Hello all,
Flying out of Denver to London, Icelandair seems to be the cheapest flight I can get for my fiancee, oldest daughter and I. On their website, they offer extra days in Iceland without additional fare for booking direct. Has anyone taken advantage of this? Any thoughts on planning a couple of days there?
Fix
I was in Reykjavik for a day and a half on a cruise and enjoyed it greatly. There are very interesting museums and other sights in the city which is very walkable and there are day tours to see some of the country's natural wonders. I took an evening one, which is recommended since the places they visit are less crowded. I was there at the end of June; the tour returned to the city in daylight and we watched the sun set as we walked back to our ship, close to midnight.
I think it's a great opportunity that may not come so easily again. Rick has these brief articles online:
http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/warming-up-to-iceland
http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/iceland-a-hot-destination
You can find some previous Travel Forum discussion of Iceland using the Search function above, since it's not a separate topic there. I also recommend the Iceland horse documentary Herd in Iceland or the dramatic film Of Horses and Men (it's not in wide distribution, but you may be able to watch it on the Iceland Air flight).
We did a 2 night stopover in Iceland on the way to Frankfurt in 2009. We rented a car for the time we were there.
We went to the Westman Islands on an exciting small plane ride from Reykjavik. We went to the amazing Blue Lagoon and drove around in the Keflavik area. We vowed to return. There is simply no place like it. We were captivated.
That may happen this summer as part of a trip to Scandinavia. This time we hope to spend the full 7 nights allowed for a stopover on our way back to the States. We will rent a car again and probably do more driving on the Ring Road than staying in Reykjavik.
Full disclosure: husband has Icelandic heritage, youngest daughter will be on an archeological dig near Saudarkrokur this summer.
My husband and I took advantage of a four-day layover en route to Paris in 2009. We found the hotels and rental cars to be expensive for our budget. It's Iceland's natural wonders that appeal to us so we opted to splurge on the car and camped in our tent for $10 per night. We hiked on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, saw the sights in the "golden circle," drove the Reykjanes peninsula and soaked in the blue lagoon. We loved it and hope to return.
We're making a trip to Iceland this coming April (isn't it great that DIA is getting more international flights?), but this will be the first time there, and we aren't doing a layover en route to other parts of Europe. Even in April, it looks like lots of the countryside and waters are available for hiking, skiing, Golden Circle tours, whale watching boats, etc. We're still planning, but it looks like with just a week, we won't be visiting the eastern part at all, but are considering some of the things already mentioned. We're also weighing renting a car or 4WD truck versus signing up for guided tour excursions.
You may have noted that Icelandair gives you the option of paying extra for their meals, or bringing your own food for the flight. I read in the Lonely Planet guidebook that you can visit a place where they produce Rotted Shark, the local delicacy, and have a taste of the spongy, putrid shark meat, then go out back and see the strips of shark hanging to cure, covered with flies. I'm a fairly adventurous eater, but might pass on that.
This will be our first Icelandair flights, and we've generally used British Airways from Denver, with flights in the middle of the week cheaper than those on weekends.
It is well worth stopping in Iceland if you have the extra days. We spent 3 nights there in 2012 and loved it. We rented a car and toured the Golden Circle, the Keflavik Peninsula and spent time in Reykjavik. It is an expensive country, but was worth every penny. I encourage you to go and see it for yourself, even if it is only a for a day or two. Then you will know how much time you want to add when you travel to Europe on Icelandair the next time!! The airport is very accessible to Reykjavik, and from there you could book a day tour if you don't want to rent a car. However, with 3 people, I would probably rent. Driving in Iceland was easy.
I spent four days there June 2014 on my way to Scotland. With just two days I'd recommend a full day Golden Circle tour via bus and one day walking around Reykavik. Personally I didn't think the Blue Lagoon was worth the time or money. Lodging and food are expensive in Iceland.
Fixittech, Hi
Check out Iceland air web site for layover packages.
Perhaps a good time to see the northern lights.
I also saw the ticket for around $400 from Washington Dulles very interesting
Keep smiling Letro
