Three Days in Iceland

So when Iceland Air sent out one of their sales, offering ridiculously cheap flights (which FYI include seat assignments and 1 x 23 kg checked bag free – sorry, did you hear that Air Canada?) to Reykjavik, Iceland, it was too good to pass up. We decided to go to Reykjavik, Iceland for three days and then on to Oslo, Norway for three days. Since Iceland is on everyone’s hot list right now, I thought I’d share what we did and make a few suggestions to help fellow travellers with their Iceland bucket list plans. I’ve broken this into several sections (with apologies in advance for the long post).

The flight

Let’s be honest, the fare is super cheap and while it includes a checked bag and seat assignment, it does not include a meal. Most meals have to be pre-ordered in advance, according to the website. On board, alcohol and snacks are available for purchase.

We ordered a hot meal for the flight to Reykjavik, sandwiches to and from Oslo and mini burgers and a salad to share from Iceland back to Toronto. The additional food added $117 to our ticket (which put our grand total for two people: Toronto – Reykjavik, Reykjavik – Oslo, Oslo – Reykjavik and Reykjavik- Toronto, to slightly over $1,000. This was in basic economy. They offer “economy comfort” (extra legroom, priority boarding lounge access, meal and drink) and “Saga Class” (which actually looked pretty comfy which very large chairs, duvets, lounge access, priority boarding, meal and drinks included).

On the plane, they charge in EUR or ISK (Icelandic Krona). You will save some money booking your meals at the time of booking (you will be paying in Canadian dollars).

Out of Toronto – do not book the meal, bring something. We paid $21 each for the hot chicken curry, which was ridiculously small and pretty boring. If I were doing it again, I would pass on this option. They do sell alcohol on the plane and offer two drinks (wine, beer or spirits) for EUR$14. This is actually a decent deal and is great for sharing with your travel companion.

The Oslo return leg, we ordered sandwiches which were warm baguettes with good bread, ham and melted cheese ($10 each). Compared to the food offerings at KEF airport, this was a deal.

The flight home was mini burgers and salad. The mini burgers are advertised as “mini burgers make everyone happy”. While good, they are small. The salad was probably the best tasting and the best deal. Reykjavik is expensive, so pre-ordering in Canadian dollars was a good way to go. The other airport options were sad-looking pizzas and wraps.

Side note on air transportation: Air Canada has announced that, during the summer months, it will be offer flights to Reykjavik on Air Canada Rouge. Check the prices, but I don’t think they can match the super-cheap Iceland Air prices. Air Canada perk: you will get Aeroplan miles which you’ll be able to cash in for flights.

Upon arrival in Reykjavik, before you exit the airport, there is a duty free store. When you go in, you can’t figure out why people are losing their minds and stocking up on beer, wine spirits and everything else. Then you go into the the city and figure out why. Reykjavik and Iceland are, in general, darned expensive. For example, we had been warned to buy booze at the duty free and decided to buy a Mickey (Canadian word) or fifth (375 ml bottle) of Icelandic vodka. It was roughly $13.50. In Iceland’s state-run liquor store (sound familiar, readers from Ontario?), the same bottle was about $35. For a Mickey. I’m not kidding. Moral of the story, if you are planning to be there for a few days to a week, and especially if you like wine (which is particularly over-priced), stock up at the airport duty free.

Activities and Sightseeing:
Blue Lagoon

Our flight got in at 6:30 a.m., so for our first day, we booked online for the Blue Lagoon. What a great way to relax after the flight. These thermal baths are located about 40 minutes from the airport and are one of the most popular spots in Iceland. You have to buy your tickets for a pre-assigned time. Buy them in advance. It saves you the line-up (which starts to get long after about 11 a.m.) and you have various packages available (we opted for the package that included a robe, towel (no soggy towels in the luggage), flip flops, an “in water” cocktail and the upgraded face masks). If you want to take photos, bring a waterproof camera cover, a GO-Pro, or a ziplock bag which seals well. If you haven’t planned in advance, you can also buy a waterproof phone cover for about $25 that works well and allows you to take really good photos (if you’re going, you can borrow mine!).

We loved the Blue Lagoon. It is scenic and fun. Yes, you will wear the silica and algae (upgraded package) masks. There is an available steam room and a sauna to enjoy. The wristbands they give you upon entrance do everything for you. They open and close your locker and they are also your charge card for drinks at the lagoon bar.

Note: Blue Lagoon spa etiquette, you not only have to shower before entering, but they also tell you to wash your hair. [ELIN’s TIP: Women and men, put a ton of conditioner on your hair (and then put on more) and leave it in while you are in the Blue Lagoon, it is very drying. Also, make sure you put on sunblock and bring cheap sunglasses – the glare off the water is something else! The mineral water may scratch your prescription sunglasses, so exercise caution with those.]

Golden Circle
Besides the Blue Lagoon, the most visited sites are on the “Golden Circle”. If you book a tour, they will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. We rented a car, so we did our own Golden Circle tour.

Iceland is stunning! An advantage to taking a tour is that both of you (not just the passenger) can be looking at all the beautiful scenery going by. An advantage of driving is that you can stop whenever you want to gawk at the absolute beauty. There were spots we stopped at that were ground-to-sky white (so white that the camera had difficulty focusing).

Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir)

Our first stop was Þingvellir. The large national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the site of the first meeting of Iceland’s parliament in 930 AD. It was at this spot that Icelanders met when they separated from Danish rule in 1944.

