3 Days In Iceland – A Volcano Created This Island

To say that setting foot outside Keflavik International Airport for the first time in early March was brisk, is like saying the temperature on the surface of the sun is a bit warm. You see in L.A. we have no idea what winter is. For us, it’s that time of year we break out the two sweaters we own and wear them maybe twice when the temperature drops below 65º F. We would soon find out though, that this was the warm time of day after 3 days in Iceland.

Arrival, Day 1 of our 3 days in iceland

We boarded a coach that would take us the 50 km (31 miles) to Reykjavik. Once there, we pulled into a bus station, where we would depart the coach and board a small bus. This one would take us through downtown to our hotel.

We were staying at the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, which is situated just a little outside of downtown. Still, if you are an avid walker, it’s straightforward and a visually pleasurable walk that takes you maybe 15 minutes.

Accommodation 

Our room was pleasant, cosy and clean with a fantastic view. After depositing our belongings, we researched a place to have a nice meal. We put on a few more layers and memorized our carefully planned route.

Once downstairs and outside in the parking lot, it was a different story. After rotating the map several times to the right orientation, we finally exited from the opposite parking lot we initially set out on. We made our way down the quiet and quaint residential streets.

Walking around Reykjavik

The neighbourhoods were clean and inviting, which then opened up to a central lake lined with walking paths and park benches. It was stunning overlooking the half-frozen water filled with geese walking across the ice.

Now in the open with nothing to protect us from the elements, the freezing rain began to fall. It wasn’t bothersome though, because of our enthusiasm of being in a new place, seeing all the sights and how fresh the crisp air felt in our lungs.

Besides, our destination was just a few blocks away on the corner of Laugavegur and Klapparstigur.

Time To Eat

“Glo” was up a flight of stairs, with a decent-sized queue at the top which meant it was going to be good!

Inside the doorway, there was a chalkboard with your meal options. When it’s your turn, you choose your entree and sides then keep walking down past the delicious choices to the checkout.

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Even if you aren’t Vegan or Vegetarian, I would recommend this restaurant.

Reykjavik is beautiful, clean and extremely safe. The nightlife was bustling downtown.

All the little cafes and bars were at capacity, and we could hear conversations and laughter all around. It’s infectious. Everyone had smiles on their faces and were ever so friendly and helpful.

Day 2, The Tour

The next morning we had an early start for our Golden Circle Tour. Rising before the sun, we did our morning rituals and went downstairs for our complimentary breakfast.

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TIP: Iceland is expensive and especially for dining out, so book a hotel that has a breakfast service and eat as much as you can. We also filled our backpack with anything we could wrap up in napkins to take with us to eat later.

Before leaving the States for our 3 days in Iceland, we booked tickets for the Golden Circle Classic day trip on Viator. Also making sure the bus would pick us up from our hotel so we wouldn’t need to catch a taxi.

They suggest you are outside at least 10 minutes before the bus is due to arrive. We would recommend 20 minutes because they will not wait for you and we missed ours!

First Stop Of the Day: Thingvellir National Park

Finally after rebooking (they didn’t charge us although they were meant to), our first stop of the morning was Thingvellir National Park. Home to Iceland’s first parliamentary assembly and where the American and Eurasia plates have created a narrow valley, you can walkthrough.

I have to say that this volcanic island has a distinctive arduous beauty to it that is quite captivating. The scenery can be stark and uninhibited by anything around for miles except the outlining snow-blanketed mountains. It’s incredible.

Stop Two: Gullfoss waterfall

The next stop on our tour was the two-tier Gullfoss waterfall. This is where you can get some incredible photos.

We certainly did of the snow falling against the mighty rush of water and the “one of a kind” ice formations against the walls of the land.

Once the morning’s snow-filled clouds began to dissipate the bluest sky, I have ever witnessed greeted us. Along with the crispest rays of sunshine bouncing off the pure white snow. The distance to the horizons seemed deceptively close due to the clarity of sight unabated by any pollution.

