ICELAND - hot topic
 

Hi, I will be going to Iceland and driving the Ring Road counter-clockwise with an Icelandic Airlines package in early July. Please, any tips both good and bad. Looks like it will be a wonderful experience - and the hardest part will be what to see and what can't be packed into an 8 day visit.

Thanks for your suggestions,

sbagal

I would highly recommend contacting Hafsteinn G. Einarsson at the City Centre Booking Service in the Reykjavik Tourist Information Centre... address: Aðalstræti 2, 101 Reykjavík (www.icelandtoday.is, Tel: +354 590 1511, Fax: +354 581 1716), right next to the Hotel Plaza.

I just returned from there, and you're going to love it. I stayed mainly in Reykjavik, which you can cover on one day. When you stop by the tourist center they will give you a booklet with a self-guided walking tour of the city, complete with places to stop and take in the local foods and sights. I would also recommend joining a tour group for a day's journey through the Golden Circle; trying to see this on your own would be next to impossible given the underdeveloped roadways. Make sure you stop at a geothermal pool, and make it a point to stop at the Blue Lagoon on your way to the airport via the FLYBUS and schedule a relaxing massage. Schedule the massage in advance (like tomorrow!) and try to get something after 12pm, in case the bus arrives late to the lagoon. The bus will pick you up no later than 10:30 and will drop you off at the airport around 2:30pm.

The Hotel Plaza is a great place to stay, centrally located, and a stones throw from the two main shopping streets in the city.

If you enjoy walking in breathtaking natural surroundings, Thorsmork is incredible. However, you will not be able to cross the rivers along the way in an ordinary car or SUV. I went as part of an organized tour (either this one or one very similar) with really cool mega hummer type things.

The walk through the gorge is mostly flat and fairly easy. Our group included several senior citizens. You can also do some walking in the mountains, which can be as strenuous as you please; some of the slower old-timers skipped this hike for a picnic lunch, and had just as good a time overall.

Iceland can be a rather expensive place to get food. Hopefully you like either fish or lamb, the two main local products. The ubiquitous gas stations often provided my favorite economical local lunch: sandwiches of the delicious locally grown cucumber and smoked silungur, which I tentatively identified as arctic char, on the local dark, molasses-rich bread.

I thoroughly enjoyed Iceland. My major quibble: there is absolutely nowhere to get breakfast on your way into Reykjavik from KEF. If your flight lands before noon, get something to eat at the airport and take it with you.

Do the Golden Circle on your own
 

I disagree about not being able to do the Golden Circle on your own - we did it in March, and there was LOTS of snow on the roads. In summer, it should be a breeze. You can pick up a cheap car in REK, and hit Dingvellir, Geysir (Strokkur) and Gulfoss all in one day easily, and the routes are well marked. We enjoyed the freedom of the car...we could stay as long as we wanted and avoided the crowds for the most part. On the way back, we stopped in Selfoss for dinner. We kept the car an extra day and drove ourselves to the Blue Lagoon - it's cheaper than the expensive bus tours. For a little bit extra you can drop the car back at Keflavik Airport, which is great if you have an early morning flight, as it avoids the hassle of the bus and the bus station. Driving in REK was easy...same side of the road as the USA. The only thing is that (like most other countries) the cheapest cars will be manual, so you might want to brush up on that.

Enjoy Iceland!

All you need to do to turn a great trip into a frustrating one is make a wrong turn and end up 30 minute to an hour off course.

Plus when you do the tour, every one in your party can equally enjoy the sights. You're not limiting the drive to concentrating on the road.

The tour groups and Flybus are the way to go. It costs money, but it's WELL worth it!

Well, it all depends on what you're looking for I suppose. The car worked well for us (and was exceedingly cheaper than the tours), but it probably depends on how comfortable you are with independent travel. We tend to dislike bus tours, especially all day ones, and every Icelander we met recommended the car rental. We did do one organized tour (the Northern Lights Tour) as it was something you couldn't do on your own, and it was a dismal failure in our opinion. The people on the bus were obnoxious, and it was way overpriced. So, you can decide for yourself, but these are just my thoughts for what they're worth.

Lake Myvatn area - must sees?
 

Thanks for the discussion and practical travel tips. That sandwich sounds great and glad to know they are pretty available at gas stations since it looks like eating places get further and further apart as we leave the main city.

We will be using a rental car in a package with Icelandic Airlines that provides the "Ring Rider" round the island route with a new "famr stay" B&B/hotel every day. Stick shift car preferred and wonder if they also have diesel. What were the gas prices like?

My reading indicates the Lake Myvan area has the most interesting geologic features to see - what are the must sees in this area, what hints to try and see as much as possible when we have our time up there?

Thanks again and welcome to the discussion - I really appreciate the individual tips - and how hard was it to sleep during all the long daylight. I have a webcam on Iceland and still cannot believe it is as bright as day at 11pm at night!

Also more menu tips greatly appeciated and some Icelandic words that are helpful to know.

sbagal

Our car was unleaded, although gas is expensive. I think it cost me around $70 USD to fill up our Corrolla, and it was only 3/4 empty. Fortunately, the rentals are small and get pretty good gas mileage, and you're not really doing much city driving.

Food costs are quite high, and alcohol is outrageous. I would bring a couple of bottles of wine duty free if you have any hopes of consuming! We usually split a large sandwich or a couple of appetizers. The fish was good, but very pricey. Supermarkets seemed significantly less so you can probably load up there, and coffee-shops were also a good deal.

