We returned from our 7-day trip to Iceland on Wednesday. We had a great trip and enjoyed the sights and the experience! We had several rainy days, but most of us had the right clothes. (“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.”)
We stayed in Reykjavik all nights and took day trips from there. We’d thought about trying to fit a drive around the Island itinerary into 7 days, but that seemed rushed and we took my mother-in-law along and didn’t want to make it too stressful for her. As it was, there were some days that were too much walking for her. The steps in our hotel were difficult and she had a couple non-injury (thankfully) falls. She doesn’t normally use a cane, but we bought her a puffin-headed walking stick, which she became very attached to. DH was a good sport about doing the less challenging walks with his mom while the kids and I explored a bit.
DH and MIL enjoyed the food, especially the meat and seafood soups. None of us tried fermented shark or smoked puffin. S17, S19, and I didn’t particularly care for the food, and hoped to find a salad or simple pasta on menus. DH and MIL preferred to eat in hotel restaurants when on the road, which were pricey and time-consuming. The kids and I would have preferred getting quick food from gas station groceries and fitting in more hikes. So, a little difference of opinion on travel styles.
A quick summary of what we did for those who might come across this thread planning future trips:
Day 1: Arrived early, shopped for a few necessities since my bag didn’t arrive until evening of Day 2. Walked to Hallgrímskirkja, landmark church in Reykjavik, and took the elevator to the top. Drove to Þingvellir and did a bunch of hiking. I loved this because I’m a fan of the Sagas, geology, and Game of Thrones. Þingvellir combines all three! (Hoping the Icelandic characters for th sounds work here; there aren’t many words without special characters.)
Day 2: Drove southeast; intended to get to Vik, but didn’t make it that far before deciding it was time to turn around. We tend to spend a lot of time at stops. This was the most rainy day, and we probably should have done it another day. But, we had fun. Stops: Hveragerði Geothermal Park, Hvolsvöllur Saga Centre, Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfurárfoss falls (loved the walk behind the falls but got drenched), and Skógafoss.
Day 3: Finished the Golden Circle: geyser area, Gullfoss, and views of Langjökull glacier.
Day 4: Did the “Into the Glacier” tour of Langjökull glacier. Really cool. We’ve done several hikes on top of glaciers, and it was neat to see the inside. MIL hadn’t had any concept of how big glaciers are. She was nervous on the walk, but managed it fine. Also, Hraunfossar falls was really different and cool.
Day 5: Reykjavik sights, walked on our own. Harpa concert hall, Volcano House (S17 and I probably made them stay too long, but we loved it), Settlement Exhibition (where we got a great lecture about the Sagas from a PhD student in Scandinavian Studies at University of Iceland). Most of our group was tired after that and yet another hotel lunch. S17 and I continued on to see the outsides of several landmarks, walk around the Pond (Tjörnin), see exhibits at National Museum of Iceland, and the topo map at City Hall. Didn’t manage to fit in the art museums or the Phallological Museum, which S19 was bummed about.
Day 6: Snæfellsnes peninsula. Stops: Eldborg Crater, Gerðuberg basalt columns (loved this; hiked a lot, ate lots of wild blueberries), black sand and gravel beaches, lighthouse at Malarrif (plus a zip line that the kids loved), lots of waterfalls seen from the road, Vatnshellir lava cave (very cool), climbed Saxhóll crater, and hiked to Klukkufoss falls. Great rainbows! Several stops weren’t MIL accessible, but she was fine with waiting.
Day 7: Lazy morning and Víkingaheimar museum before flight home.
If we’d had more time, we would have gone further along the south coast, done a whale/puffin watching trip (except we have people who get seasick), and more of Snæfellsnes peninsula. I might have got up the nerve (and $$$) to do the Into the Volcano tour of a magma chamber.