After a cup of coffee and a stroll through the gift shop to warm up, we boarded the bus for our last stop of the tour. The geothermal area aptly named Geysir.

stop three: Geysir

Here as the name suggests you see active geothermal activity. Much like Old Faithful, there is a geyser that erupts quite frequently. We captured some photos of the steam eruption. Again the landscapes here are incredible and striking. Take the time to enjoy them.

I recommend this trip as it is chock-full of knowledge from the guide, and of course, there are fantastic photo opportunities at every turn.

Some food for thought 

We had booked two more excursions and realized that purchasing a rental car just might be the better option.

You still get to see everything if not more, plus it’s at your own pace, so if you decided you wanted to spend a little more time at one of the locations you can. Plus there are no fees to get into any of the places we stopped. That choice I leave up to you.

evening/night

Our next adventure was to see the Northern Lights. The bus left in the evening and headed out to a viewing point beyond the grip of the downtown lights. It was a very cloudy night, and there was talk about the chances of seeing the lights may be slim.

They had cancelled the tour the previous few nights due to the same conditions but decided to keep this one active. Our entire group stayed positive and said aloud that we would see the lights and the clouds would part just in time for the show to begin. Do you know what happened? Just that.

This is where the frigid arctic breeze from the north Atlantic swept its way across the landscape. Unabated by any obstacles it blew straight through our bodies, letting us know what it truly means to be cold.

The Northern Lights

Stars began appearing, and the clouds moved off to the horizons as a light green haze started to appear directly above us. 

TIP: There is an app you can download to your iPhone if that’s what you are using for pictures of the Northern Lights. Make sure to download this before your trip as reception can be non-existent.

The guides will also tell you what settings you can adjust to for any proper camera for the best pictures possible. 

Unfortunately, we did not download the app to our phones, so our photos were of a pitch-black screen! Someone on our bus had the app and showed us what her images looked like. It was better than the naked eye could perceive.

The wind was howling this night, so there were repeated trips on and off the bus. Needing to warm up, before heading back out to see if the lights had transformed anymore. We stayed here for what seemed like all night but was probably closer to two hours. 

Due to our late return to the hotel, we thought about having a lay in the next morning, although we didn’t want to miss breakfast, so we still set the alarm. 

The Last Day What To Do?

This was the last full day of our 3 days in Iceland tour, and we didn’t have anything planned. We thought about what to do and scoured the internet for ideas. After coming across a few articles, the choice was to book tickets to the Blue Lagoon.

So we checked out their website, but every time slot was fully booked. We decided to go downstairs and ask the concierge if there were any other spas around that we could visit. He suggested the Secret Lagoon. This is far more rustic and natural than the Blue Lagoon, which he said has been commercialized.

The Secret Lagoon

We were the last pick up spot, and our bus pulled up with about four others aboard. We headed out to our location about an hour and a half away.

Upon arrival, there were about 40 other people at the most. 

An old stone building stood guard over the warm pool with geothermal water streams trickling in between the moss-covered ground. Wow, this was nice. 

CAUTION: The geothermal water that feeds this pool is boiling, and you can get severely burnt. So please be careful. 

After our long dip, it was time to head back. Our driver said: “Now we can go back the way we came, or I can take you a different route.” We all voted for the different route, of course.

Our Takeaway – 3 days in iceland

Would we go to Iceland again? Absolutely. We can’t stress enough how incredible and beautiful this island and its people are. What would we do differently? Spend more than 3 days in Iceland, and rent a car as the roads are clear and not busy at all. Lastly, we would also explore as much of the island as possible.

There are so many different types of adventures, like helicopter, boat and snowmobile tours. I say without a shadow of a doubt we will be returning to explore some more.

3 days in Iceland In a nutshell

• Iceland is a very safe country with little to no crime
• It is always advisable to have Travel Insurance
• For cheap airline tickets click HERE
• Hotel accommodation (some hotels will include a Northern Lights tour)
• Car hire is optional. It would be more cost-effective if there is a group of you rather than booking coach tours
• Tours – the Blue Lagoon gets booked up early
• Remember to download the Northern Lights app for your phone before your departure