We are 2 couples, retired professionals in our early 70's and plan on a 4 day stay in late May 2026. Our preference normally is to get a guide on our first day, to help us get familiar with the area, so would appreciate suggestions for ones you have used. Also suggestions as to the rest of the time. I have seen that the Sky Lagoon might be preferred to the Blue Lagoon, but again would appreciate suggestions.
Jonathan
Honestly, I would only do one day in Reykjavik and the rest out of town to see more of the country. if you are flying in from the US/Canada on an overnight flight, you need that day to get over jetlag, so the day in Reykjavik is perfect for that. We have done the Citywalk "free" walking tour a few times on arrival day and it is a great introduction to the city/country. They book about a week in advance and they book out fast! So mark it on a calendar if this is of interest. The tour is free, but you tip what you want. Another great tour for arrival day is the food tour. Again we have done it a few times and it too has a lot of information about Iceland.
Both Blue and Sky are good, we have done both numerous times. Just do what fits your plans better. There are others as well such as in the Golden Circle and then just north of Reykjavik such as Hvammsvik (my all-time favorite) and Krauma. In the GC there is Laugarvatn, Secret Lagoon, the brand new Laugaras and then rustic ones. They are all great, it just depends on what fits your itinerary.
I would rent a car upon arrival and drive into Reykjavik. Try to get a hotel that has free parking such as Center Hotel Laugavegur or Center Hotel Midgardur. The the next morning head out. With 4 days, but not knowing what time your flight is, my general advice would be a nice up on Snaefellsness, a night in the Golden Circle and a night near Vik. Of course that all depends on flight details. You would not want to be in Vik the night before your flight, so maybe swap that with the GC lodging just to be safe in case of any road closures.
Having a rental car gives you so much freedom/flexability.
Hi Jonathan, you might want to begin by reading this trip report from Carrie, who recently spent six nights in Reykjavik and used tours and public transportation to get around. I don't really think you need a guide, but of course that's up to you. That said, there are a number of good tours out there that will take you to places like the Golden Circle and other wonderful scenic destinations.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/6-nights-in-reykjavik-a-trip-report
Another great tour for arrival day is the food tour. Again we have
done it a few times and it too has a lot of information about Iceland.
I second this suggestion. I did the food tour with Your Friend in Reykjavik. I got a nice intro to the historic area (similar to the free tour, which I also did) and decent sized food samples at places I was interested in going to anyway. They offer mid and late afternoon time slots so you can do this on arrival day (and fall into a deep food coma sleep). The cost is reasonable for a 3 hour guided tour plus food (Iceland is expensive, no way around it). https://yourfriendinreykjavik.com/tour/reykjavik-food-lovers-tour/
I've been to Iceland numerous times and like to leave the driving to someone else. (As well as having a guide show me around.)
There are things to see in Reykjavik but you need to plan a couple of days out of town. The most popular things to do as day trips seem to be a Lagoon (Sky or Blue), the Golden Circle, the Westmqn Islands, and the Snaefelsness Peninsula.
There are many tour company's that will take you to all of these places, do the driving and supply a guide.
I can second the suggestion of the Center Hotel Laugevur. I've stayed there twice and will again.