As I said, we were there in winter so we didn't have the long days, but you should be able to cover a lot of ground in the summer!

Useful links
 

I am sure you will have a great time.

Iceland is a fantastic experience, and while it is expensive, it is well worth it, IMHO. A lot has been said here, so I just wanted to add a few links that I believe you will find useful.

If, in your searching, you have not run across the Iceland forum on Trip Advisor, here is a link. There is a lot of useful information on a number of varied topics concerning Iceland.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...2-Iceland.html

We have been to Iceland many times, but our trip last month was our first experience at driving in Iceland outside of the Keflavik/Reykjavik area.

Driving the ring road is straightforward, as is most driving in Iceland. Good signs and markings. But to see some of the sights, you will end up on gravel roads which can be quite different. Most all your trip will be on well kept, paved roads, but driving from Thingvellir to Geysir will have you on a gravel road, as I am sure other segments of your trip will be as well.

Here is a link to driving in Iceland, with useful tips on some aspects of driving that are rather unique to Iceland, such as sheep on the road, which happened to us. The video is useful, but I think they go a bit overboard on the dangers of gravel road driving. It is not that bad if you watch your speed.
The information on Icelandic road signs in the brochure is very helpful.

http://www.umferdarstofa.is/page/english


Also make sure that you have good maps for your entire journey. Perhaps you get something better with the package deal than you get when you just rent a car, but I found that a really good map is a necessity if you are going to leave the ring road for any distance. Good maps are available at several bookstores on the main shopping street in central Reykjavik.

Enjoy your adventure, Iceland is a fantastic place to visit.

We did Iceland on our own in April; the main roads were all clear then. We had hired a 4x4 which we never really ended up using. There aren't many roads in Iceland, and they were well marked, so I wouldn't worry about getting lost. We didn't do the complete circuit as we were there only 4 days.

here was our itinerary
day 1 - Arrive KEF 9:45. Early lunch in Keflavik town, drove around Reykjanes peninsula via Hafnir, Bridge between Two Continents, Grindavik, Seltun. We passed by the Blue Lagoon, but planned to come back later. Arrived in Reykjavik around 3 PM. Went to Saga Museum, Hallgrimskirkja church, Laugadalur thermal pools that evening.
day 2 - Drove east along Route 1, stopping at Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Reynisfjara (basalt columns near Vik), Skaftafell Park, and Jokulsarlon (Iceberg lagoon), then drove back to Kirkjubaejarklaustur. This was a LOONG day, as we were originally only going to drive as far as Klaustur, but we arrived at 2 PM and the weather the next day wasn't looking so good. We decided to drive onto Jokulsarlon (~1.5 hr each way) and back that day, as it was already staying light until 10 PM. This was probably ~500kms of driving! Once past Vik, there's lots of nothing, no real towns until you get to Hofn.
day 3 - Rained all day, drove back to Reykjavik
day 4 - Golden circle tour; drove via Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, then drove to Blue Lagoon (another long day, they're in opposite directions!).

In all we covered over 1250 miles! (Further than Reykjavik to London). Gas was expensive, $90 everytime to fill up the tank.

Food is expensive, period. We mainly ate in gas stations, or bought fruit/snacks/drinks in grocery stores.

What does "expensive" actually mean?
 

Thanks for the great links and your own personal travel details. This is really helping because even with 8 days it still seems like a lot of country to enjoy and too little time when doing the circle RingRinder self-drive tour. I especially like learning about the actual driving times, because it is hard to tell just from the distances on the map.

$80 to fill up a gas tank is an unpleasant reality these days for larger vehicles in California, so the sticker shock won't be so great, but this will be a much smaller car in Iceland so this let's us know how pricey things in fact are there.

Also, since many of you mention how "expensive" things are in Iceland, particularly the food. Can anyone please offer some examples of what you remember meals cost. Nice there is no tipping in Iceland because that does add 15-20% costs to US meals.

Also since we will be staying in the Farm Holiday's Bed&Breakfast places - how large are these breakfasts? Possible to cut back to two meals a day here with a large breakfast and an early dinner?

Do they have senior discounts to watch out for - and what age does "senior" start?

This thread is becoming a very good collection of practical information about Iceland travel - everyone's contribution is greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful holiday, but just be mindful of the distances. The ring road is about 1440 km and some of it is on narrow and winding roads which makes the driving quite demanding (and slower than you would expect).

Regarding the expensive food and drink (particularly alcohol), do what most locals do and make sure you take your full duty free allowance when you enter the country. Keflavik airport has a duty free store for incoming passengers, which makes things a bit easier.

Best wishes,
Icebird

I have a pocket guidebook that features a page of phrases. I don't have it with me today, but I'll send you the title and author later this week.

We used "Takk" and "Bless" a lot (Thank you & Good bye, respectively). Gott Daginn means "Good Day". Te is "Tea" and Kaffi is, well you get the idea.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/06/1...el/18ring.html

username: flyertalk
password: flyertalk

excerpt:

June 18, 2006
Iceland's Ring Road: The Ultimate Road Trip
By MARK SUNDEEN
WE lift off from J. F. K. at 9 in the evening, headed toward Reykjavik, and by the time the bars back in New York have closed, we are tucked in lava rock, submerged to the neck in a hot blue pool with sulfurous steam clouds bursting up around us. It's the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the sky surrounding us never darkens.

The week ahead promises us 168 hours of uninterrupted daylight in which to drive the Ring Road around Iceland. Though it's not a particularly long distance, I already sense that seven days will be about half as long as I would have hoped for. And so we have bolted straight from the airport to the nearby Blue Lagoon.

