Pangro

I'd spend 3-4 days @ Iceland. 1 day to do the golden ring tour (geysir, thingvellir, gullfoss), 1 day to drive down to Vík, 1 day for the town + blue lagoon and then a travel day.

In Norway, please go up north. Do Helgelandskysten, do Lofoten, do the Lyngen Alps, do Finnmark. Oslo is just a dirty big town with nothing special to see. Bergen is OKish, but it's the northern parts of Norway which has the WOW-factor. Depending on when you come we got auroras or midnight sun to show, wild mountains, fjords, wildlife and whatnot - all which can be seen from the comfort of your car. I am not an outdoorsy person, but I love driving. It cannot be overstated how beautiful it is

I am from Northern Norway, but live in Stockholm right now. I would maybe go Oslo-Stockholm-Tromsø (or even drop Oslo, as that place is just bo-ring, while Stockholm is quite nice), as Scandinavian Airlines has opened a new direct route between Stockholm and Tromsø. Excellent chance to see beautiful scandinavian town-life in Stockholm, and then the magnificence of Tromsø!

helosc

If you want to explore northern Norway you can consider doing so by ship.
( Hurtigruten ).
You don't have to do the whole trip, you can do only part of it - from port to port. I have done the trip from Trondheim to Bergen, just one night. The view is fantastic .

http://www.hurtigruten.com

And do check out Stockholm, would be a shame to miss it.

ksandness

I took the Hurtigruten cruise from Trondheim to Bergen in 2011, and it was definitely worth it. However, you do have to reserve early if you want a cabin.

We didn't take the option that included 3 gourmet meals, but there was a snack bar that provided reasonable if slow service for meals and snacks.

The scenery was spectacular, and in July, it never really got completely dark on the 27-hour trip.

We started out in Trondheim, arriving on Icelandair via Reykjavik, and spent a few days with relatives before boarding the ship.

After seeing Bergen, I boarded an intercity bus to visit a friend who has a cabin near Fagernes and spent some time in Oslo. I didn't think it was so dirty, at least not compared to American cities, and I enjoyed the Bygdøy museums, the Norwegian resistance museum, and the Frogner sculpture park.

I happened to arrive there right after the shootings on Utøya, and it was a privilege to see the quiet dignity which with tens of thousands of people marched in silent tribute.

I agree that you should see Stockholm, a very elegant city. I've heard that the Vasa Museum is closed for remodeling, which is a shame if it's true, because that was the most pleasant surprise of the whole trip. Who knew that a museum about a sunken ship could be so interesting?

On the way back, I took advantage of Icelandair's free stopover. Reykjavik has only 125,000 or so people, and I could have seen most of what is worth seeing on foot and skipped the city tour. I did the Golden Circle tour, though, and an all-day South Coast tour to a glacial lagoon. On the day I was scheduled to fly back to the States, I spent a couple of hours at the Blue Lagoon, which is between the city and the airport.

To get an idea of what kinds of activities are available in Iceland, follow the links from the Icelandair website. Some are outdoorsy and active, but others are by bus.

nanyang

I would agree that 2-3 days is really enough for Reykjavik.

Would recommend catching a flight to Akureyri on Air Iceland and renting a car there. Lots of things to see in the north and the roads are good.

GoWild

Westman Islands possibly also worth a look. When are you going?

Jamoldo

Bumping this up (instead of starting a new thread).

I've got 4 nights (3.5 days) in Iceland coming up later this month. I've booked a stay with someone on airbnb, they seem hip and young like me which means I'll be in Reykjavik all 4 nights.

Aside from seeing the city and doing the Golden Circle Tour, is there anything else I should do? I figure I can try the Blue Lagoon on my last day before leaving KEF. Would it be advisable to rent a car for the day and do the Circle Tour on my own, or have another kind of excursion?

I'm pretty flexible. I like the outdoors, but am no hiking nut (I do enjoy walking, taking photos and am kind of sporty), I like eating, meeting people (which means I will probably party at least once). Not too interested in whale watching (I've done it in Nova Scotia a while back)... Cheers

Out of my Element

If you have a car you can easily do the Golden Circle alone, or maybe with your hip roommate, as the roads are all good ones and easy to follow.

