Iceland is a booming destination right now, especially among American millennials. WOW Air is offering dirt cheap prices starting at $99 (but realistically around $300 from Chicago), and IcelandAir started a stopover program to extend your layover for free. It's cheaper and closer to get to than it ever has been before. Not to mention lagoons and waterfalls are all over your Instagram feed right now. Now is the time to go... as it will only get more touristy.
When I first mentioned to my long time bestie, Sarah, about going on a trip, we threw around Vegas or Toronto. Then I said "OK but what about Iceland? It's a 6 hour flight from O'Hare and we can do it in a long weekend." She was instantly game.
After posting on our Instagram stories that we had booked flights, my spontaneous high school friend, Amy, commented "Omg I am SO jealous!" I said "COME." Even though her flight from L.A. would be much longer (9 hours one way), she didn't hesitate and booked too.
Moral of this little story: Get yourself some friends who are YES People.
Wait, people go to Iceland?
All 3 of us were asked this question before we flew to the tiny country. Yep! It's one of the top destinations right now. If you haven't been, you probably know someone who has. There is an immense amount of things to do in Iceland. The capital city of Reykjavík is a fun little city with young expats from all over Europe working in bars and restaurants. Just outside the city, the vast countryside gives way to an incredible amount of surprises. Waterfalls, beaches, glaciers, wildlife, hot springs and some of the nicest people in the world are just hours of a drive away.
What You Need to Know About Iceland If You're Considering a Trip
Flights are cheap, but the country is very expensive. I'm talkin $12 for a beer expensive.
In the dead of summer, you will experience almost 21 hours of light.
In the dead of winter, you will experience at most 5 hours of light.
It's cold. Even in the summer, especially in the winter.
There are no ride-sharing apps, only cabs, and they don't drive around much.
The bus system is great, but you can walk to most places in the city.
Don't expect to get coffee before 9am.
Hotels are expensive! Airbnbs are not.
Almost everyone speaks English (albeit not everyone speaks great English).
Almost everywhere takes credit cards, except for the city bus!
Our Trip Details
Day 1 Highlights - Beer, Salmon, & French Fries
So we decided to fly from Chicago to Reykjavík overnight on Wednesday, arrive on Thursday, and fly home on Sunday. This meant three and a half days and three nights in Iceland. This may not seem like that much. Admittedly we knew it really wasn't, but I was the one who pushed for it to use less vacation time. However, at the end of our trip, we agreed it was the perfect amount of time.
We booked this awesome Airbnb, whose host allowed us to check in at 8am (unheard of!). We napped until Amy got there and went to get some lunch. After relaxing for a bit we changed clothes and walked to one of the first microbreweries that the entire country of Iceland ever had, Bryggjan Brewery. We did this delicious tasting tour of 6 local beers and 6 local small plates. The bartender who was our guide was knowledgeable and hilarious, and it was a ton of beer and a good amount of food for the cost. Even though there were only other Americans at the table, we had a great time and I highly recommend this tour. Amy even found out she likes smoked salmon and then wanted it the rest of the trip! hahaha!
After we stopped at some local bars, we ended up at a place by our apartment, called Reykjavík Chips, chips meaning fries. You can get two beers, and a cup of fries, with 3 different kinds of their many sauces, for about 20 USD. This may seem expensive, but here it is super cheap! We ended our night in a booth at 11pm, with the sun streaming in the windows, chowing down on some hot french fries.
Day 2 Highlights - Sleeping In (sorta), the Golden Circle, & Happy Hours!
The next day we got to wake up at a reasonable time of 8 AM. We headed out to find some coffee and breakfast, only to find that most places open at 9 AM. Eventually we hopped in a place to grab a pricey, but tasty breakfast before heading to the bus stop.
Sarah had found a great Golden Circle tour for about $65 a person. This is just one of many tours you can do, but it definitely the cheapest. For 6 hours you're in a really comfy bus that takes you along the Golden Circle. If you're not familiar with the Golden Circle, it's just some really big sights that happen to be in a circle pretty close to Reykjavík. The bus stops at the three main attracactions: Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Geysir geothermal area which was where "geysers" got their name, and the massive Gullfoss waterfall. It was an incredibly easy way to get around to all the sites.
