Summer except for northern lights. I think a lot of roads are closed in winter plus the days are really short instead of really long.

Is it more fun to go in the winter to see everything frozen & the northern lights? Or is Summer the better time?

I think how long to spend there depends on what you want to do-- do you want to do day trips in and around Reykjavik, a full trip around the island, or something in between.

In 2-3 days you can see Reykjavik and a lot of cool things in its immediate vicinity. Add another 1-2 days and you can travel along the southern coast and see some more great stuff. A full week or two and you can maybe travel the ring road.

At least a week. But would depend on what you want to see / do and if you plan to go back or want to make this a "once in a lifetime" experience.
We were in Iceland two years ago (August 14).

First three days in Reykjavik, including one day with a combined whale watching (didn't see any whales) and Blue Lagoon Tour.

We then took a regular scheduled bus from Reykjavik to Akureyri through the Highlands (Kjölur).
They do touristy stops on the way which include Geysir and Gullfoss, which is most of the Golden Circle Tour (you miss Thingvellir). The bus trip is quite impressive as it takes you between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers.

In Akureyri we did a day tour through the lake Myvatn area (Diamond Circle Tour - Godafoss, Myvatn, Asbyrgi, Dettifoss, Dimmuborgir).
We found northern Iceland much more impressive than the Reykjavik area. The nature is simply astonishing! You have the green areas around Myvatn lake, then a very short drive up to where to tectonic plates meet, where you have fumarols (Namafjell, I think). Dettifoss is a huge waterfall and you can walk up right to the water. Asbyrgi is where Odin's horse touched the ground with one of its hooves. Dimmuborgir (dark castle) is a lava field.

On the way back we took the Sprengisandur route, between the Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers.
Again, impressive! That's what the moon has to look like. It's only accessible in summer, the bus alone is impressive... it drives you through creeks so deep that the water hits the windows.

Back in Reykjavik we took another day tour to the Jökulsarlon glacier lagoon.
We booked with Time Tours but I have to admit that I wasn't impressed. We were picked up by a different tour operator without being informed about this, had he not asked who we had booked with when picking us up at the hotel we never would have approached him. The small bus (I think it was a 12 seater maybe?) was at full capacity and it was a bit crammed. The trip itself was a bit meh, very few stops, long trip. It was worth it, even though the weather was dispicable. The boat tour on the lagoon was a.ma.zing.

We didn't rent a car because DH doesn't drive. Also you need a 4x4 to drive the Sprengisandur which I have never done and wasn't comfortable with (they also advise not to cross rivers alone - no bridges on the whole route, you just drive straight through) and we really wanted to go through the highlands. Kjölur is okay with a regular car. The ring road which goes around the island is also easy to drive. Right side of the road. Very little traffic outside of the Reykjavik area.

We thought it would be a once in a lifetime bucket list trip but are already planning to go back.
I want to visit the Snæfellsnes area, I want to snorkle the Silfra rift, we didn't manage to visit Thingvellir and I want to do the West Fjords. There is a lot to do and to see. But... Iceland is expensive. You can get inexpensive flights and you can find hotels for an okay price - car rental, day trips, entrance fees (Blue Lagoon), gas and food are quite costly through.

What's the ideal length of a trip to Iceland?

Is the driving on the right or left side of the car? and on the right/left side of the road?

Anonymous wrote:NP - How is it getting around. is there public transportation, taxis, do you drive?

Reykjavik is tiny- you can walk most places. There are cabs and buses. You can also rent a car- lots of people do this who want to self-tour the countryside. The driving is easy.

Went took our 5 year old and 2 year old about 18 months ago and had a fantastic time. We did Airbnb and rented a little apartment. Also recommend a car, especially if you have younger kids.

Like PP above we went to Geysir, Gulfoss, and Pinvgellir. Big hits with the kids. The hiking in Iceland is meant to be amazing, but we did not attempt with such young kids.

The best thing about Iceland with kids are the pools. All geothermally heated and very fun. Blue Lagoon is incredibly expensive but well worth it. An experience unlike any other.

We also did whale watching and visited a couple of the museums. Reykjavik was great for just walking around.

NP - How is it getting around. is there public transportation, taxis, do you drive?

NP here. Thanks, PP! We are also considering a family trip there in July.

oh wow, thank you so much, this is wonderful info!

We went in July a few years ago - loved it. It was just my husband and me, no kids. That time of year, the weather is as warm as it gets (50s-60s) and it's light about 22 hours a day. Here is an email of stuff to do I wrote up for a friend who was visiting after me:

Blue Lagoon – A thermal pool-turned-spa created by the crossover of some natural elements and a nearby power plant, it's supposed to have healing powers (dubious, but it was fun). This is out by the airport so it’s a good thing to do on the first or last day in town (we did it the first day since we were a little jet-lagged anyway). We used Reykjavik Excursions for our transportation (airport to Blue Lagoon to downtown Reykjavik), the package also included entry fees for the Blue Lagoon and got us from the airport to downtown, so that worked well for us.

Golden Circle Tour – There are several of these that hit some of the natural wonders in the area outside of Reykjavik, including a huge waterfall (Gulfoss), the town of Geysir (named for a geyser that goes off every ~5 min), and Pingvellir national park (which is a historic site in the founding of Iceland as well as a place of geographic importance where you can actually see the divide between tectonic plates). Several companies offer tours of these sites (we used Reykjavik Excursions again) or you could probably drive it on your own. Takes the better part of a day to do the drive and see the sights.

We used Arctic Adventures for a hike to a hot spring, they had several adventures and excursions.

There is also a lot to do on the water near the harbor in Reykjavik – puffin watching, whale watching, etc. Even if you don’t take a boat into the harbor, it’s neat to go down there. There’s also an interesting maritime museum near the harbor.

Downtown Reykjavik is a cute little town – very walkable and lots of shops and restaurants. I’d recommend walking around the large lake in the middle of town and going inside the big cathedral (Hallgrimskirkja).

A couple of restaurants we liked are Geysir (http://www.geysirbistrobar.is/) and Grillmarket (http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/) – both are right near the city center (*not sure if these are still around).

We stayed at the Radisson Blu 1919 and it was perfectly good and very close to the city center – but there are tons of hotels/hostels and the whole city is really hospitable and welcoming of tourists.

Have fun!

thank you -- this is great!

Oh, I think there was an article in National Geographic recently. Fairy school/tour.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-family-trips/iceland-ring-road/

Thinking about taking the family to Iceland this summer. Has anyone been, and what are some opinions/tips?