Oh, and no matter where you go - don't miss the hot pots! With all that geothermal power they've got, Iceland's big on heated pools, and even tiny communities will have a swimming pool with a couple of jacuzzy-style "hot pots" in different temperatures. Nothing beats soaking your whole body after a long day's walk, and the baths are all cheap and clean and outdoors, which feels amazing. So don't think you have to hit something called "spa" or whatever - if it looks like a small municipal swimming pool it's actually a fantastic soaking spot and you should check out the opening hours and make sure to squeeze a soak in before they close at the end of the day. I cannot recommend this enough! (As a bonus, being outdoors, you get some spectacular views from these places. (One of our booklets has a list of most public pools in the country operating in 2016, including opening hours and such.)

But yeah, Iceland is gorgeous and you can't really go wrong? If you pick a few walks you'd like to do - and in Iceland "walks" can be day-long hikes with mountain huts - you'll definitely be able to get there and back with public transport and save you the hassle of driving nerves and "what if I scratch the car up" nerves and having to return the car before your flight nerves. (I was nervous about all of that, it all went fine, but if I hadn't had Skuld to drive and be calm about things I would NEVER have done it.)

[dolorosa_12]

You and Skuld were definitely on my mind when I made this post, so thank you very much for your extensive advice!

You've echoed a lot of the warnings I've had from others about accommodation booking up fast, so we're planning on sorting that as soon as possible. We'll do so once we've decided whether we're going to hire a car (this will depend on how comfortable my mum is with driving on the right-hand side of the road, which she has never done before and previously told me she didn't want to do), whether we're going to do some kind of guided hiking tour, or whether we're going to be based out of Reykjavik and just do day-trips by bus.

So far the only two places I definitely want to go to are Jókulsárlón and Vík (and possibly Esja Mountain if we decide to stay in Reykjavik the whole time); they are in the same direction around the ring road, so it might be possible to go to one, and then move on to the other over a couple of days. Any other places you'd definitely recommend?

We are definitely going to go in as many hot springs as possible. Thanks for the heads up that you don't have to go in the most expensive ones - cheap, clean and outdoors sounds amazing! Normally when my mother and I go on hiking trips, she spends every evening in the bath for hours, so I can see this really appealling to her!

Thanks also for your offer of lending me your maps and guidebooks, which is extremely generous. I won't know if Alison's doing bread this week until Monday, so is it okay if I email you then? I normally collect it between 6 and 6.30 on Thursday or Friday — are you two going to be at home at those times?

In spite of all my stressing and grumbling, I really am looking forward to this trip, and it's great to know that so many of my friends have been to Iceland in the past and had a great time!

[naye]

I think Alison said she'd bake next week, and we'll def be home then, so come right over! I'd love to have you pop in for a quick cup of tea if you have a moment, and we can look at some of the stuff together? Or if you have to run, just grab the books and go and we can catch up some other time.

Other advice: The beaches near Vik (Reynisfjara) and the stone arches etc are really gorgeous. It's got those amazing honeycomb basalt columns and black sand and it's definitely worth a trip. We didn't find much to do in Vik proper? But might have missed something, as we were holed up in the camp site avoiding the winds that night!

I'd also recommend the Golden Circle - yeah, it's touristy, but the it takes you to some impressive spots. If we'd have the time/money/lack of glasses we would definitely have taken a tour of Silfra, snorkling or diving. Even if you don't go in, staring into that clear water is a cool part of visiting the Þingvellir National Park.

Otherwise - some of the waterfalls really are super cool. Like Seljalandsfoss, that has path behind it! I also really liked Skogafoss, which threw up some lovely rainbows at us. Plus we really wanted to go to Skaftafell, but the weather didn't play nice...

We also really enjoyed the Snæfellsnes peninsula with its national park. Lots of lovely coastal walks here, all in view of a glacier on top of a volcano (the one Jules Verne used in Journey to the Centre of the Earth). And if you do go, don't miss the hot pot in Olafsvik. :D

Oh, and Esja was really pretty! We just happened to have lunch at a little restaurant at the foot of the mountain on our first day, but it's clear why it's such a popular spots with the locals.

