Glad to hear you are going to Iceland and that at least you will have a cheap flight because as you have been warned, things get fairly expensive after you land. But it is so worth it. I recommend you do get out into the country, even if just a short loop around the capital - it is haunting and awesome country with incredible variety.

The far western peninsula (starts with an "S" - we called it Snafflefuss because it was so hard to pronouce things) can give you a short course in spectacular scenery, if time and funds are short. There is a hike into a spring that has bubbly water that is really amazing - found it in the road atlas guide book that is available with rental cars - expensive, but maybe you can find a copy somewhere.

Have a wonderful trip and take your time planning it and making some local contacts if you can - that would help you immensely to keep costs down and increase the depth of your appreciation of this remarkable country. Going to an organ concert at the main church which we learned about from a local newspaper was far more memorable than just taking photos of it from the outside.

It is a country to be enjoyed on its terms and let its charms unfold gently with a little study of its history and geology. Dipping into the confounding Icelandic Sagas will make some of the more obscure touring spots come alive with their raucous and bloody stories.

Lonely Planet is a good starting book, but no one guidebook really did full justice to this country. Hope you report back and bring us all up to date on your trip.

Best wishes,
sbagal

Here is a good link to the Iceland tourist board for some basic information:

http://www.visiticeland.com/default.asp?cat_id=30

Just returned from another trip to Reykjavik. Was there on business so I didn't get much of a chance to get out of the city this time, but despite that and the lack of daylight it was still a fantastic trip. Checked out the museums I had missed and found some great restaurants (esp. Cafe Paris).

Definitely recommend printing out your FI ticket at the kiosks rather than braving the check-in queues, which can be brutally long for the early morning flights out of KEF (gives you more time at the duty free as well!).

Also hoping that Iceland joins the euro soon!

I'm making my final plans for the trip. I'm going to be there for 5 nights, and I'm wondering if I should stay outside Reykjavik for a night or two. Any suggestions, and if so, where?

By all means explore Iceland beyond R. - I would head north east into the geyser area and if possible up to Vik and the Glacier Bay - stunning, varied scenery every where you go in this country.

There is a little mini tour around this area called "Iceland for Beginners" in one of the guide books, but compared to the rest of this country you are only touching the surface of what more you would see by doing the entire Ring Road, but that does take at least a week.

Hello / H�

Here's an english page for one of the main hotels in Kvk

http://www.hotelkeflavik.is/en/

If you have any other questions about Iceland (am I the only Icelandic person here?) let me know.

Takk svo miki� (Thanks so much)

Skja�mst (See you later)
Bless (Bye)

Akkeri

Sure you've been to Iceland ? It would be difficult to head "up to Vik" from anywhere! I've never heard of "Glacier Bay," and I'm a frequent visitor !!!

I would definately spend one or more nights outside of Reykjavik. It's a fantastically beautiful country - with prices to match.

Personally, I'd head to Snaefellsnes. It's a 2-3 hour drive from Reykjavik. You can catch a boat tour at Stykkisholmur. (Internet address below.) The tour takes you around the countless little islands in the bay and the birdlife there is something you will not have seen before. It's amazing. We were able to see an eagle there - what a wingspan, and of course endless puffins. The tour is I think was 2 hours.

You can then head to Budir on the south shore of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. We stayed at Hotel Budir (Internet address below) - fantastic restaurant - and the hotel organized for us a trip on the nearby Snaefellsjokull glacier, which Jules Verne made famous.

We had a fantastic time doing this (out last trip). But be warned: Iceland is more expensive than you can imagine...

http://www.seatours.is/

http://www.hotelbudir.is/

Sorry but I did not need your insult. I spent over two weeks driving around the entire island but do confess I had a hard time pronoucing and therefore remembering names. And because we wandered back roads along the way I am unsure of how much direct driving time would be needed for my two recommended sites.

Vik was a stop on the Ring Route going counter-clockwise, our second night out of the capitol (which I refuse to try and spell). And beyond that there was a gorgeous bay of icebergs broken off from a glacier where land boats would offer cruises among the icebergs. There was a huge flood in this area a few years back when a volcano went off under the glacier ----- so I called it "Glacier Bay".

My apologies. I assure the original poster you will find the rest of Iceland friendly and welcoming and proud of their beautiful country.

Iceland is definitely worth the expense, but the recent credit crisis has impacted the exchange rate for the ISK, and it (the ISK) has lost over 15% in the past 4 weeks.

The exchange rate has gone from 66 ISK/$ at the end of February, to 78 ISK/$ as of today (3/24).

If you are interested, here is a graph of ISK/$ from Landsbankinn:

http://www.landsbanki.is/english/mar...ylist/#USD-ISK

This is an excellent site that loads about 20 webcam thumbnail photos from throughout Iceland.

It has recently been updated with some new locations, one that I particularly like is the lovely town of Grundafjordur on the Snaefellsnes peninsula. It has the most unusual looking mountain in the background.

The very botton cam site from Reykjavik shows construction of the new conference center on the harbor front.

If you click on an individual thumbnail, you can see an expanded view. It is always interesting to see Iceland and what is going on.

http://www.danieldesign.se/icelandrightnow.html

Thanks for the tips! I'm at SFB right now waiting for the flight to KEF.

Heading back to Reykjavik soon and looking forward to possibly actually being able to buy something! I might actually swing by Kringlan for the first time.