S. S. Trudeau

Four Days in Iceland

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We just returned from a short trip to Iceland over our Fall school break in October. We had a great experience, so I am documenting our itinerary for others who might want inspiration.

Itinerary #

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Flight #

We flew Iceland Air direct from Detroit to Reykjavik. They are a discount airline, so we planned around the “low frills” experience, packing only carry-on bags and feeding ourselves before the ~5-hour flights. The last time we flew a discount Icelandic airline (Wow), they went out of business while we were still abroad, and Iceland Air even offers insurance for such an event (which is surprisingly common; Play, another discount Icelandic airline, went out of business shortly before our trip!). Overall, the experience was smooth and comfortable.

Lodging #

As this was a short trip, we decided to stay in Reykjavik and plan our activities from this home base. We stayed at the Reykjavik Residence Hotel. They have a cluster of small, renovated historic buildings just east of Downtown and within easy walking distance to all of central Reykjavik. Our actual room was about a 4-minute walk from the check-in lobby building, so do account for some walking with your bags.

The room was nicely renovated, clean, and equipped with a small kitchen (single electric cooking hob, combination broiler/microwave oven, mini-fridge, dishwasher, and basic cooking utensils). Free milk and apple juice were in our fridge upon arrival, with Nespresso pods and cereal in the cupboard. We opted for the hotel breakfast plan. They deliver a basket of food to your fridge during the day (e.g., skyr/yogurt, fruit, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, etc) and hang a freshly baked loaf of bread on your door by 8 am. The food was all fresh and delicious. Our only complaint is that there was more food than we could eat, and by the end of the trip, we had at least a full day’s worth of food leftover. If we stayed there again, I would opt for the breakfast every other day and explore some of the nearby bakeries on other days.

Transportation #

We decided to forgo the hassle of renting a car for such a short trip and rely on guided tours. From the airport, we took the FlyBus. They time the buses with arriving flights, so there was little waiting time. FlyBus goes directly to the central bus station. We opted for “drop off” service, where another shuttle bus delivered us to a stop within a few minutes walk from the hotel lobby (again, account for a bit of bag-hauling; another reason to pack light!).

The only big mistake we made was not pre-booking our FlyBus for the return trip to the airport. Booking at the airport was so easy, I assumed it would be as easy to book on our return day. All of the pickup times were sold out by the time I tried to book, so we were forced to take a very expensive (~$150) taxi ride to the airport to make our flight.

Otherwise, we would either walk, take a taxi, or rely on guided tours for transportation.

Activities, Dining & Shopping #

Perlan

We visited this museum on arrival day (after a nap). It provides an excellent overview of Iceland’s geological, natural, and human history, with interactive and immersive exhibits. We ate dinner in the rotating restaurant on the top floor. We took a taxi up the hill but decided to find our way back into town on foot. The path down the hill passes through a pleasant field and wooded area, offering a brief nature break before navigating the city. This was an excellent way to set the stage for the rest of the trip.

Walking Tour

The next morning, we met our local guide for a private walking tour of central Reykjavik to meet the local cats. Iceland does not have feral cats, but many house cats spend most of their days outside, and a few have become well-known to locals. Many of the “regulars” were not out when we walked around, but we did meet a few shop cats with our on-the-ground introduction to the City. Midway through the tour, we stopped at the cat cafe, and had Icelandic donuts and coffee/hot chocolate while some local toddlers chased the café cats around.

Our daughter peppered the guide with questions, and we learned a lot about what it's like to live in Iceland and about Icelandic history. We also sampled Icelandic-made treats at Taste of Iceland and made note of places we wanted to return to for shopping later in the trip.

Food Hall

After a short rest in our room, we went out in search of a late lunch/early dinner. We ended up at a nearby food hall, with a variety of small restaurants serving different cuisines. We had tasty banh mi sandwiches and chicken and rice from a Vietnamese food stand to fortify us for late afternoon shopping.

Handknitting Association of Iceland

My wife knits, so we headed to the Handknitting Association of Iceland, a storefront founded by a group of (mostly) women who sell their hand-knit goods, made from Icelandic lopapeysa wool, as well as yarn. The sweaters are pricey (justifiably, as hand-knitting is a lot of work!), warm, and last forever if well-cared for. The yarn, however, is very reasonably priced (under $5/skein). My wife picked up a massive pile of yarn for her next project.

Taste of Iceland

Our daughter wanted to return to Taste of Iceland to purchase some “little devil” (Djöflar) salted licorice treats. These are a favorite (polarizing) treat of many Icelandic children. They are dusted with an extremely salty outer layer and are frequently given to visitors to catch their reactions. She was very excited to bring these to school for her peers to try. We also picked up a few other locally produced candies for gifts and snacks.

Rainbow Street

Our walking tour guide told us the story of the “controversy” generated by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after taking a selfie at the Rainbow Street downtown. As fellow Trudeaus, we decided to perpetuate the controversy.

Kolaportið Flea Market

The next day, we slept in, had breakfast in the room, and made our way back to the Kolaportið flea market, which our tour guide had introduced us to. We always enjoy visiting flea markets and farmers’ markets when traveling to gain a unique perspective of the local culture. Ada sat at the market café, sipping a hot chocolate and sketching, while Lizz went shopping, and I met up with a friend of a friend. Lizz scored a hand-knit lopapeysa wool sweater from a local knitter who sells them at the market.