If you do go all the way to Jókulsárlón I know the Route 1 bus actually stops there for an hour to let you do the lagoon tour. Then you could spend the night in Höfn - another spot with lovely hot pots in the municipal pool, and some really nice restaurants. (We only ate at one, but there were several places that had good reviews.)

Really, Iceland is so stunning, you can't really go wrong. ♥ Just bring lots of layers (it's COLD), prepare for rain and wind, and resign yourselves to spending lots on your food. The gas station N1 serves surprisingly delicious fish stew and other hearty dishes for pretty cheap. A favorite all across the country is lamb soup with chunks of vegetables - absolutely delicious. And most places do offer you unlimited rolls with your soup or stew!

[dolorosa_12]

That is all super advice — really, really helpful. It's sounding as if it might be worth spending half the time in Reykjavik (probably the second half so we can be closer to the airport for our return flight), and the other half elsewhere (possibly one night in Höfn, one in Vik, and one in a waterfally place).

Thanks once again for your offer of maps, guidebooks, and your own knowledge. I'll definitely take you up on that, and will certainly have time to stay for a cup of tea and a bit of brainstorming. As soon as Alison's sent out her bread email, I'll email you and sort out which night I'll be dropping by.

Thanks also for the warnings about food and weather. My mum and I have hiked in Norway (around Bergen), so we are familiar with changeable Nordic weather, and expensive Nordic prices, even if those in Iceland are a little bit more extreme than their Norwegian equivalents. We'll make sure we're well prepared in terms of warm clothes, and braced for expensive meals.

[quiara]

Even boarding in Reykjavik and doing day trips would leave a lot of room for some hiking adventures. Public transport is excellent. Such a beautiful part of the world. Whatever you decide, have an amazing time. It sounds wonderful.

[dolorosa_12]

Thanks very much! Right now we're just weighing up whether to stay in Reykjavik the whole time, or whether to move from place to place, either by car, or as part of a guided, extended hiking tour. Whatever we do, I'm sure it will be wonderful, and both of us have been wanting to visit Iceland for a really long time, so it's great to finally have the chance to do so!

[quiara]

It sounds like a wonderful time. I hope you'll post photos between adventures. ^_^

[dolorosa_12]

I'm sure it will be great.

I'm generally terrible at taking photos on holidays, partly because I don't have a smartphone, and partly because I get so distracted by actually doing the stuff that I forget to pause and take photos. I'm hoping the Icelandic landscape is enough of a reminder that I really need to capture it in photos, though!

[dhampyresa]

Alas, I can be no help, since I've never been to Iceland (yet), but I just wanted to say she swims for about a kilometre almost every day FUCKING HOW Does your mom have her own pool? Either way, she is LIVING THE DREAM.

Have a great time in Iceland!

[dolorosa_12]

She's pretty amazing! She's fortunate enough to live a twenty-minute walk away from this amazing pool (see Google Images for more of what it looks like; it's beautiful), and has a flexible enough job that most mornings she's able to stop by the pool on her way to work and swim twenty laps. She normally goes with at least one of her sisters, and when my sister lived with Mum, she went too; other random cousins and aunts frequently join them. When I was visiting them in Sydney in 2015, I was a regular participant in the morning swims, although the best I could manage was fourteen laps!

With that kind of pool virtually in your backyard, and a lifestyle that allows you the freedom to swim every morning before starting work, why would you not swim a kilometre whenever you could?

[dhampyresa]

I'm really jealous! I wish my schedule let me swim more often. Your mom is living the dream!

[dolorosa_12]

She is indeed!

[pax_athena]

I'd strongly encourage you to go further then Reykjavik - there is a lot to do around the city, but I had the general feeling that most interesting places take a bit too long to get to (don't underestimate the distances there; the roads are bad and very curvy) to really enjoy it if you stay in the city. At least it would annoy me to have to drive somewhere for three to four hours and then spend the same time to get back the same day.
We did Iceland with a car, but there is a bus route all around the island - we've been told that there is a reasonably priced ticket that only takes you in one direction, but at your own pace. It's also comparatively easy to catch ride if you miss the bus since there is pretty much just the ring road and nothing else outside of Reykjavik so everybody is going along the same road either in one or the other direction.