Here, the phosphorescent saltwater, the bright and flat Atlantic sky and the backdrop of industrial smokestacks give the place an otherworldly feel, which is as it should be: the lagoon is entirely man-made. Icelanders generate power geothermally, boring into the ground for the steam that spins the turbines as it blasts toward the surface; then they recapture that steam as water, pump it to a soaking pond, and charge 20 bucks a head. We are the first to arrive, in the early morning, and by noon the place is packed with Europeans, Japanese and Americans. We crawl between steam cave and hot pot, smeared in a gray silica mud bath.

On this trip last summer, I was traveling with my friends Mathew Gross and Melony Gilles. We lived for many years in a remote nook of the Utah desert where we developed a taste for isolated places and geological oddities. So Iceland was the perfect place for us.

Expensive?
 

I thought I'd add a bit about expenses. Looking at my trip notes:

When there in mid-May, fuel was 125 ISK/liter....if I have done the math right, that equates to about $6.33/gal using the current exchange rate of 75 ISK = 1 $. We had a B class car (small, but not the smallest) and we got 35mpg driving in the country, less in the city with stoplights and all.

A cup of coffee at a fuel station was 150-200 ISK, and it was a small cup. For some reason coffee to go is hard to find, as is breakfast. I can't recall ever finding a restaurant (except for those in a hotel) that was open for breakfast.

Ready made sandwiches at a 10-11 (an Icelandic mini-mart chain) ran about $5, but they did have in-store micros, so you zap it to heat it up. A glass of beer was $7 and a glass of wine $10, which is why, if you want alcohol, you should get something at the duty-free when you land. There is a nice big store with everything right next to the baggage claim belts....a good thing to do while waiting for the bags to show up.

Here is a link to the english menu from a mid-scale cafe in Reykjavik:

http://www.vegamot.is/en/en_menu.asp

My experience is that food and supplies in Iceland cost about 2 times what you would pay here. Some things more, some less, depending on what and where you purchase.

As you will be staying at farm houses on your drive, this is link to a map of Iceland that has many farms, guest houses and such from Iceland farm holidays.

http://www.farmholidays.is/map4parts...d=659&webid=30

A few years ago, we stayed at a cabin on a farm. There is now a small hotel there, along with the farm and more cabins. It would be great to go back to this place, as we loved it:

http://www.hotelfreyja.is/Main_Page/

Do you know where you will be staying each night, or do you have the option of making that decision day by day?

I ran across this account of a ring road trip, and thought I'd include a link, as I found it so well written that I want to go back now.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...eland0508.html

This is turning into a good info thread, as you mentioned. Sorry this is so long, but I just get carried away when it comes to Iceland. Now I really, really want to go back.

Farm Holiday sites
 

Thanks agai so much for the price specifics - it helps to be prepared. The article about the Ring Road was great - the excitement about this trip is building and I have yet to find a single person who has not loved their travels to Iceland - I hope you get back soon too!

What should we expect for breakfasts at the B&B's and small hotels?

Here is the list of the farms we will be staying at which all appeared on the FarmHolidays website - prebooked by Icelandic Air in the package:

Hotel Hekla - # 685, 20 km from Fluor (spelling approx due to english keyboard)

Hotel Hofoabrekka # 638 - outside Vik

Smyrlabjorg # 592 - 45 km south of Hofn

Skiplaekur # 530 - Fellum, near Eglisstadir

Narfastadir #405 - 45 km before Husavik

Stadarskali # 240 - 34 kms from Hvammstangi

We wil be staying at the Park Island Inn in Reykjavik one night after arrival and then when we return from the RingRoad before departure. We are looking for a special restaurant in the city to both welcome and celebrate our trip - is the "Perl" at the water tower too overdone? Please share any suggestions to make our few short days in Reykjavik. Thanks again.

sbagal

Translation help - "dagsin"
 

The link to the menu was great - getting it both in English and Icelandic. I have printed out both so I can start learning how to read a menu.

One word I have run into but can't figure out (w/o a dictionary now) is "dagsin" -- can anyone help me here.

sbagal

I think you're referring to "dagsins", which is the genetive case of "dagur" = day. E.g. Fiskur dagsins = fish of the day.

Breakfast
 

I hate to keep posting, but I just love this topic.

When we stayed at the cabin on the farm several years ago, we were on our own for breakfast. But almost all hotels offer a breakfast, and this is what I have found to be fairly standard:

Bread and rolls, luncheon meats, sliced cheeses, cold cereals, cold fish of some sort...(herring, salmon), butter and jam-type spreads for the bread, cottage cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers, and some kind of pastry.

It really is pretty hearty, depending on your food preference. I have known people to make a sandwich "to go" from the breakfast buffet, which served as a light lunch.

You asked for some thoughts for a nice place for dinner to begin and end the trip. Is your flight to KEF out of SFO or some other gateway city? I ask because the SFO flt arrives in the afternoon, while all others are early morning. As your flight will be all night (however, this time of year almost the entire flight will be in daylight) an afternoon arrival will not give you much opportunity to rest at the hotel before dinner.

As I just have a hard time sleeping on planes to begin with, when you add in the 2 am daylight, I end up being a basket case the first night in Iceland. If you are really tired, you may want to save the nice dinner for later, when you are rested and will enjoy it so much.

That being said, I have 2 favorites: Cafe Opera and the Grillid.

Cafe Opera is on the second floor of an old building that is at the center of downtown Reykjavik. Nice service, good food, and when you are done, you can do a leasurely stroll around the downtown lake, take in the scenery, watch locals feed the ducks.

