Hello everyone- I know from your great comments that three days is ridiculous but it is what it is. I'll arrive 10/4 (rain and cold, eh?) at REK 6:15 AM. I plan to rent a car at the airport. (Will I need GPS to locate accommodations?) Don't know if I should do night #1 or #3 in Reykjavik or start driving counterclockwise on the South Coast Highway 1. I'm thinking that I do REYK On night 3 as I have an 7:00 AM flight out to Berlin on day 4. I would like to get as far as the Westman island ferry and do the turn around there.
My questions:1. should I just pay for a prepaid driving itinerary and accommodation/ car rental with an agency and let them make all the arrangements? If so, any recommendations?
2. Could you recommend basic accommodations (and their locations if possible) for the two nights on the road and/or the third night in REYK? (Figuring out where everything is on the map is no easy matter. And the spelling!!!))
3. What are the best locations on my route to do some moderate hiking? I am assuming further reading of guidebooks and Ricks video (BTW very good) will point me to the sites along the drive.
Thanks very much in advance. Ken in Seattle
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1405 posts
Ken, I will give you my thoughts on what you are planning because I did a similar trip in late September 2023 on my way to Portugal. Like you, I flew from SeaTac to Keflavik arriving very early morning (flew IcelandAir). Answering your question about whether to book an all inclusive driving/accommodation package. For me, as a solo traveler (not sure if you will be), I chose not to drive especially since my stopover was only three days too and I chose two separate tours booked through Reykjavik Excursions. There are many companies for day tours and numerous discussions on this Forum of recommended companies, if that is what you decide. MikLiz, a regular Iceland visitor and Forum member will probably chime in here if she sees this.
The one thing I think I would do differently if I do another short stopover, is to devote time for visiting the municipal pools in Reykjavik. Kicking myself for not pushing through at the end of very busy days to just get myself to a pool for relaxation. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t miss out on enjoying a thermal bath/spa (it was included on one of the day tours). Anyway, this is what I did. Of course, if you want to stick to driving, that’s your decision. BTW, the weather was very good on my short visit to Iceland (9/29-10/2). Hope this info helps a little bit.
9/29 arrived Keflavik, FlyBus to Reykjavik (about 40-45 minutes)
9/29 Dropped luggage and explored Reykjavik: Waterfront, Maritime Museum, CityWalk Tour, Lutheran Church, Settlement Exhibition, etc
9/30 South Coast day trip (10 hours)-Reykjavik Excursions
10/1 Golden Circle day trip (8-9 hours)- Reykjavik Excursions
10/2 VERY EARLY FlyBus to Keflavik for flight to Lisbon, Portugal
https://www.re.is/tour/flybus/
https://www.re.is/south-shore-tours/
https://www.re.is/golden-circle-tours/
https://reykjavik.is/en/sundholl-reykjavik-pool
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2468 posts
Thank you, Linda:)
We too fly from Seattle and have been many times. Our first trip was a 3 day stopover back in 2015. I was clueless and we only did one day trip out of town, on a tour. That was great, but we could have done so much more had I known.
With flying from SEA, stick to Reykjavik that night, especially if you do rent a car. You do not want to drive as far as Westmann even. The roads basically have no shoulder and it is a perfect scenario to fall asleep at the wheel. So limit that first days driving, and head to Reykjavik. Another great thing about doing Reykjavik upon arrival is that you will be walking around in fresh air, which keeps you awake. I love doing the Citywalk "free" walking tour (tip at the end) and the food tour. The food tour will cover you for both lunch and dinner, and it is a great variety of foods. We actually found our favorite restaurant in town from doing this.
The flights from SEA almost always land early, around 5:30, so it will be dark when you head out of the airport. If you rent a car, I highly recommend Blue Car Rental, which is just across a small parking lot from the terminal so you don't need a shuttle. We have used them many times and they are professional and don't play games that some do. Make sure you take out full insurance no matter!
I would not pay for an itinerary that anyone else does for you. It is easy enough to do it and save yourself some money.
You may want to consider tours like Linda suggested, especially if you are by yourself. The reason is you will be focused in driving and will miss a lot. I personally like www.troll.is and we have used them for many excursions that needed guides, like ice caves and glacier hikes. They have small buses, so only about 12-16 people which is nice. You could do either a 2 day south coast tour or do a one day south coast tour and then a one day snaefellsness tour. Personally, I would do the 1 and 1 as Snaefellsness has so much to see. If you don't do tours, these are great day trip, but very long. So again, if you are by yourself they may be a bit too much.
For your last night, I suggest staying at the Aurora Hotel which is right next to the airport. With a very early flight, this is a great option and one that we too have done with a 7am flight. You can just walk across the parking lot to the terminal.
As for staying in Reykjavik, places that we have stayed that I like, and would or have returned to include 4th floor hotel, center hotel Laugavegur, center hotel midgardur, center hotel plaza (my husband stayed here last week), hotel centrum (higher end), and Hotel Fron. The center hotels and 4th floor are probably your best bets for good but reasonable cost hotels. I am staying at the CHL again next month. Look at Booking.com as well as their own website. When I booked, they were giving a pretty good discount to book directly.
If you self drive and go up the south coast, I would suggest going up tp Vik and to Reynisfjara before turning back. You could stay the night up there and meander back the next day, or if you did a long day trip, then you could do Snaefellsness the next day.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2468 posts
Just outside of Vik, take a look at the Volcano Hotel. There is nothing else around it, which is perfect if the aurora is out. We had a good stay there a couple years ago. Also take a look at Gilder Guesthouse. That is where we are staying in this area next month.
As for places to hike, Bruarfoss in the golden circle is really nice. Do not just go to the car park lot, but do the hike with the 3 sets of waterfalls as it is stunning. You might also look at Gjain. You can also go to the top of Skogafoss and hike for miles up there with many more waterfalls along the way.
Honestly, I was not a fan of the new video that Rick put out. My husband and I just shook our head over it, but it did have some good shots for people to get excited about. The best guidebook that I have found for Iceland is the Lonely Planet ring road book, even though you won't be doing the ring road. Also look at Iceland With A View as well as her YouTube channel. Excellent information there.
Let me know if you need any other help. I am more than happy :)
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2468 posts
Oh, and definitely hit the local pools. I like Sundhollin in Reykjavik and it is about 2 blocks from CHM and CHL. It is about $8 and they do rent towels as well. Otherwise there are the regular places like Secret Lagoon and Fontana both in the golden circle, but also look at the small rustic ones like Hrunalaug. You might also want to hike the hot river, Reykjadalur, near Selfoss, where you hike for about an hour and then soak in the hot river and then hike back down.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9135 posts
Spent 2.5 days there last Aug.
Arrived from Frankfurt early morning, took bus into town, walked around, went up in the church tower and the did a food tour that started at 15:00 and went for 3 hours. Took a taxi to my lodgings.
Next day, got picked up at 08:00, for my tour of the South Coast, small group of 16 px. This was a great trip, with sunny skies and we saw so much. It was well worth the money paid and we were all glad to be in a small group rather than the big buses we saw. Visited so many sites and finally ended up back at my guesthouse around 20:30.
The next day, had to travel into town to be picked up for my tour of the Golden Circle. We were only 5 people this time. Our stops were the usual, but the tour included a visit to Sky Lagoon around 17:00 and had 2 hours there, before being picked up and taken back to our lodgings.
Next morning, took a taxi at 05:00 to the bus stop and the bus back to the airport.
For me, this was a perfect introduction to Iceland as got to see so much in such a short time. Luckily, the weather was warm and sunny.