chacha13

Hello All,

First post here (maybe second, can't remember), but have long followed the threads for reviews/deals/advice. I have an upcoming trip overseas that I want to make the most of (considering ticket costs) and would love the community's input on anything to do/see/try while away. Hoping you guys don't mind me asking!

As background, I'm a born-and-raised NY'er, with tons of travel in the US/Caribbean/Mexico under my belt (even lived in Riviera Maya for a bit). I'm not scared traveling alone or going off the beaten path, but would like to stay a within reasonable budget. As for my travel routing, I'm heading to London from June 11-22, connecting via Reikjavik on Icealand Air. I have an overnight layover on each leg, arriving in Reykjavik around 11:30pm and departing around 5:00pm each way.

OK, first I've never flown Icelandair (was the cheapest fare). Anything I should be worried about? I'm usually on JetBlue, United, or Delta. And honestly, as long as it can get me to where I'm going in one piece, I'm ok. My ticket is economy level, and understand meals aren't included, but I'll likely order something anyway. Let me know if I should stay away from anything specifically!

Second, Reykjavik... I have been told the Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik town are the two absolute musts... and likely the only two things I'll have time to do during my layover. My questions are:
(1) since I land so late, would there be any nearby hotels I can easily get to for the night, or would it be better to hang around the airport for a few hours?
(2) if I leave the airport, is there a bus or rail/metro I can catch into town/blue lagoon? What are their schedules like? As a NY'er with 24/7 transport options, just wondering if I should just sleep on the plane and go wander about once I land (if possible) or make plans to hang around the airport while everything is closed.
(3) is the sun really still going to be up all night??? Not going to lie, I'm super excited about this part!!!

Last, once I land in London, is there anything exciting worth seeing, outside of the usuals (Big Ben, London Bridge, Stonehenge)? I'm actually going to vist a friend, but would love to check out some stuff on my own while she's at work.

Ok, sorry for the long post (clearly a first timer)!!! Please let me know your thoughts/advice!!!

captainiglo

I know they offer a stop-over package including hotel an a trip to the blue lagoon for very little money (compared to the regular prices in Iceland).... You'll find details on their website

chacha13

@captainiglo, thanks for the suggestion. I just checked out their site and clicked on the "stopover" tab. Is this what you mean? Not sure if I'm doing it correctly, but its asking me for travel/routing info, and next page seems to be to select a flight. (I already booked my flight separately via a travel site.) Was I doing this correctly? Would be awesome if I could do an add-on like this...

chacha13

@captainiglo, thanks for the response! I booked my ticket through Justfly.com, so didn't see any options for a stopover package, but that would definitely be perfect. I checked out their website and clicked on the 'stopover' tab, but after putting in my route details, it seems they are requesting I book my flight as well (not sure, I just cancelled/closed the page). Do you think this would be necessary to purchase a stopover package?

howahya

The Blue Lagoon is relatively close to the airport, the city of Reykjavik is a bit further. You should be able to find a taxi or shuttle to the blue lagoon but I'm not sure what the hours are. You pay admission in Euros, not Icelandic crowns and that can be better or worse depending on the exchange rate.

I was in Iceland later in June and the sun would dip down low but never went below the horizon. Since it will be earlier in the month and further south in the country you may have a bit of darkness, but not total darkness. Things will be closed late at night but you could walk around and sightsee or photograph if you wanted to.

If you're just looking for a place to stay, it makes sense to stay in Keflavik, which is closer to the airport. Many hotel prices will include the trip to and from the airport but you'll want to verify this first.

Philatravelgirl

Reykjavik has easy and cheap shuttle buses leaving every 15-39 mins or so for the city and hotels. The grey line goes direct into city the other one I took stops at bus station to switch to hotel buses. The time from airport to city is an hour.