Here is a link to their menu:


http://www.cafeopera.is/en/offer.php


The Grillid is on the 8th floor of Hotel Saga. The food is great, you get an excellent view of the entire city, but prices are a bit steeper, but it is also more formal in nature.

http://www.discover-the-world.co.uk/...?id=restaurant

http://eng.grillid.is/GrillidEnglish/TheGrill/


The Pearl restaurant is nice, but IMHO, a bit too tourist oriented. Consider going to the cafe one flight down from the restaurant, having coffee and pastry, and then walking outside on the deck the encircles the Pearl. You get the great view of all of Reykjavik without the expensive meal.

Hamburger? Go to where the locals go......Habborgarabullan. It is about 2 blocks from city center, but the burgers are great. Here is a list of Iceland restaurant reviews, in case you don't have this link:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...land-BR-1.html

Your trip really looks interesing. I'll have to check out the package deals on Icelandair.com and look into the ring road trip. Looks like it give you the freedom to see what you want, when you want, within a structure of knowing where you will be each night (and knowing that there is a place reserved for you).

You can go crazy trying to plan all this out. There is a lot to see and do, but I have found it all to be fun. You are going to have a great time.

Donna, Keep talking!

This is great information - the kind that never shows up in the travel books. Please post away and yes, our flight leaves from SFO and your advice is sound - we will be wiped out and enjoying dinner sounds better at the end of our trip, rather than our first night.

Thanks for the info about the breakfasts too - that helps our planning for meals which will be our major expense along with the gas.

sbagal

Sbagal,

We're all counting on a day-by-day account of your trip! Can't wait for the stories and adventure details. Enjoy!

Derek

Sbagal,

Another link that might help you with on-the-spot Icelandic-to-English translation, before your trip:
http://www.translation-guide.com/fre...h&to=Icelandic

Also, if you run into translation problems while you are there, several shop, cafes, and even banks offer free internet service. You can go to a translator site and get the neccessary answers there. Not much help out on the ring road; but it helps that most Icelandic people are super friendly and speak English!

Glad to help
 

I love to do this, as in searching, I always find something new. It also gets me wanting to go back, and I'm even starting to search for fares to a summer visit.

A lot depends on how you feel when you get to Iceland.

The SFO flt gets in about 3pm, so with passport control, walking to baggage claim, duty-free (if so inclined - worth a look while you wait for the luggage), and driving in to Reykjavik, you will get to the hotel about 5pm or so.

Depending on the flight, being able to get some sleep and such, you may want to take a nap and then head out. It will light the entire time so that is not a factor. While there is a sunset time, it never really gets dark this time of year...just dusk.

Here is a link to a map of Reykjavik that shows your hotel:

http://www.icelandair.com/files/file...ile5380429.pdf

On the map, the Park Island Inn is #29. The map index lists #29 as the SAS Island Inn, but it changed names a while back. It will give you an idea of your location in Reykjavik.

If you connect the dots 6-35-13-21-10, you get an idea of the main area for downtown Reykjavik, with what I would call ground zero the park in front of the National Assembly near #9. The big church (Hallgrimskirkja) is by #13, a tourist info spot by #44.

Laugavegur is the main shopping street, and there are many, many nice restaurants with menus in the window on this street as well as nearby side streets.

I would make it a point to get into the downtown area on your first night, just to get a feel for the area, and pick some places for further exploration on your last night. Consider stopping by the tourist info to pick up additional free info for the places you will be traveling to during the week.

This is peak tourist season, and with unlimited daylight, everything is open late. In the mornings, central Reykjavik seems dead until 10am or so, so if there is something to see/buy/do, it would be best to do it the night of your arrival, rather than wait for things to open on your first road trip day. So many things to see and do....

I have gone to the Google satellite and tried to duplicate the map link above with a satellite photo:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...24783,0.131321

On the photo, on the far right side look for an oval racetrack. This is in the park area near your hotel, which is on the curved street just below the park. The arrow points to a location about 3 blocks southeast of the church, and the main shopping/tourist area is just above and to the right of Lake Tjornin, visible on the left side.

This area is not far from your hotel, about 2km, but as you will be walking a lot in the city, you may want to consider taking a bus or cab to the area, and save your energy for exploring the city area. There is not much that I would find interesting between your hotel and the central area....just offices, businesses and such.

My experience has been that most everyone has a good time in Iceland, a few hate it but many more fall in love with the place (as I have) and keep wanting to go back.

The best comments I have seen concerning this come from a post on TripAdvisor, which I'll include here:

