How to spend a week in Iceland
I want to take a moment from what I usually write about and try something different. I’ve never written a travel journal and I don’t really like reading travel guides, but something about this particular trip made me want to put stuff down on paper ( /screen?).
Maybe it’s because it was so different from everything I’ve seen before.
I’ve never really liked researching about places before visiting them. It’s the most reasonable thing to do, but I just find it boring and I don’t have the patience for it. Prior to going to Iceland, I looked at the most obvious google links, but my girlfriend did most of the research.
I’ve always found travel guides tedious, because of the endless descriptions of scenery and feelings, and the fewer straight-to-the-point facts you need to know, in order to prepare a realistic plan.
Another thing is most travel guides tell you all the wonderful things you can do, like take a helicopter ride of the city or go on boat trips, guided tours, safaris, etc. This is not something I like to do and not something I’m willing to spend a shit ton of money on. Maybe some day I will be. Not now. That said, our entire spending is right at the end, hope that helps.
One other thing. We went to Iceland in October — one of the windiest and rainiest Octobers in a while (a Polish guy told me he’s been in Iceland for 7 years and this is the worst weather he’s seen for that time of year). So if I’m not mentioning long city walks and swimming pools, it’s because Odin had other plans for us.
So here we go.
Arriving
As you walk out of Keflavik airport, there’s a few options you can use to get to Reykjavik (40 km away).
Public transport is obviously the cheapest one, but runs at longer intervals and last one is at around 11pm (which we missed, thanks WizzAir).
Then there’s three separate companies that offer bus transport directly to the Reykjavik bus terminal, (10 min away from that famous church you always see on photos) or directly to your accommodation. The price for those is around 2900 ISK / 21 EUR and it’s the most convenient alternative.
You can always take a taxi, but that’s definitely not something you want to do (did I mention how expensive Iceland is?).
Accommodation
Airbnb. Definitely most value for money in Reykjavik. What I found to be different than other cities is that most airbnbs here are not entire apartments or a room in someone’s flat. It’s a room in a small guesthouse with something like 6 or 10 separate rooms, which all share a kitchen and a couple of bathrooms. It’s like living in a small commune with other travellers.
In Reykjavik
You’ve surely travelled to other European capitals, but Reykjavik is nothing like them. It’s small, with only about 120k people and you won’t see any tall, shiny buildings. That’s what makes it so special. Two days are enough to cover the essentials.
Definitely visit Harpa. It’s one of the newer buildings and it’s quite impressive. Check the harbor area, it’s nice there. If you happen to be there on a Saturday, visit the Kolaportid flea market. I missed that one, but I hear it’s great. Definitely have a hot dog at the hot dog stand near it. Go see the Hallgrimskirkja, it’s quite the sight.
Places you might want to have a coffee or a lamb soup (!!!) at are Emily and the cool kids, Idno and Islenski Barinn. At least those are ones we went to and really liked.
Now, spending 2 days in a city is not nearly enough to start noticing what’s actually a tourist trap and what’s authentic, but those places made me feel good, so I guess it doesn’t really matter that much.
With that many tourists I’m not even sure if there are any authentic places left in Iceland, which also brings us to the question of what authenticity actually is, so maybe let’s not get into it right now.
Travel
Rental. That’s the only reasonable way if you want to travel outside of Reykjavik and explore the Icelandic countryside (which you should).
There’s a ton of options when it comes to renting a vehicle. You can find anything from a small city car to huge SUVs, pick-up trucks and full camper vans.
We rented a mini camper van, which is enough for two flexible people. We chose Affordable Campers, because their vans all come with built-in heaters (different than the car heater, works when the car is switched off) and they also included an additional electric heater, sleeping bags, chairs and a table. Plus, their price was quite good.
Our Route
We had a week in total, so we decided to spend the first two days (more like day and a half) in Reykjavik, then take a van for 4 days and spend our last day in the capital again.
Ideally, you’d want to do the full Ring Road, which is along the entire coast of Iceland. Some people do it in 4 days, but that’s just a driving marathon, where you don’t really see a lot. A local bus driver told me if you want to do the entire Ring Road, you should take around 2 weeks to properly see everything along the way.
In the 4 days we had, the furthest we reached to the southeast was Höfn. I really think this was near the optimal balance of driving + sightseeing.
Day 1: Reykjavik — Skogafoss (2.30 hours)
Initially, we wanted to drive to Vik and camp there, but along the way we found out that the camping site is actually closed this time of year so we iterated and spent the night at Skogafoss — a beautiful waterfall (you’ll see a lot of those) with camping grounds right next to it.
Stops along the way: Reykjadalur Thermal River, Seljalandsfoss, Lava museum
Day 2: Skogafoss — Höfn (4 hours)
This was the longest drive I did, but it was well worth it. Höfn is a nice little town, right on the coast. If you happen to be there, definitely have a coffee and a snack at Hafnarbuðin.
The drive there was pretty intense, since it was raining the entire time. We could barely see anything aside from the road, but we did a couple of stops along the way. Still, we decided to keep the best view for the way back, in hopes of catching better weather.
Stops along the way: Reynisfjara Black Beach, Solheimasandur Plane Wreck, Dyrholaey Light House, Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Day 3: Höfn — Skaftafell (2 hours)
The way back from Höfn was like an entirely different road. The sun was out so we could see miles ahead in every direction. We caught a glimpse of huge glaciers here and there flowing through the rocky mountains. All in all, this is probably the most beautiful section of the Reykjavik — Höfn strip.
Skaftafell is the best camp we spent a night while in Iceland. Probably also the best one I’ve ever been to. There’s also a few good places to visit all within 40–60 min. by foot.
Stops along the way: Fjadrargljufur River Canyon
Day 4: Skaftafell — Uthlid (3.30 hours)
Here we took a detour from the main road and went to see Geysir, the most well-known geyser. Wasn’t very impressive to be honest, but some might like it. The Fludir Hot Spring is supposed to be the oldest one in Iceland. It’s quite alright, costs 20 EUR and is full of folks most of the time.
Uthlid is the Icelandic equivalent of a socialist era campsite. Straight out of a slasher movie. That night was so windy the entire van was shaking like a boat.
Stops along the way: Geysir, Fludir Hot Spring
Day 5: Uthlid — Reykjavik (1.30 hours)
Final part of our drive. Compared to the road on the south and southeast, this one will seem really not that special.
Stops along the way: Solheimar Ecovillage, Kerid Crater
Spending
Below is (almost) everything we spent (2 people) during our 1 week in Iceland.
Airbnb — 180 EUR + 108 EUR
Camper van rental — 434 EUR + 60 EUR insurance
Camping (4 camp sites in total)— 127 EUR
Groceries — 56 EUR
Eating out (basically 2 meals)— 74 EUR
Fuel— 146 EUR
Bus— 88 EUR (two-way for 2 people)
Summary
Amazing place. Bring thermal wear and thick jackets.