Speaking of separating, if you are a geography lover, you will want to see the rift where the Atlantic tectonic plate separates from the Eurasian tectonic plate. You can see the large furrows in the earth. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, it is not difficult to see why the “White Walker” scenes were filmed here.

Park your car and stretch your legs. Start with a walk up to the Öxarárfoss, one of the many stunning waterfalls which feeds into the Drekkingarhylur, where as punishment they drowned women (for crimes such as “romance with the wrong man” or “breaking vows of celibacy”) in days gone by. Side note, as Iceland is surrounded by water, the standard death sentence was drowning. There are some pretty interestingly names spots: Drekkingarhylur (drowning pool), Gálgar (gallows cliffs, or hanging rock), etc. that are sites where corporal punishment took place.

Continue the path and walk through the upheaving tectonic plates to the far visitor’s centre to be rewarded by an amazing panoramic view, including the star of our next stop, the Strokkur Geyser from Geysir.

Geysir

You guessed it, this is the spot that gave its name to the geyser. While the original Geyser has not erupted since the 1950s, the Strokkur geyser more than makes up for it. You WILL see it erupt while you are there – it goes off every 5 – 10 minutes – and it is pretty amazing to see it erupt.

Gullfoss

The last stop on the Golden Circle tour is Gullfoss, the “Gold Falls”, a staggering double waterfall. (Yes, I know we are spoiled with Niagara Falls, but this is pretty special to see). In the summer, there is a lower walking path which was not open in the winter.

All parks on the Golden Circle tour are free for entry.

If you are lucky on your Circle, you might even get to see some super cute Icelandic ponies!

The Hallgrímskirkja 

This very modern (1945) church is the largest church in Iceland, and at 73 meters, is also one of the tallest buildings in Reykjavik. The unique exterior is said to resemble the rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland. For approximately $10, you can take the elevator eight stories up and get a fantastic 360-degree view of the city. You will get a great view of the harbour and surrounding mountains.

The pride and joy of the church, besides the view, is the pipe organ, which in a break from tradition, is played from the floor.

Out front, you can bid a hello to one of Canada’s first tourists, and the famous Icelandic explorer, Leif Erikson.

The Harpa Center

If you like architecture, this building is a must-see. The stunning glass building (that has its own exterior “light show” at night), will give you some great shots of the harbour and mountains. There are concerts and operas performed here. If you are lucky, you can catch a show when you are in town.

The Harbour

In Iceland, water is never far away and in downtown Reykjavik, you can see that water is the lifeblood of the country. We watched a search and rescue team training and shuddered at the thought of going into the frigid water (even with a wetsuit on).

The town is lively, extremely walkable and full of people from all over the world. Icelanders are welcoming and friendly.

Accommodations:

We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton. Like many hotels in the area, it is a joint venture with Iceland Air. The hotel is very new with modern furnishings in an Icelandic-Scandinavian style. The breakfast buffet is fantastic – fish lovers rejoice! – and if you have a sweet tooth, do not miss out on the pastries. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, make sure you try the cinnamon bun (the kanelsnegle, which Pete the Dane informed me is a carryover from Iceland’s time under Danish rule) – it is fantastic. Another added benefit of the hotel? Every day between 5 – 7 p.m., they have a happy hour where they pour a local drink (cocktail or beer) and offer some local food. I would also recommend the hotel for the comfortable beds.

Transportation:

Part of the reason that the flights are super cheap to Iceland is because Iceland Air owns a lot of the tour companies and hotels. They offer buses from the airport to the hotels in the city centre that you can conveniently buy on board your flight. We opted to rent a car. The best rate I could find was Budget. I have never checked in at a rental car counter where they give you a bigger list of “do you want to buy extra insurance” options than Iceland. Included offerings besides the “return empty” (more on that later) was “sand and lava damage insurance”. What? Oh, and be very careful with your doors as there are really high winds and it sounds like more than a few cars are returned with door damage.

The SUV we rented had seen better days (sometimes good) with a maintenance light on from minute one and the back wiper blade missing, but it did get us around. WARNING: if you are renting a car, take the “return empty” option. The gas station near the airport where they told us to fill up would not take our Canadian credit cards (I tried three cards – AMEX, Visa and MasterCard – and Pete tried two). Return gas refuelling surcharge was roughly US$100 for half a tank. Oh, and my credit card company phoned me “due to the suspicious activity” as the machine, although it is a chip activated, reads your card like a swipe and tries to charge you $300). SECOND WARNING FOR SUMMER VISITORS: check the car very carefully when you pick it up – there are numerous complaints online of bogus charges for “sand and lava” damage.

On the plus side, driving in Iceland is pretty easy. As it is not a large country (population 300,00), the roads are well-marked and traffic is not that heavy. There are a lot of roundabouts to negotiate, so brush up on your roundabout etiquette (approaching traffic on the roundabout has right of way) and you’ll be all set!

We only spent three days in Iceland, but I would love to go back to explore the south and west coasts (and to do a side trip to what would be the last Scandinavian country on my checklist, Greenland!). EDITOR’S NOTE: Greenland is a constituent part of the Kingdom of Denmark, so you’ve already got it covered TFC!

Have you been to Iceland? Leave me a comment and let me know what tips or tricks you would recommend! Takk and skál!