******************************************

You are right, Iceland is addictive. After our maiden visit we have become committed Icelandphiles, with an ardent desire to return soon. I view this visit as the first round at a buffet table, where you survey the range of items and load your plate with modest amounts of everything. Then, wiser from the sampling, you go back for more with a directed, but more intense, focus.
I shall make no grand pronouncements of the sort "Icelanders are < insert your favourite drib of insight>" like many are wont to do. Understanding the nuances of a people and their culture takes a great deal of time spent in their company. Casual observations as visitors won't do. That said, there are many qualities of Iceland and Icelanders that are prima facie admirable, but that evaluation has to be shaped by individual experience and must be subject to alteration following new experiences & knowledge. The following are the initial impressions we formed _as tourists_.
- Iceland is one huge eye candy store. There is no point in my oohing and aahing about everything like the "nature nannies" we get to hear from nowadays.
- The quality of tourist services is exceptional. Prices are high but you get value for money spent. Thr private guides we had were more than mere professionals doing their job, going through the day's chore. They seemed to genuinely like their metier and it was as if we were out with an old friend.
- The quality of the hotels we stayed at was good (clean & functional), but not exceptional. I don't think there exists a true international 5-star hotel in Iceland. This is meant as an observation, not criticism. Hotel Centum in Reykjavik and Hotel Ranga in Hella were standouts.
- No baggage handlers at hotels in Iceland. And the concept of tipping (and the expectation of a tip) is virtually non-existent. I can't even begin to describe how civilised all this is.
- Vegetarians need not fret about being in Iceland. At every place we asked for sandwiches to be made without meat and we were invariably fixed a delicious toasted veggie&cheese sandwich. The quality of ingredients was excellent and consequently the taste (if you live in America, the difference in taste in the produce will at once be obvious). Furthermore, the Indian restaurants in Reykjavik are superb and Austur Indía Fjelagið (http://www.austurindia.is/home.html) is highly recommended. I was also shocked to tears of joy to find, of all things, Goan food in Reykjavik! The cuisine of my hometown Goa is now available in Reykjavik at The Indian Mango! See http://www.indianmango.is.
- Driving in Iceland calls for some preparation, especially for those used to the world-class American roads. While signage is adequate, you don't get as much advance notice (sometimes none at all) as you do on American roads. Speed limits are nominal; it pays to assess the road conditions and drive accordingly. Do NOT exceed the speed limit no matter how tempting it may seem in the wide, open spaces. You never know when a herd of sheep will get in your way (there have been many fatal accidents involving tourists in recent years). And the extra caution required at the transition from paved to gravel road cannot be underscored. Also know that some turnouts can be tricky. We stopped for a photo op at a small turnout and while making a circle to get back to the Ring Road our car got mired. Fortunately an Icelandic couple in a big jeep stopped and hauled the car out using a tow rope. Just one example of how unpredictable - and exciting - Iceland can be.

*********************************************


I think the idea by bnladiesfan of a trip report is great. I'd really like to know how your trip works out.

The more I look at all of this, the more I want to get back there.

360 panorama
 

I ran across this link in my Iceland bookmarks.

It has 360 degree panorama views of Reykjavik, and 5 other locations in Iceland. The view of Reykjavik is taken from the walk around deck at the Pearl. There is a nice cafe inside on this level, which is a floor below the restaurant.

http://www.flippi.net/themen/panoram...hingvellir.htm

It gives a good preview of a bit of Iceland.

Here's some sample prices from the trip. Prices were for two people.
Blue lagoon: $45.50 (3400 ISK)
Laugardalur thermal baths: $14.75 (1160 ISK)
Einar Ben restaurant (anniversary dinner) 4 course meal with wine tastings: $248.90 (18650 ISK) Pretty good deal as they kept refilling our wine glasses :D
Nordica Hotel + breakfast: $193.50 (11500 + 3000 ISK)
Saga Museum (at Perlan): $22.90 (1800 ISK)

July 1 - Weekend Travel Crush?
 

Thanks to all for the really good information and great links - all very helpful. While part of the fun of travel is discovery, the helpful hints ahead of time will only serve to create an even better trip - things like prices and seasoned travel trips are not something to "discover" on one's own. Many thanks.

Now here is another one - realized we are starting our driving trip around the Ring (counter clockwise - going east first) on July 1 - which your reading tips claim to be the busiest weekend of all. Our first pre-booked overnight July 1 is in the middle of the Golden Circle (Iceland for Beginners) area, and the second night - Sunday July 2- near Vik.

That appears to put us right in the middle of what may be a very impacted tourist area for two days.

Any hints on how to best manage this - more out of the way places in this area to explore with a 2WD car?

Thanks again - and looks like a walk into town and the Opera Cafe is going to be perfect our first night. Nice to learn how late businesses will be staying open.

Keep all this good advice coming - leaving next Thursday (June 29) - I can hardly wait. And while we are at it - what is a good wardrobe --besides my full LLBean Gortex rain suit?

sbagal

Busy,but no road congestion
 

Getting close to "go time" for you. Wow.

While this is the peak of the tourist season, there should not be any congestion on the roads. Perhaps a lot of people at the sites, but a good deal of folks take tour busses and do not do the drive themselves.

There will be a lot of folks walking up and down the streets in Reykjavik, but that is just part of the summer hussle and bussle.

You should be fine on clothing with something to fend off rain. The temp will be between 40-60, overcast to bright sunshine, no wind to strong (20-25mph) wind, and periods of intermittent rain. Basically, everything.

But it always changes, and in short order. So you can be in the rain, wind, with clouds and 40's and feel cold. The next hour will bring calm, brite sunshine, temps feeling much warmer. Dressing so as to adaptable is a good way to go.

I don't know if you have any maps of Iceland yet, but it looks like you most likely do Thingvellir, Geyser, Gulfoss and head for your stay at Hotel Hela.

Here is a link to the Iceland road commission, with maps of Iceland showing major roads, conditions and such, with yellow boxes that point to sensors they have along the road to report wind and traffic.

This is a link to your first day area, but you can change it by clicking on the map, top left corner:


http://www.vegagerdin.is/english/roa...nd/south1.html

On the left side, you see a lake. The Thingvellir area is at the top of the lake. Then you will probably head for Geyser by taking the road directly east, thru Laugarvatn (nice little town with a fuel station with food), and continue on to Gulfoss. They have a yellow road box labled "Gulfoss" with a connecting line to the area.

