YES, but also a big NO! Iceland is the land of dramatic landscapes, massive glaciers, geothermal power and of course FUN! You can do a lot in 3 - 4 days but there will be so much more left to see. Iceland is, without a doubt, a place most visitors will want to visit more than once.
Iceland was a country I rarely (if ever) thought of as an amazing holiday destination. Growing up in the States, I often found myself surrounded by families (including our own) who usually traveled to tropical Caribbean destinations. But I always knew that I wanted more than a lounge chair on the beach…I wanted adventure!
Don’t get me wrong, I had a wonderful childhood with parents who took me out of the country at least once or twice a year, but my parents always leaned toward tropical destinations to beat the winter blues. I grew up south of Buffalo, New York where you would often see your town on the news for horrible snow storms and that would make anyone crave those UV rays, so I’m sure you can understand that Iceland did not become a part of my travel list until I moved to Florida and met Mr.Explorsmith (Lee), who like me, craved a life filled with adventure.
TIP: Iceland is not as cold as you might think in the middle of winter. The Atlantic jetstream, prevents extreme temperature drops and is usually warmer than the Northeastern US in winter. Stays around freezing, 32 F/0 C. We also went to Venice, Italy during this same trip over New Year’s and found it to be much colder than Iceland was.
Mr. Explorsmith is British and used to flying back and forth across the Atlantic and was taking me with him to England this time (first time meeting his family!). He loves all things Scandinavian but still hadn’t made it to Iceland so when planning the trip to England we saw this amazing opportunity that Iceland Air had started offering, a stopover…at no additional cost! I had now been out of the cold and snow for so long that I desperately started to miss it. We started researching Iceland and everything that it has to offer and realized that we would have to prioritize, because a three-day stopover would only give us a taste of the adventure that Iceland has to offer.
After finding hot springs, beautiful waterfalls, incredible volcanos and dogsledding I went online and bought myself a new pair of winter hiking boots! We were on our way! One of the great things about Iceland is that you do not have to rent a car or worry about driving conditions during your holiday. The country is made for tourism and has tons of tours and transportation options that practically pick you up and drop you off on your hotel’s doorstep; the super jeeps, which are probably every little boys’ dream with their massive off-road tires, are the coolest tour option in our opinion! So the question is how do you decide what to do? With only three days, we didn’t want to overload ourselves (time and money) but still wanted to get a good taste of what Iceland had to offer.
TIP: We have rented cars and driven all over the world but for such a short trip we didn’t think it would save us any money this time as we were only staying in the southwest of the country. We also were not sure how safe it would be driving around in the winter. When visiting in winter, you should be aware that while the temperature in Iceland can hover around freezing the conditions can change in an instant. Icelanders like to joke that you can see all four seasons in a day. Take this into consideration if you plan on going well outside of Reykjavik. Our suggestion would be to visit in summer and drive the ring road around the entire country.
Trips to Iceland can get a bit expensive, so we decided to look at both hotel and Airbnb options. For such a short trip we prefer to spend our budget on activities rather than a fancy hotel because we are only in the hotel in the evening. For us the most important thing was finding a place within walking distance of downtown that was clean and had breakfast. It might not seem like a big deal but when you are traveling to a location where you plan to do a lot of tours/adventure activities staying at a place with breakfast is a must! Most tours start early and if you have to get up and ready at 7am, not having to worry about finding something for breakfast is a lifesaver. We found a room on Airbnb with a lovely woman named Stella who even offered to drop us off at the bus station when it was time to leave. Her whole apartment is now available to rent on Airbnb at this link.
Day 1
Making a hot spring our first stop was by far the easiest decision! After an overnight flight, spending the morning and afternoon relaxing in a hot spring helped us to recoup and get ready for our next adventure. The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most popular hot spring, had various options to help us keep within a moderate budget and Flybus picks you up right at your hotel or even at the airport. We chose the comfort package which included: entrance, a towel, two skin care samples (an algae mask and silica mud mask) and one drink from the swim up bar ☺. Of course there are higher priced options that include additional perks but as we like to keep our time and money balanced to get the most out of our trips we found the comfort package gave us everything we wanted. Do yourself a favor and find the mask bar when your floating around the blue lagoon, you can get the silica mud for free and treat your skin to a nourishing mask and a fun selfie ☺. We noticed several tourists with Ziploc bags trying to fill them up with the mud - don’t be one of those people. The gift shop sells their skin care products if you want to take some home with you. We decided to have lunch at the café instead of a fancy meal in one of the restaurants but if you want to splurge the restaurants and the food looked beautiful! When we go back to Iceland I would probably put dinner at the Blue lagoon on our schedule. We would suggest going to the lagoon during the day light hours for at least part of your visit. The landscape to the lagoon and around it is amazing and a great photo opportunity so we would suggest walking around the grounds of the spring a bit if you have the time.
