Anonymous wrote:Has anyone been at a time other than summer? Curious about traveling there at other times of year.

We went at the end of March. Weather was cooler but tolerable. There were still plenty of tourists. More browns than greens.

Has anyone been at a time other than summer? Curious about traveling there at other times of year.

Restaurant recommendation in Reykjavik: Sumac, on the shopping street. Great cocktails, too!

Previous PP to add - if you like hiking, Landmannalaugar is stunning!

I really liked Thingvellir - it is not as scenic as other Golden Circle stops, but the history of the place is fascinating.

One I haven't seen mentioned is Jokulsarlon on the south coast. Really beautiful and worth a boat ride to check out the toe of the glacier.

Reykjavik is fun but small and can be mostly seen in a day or so. It's a nice city for just hanging out though - great cafes, shops, etc. Worth going to the city pool (Sundholin) near the Hallgrimskirkja to experience a non-touristy hot pool - full of locals, cheap, and well-maintained.

Enjoy! It's a gorgeous country - been there half a dozen times and still love spending time there.

Iceland is basically a tourist destination. The economy is based on that.

The things we liked:
Driving the southern coast.
Reynisfjara - I loved the hex stones

Driving the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

The Settlement Center in Borgarnes was interesting but it showed how bloody Icelandic life was in the beginning. There was a nice cafe next to it too.

The Golden Circle:
Thingvellir National Park - was cool - go early, you can park before the building open and get ahead of the tourists. Their little museum was informative.
The Geyser was lame
We liked getting the baked bread at Laugarvatn Fontana - we just had a snack there, we did not partake in the spa.
I loved the Tomato Restaurant- I know it is hyped up, but I really liked it. It was so calming.

We like the Perlan. Eating late lunch at the rotating cafe was a nice ending.

We went last summer around this time. We had 13 days and did the ring road + part of the Westfjords. It was an amazing trip!

Some highlights:

Seeing the puffins up close at Borgarfjörður eystri (best place in Iceland to see them, IMO)

Diamond Beach / Glacier Lagoon. We did NOT do a boat tour or kayak and after seeing how cramped in they stuff the people in these boats, I'm so glad we didn't.

Westfjords: Absolutely beautiful and so remote. I would love to go back and spend more time here.

Glymur Waterfall Hike

Sky Lagoon

The jumping balloons in the public parks!

Things I was meh on:

Thingvellir National Park: It wasn't that scenic, and I just wasn't interested in Iceland history, but if you're a history buff, you'll love it.

Northern Iceland itself. There's not as much to see up there - so if you're limited on time, stick to the south coast. But I might be biased because when we were there, we had horrid weather and it snowed in mid-July!

Anonymous wrote:Oh and go to the penis museum

I missed that when we were there. Ran out of time.

Hands down, the best experience was the ice caves near Vik.

Do the "Golden Circle". Yes, it's tourist, but you are a tourist, and I assume you are there to see the best things Iceland has to offer.

You can’t really go wrong with any of the lagoons IMO. Sky Lagoon, Myvatn, Forest Lagoon, Krauma, Hvammsik…all great. Blue Lagoon was still amazing even though people call it a tourist trap, but you have to be flexible because it could be closed for the volcano at any time. I’m glad I got to go at least once in case it has to close for good. Absolutely insane driving through lava fields to get there. Some of it was still smoking when we were there. Felt like another planet.

We did the Ring Road and it was all fun, but I wish I had more time in the East Fjords. All of Iceland is beautiful, but it is absolutely breathtaking in the East. If you’re adventurous and don’t mind a butt-clenching drive up and down switchbacks with hairpin turns on a dirt road, I highly suggest venturing out to Mjóifjörður. The Klifbrekku Waterfall is there (and the entire dang mountain around you is dripping in waterfalls) and at the bottom there is a WWII shipwreck just chilling at the waterline in the middle of a totally unspoiled gorgeous fjord. It was a last minute decision to go there and one of my favorites of the trip.

The one stop we made I could’ve passed on was Hverir. It’s boiling mud pits in the north part of the country. It’s interesting, especially if you like science and geology, but the smell was stomach-churning.

We didn’t spend too much time in Reykjavík, but the Reykjavik Fish Restaurant was great. Stop and get a traditional lopapeysa from The Handknitting Association of Iceland.

Blue lagoon is probably closed due to volcanic activity so you should try other ones, like sky.

It’s kind of dangerous but I would go see the volcanic activity. Lava is super cool.

We did a 4 night trip last year, focusing on the south and east coast and the golden circle.

We enjoyed all the sites along the way. Diamond beach is one of the most beautiful sites I’ve seen.

One tip, if you decide to rent a car get ALL the insurance. Icelands weather and wind can cause damage. We went through zero car and got an older SUV. So glad we did.

You could make a whole trip of lagoons/hot springs there. It really depends on what you are looking for in Iceland, your budget, the type of travel you prefer, and the length of your trip.

Oh and go to the penis museum

Sky Lagoon > Blue Lagoon.

Himalayan Spice.

Why would you avoid tourist traps? You ARE a tourist.

What were your favorite thins to do?

Are the lagoons worth it? What should I skip? What were tourist traps and not really worth it?

Any restaurant recommendations for Reykjavik?