From there you might head down Hwy 30, thru Fludir to get to your hotel. Just past Fludir, there is another road to the east, Hwy 32 which goes to Arnes, which is another nice community with a small eating establishment in the communit center. Nice place and we went there when we stayed at that cabin. This whole area is really beautiful.

FYI, the ring road, Hwy 1, leaves from Reykjavik, thru Hveragerti, Selfoss, Hella, down the coast to Vik. Just to give you an idea of your travel the nextday.

If you can, it might be worth it to see Selfoss. It is fairly large...maybe 10,000, with a nice shoping area by the river with a nice path for walking. There is a great little coffee shop across the street, but on the same side as the shopping area (the only big grocery store in the area, if you need something before heading out on the road) and it was nice to sit outside with coffee and pastry/sandwich and watch Iceland pass by.

If you need it, the Iceland wx office link:

http://www.vedur.is/english/

I think you will have a great time.

Wanted to add that the road from just past Thingvellir to just before Laugarvatn (about 20km) is gravel, but this is the only gravel stretch we encountered.

I would not worry too much about it being busy on the road - there is a lot of space to be shared between few people! Although the summer inevitably gets busier with tourists nothing compares to the first weekend of August. That's the biggest bank holiday weekend in Iceland and you can expect the roads being absolutely blocked with cars. Personally I would not choose to travel then but many like the general atmosphere of this weekend. You will be fine though travelling in July. Hope you have a great trip!

icebird

Traffic website is a winner - what care and detail this country has to offer - countdown begins - 4 more days to go! Thanks for the reports on the weekend we arrive that it will not be their most congested weekend. Whew!

Thanks again for all the great links and hints and prices --- to all.

sbagal

Have a great time! Let us know how your trip worked out.

I just read Daily News from Iceland and it looks like there will be a former President there at the same time.

http://www.icelandreview.com/iceland...6-B7A0FA9F3CF6

06/27/2006 | 14:38

George Bush sr. to visit Iceland in July
Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, RÚV, reports that the former president of the United States George H.W. Bush plans to visit Iceland in early July.

According to RÚV, Mr. Bush is in Iceland to fish at the invitation of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund. George Bush visited Iceland as vice-president of the first Regan administration in the early 1980's and used the opportunity fish for salmon at the invitation of the then foreign minister.

The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, will host a dinner party for Mr. Bush and his company on the US national holiday, Independence Day, July 4.

George H.W. Bush served as president in 1989 when the former Soviet countries collapsed in the wake of a popular and peaceful uprising in East-Germany. At the time, Ólafur Ragnar was the chairman of the now-defunct People's Alliance, the political successor to the Icelandic Communist Party.

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Off to Iceland today!
 

Tomorrow evening we should be dining at the Opera Cafe in Reykyavik - leaving tonight from SFO - Icelandic #670. Looks like 8 days of "showers" all over the country, but we are prepared and ready to go.

Everyone's tips and advice helped make Iceland already feel like home - names of towns and places that were so unfamiliar just a few weeks ago now are places we are eager to visit and make our own.

Thanks to all who helped here.

sbagal

Trip was wonderful!
 

The 8 day "Ring Rider" Iceland trip was wonderful. Was sitting by the sea at a light house in the warm sun, with no wind at a little quiet village out past the airport ......JUST A FEW HOURS AGO!!! More details later but I can certainly see why so many of you are in love with this country. Excellent trip.

sbagal

Good to hear
 

Hi sbagel,

I'm glad to hear that you had a nice time.

I was watching the weather closely, and it looked like you hit a stretch of rain in Iceland. That can make it difficult to enjoy the scenery, so I hope it was only temporary in nature.

I do hope you post your thoughts of your trip here, when you have the chance. What worked, what did not. I'd really like to know if my evaluations of certain places held true with your experience (Cafe Opera for example).

I would also like to ask about your thoughts concerning the flights on Icelandair. Out of SFO, you are on the only 767 they fly. Seats? Comfort rooms? Meals? Service?

Please consider posting your trip thoughts.

Glad you had a great time, and also glad you are back safe.

PS: Do you think you would like go back, or do you find Iceland to be one of those places to be a one-stop wonder?

Icelandic Air from SFO - First Day Travelogue
 

Hi Donna, I'll start with answering your flight questions and some first day stuff:

Left from SFO to Ryk on Icelandic Air - 11pm departure. fine flight, lousy in flight food from SFO, asked for Vegetarian but did not get it - everyone got the same thing, no choices, but this was also a late night flight so food was not the big issue then as we had eaten a nice Japanese fast food meal at the airport. Service and amenities were basic but adequate. Screens for visuals were limited and did not use any of the inflight entertainment options.

Odd in-flight orientation presentation telling all of us in coach what services the "Saga" class passengers ( a business type class - did not see a true first class option) were getting - arrival drinks, meal choices and free alcohol, which we were pointedly not and would have to pay for. No need to make this announcement since those in Saga Class already knew they were getting these features and no reason to let us know we were not.

The plane was very comfortable, much more leg room than most flights and 2-3-2 seating in a Boeing 757 (or something). All went well until we arrived in Reyk and had to wait an extremely long time for our luggage - another flight from Copenhagen's baggage came and went on our assigned carousel and still no luggage for many of us who checked in early at SFO. As we were grumpily standing in the service desk line, the luggage finally came in. The flights are few and the airport small, so this seemed like an inefficient delay.

