I’m flying 3/11 from London to Iceland arriving about 7 pm. I fly out for the US about 3:30 on 3/13. I would like recommendations for tours I am mostly interested in seeing the country and the Blue Lagoon. I have been touring in cities for some days and I am not particularly interested in seeing Reykjavik but more interested in the land and unique features. I’m an over 70 woman traveling single and I do not want to drive. I would prefer a smaller group over a big bus but realize I may be asking for a lot. I’m considering staying near the airport as I might be tired coming in. I will add also I can do a bit of walking as I have been doing about 6 - 8 miles of city walking a day.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2017 posts
The problem with staying near the airport is the tours do not pick up there, but rather in Reykjavik. So I would head to Reykjavik that night and just get dinner, wander a bit and go to bed. Then in the morning take a full day tour, which will pick you up in Reykjavik and drop you back there. Most of the tours are a good 10+ hours long, so you will see a lot. You don't say what time your flight is the next day, so I can't make any suggestions for that. For the one full day though, take a look at Troll.is as they have smaller buses for tours. They also have big buses, but look for the smaller ones. For a one day tour, look to the Golden Circle or Snaefellsness. I actually just looked at their website and both of these specifically says small group. If it were my first time and I had a f all day, I would opt for Snaefellsness, but that is just my own personal preference. You can't go wrong either way though. Regardless of which tour you end up doing, I would try to fit in a thermal lagoon/pool. The commercial ones like Blue Lagoon are really nice, but so are the local pools. One right in Reykjavik that we liked was Sundhollin. If you did a tour, came back and had a nice dinner, and then hit the pool that would be a perfect Icelandic day.
Posted by
Colorado
6 posts
Agree with previous suggestions. Getting from KEF to Reykjavik is a breeze using Flybuss Airport Transfer. They drop off and pickup at several locations in the city. Also, if you are really keen on visiting Blue Lagoon, check out their Flybuss and Blue Lagoon combos.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
There are tours that do both the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon in one day - that is a perfect introduction to the country and you will see a lot!
Posted by
Ohio
2124 posts
Hi magistracj, just wondering how your trip went. We’re planning to spend a few days in Reykjavik in August so have been following along. Any recommended tour companies or sites? Hope you had a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1743 posts
Given your schedule, on 3/11, Flybuss to Reykjavik and spend two nights there.
On 3/12, do one of the all-day tours. I had no trouble finding small group tours to the Golden Circle (there were just 3 of us), Snaefellsness (also 3 of us), and Thorsmork (a group of about 8).
On 3/13, if you are set on the Blue Lagoon (which I think is worthwhile, but it depends on what appeals to you), you can get a combination airport transfer with a stop at the Blue Lagoon. You can leave your luggage on the bus while you are at the Blue Lagoon. I think they picked me up around 8am, we got to the Blue Lagoon around 9am, I had about 4 hours there, and then it's a short ride from there to the airport.
But alternatively, you might want to consider spending that morning in Reykjavik, since you will have no other time to explore the city, and it's worth exploring.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6290 posts
@Donna, I used Iceland Horizon tours when I had a 3 day layover in Iceland a few years ago and wanted to go on a Golden Circle tour. I was very happy with them. Our guide was wonderful - she knew so much and gave fascinating accounts of the various places we stopped at. It was nice because our group was very small so we were able to interact with her more and get around a bit easier. I would recommend them highly. You will love Iceland - it gave me a taste for it, but I really want to go back and spend more time there.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3223 posts
Following! We have flown Iceland Air 3 times now and one of these days we are going to do a stopover.
@Lane—can you specify what tour you used?
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2017 posts
Donna--We have been to Iceland 4 times so far, with our 5th trip this summer. We usually self drive, but have done a couple of tours. On our first trip there, which was a 3 night stopover, we did a Golden Circle day trip with Reykjavik Excursions. Then on two other trips we did a south coast day tour that included a glacier hike with Troll and a half day Katla Ice Cave tour with Troll. The south coast tour was supposed to be a 2 day/1 night tour but a storm rolled in so they had to cancel the second day. Troll was excellent with communication and they refunded us that portion for the second day immediately. They were so good to work with is why we booked Katla with them, and again we had a great experience.
Posted by
Ohio
2124 posts
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I’ll check into the companies you referenced. Can’t wait to experience Iceland! Donna
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2396 posts
Iceland has a very robust tour industry. We used Grayline but there are many more. We did the Golden Circle Express, a 6 hour tour rather than the usual 8. They also have ones that include the Blue Lagoon