last minute iceland trip

Just go to Reykjavik (that's the only "big" city in a country of ~ 325,000 people total)..plenty to do there for 3.5 days. Look on the Reykjavik (and Icelandic tourism) website, it's excellent. No need to stress at all. Iceland does not require hyper-planning, or even much planning. Everything is super easy. You can even join an all day tour somewhere on the spot, but I would book ahead if there's something specific you're looking for. Their tourism bureau onsite can help you with everything as well...even if you showed up tomorrow and had no idea what to see. Stop at the Blue Lagoon on the way over or way back using the Flybus. Get ready for super sticker shock - Iceland is expensive! I would start looking for reasonable lodging ASAP and I wouldn't expect anything like Embassy Suites.

Search this site, it has A LOT of Iceland threads (I know because I've answered a lot of them).

We loved Iceland with our family. Reykjavik is by far the best place to stay for such a short trip. We actually stayed in a hostel (family suite) closer to the airport, which was the most reasonable way for us to go. Cleaner than most hotels we have stayed at. Based on our experiences, I would suggest renting a car and doing part of the Golden Circle. Iceland is an incredibly easy country to get around. My boys loved both Thingvillir National Park ( a UNESCO world heritage sight) and loved seeing the geysers. Iceland has amazing natural wonders within a two hour radius of Reykjavik and it would be a shame not to see them. I say go for it and have a great time!

Stay in Reykjavik. I recommend the Radisson Blu. The city is very walkable and the public bus system is easy (funny story--the public buses double as school buses--we were taken aback to see 20 5-year-old blonde children on the bus with us). The Golden Circle tour is a must. 3 days is the perfect time to spend in Reykjavik--any more and you'll find yourself doing the same thing again!

I'm going to echo staying in Reykjavik.

Make life easy on yourself and stop fretting. Every hotel will have brochures by the dozen and the hotel folks will be glad to help with these.

The Golden Circle Tour is a must. Sure, you could rent a car but why bother. Take the tour and you'll get commentary on what you are seeing. The Blue Lagoon is another popular spot. I booked my tours the day before I wanted to take them. No problems.

Reykjavik has a small hop on hop off bus system. It takes you to all the major sights in Reykjavik. You could easily spend one full day exploring the city and its museums. Perhaps even two.

As stated, Iceland is expensive. There are some hotels that have suites but be ready to pay. Food is also not cheap.

So, even without planning you can easily fill up three days.

I got stuck overnight in Iceland. We tried to go to Blue Lagoon but it was booked up that day. If that's a must-do for you, I'd suggest a reservation at least a couple days ahead of your arrival.

Wow air should have a good price from San Francisco to Keflavic Airport, Reykjavic. The tour is another good idea. Iceland is probably the most expensive place so expect prices to be very high compared to the US or Continental Europe.