(More problems later when we left - place left half hour late with absolutely no information from ground staff about the delay, and a lot of congestion in what appears to be a too small airport with very poor pedestrian traffic flow plans - though there was room later to spread out away from the entrance and check-in areas)

The poor fellow picking us up at the airport for the trip into town was wondering what on earth happened to us and at first I was told by the border guards I could not leave this arrival area to let the driver know we were delayed by the failure of our luggage to arrive, but they let me out after all. Only then to have to be fully searched and bags put through security when we finally did leave the arrival area. But they were friendly about it.

Taken into town for the first of our hotel package nights at the Park Hotel - outside of downtown, but walkable. The varied and austere scenery along the way gave us good clues about what was in store for us. Got there around 5pm, even with the delay over the baggage, just as you predicted.

Weather was brisk but with a little bundling up we did just fine walking into town. Did some shopping for a bird book and some maps and then had dinner at Cafe Opera right in the center of the "old town" to get our first reality check about prices. Charming place upstairs with nice views out the windows.

We ordered the "2 course" meal for 3.9K each - the fish on the hot rock special with apple cake. The gave us some very delicious puff pastry snail appetizers and the hot rock special included veetables and potato along with the fish. The fish is cooked on the very hot volcanic rock that is presented to you at the table and was delicious -salmon and a white fish on skewers which one cooked and turned then slid off for eating. At 8pm, there were very few people in the restaurant but more local people started coming in when we were leaving.

Because of internet tips we asked for a hotel room on higher floor with a sea view and got a wonderful room on the 6th floor and could watch the sun travel over the sky and blast into our open windows at 3am - we knew we were in Iceland and did not want to miss a moment of this new experience so we did not even want to close the drapes.

We wandered around the town a bit after dinner and found a traveling band concert from a German music club (in costumes) at the City Hall and sat in for a few songs and dances to a small local crowd gathered there. It was a peaceful and interesting walk around the town and we felt we got more for our money in Iceland since it was light for so long - it let us feel we could do so much more and not worry about having to get back before dark.

We went back to the hotel past the water front and the Hofdi House already liking Iceland a lot on just our first day. Clean, accessible, safe and full of natural visual drama.

Breakfast at the hotel was excellent: full hot and cold buffet, so we were soundly fed before we got our little Toyota Yaris rental car and were off for our first day of our Ring Rider driving adventure around this wonderful scenic country.

(Weather over all was fine - yes we had rain and fog, but we also had a lot of sun and it was even up to 20 degrees C (around 68 degrees F) when we were further up north. Some one said the weather in Iceland did not matter because all you had to do is wait a bit and it would change, or drive a bit more and it would change.

We were dressed for it, even over dressed often, so this simply did not slow us down. In fact, in some places the wind and the fierceness of it added to the experience as we felt awe for those first few residents who came to this lonely island back in the 800's - total awe.

One thing we were about to learn is that we used every bit of travel resource we brought and bought: We got the highly detailed road atlas with the rental car which added a lot of surprise detours we would not have known about with precise directions -- after a few frustrating days trying to sort out its system of maps and links.

We also used the Insight Guide and the Lonely Planet as both had different suggestions and different versions and opinions- Lonely Planet was the best and we came away a big fan, but it still needed a lot of supplementations with the more detailed maps. We had a general over view map and then a far more detailed overview map with really tiny print, but this was essential for highway numbers and road conditions, which none of the other maps offered.

So while it was a real juggle being "navigator" going from one resource to the next, it all paid off and we feel we got as much and more out of this short time we had to see both the big picture and some hidden corners as well. But if you want just one book - Lonely Planet is the best.

Then read Insight Guide when you get home to answer all the more in depth questions about history and culture than can come up along the way. Makes more sense then after one sees the country.

One other tip is that most of the books read best for travelling clockwise around the country from Reykyvik - going west first and then north to east and then south. Our package took us the opposite way so it made reading the books route plans cumbersome and I had to start the Route Map book on page 161 and read it backwards which got tricky for those with spatial perception deficiencies!

We also struggled with the Icelandic Sagas before we left and just about gave up on them, but tried to plug away with them as we moved around the country and various parts of the stories would be highlighted at different places. At least some familiarity of the Sagas (Clifff Notes, please!) will help alot to gain more appreciation for those early days on this lonely island and its rough and tumble history.

Iceland has road signs pointing to Saga spots and also special tourist signs with a squarish celtic design on the left hand side for "points of interest", even though they do not tell you at first what those are. There are lots of visual markers and most places have good signs and highway identifications if you have good maps and keys to figure them out.

Again, the large Route Map book helped us out on a lot, but not all, of them. There may be a key from the tourist office that can help more. We did not know to look for this ahead of time.

Back to the Sagas, Lonely Planet put us on to the typcially violent and weird Saga story about the Beserkers and their path through the lava that led to an unexpected side trip out on the "Snafelless) (or groan - can't spell a darn name at all)" which turned out to be one of the more mystical highlights of the entire trip - helped by finding these locations in the Route Map book near Stikkelsholmur. (Sp???) Otherwise these would have been hard to find on one's own with just the too vague directions in Lonely Planet.

Dressing for Iceland in July meant for me: jeans, hiking boots, water proof wind breaker with attached hood, heavy sweater, wool gloves and "ear pops" which are neat little individual ear covers (look them up on the net) which fit over each ear and look fairly unobtrusive depending on which color you get. Lyering was essential - because then all of this would be just too darn hot just a little while later. But then absolutely essential when the wind would come up or the drizzle would start.

The second day in Vik we both got great Iceland sweaters which were the best priced and best designed and wore them every day - not the hokey snowflake ones that look cheap and mass produced, but much more benignly colored and designed ones that were a great windproof, waterproof and light weight choice for the varieties of weather one encounters in this country.