TIP: For our American readers, the changing room and showers are communal and you are supposed to shower sans clothes before entering, so be prepared. If you want to avoid the crowds, try going first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.
If you are planning a trip to Iceland in winter, the Northern Lights also known as an Aurora Borealis is probably on your list to see and let me tell you they are worth it! But there are some things to consider if seeing the lights is your priority. What exactly are the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights are the visual result of electrically charged solar particles entering the earth's magnetic field, at high atmosphere, and ionising.Their intensity depends on the activity of the sun and the acceleration speed of these particles, but the results are an amazing sight of dancing and swirling light in the sky. On a good night you can see colors or green, orange and red dance their way across the sky…it’s incredible and truly wondrous!
The best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is between September and April. We went in mid-December but be aware, just because you travel to Iceland during this time does not mean there is a guarantee to see this amazing sight. There are a few conditions that must be met including: little cloud coverage and enough solar activity, which are unpredictable. To increase your chances to see the lights you should also be far from town in a spot with as little unnatural light as possible and consider traveling during the new moon as a full moon can also hinder your chance of seeing the lights.
TIP: Book a Northern Lights Tour at the beginning of your stay, that way if it’s a bad night and you do not get to see the lights you can rebook for another night during your stay in hopes for another chance. If it’s a bad night and the Lights are not visible most tour companies will offer to take you out on another night with no or only a small additional charge.
We decided to book a Northern Lights tour with Super Jeep and were not disappointed! This company was awesome! They picked us up from our hotel in a Land Rover Defender and off we went into the dark Icelandic wilderness. The best time to see the lights is late at night so we started this adventure around 9pm and stayed out for more than a few hours. Our guide drove us to a few different spots to find the best viewing area and had hot cocoa and vodka as a yummy treat to help you stay awake and warm. Remember to dress for the occasion! You will be standing outside in the middle of the night so you will get cold. My feet were feeling it for sure so bring a good pair of warm socks and winter boots to Iceland with you if you are planning to do these types of activities.
I would also suggest taking a look at the camera settings needed to capture the Lights before you go on the trip. Although we could see the Lights easily with our naked eye, it's not so straight forward for the camera. If you do not have a fancy camera with more control of your shutter speeds, aperture and ISO and/or a tripod, then your guide, as ours did, may have a camera to take a picture of you with the lights in the background so you could still have a wonderful memory of the night. (We decided not to waste any more time trying to sort out our camera settings and just enjoy the spectacle, so the picture above is not ours) After an amazing evening our guide drove the defender off-road while heading back to town for a little extra fun and laughs before calling it a night.
Day 2
For our second day we wanted to experience more of Iceland’s amazing and dramatic landscape. Lee has always wanted to go dog sledding and luckily, the snow was just deep enough during our trip. Dog Sledding Iceland offered an amazing day filled with a 45 min dog sledding ride and a tour of the Golden Circle to follow. Our guide picked us up in town and off we went. The company provided a warm snow suit for us to wear over our clothes and we got to meet all of the dogs before hopping on the sled. The huskies were beautiful and so friendly ☺ and half way through our ride we loved being able to take a short break to give the dogs a nice belly rub and a treat to thank them for all of their hard work. It was really a wonderful experience and great to see that the dogs were happy, well-fed and taken care of.
TIP: Take them up on their offer to use one of their snow suits - better to be a little too warm than freezing.
After saying goodbye to the dogs and taking a few more photos, we headed to our next stop. The Golden Circle is made up of three equally gorgeous locations in southwest Iceland. These three locations are Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir Geothermal Area and Thingvellir National Park. They are all as spectacular as they are unique and since they are within a two-hour drive from Reykjavik, all three can easily be visited within a day.
