I'm planning an Iceland trip during my spring break, so unfortunately it will still be pretty cold because it will start March 19th and be 7-8 nights. I have looked up lots of guided tours and itineraries but thought I'd ask on here, any specific recommendations or recommended guided tours? Not sure if we should rent a car if all we do is guided tours, since there may still be snow. Any tips are helpful. If we get a car, we will probably do self guided tours or a few day ones and stay in Airbnbs.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
Maybe not an exact match, but we were there in April, five years ago. The Lonely Planet was our main guidebook - Rick Steves didn’t have an Iceland book out yet.
We first did a whale watching tour with Elding in Reykjavik, the afternoon of our first day. Helped us fend off any jet lag, although lag wasn’t as severe as if we’d gone all the way to continental Europe, farther east.
We also went on a “Warm Baths and Cool Lights” hot springs soak/sauna/dinner buffet/northern lights tour one night at Fontana Baths.
We did a multi-day/multi-night tour, including Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon & a glacier trek, with Icelandic Mountain Guides, https://www.mountainguides.is/, highly recommended.
Returning to Reykjavik, we rented a car for 3 days, and drove the Golden Circle ourselves, plus exploring north of Reykjavik.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2723 posts
When I visited in late October, there was no snow, but it was dark early, foggy on some days, and windy. One of my day trip guides said her mini bus was literally blown off the road one day. She also said 80% of traffic accidents involve visitors. If you have experience in foul weather driving, it might be worth renting a car, but pay very close attention to the weather forecasts and the national Safetravel website https://safetravel.is/
I think you could get along doing day trips, or multi-day trips, from Reykjavik. They have a well oiled tourist system. I liked the company GeoIceland, but there are plenty of choices.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9219 posts
If you are on FB, consider joining the Travel Iceland FB page. I just joined 2 days ago and it is full of fantastic tips.
Trip Advisor Iceland forums are also good for tips from people who live there or have traveled there.
We will also be there in March and trying to decide on which tours to do in 4 days.