I think May will be too cold for spending all the time outdoors - we've been there in late June and I would not have wanted to spend the nights outside. I do admit that I am not disinclined to the comforts of youth hostels and small guest houses myself in general, but we spent the last two big trips camping - but not Iceland. If you think hostels, book NOW. We booked around this time of the year for June last year and some places were booked out already - but maybe June is also the busier time.

We've got this book recommended - it was the best decision ever to buy it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iceland-finest-coastal-mountain-Walking/dp/3763348026/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483804226&sr=8-1&keywords=iceland+rother
Not all hikes are accessible via public transport (if they are, they give the info) or even via normal car (a lot of the roads on the inner side of the ring road require a 4x4), but we've did more than a dozen hikes from the book and none did disappoint. They also rightly point out that more small hikes may make more sense in Iceland if you are there for the first time than one big long hike; the terrain and the landscape is very diverse and it's worth seeing the different sides of it.

If you want recommendations for individual places, I will be glad to give some (I did ask for recs before my own trip and was glad I did!).

[dolorosa-12.livejournal.com]

This is super useful advice, and chimes with what I've been getting on Facebook and Dreamwidth (where I also posed this question). At the moment, we're leaning towards one night/day in Reykjavik at either end of the week, and spending a day at a time in other places, with a bit of hiking/outdoors stuff and retreating indoors in the evening. So far, Vik and Jokulsarlon are definitely on the list, and possibly some waterfalls. Are there any places you would definitely recommend?

After some discussion with my mother, we've concluded that she doesn't want to drive, so we're likely to use that bus around the ring road - the ticket you mention is called a 'Circle Passport', and lets you travel in one direction at your own pace. If you want to go back in the other direction, you have to buy a new ticket, but it's at a slight discount.

We're starting to book accommodation this week or next week. Because Iceland is so expensive, we're not going to be fussy about where we stay (although I think we're both too old for group rooms in youth hostels!), as long as it's in the locations we want to go to. We've both been to Norway before, so we're braced for extreme Nordic prices, and extreme Nordic weather...

Any recommendations of specific places you'd recommend would be most welcome. I'm meeting up with some friends on Friday - they were in Iceland last August, and they're going to lend me their maps and guidebooks and advice about places to visit. It'd be good to have as many recommendations as possible from different people, so that we can narrow down where we want to go based on popularity and what people say about various locations...

[pax_athena]

I'm so excited for you going - I hope you will love it as much as we did!

Vik and Jokulsarlon sound great, would have been my recommendation, too. I was also thinking about one geothermal area but both we've been to on this side of the Island (there is another one on the Northern side) are not really accessible with bus. I think this one may be: http://besthiking.net/hveragerdi-hot-spring-river-trail-hiking-iceland/ if you add a bit for getting from the town/village to the beginning of the trail. It's pretty amazing and absolute recommendation (take your bathsuits with you, it's worth it!)

If you are thinking about going to the North, Arnarstapi would be a great stop - the basalt coast is absolutely amazing. The hike is super easy (more of a walk) but the views are just stunning.

I would also recommend to make some (guided) hike to one of the glaciers. We haven't planned properly ahead here and ended up driving a mud road and then hiking at some random location - I think it would be even greater if better organized (and I've heard good things about actual glacier walks, but as said, we haven't planned this part properly and then it was too late ...).

(P.S. Some of my impression are here http://pax-athena.livejournal.com/264157.html - but please don't feel forced to look/comment. I would not be pointing it out if I did not think that it could be useful.)

Definitely stop at Seljalandsfoss - and go the 200m inlands to take a look at the second waterfall there; this one was perhaps the most impressive of all I've seen.

[dolorosa-12.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this advice - I've added Seljalandsfoss to the list, and a glacier hike (you're probably the third person who recommended this, so I'm definitely taking notice). Not sure if we'll have time to make it to the north, given we'll be relying on buses and only there for the week, but that coast sounds beautiful! Skogafoss was also recommended to me, and I see that you went there too.

I think it would be good to spend the last day or so back in Reykjavik, where we could visit the Golden Circle as well.

Your post of impressions is super helpful - it's confirmed to me most of the places I want to go, so now it's just a matter of planning our route from place to place (in order to allow minimal time on a bus, and maximum time out and about).