They were not cheap (over US$100), but it could have saved a lot of suitcase space if we had known how happy we were wearing these every day. So that is one shopping/packing tip - if you are going north-east past Vik be sure to wait until you get there before deciding to buy a sweater - we never saw better selections for the price anywhere else.

Though Akuryeri had some good ones on sale and a lot of more stylish designs which were a lot more expensive. Sure, we looked like tourists but they really were a good flexible wardrobe choice for the always changing Icelandic weather. We always got a laugh when we actually saw an Icelander wearing an Icelandic sweater. A few did, but we thought most of them were missing a Good Thing. ;)

First day (to be continued) - to Pingvillar and the Golden Circle Iceland for Beginner stops - Gyser and Gulfoss. Overnight near Fluoir.

(Does it sound like I am a little wound up and jet-laggy here still?)

sbagal

Geat trip report
 

Wow! What a great trip report so far. Can't wait for the next installment.

I hope there is some way we can save this thread, make it a sticky or a new category. There is a lot of very useful info here, ...links, observations, etc., that will be a big help for those going to Iceland. Like your observation on sweaters in Vik...great stuff to pass on, and keep available for others.


Sorry about the luggage problem, and lack of info from Icelandair (FI).

I've only flown SAS, FI, and NW/KL to Europe. SAS was a long time ago, and only a few times; NW/KL a lot; FI mostly to KEF, but this year I have used them to Europe.

I don't know if is is an Icelandair thing, or a European thing; as I found both FI and KL ground agents to uninformative, uncaring, and difficult to work with.

I can recall one time going from SEA-MSP-AMS-MUC on NW/KL. The NW flt out of MSP was late, so it was a tight connect. I ran to the gate in AMS for my flt on KL to MUC...the plane was there and the jetway still hooked up. Told the KL agent I'm on the flight...I just got in from MSP and ran here...."Sorry, flt is closed". I watched from the terminal for the next 8 min until the jetway was finally disconnected. And then waited 5 hrs for the next KL flt to MUC.

I have had very good service on FI out of MSP. But NW does the ground handeling, and I have been thru there so many times, I know Jessica, the stn mgr. But when things happen, they let you know what is going on.

I flew MSP-KEF-OSL in April. Just about the time the flight inbound from KEF gets to MSP, massive thunderstorms roll thru the airport area, and the flight diverts to Diluth. At least the agents kept all of us informed.

We got to KEF 4 hrs late, so everyone connecting to a FI flt to Europe misconnected. But FI had everyone rebooked for the next day, a bus to take us to the hotel, and paid for the hotel and meals (in the hotel), which I thought was pretty descent for a wx problem.

FI uses a 767 for SFO-KEF, and that plane has palatized cargo. All other FI planes are 757's with belt loading of luggage. It would be my guess that something/someone screwed it up.....and agents could care less about telling you, the passenger.

I'm glad the meal screw-up, and the luggage problem did not cause you to get down on Iceland. A bad begining can make an entire trip seem to go bad.

But, from what you say, you had a good time. I'm glad Cafe Opera worked for you. I hate to make recommendations, as they are so subjective in terms of what is important to you.

Now, give us more of the story.....

I think the luggage problem for arrivals into Reykjavik is that first priority is to get all the connecting passengers bags to their flights so the planes can leave - and then as a second order measure they bring the bags to people actually arriving in KEF.

The airport is a zoo now because of large construction projects - apparently enlarging it but seemingly more to turn it into a shopping mall !

The 767 is the oldest aircraft Icelandair uses and they are mainly used on charter flights with the exception of SFO and occasionally BOS. So the single-aisle 757s are actually more comfortable.

I was reading this thread and am now thinking of stopping over in Reyk on my way back from Denmark in December. I will be flying Icelandair out of BWI and so will take advantage of their free stopovers.
Does anyone know if it is extremely cold there in December? I mean so cold that you can't do anything kind of thing? From reading online it seems it's only 35 degrees F which should not be so bad, that's like the East Coast in the US basically!
Any info?

I wouldn't worry too much about it being cold. It's normally alright around the coastline due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream that (still) runs up the Atlantic Ocean and up to Iceland. Actually, I would not be surprised if it were colder in Scandinavia around that time of the year. It might be an idea to bring something windproof to wear as it can get a bit windy --- and you might even get a bit of snow if you're lucky!

I have to agree that actual temperature is not that much of a problem in Dec. The main problem is when a storm blows in from the North Atlantic and brings precipitation and very, very strong winds, it can make being outside a less than enjoyable experience. Also, there is very limited daylight...sunrise about 11am and sunset about 3:30pm, tho you get an hour of twilight on both sides.

In Dec, downtown Reykjavik is really decked out in holiday colors and lights, so if you have never been there before, it is worth seeing. Check on hotels, as Christmas has become a quite popular time to visit, and rooms can be hard to find near the 25th.

I don't know if you are a fan of sunsets.....but I have flown from KEF-MSP several times in Dec, and you get about 2 or 3 beautiful sunsets viewable on the left side. As you fly southwest from Iceland, you cross the daylight/darkness terminator several times as the flight progresses.

Here is a link to the wx history page for Reykjavik for Dec 10, 2005....you can get a good idea of what the weather was like by changing the dates.

http://www.weatherunderground.com/hi...q_statename=NA

IMHO, it is worth it to see Reykjavik all decked out for the holidays.

Did Icelandic decide to no longer offer a SFO flight?