I didn't do blue lagoon but there is a tour from the airport that many folks take. The Icelandair flight was fine and the food menu had a good choice of selections. The flight was fine and we saw the northern lights (white lights not green) during flight I was on left side of plane in November. In reykjavik I loved GrillMarket one of the best steaks I've had (review on my blog same as user name)

For london I loved the Shoreditch Street art tour - the art constantly changes and learning more on the walking tour was really enjoyable.
I also like the walks.com options different every day and reasonable price

alanR

If there's a package you like then call Icelandair and have it added to the existing booking. You should be able to do the Golden Triangle

UltraRant

Well, Icelandair will feel like an upgrade compared to Delta and United.

Anyway, it's really too bad that you have just so short time on Iceland. There's a lot to see and do.

The Blue Lagoon is an absolute must. You can go for a whale safari as well. Reykjavik is well worth a stroll. If you'd have stayed longer, I'd have recommended the Golden Circle tour, as it's quite spectacular.

I've traveled a fair deal to Iceland and the country never ceases to amaze me.

For transport there is a very frequent and relatively cheap shuttle service that takes you to and from the airport and even to and from your hotel for just a little extra. The same company has bus tours to and from the Blue Lagoon, both from Keflavik airport and from the bus terminal in Reykjavik: you may book a bus from Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon and from there to the airport. I'd recommend to book ahead as it might get quite crowded in summer.

More information on buses and schedules here: http://www.kefairport.is/english/

ps. Reykjavik is known for excellent pizza (I recommend Primo in Laugavegur), for whale burgers and for puffin. No need to point out that whale is considered unethical by a lot of people. I tried it anyway and found that it tasted like what beef would taste like if cow could swim and lived in salt water.

callum9999

I'm not sure I'd personally describe Reykjavik as a "must see". It's a pleasant little town, but I didn't find anything of much interest there (though I wasn't in the mood to see any museums and I'm not a foodie so I don't know about those). Nice scenery around it, but you won't really have time to really see it anyway. (Actually, it's probably a bit better than "nice", I'd just been spoilt by a trek through Icelandic mountains!)

If the Blue Lagoon interests you I'd personally recommend you stay in Keflavik, get a good nights sleep and then go and spend a few hours there on the way back to the airport.

In June the sun should set around midnight and rise around 3am. Though during that brief "night" it won't be properly dark - probably light enough to read a book outside (exciting the first night, not so fun when trying to sleep in a tent!).

UltraRant

This is why the 'sleeping mask' has been invented.

callum9999

Something I find more irritating than the light itself!

EmailKid

Agreed

But I use it if needed as sometimes it is the only way @:-)

The_Bouncer

Firstly, you have picked a great way to cross the Atlantic. I flew Icelandair from Europe to Canada, with a 3 night stopover in Reykjavik en-route.
Doing it this way means you can break up the flight, and see another very interesting destination.
How long are you in Iceland? If you are overnighting, I would recommend the Igdlo Guesthouse, near the centre of Reykjavik. This is where I stayed for 3 nights, and I paid the equivalent of around $40 US per night. For that, I got a clean, secure and quiet single room. No en-suite, but bathroom about 10 feet away. The airport bus will drop you at the door and pick you up again the next day.
What to do depends very much on how long you have, and what your interests are. If you let me know how long you have and what kind of things you want to see and do, I will be more than happy to advise (I packed a huge amount into my 3 days, including several tours).
Also, what kind of budget are you looking at? Iceland is an eye-wateringly expensive country, but there are ways to cut costs.
By the way, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Icelandair. If you are used to Delta and United's domestic service, then you will have no complaints at all. In fact, you will be pleasantly surprised.

EmailKid

If you are setting the standard by UA's domestic service, then the bar is rather low

The_Bouncer

Exactly. That's why I say the OP will be pleasantly surpised. When flying domestically in the US, I have never expected much more than I expect of many LCCs in Europe, such as Easyjet or Flybe.

Icelandair is certainly not SQ or QR standard, but I found them to be efficient and to have a decent level of service. Yes, you pay for food and drink, but that is pretty much the only major difference from any other European carrier.