You can also explore the near South coast (out to Vik) as a long day trip from Reykjavik, and see some of the waterfalls, black sand beaches, and the glacier coming down off of the Katla Volcano. Some of those roads are lower quality.

In Reykjavik you can also do a Puffin boat cruise instead of a whale watch, or there are places near Vik where they nest/roost close to parking areas and you can see them for yourself there instead.

tony

For those who have been to Iceland, I'm looking for a critique for this 9 day itinerary.

Day 1
Arrive JFK-KEF AM
City Tour

Day 2
Thingvellir
Geysir
Gullifoss
Skalholt Church
Kerid Crater
Selijalandsfoss
Skogarfoss
Dyrholaey Penninsula
Overnight: Kirkjubaejarklauster

Day 3
Skaftnafell Park-Walk to Glacier
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon: Zodiac Tour
Overnight: Breiðdalshreppur, Iceland

Day 4
Detifoss Waterfall
Namakard Hot Springs
Dimmuborgir Lava Park
Myvatan Nature Baths
Overnight: Lake Myvatan

Day 5
Hverfjall Crater
Krafta Power Plant
Viti Crater Lake
Skututagigar Pseudocraters
Akureyri Botanical Gardens
Godafoss Waterfall
Overnight: Varmahlid

Day 6
Glaumbauer
Hraunfosar and Barnafoss Waterfall
Deildartunguhver Hot Spring

Overnight: Borgarnes

Day 7
Snafellsjokull Glacier
Overnight Bogarnes

Day 8
Blue Lagoon
Krysuvik Geothermal Area
Bessastadir
Hellishedi Power Plant Tour

day 9
Depart 11 AM
KEF-JFK

Out of my Element

Sounds like a great trip!

I think you're racing through the first part of the country (Southern Iceland), and spending a bit too much time in the West/Central part.

Your first day on the road is very ambitious. We've done Iceland twice (10 day circuit last year, 5 day Southern back in March of this year), and getting past Vik even without doing the Golden Circle is tough.

I have to go to work now, but I'll add more thoughts later today.


Edit: Before I go further, are you locked in to your hotel locations/dates?

tony

I am not locked into any hotels or locations. I can take out the day for Snaefellsnes Glacier. Would you recommend staying 1 1/2 days in Golden Circle area? Where would you stay 1 night in Golden Circle area and 1 night in Hofn and where would third night be? We will not be doing any hiking or the waterfall walk at Skafatell Park. I am thinking about taking snowcat tour at Husafell which would be 1/2 day.

Out of my Element

PM sent as we're getting too specific and longwinded for the board, but I wouldn't cut out anything on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

EerieVon

Personally I think it is way way too much. Driving around the Ring Road and taking in all of those sites in 7 days (you are spending two days in Reykjavik/Keflavik) is not feasible. The Ring Road itself is over 1300km, but with all those journeys you are planning you can realistically add another 500km to that total. Thats over 250km a day. The speed limit in Iceland is 90km/h, but it certainly isnt safe to travel at that speed all the time, and when you factor in stops for a break and fuel etc the average speed is more like 70km/h. That´s about 4 hours driving a day before you even get out of your car to see the sites....

Also, what time of year are you planning on coming because that will have a bearing on your travel plans.

I would stick to one or two regions (I think the South Coast and Snæfelssness are the best) and leave the North for another time.

thecoolhunter

I'm excited about upcoming three weeks in Iceland !

We will change house once - however both times we'll be in the western part of the country (once more central, then south-west).

What exciting tours, excursions would you recommend us to do? We have a car available.

Thanks very much!

Out of my Element

To help figure out how far you can get on an excursion I'd need to know where your two bases are.

Also, would you be willing to stay in a hotel one or two nights to be able to explore the further parts of the country?

Will your car be 4WD?

thecoolhunter

thanks for your reply!
- Borganes and Selfoss
- yes, why not!
- car will be 4wd