My husband and I have a trip planned to Iceland for this September. We have accommodations for 3 nights in Geysir and 3 nights in Reykjavik. We will do day trips from there. What would you say the most interesting day trips would be starting and ending from those spots. We will still have 2 more nights to book somewhere else. Any thoughts on another fantastic area within driving distance that we could enjoy? I think the Westman islands would be really fun to see. Would that be a good option for those 2 extra nights or should we include that in a day trip from either geysir or reykjavik and use those two nights somewhere else? It seems, we are in the minority. Most people either do just a few days or they do the ring road. We would love to maximize those free accommodations that we have. We don't plan to spend a lot of our time in Reykjavik proper. Thank you for your help.
Posted by
33 posts
Reykjavik is worth at least 1/2 a day. From Reykjavik you can do Snaefellsness peninsula in one LONG day. There is a lot to stop and see and walk around and it is gorgeous. I would stay in the South, from Vik to the east, so you are able to get to Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, diamond beach and the Dyrholaey peninsula. Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon are options from Reykjavik too. Enjoy!
Posted by
Big Island of Hawaii
815 posts
so you have a total of 8 days, including your arrival and departure days?
Can you clarify where you are staying in Geysir? I'm unfamiliar with a town by that name.
Personally, I would totally rearrange the trip. Spending three nights in Reykjavik and taking day trips out and back means that you'll be doing a lot of backtracking. Most of us spend our arrival day in Reykjavik, and perhaps you could do the Golden Circle on your first full day. After that, I'd head down to the south coast for three days, then head back to Snaefellsnes Peninsula and stay somewhere out there. We did Snaefellsnes as a day trip from Reykjavik in the summer, and it was a 10 hour day with all the stops, so I wouldn't recommend it. We haven't been to Westman Islands, but hopefully some of the other posters here can give you input on visiting there.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
3446 posts
I agree with naalehuretiree. With 8 days you can maximize your time with that itinerary. That is actually the same one basically that we did last September. A night on Snaefellsness makes more sense than trying to do just a day trip there. Westmann Island is a place we have enjoyed but the puffins will be gone by then.
Are you interested in any hot springs? There are quite a few in these areas. Our favorite is Hvammsvik which is about 45 minority of Reykjavik and is great for on the way to pr from Snaefellsness. We were just there again yesterday :) In the Golden Circle there was d Fontana, secret lagoon, Laugaras(brand new opening in about a week), and rustic ones as well. Then the usual Blue Lagoon fairly close to the airport or Sky which is in Reykjavik. Don’t forget about the local pools in the towns as well.