The Gullfoss waterfall was an impressive sight in winter with robust rushing water surrounded by dense pillars of ice. You could feel the power and the walking trails allow you to get up and close to snap the perfect picture. After visiting the falls we drove up to the Gullfoss panorama restaurant to warm up and have lunch. Not a fancy place, but it was affordable, had many options and some souvenirs. Lamb stew was the staple dish and was very tasty and just what I wanted after a morning in the snow. My husband is primarily vegan so he did find food options to be a little limited outside of the city.
The next stop was Geysir Geothermal Area where you can stay and watch boiling mud pits and an exploding geyser called Strokkur which spouts water 100 ft (30 meters) into the air every few minutes. Another great photo opportunity!
The last stop on our tour was Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is a rift valley caused by the separation of 2 tectonic plates, with rocky cliffs and fissures creating a unique and beautiful landscape and hiking trails to explore and take in the natural history of the land. The perfect end to an amazing day! (You might recognize this place if you are a Game of Thrones fan)
If you are a foodie, Reykjavik offers many amazing dinner options with Chefs that elevate traditional Icelandic cuisine. Since we were in Iceland for my birthday, we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of amazing places that allowed us to experience the unique and tasty Icelandic meal. I would suggest taking a look at Fiskfelagid for an incredible seafood restaurant or Grillmarkadurinn for a modern take on traditional Icelandic grilled meats. Both are in a higher price range but if you would like to treat yourself during your stay, they are worth it, just remember to make your reservations in advance (I would even suggest a couple of weeks in advance if you can plan that far in advance).
Day 3
For our last day in Iceland we wanted to take it easy and explore the city. If you are traveling during the winter you can sleep in a bit as the sun does not rise until around 10:30 or 11 and the town opens slowly with the sun. Start off the day with a cup of coffee or some fresh baked goods at one of the cute bakeries in town and then head over to the Hallgrimskirkja Church. Named after an Icelandic poet, it is the largest church in Iceland known for its dramatic architecture. After visiting the church head down toward the waterfront to see ‘Solfar’ or ‘The Sun Voyager’ sculpture for a nice photo op and stroll down the bay toward the Harpa concert hall home to Iceland’s national opera and symphony. The concert hall has a beautiful modern glass honeycomb design with distinctive colored glass inspired by the basalt landscape of Iceland. After walking around the bay we would suggest wandering around some of the shops and cafes in town taking a break for lunch and walking over to Christ the King Cathedral. Reykjavik is a very cute town with different museums and shops so take the day to explore and just enjoy the city!
There are many more activities and towns to explore in Iceland. It is a small Island that has a lot to offer especially in terms of adventure and amazing landscapes, each corner of the island offers a different experience. So take the time to plan and see what you can fit in during your time there but we can ensure you that you will probably want to go back!
Flight Tip: We have no reason not to recommend Iceland Air, it’s a single aisle plane with 3 seats each side. Even with no plans to do a stopover in Iceland, we have flown Iceland Air transatlantic more than once - flights from the US always stop in Iceland and it gives you a chance to get off the plane and stretch your legs before taking your connecting flight to your European destination. Flights from the East coast are about 5 hours and the entertainment system is good - we have always found movies we wanted to watch. At the time they had 3 classes of service and they only appear to have 2 now. There was an Economy “Plus” where the middle seat would be empty and you could eat/drink all you wanted (probably removed due to the volume of tourists flying in, gotta fill those seats). Now, it’s just Economy and Saga class (think of it as Business). The last time we flew in 2018 the Saga class seating was more like a big lounge chair from the 90’s, not what you might find in the equivalent class of an airline such as Etihad or Qatar. But, if you have the money or you see a good deal on it, you get the other perks such as priority boarding, , more baggage, complimentary meals (economy class is pay to eat but it’s a decent offering) and the Saga lounge is quite nice. We have only flown in Saga on 1 leg of a trip and the economy seats are maybe a little more comfortable/roomy than you might expect. For reference, Mr.Explorsmith is 6’1’’ and Mrs. Explorsmith is 5’3’’.
Some additional sites that could be useful for planning your trip are listed below:
To see more photographs our our adventure, click here to go directly to our Iceland Travel Photos page.