Next Visit

Notes on things to try on my next visit. 

Try some hiking. The Fagradalsfjall Volcano Hike on GYG looks interesting. It is a hike to lava fields created by the newest volcanic eruption. Total hiking distance is 8km. Need to buy hiking boots!

Try touring some or all of the ring road by rental car.

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June, 2025 visit

I have memories of the landscape and delicious food.

The Golden Circle bus tour was excellent with visits to the Geysir and the magnificent waterfall of Gullfoss.

In Reykjavik had excellent breakfasts at Te & Kaffi, especially the best tea I had on my entire European trip. Sweet Aurora make excellent French pastries. I had a very good dinner at Fiskfélagið (Fish Company) of lobster bisque and a whitefish main.

ACCOMMODATION

Midtown Reykjavik by Heimaleiga, Vegamótastígur 9 (entrance off Gettisgata).

Hiking

Margrét Blöndal (operations manager) and Sölvi Signhildar-Úlfsson (guide) of Icelandic Mountain Guides seen on FB video. They offer both single day and multi-day tours. There was a webinar on March 5, 2024 at 12:00 EST on "Tips for Your Iceland Travels: Q&A With Local Guides" presented by 57hours. 57 Hours lists multiple hikes in Iceland from 1 to 12 days.

One of the most popular hikes is the Laugavegur Trail. See a video here. 57 Hours have a 5-day Laugavegur Trail tour.

Accommodations & Restaurants

Camper Vans - try Indie Campers, a site that offers camper rentals around the world.

Check TripAdvisor, but Reykjavík Kitchen, Old Iceland Restaurant and Grillmarkadurinn (a Rick Steves recommendation) look interesting.

Rick Steve's Highlights of Iceland

One way to get outside the ring road to explore more remote locations is to ride with one of the many off-road expedition companies. Troll Expeditions is one. They provide both one day and multi-day tours. Their Golden Circle & Farm Visit looks interesting going to Geysir, Gullfoss (see below) and Efstidalur Farm.

The Ring Road is the way to see the most of Iceland. The road is 1332 (828mi) road. Rick's plan below starts from Reykjavik and goes clockwise. Rick and his travel guide Cameron Hewitt recommend the following:

Glaumbær - traditional farming community with museum

Siglufjörður - herring era museum

Thingvellir - the gorge is the tectonic plate divide. Also it is the site of the original meeting place that form the country around a 1,000 years ago.

Gullfoss (golden falls) and Seljalandsfoss - the most impressive waterfalls in Iceland

Mývatn - impressive lake in nearby Skútustaðir - below

Geysir - the original geyser!

Skútustaðir - interesting pseudo-craters

Dimmuborgir - strange landscape of water formed volcanic pillars

Námafjall - to me the most bizarre landscape - other-planet like!

Húsavík - whale watching cruises and a great whale museum

Dettifoss - one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country!

The East Fjords - kind of boring, fjord after fjord

Seyðisfjörður - excellent little town

Vatnajökull (Glacier country) - see spectacular glacier lagoons and diamond beach

Restaurant: Grillmarkaðurinn in Reykjavik, expensive but worth the splurge.

Reykyavik and area

Travelling the Ring Road

Iceland's Nine Best Waterfalls

A recent article in Wanderlust Magazine describes some of the best waterfalls to visit in Iceland. Here's a couple, but check out the full article. Spectacular!

(Photos curtesy Shutterstock.)

Iceland Sites

This map indicates the many popular sites to see in Iceland.

Rick Steves recommended visiting a working farm that also allows visitors and provides tours and full meals. This article shows the top farms to visit. Also check this list on TripAdvisor.

Tips and tricks

For a mobile phone SIM card use the largest national carrier, Siminn. It has comparable rates to other providers and the best coverage for the entire country. They also have a great number of outlets available throughout the island. See the location map:

For car rental in Iceland, use the local Northbound which is cheaper than global booking sites. You will want to book a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. Some of the best sites are accessed by secondary roads. These are called F-roads, so it is important to check the F-road box on the booking form.

The currency in Iceland is the Krona. As of September 12, 2022 the exchange rate was 106 krona to the Canadian dollar.

The Arctic Adventures website has lots of information on money saving and other travel tips for Iceland.

A helpful video of 21 money saving tips on travel to Iceland - 21 cheap Iceland tips in 5 minutes.