Sky Lagoon

After shopping, we got a ride to the Sky Lagoon. On some online forums, this place is described as overly touristy, but it really was an excellent experience, and we would absolutely go back. It looks and feels like the images on their website, and the view over the sea is incredible. We caught the sunset while drinking mocktails in the hot water of the lagoon after going through the “ritual” experience, which included a sauna, cold mist, salt scrub, and steam room. Admission is ticketed, so even when sold out, it is not overly crowded.

Grocery Shopping

After our relaxing visit to the Sky Lagoon, we took a taxi back into town and stopped at Bonus, the local grocery chain, where we picked up snacks and some heat-and-eat meals, as we were short on time before our next tour.

Northern Lights Tour

We originally had booked our Northern Lights tour for the previous night, but it was canceled due to poor weather. The original company (EastWest) we booked with did not have availability for this evening, but we were able to get a last-minute booking with another company (Troll). We were fortunate that the clouds parted late at night outside of town, and the aurora was active. This was the only night of our trip when clouds did not hide the aurora. We had a spectacular show, the highlight of the trip. Our guide had a chaotic energy (he was late for pickups, usually only leads Danish tours, and snipped repeatedly at people who kept getting in the way of his photo shots), but he was funny and absolutely giddy at the quality of the lights once we drove up out of the mist into an area free of cloud cover. He also brought his own drone and took an amazing 360-degree photo of the lights. We had to drive far out of the city, on bumpy roads, to stand outside in the cold until after midnight, and it was 100% worth it. The only more impressive celestial event I have experienced was a total solar eclipse.

Golden Circle Tour

The next morning, we got up early for our Golden Circle tour with EastWest. This was not ideal after staying out so late to see the lights, but catching the aurora was worth it! Our EastWest guide was very friendly and loquacious. Our stops included Thingvellir National Park, a coffee & ice cream break at a dairy farm, the Gullfoss waterfall, a meal at the Friðheimar greenhouse tomato farm (impressive and delicious!), a visit to the Geysir area, and the Kerið volcanic crater. This was a “greatest hits” tour of the most impressive sites on the Golden Circle route, but there’s a reason the most popular sites are popular! It was a perfect sampling of the island's geography and natural beauty. We were so full from the delicious food at Friðheimar and tired from a lack of sleep and lots of walking, so we returned to the hotel, ate a small snack, packed, and crashed before catching our flight home the next day.

Tips & Notes

Book activities ahead, but leave a fair bit of flexibility in your pre-planned itinerary. The weather (including the solar weather that causes the aurora) is unpredictable and fickle. We were relieved we had left our Sunday plan open, so when our Saturday Northern Lights tour was canceled, we were able to rebook.

For pre-booked tours, book directly with the tour companies rather than through third-party booking sites. It is always more cost-effective, and if issues arise, it is easier to communicate directly with the company. For our bus tours, we booked small group tours (which had a maximum of 18 people in a small converted Sprinter bus), which split the difference between the very high cost of private tours and the cheaper, but less nimble, tours on larger tour buses. Our original bus bookings were through EastWest. Our replacement Northern Lights Tour was booked directly through Troll. Both companies were great and we would use them again. We booked our private walking tour with Your Friend in Reykjavik and would also book again with them.

If you decide to visit the Sky Lagoon, book ahead, as some time slots, especially around sunset, tend to sell out quickly.

We were fortunate that our room was ready when we arrived around 11 am, but the hotel does not guarantee this. Iceland has a “Nap & Go” program with a couple of hotels in Keflavik near the airport that offer hourly bookings in the morning for a quick nap & shower. However, these cannot be booked ahead, so they may be unavailable. This could be a reasonable option if you are renting a car, but with the cost of taxis, it’d be easier and no more expensive to book your hotel for the night you depart, guaranteeing your room is ready in the morning. Our backup plan, in case our room wasn’t ready, was to visit the Sky Lagoon to relax for a couple of hours.

One mistake we made was not booking our return FlyBus ahead of time, so we had to take an (expensive) taxi back to the airport to make our flight. Make sure you book this ahead!

For taxis, we exclusively used the Hreyfill app, which works similarly to Uber or Lyft (which are not permitted in Iceland) for hailing proper taxis. Install it on your phone before you go.

Our daughter was too young to use them (the minimum age is 13), but Hopp e-scooters are all over the place in Reykjavik and would be an excellent way to get around quickly if you are comfortable riding one on the sometimes bumpy streets.

After reading many forum posts about the necessity of packing cold-weather and wet-weather clothing, we way overpacked for this trip. Check the forecast carefully. We had some misty rain while we were there, but the temperature stayed in the 40s-50s°F, and it wasn’t very windy. Our regular winter coats and comfortable, water-resistant footwear were all we needed. Others report the necessity of rain gear and waterproof pants, which we didn't need. All of the hikes for our tours were very short and easy. If heavy rain or high winds are expected, or you plan to go on longer hikes into nature, pack accordingly.

We definitely want to go back. The puffins and most of the whales had migrated by October, so we would love to visit in summer to see them. The country is incredibly beautiful, so exploring other areas would surely be rewarding. We also never had a chance to try an Icelandic hot dog!

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