After freshening up once we got back, we decided to hit some happy hours. This is the key to getting really cheap drinks in Reykjavík. Many bars have 2 for 1 specials so a $15 wine or beer may now be only $7. We had an amazing duck appetizer at Matwerk, some more cheap wine at Kaffi Vinyl, before stopping and chatting with locals and expats at the fun bar Mikkeller & Friends (thanks for the rec Anna Van!) We ended the night at the Lebowski Bar, which is an American-themed bar named after the movie of the same name. No surprise, this place had an impressive list of White Russians!
Day 3 Highlights - South Coast Road Tripping & An Amazing Final Dinner
We were looking forward to this day the entire trip. We got up early and called a cab to take us to the car rental place. The car rental for the day cost about $215 through Priceline. It was an easy process and we set out to begin our journey. Needing coffee and a bite to eat, we had to run into a Dunkin Donuts first, because, no surprise, it was the only place open!
We first stopped at the amazing Seljalandsfoss waterfall. After snapping a couple pics and getting decently wet, we hopped back in the car. This was the best part about the road trip, we didn't feel pressured to stay at a location, just because. If we were over it, we left!
Next, our favorite stop, was the Seljavallalaug hot spring pool. This was the absolute best because there were hardly any cars parked in the lot. Then we had to walk about 30 minutes back in between 2 mountains to find the pool. This has got to deter many tourists as it really is quite a hike. It's one of Iceland's oldest pools with geothermal heated water constantly flowing in. Our only mistake was not bringing a couple of beers with!
Last, we made it to the city of Vik, where the famous Black Sand Beach is.
This place was much more touristy, but it's totally worth it. The views are unbelievable. we ate at a soup place in the nearby city before heading back home.
Now we had totally intended on going to more places, but boy were we tired! Again, just another advantage of having our own car. We drove back home to start our last night asap.
Final Day Highlights - The Blue Lagoon! (the only highlight you need)
The last day we got up early and headed to our bus stop to catch a 6:30 AM bus to the Blue Lagoon. It was the perfect time to go as people were just starting to get there. It costs almost $100 to go, but it's worth it, I promise.
You get a wrist band that basically does everything you need (man, I love technology). It opens and locks your locker, adds drinks from the swim up bar, and allows you to buy lunch whenever you feel like it. There's also a face mask bar with a free mask and ones for purchase, which was really fun. The lagoon is massive, warm, and quiet, compared to your average rowdy vacation pool. They suggest you get out a few times throughout your stay as it's best for your skin and body temperature. Some steam baths and saunas line the pool along with the most amazing volcanic rock. A ton of people here on a layover took a shuttle to spend a day at the lagoon and then back to the airport. This is definitely Iceland's must-do destination.
Tips, Tricks, and Must Dos
Seriously don't come here for more than 4-5 days unless you plan on renting a car for a long time and driving around the country, camping and what not.
Download the Appy Hour Reykjavík app - it lets you know about all the great happy hours in the city that will allow you to eat and drink without breaking the bank.
Eat a hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and get the usual Icelandic fixins.
Only go to the Blue Lagoon on your way into and out of the airport. It's far away and a waste of your day to do it in the middle of the trip. There's a great shuttle that will take you to the Lagoon, then on to the airport, or vice versa.
Don't plan to spend more than 3 hours in the Blue Lagoon, unless you intend to hang out and drink. We got insanely bored after about an hour. We had lunch, got back in the pool and were ready to go before the shuttle came.
Don't take out money at the airport ATM or really any ATM. I took out too much and it was unnecessary and hard to use it in 3 days!
Stay at an Airbnb near Laugalækur street. It's the happening street. Figure out your closest bus stop to you because all shuttles will pick up there!
Don't rent a car unless you want to do a road trip on your own for more than a day. It's expensive and hard to park in the city. Everything is just so close!
Expect to spend a lot of money. It's just the name of the game in Iceland. Embrace it!
Talk to lots of locals. They are SO nice and welcome tourists, especially Americans. They love hearing what you think about Trump :)
Thanks to Amy and Sarah for great company. Can't wait for our next trip!
Anna, what a GREAT blog! and what a GREAT write-up of Iceland! I've got a stop-over there on the way to England in October. On the way back to the States was planning an extended stay. I'm definitely going to know! Will we be the only ones in Canton to say we've been to Iceland?