Iceland Travel Guide: Must See Places, Travel Tips and Suggested Itinerary
By: Cassidy Erin Kersch
Stunning dramatic landscapes, natural hot springs, striking glaciers, and of course the Northern Lights and Blue Lagoon have made Iceland one of the most desirable tourist destinations. Over the last few years the country has experienced an extraordinary surge in tourism and it’s easy to see why. Iceland is a beautiful unique country that offers unforgettable adventures, and it’s just a quick three hour flight from London.
I visited Iceland in late April and here’s everything you should know before going.
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
ACCOMMODATIONS (CAMPERVAN):
My friend and I rented a campervan and this is something I cannot recommend enough! It was an amazing experience and allowed us so much freedom.
We used Solstice Campers and were more than thrilled with their service. Their campers were on the low-side of pricing so at first, we weren’t sure what we were getting ourselves into. That being said, the company was absolutely amazing! The van was clean and was well equipped with sleeping bags, camp stove, table, chairs and cooking utensils.
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
In terms of where we actually slept, all the places were registered campgrounds. You are no longer allowed to just pull over on the side of the road and camp anywhere, so please keep this in mind while you are traveling. Campgrounds are easily found and all the ones we stayed in seemed to be nicely equipped. They had showers and washrooms for use (some were free and some required you to pay with change). The average pricing of campsites were about 30 CDN, which is about $23 USD.
If you are renting a campervan, I would highly recommend bringing non-perishable food items (like pastas, oatmeal, etc.) from home to save yourself money. For all perishable goods, Bonus superstores are great! Grocery stores are harder to find out further into the country, so stop to pick up what you need before you depart Reykjavik.
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
ACCOMMODATIONS (HLEMMUR SQUARE HOSTEL IN REYKJAVIK):
We had to return our campervan on our last full day in Iceland, so we opted to stay in a hostel for the final night. The one we chose was Hlemmur Square Hostel in Reykjavik. It was an extremely clean hostel with a bar on the main floor. In the mornings, they also had a full breakfast buffet available for a fee. The food was delicious and convenient, so if you have a chance I’d highly recommend eating there if you’re staying at the hostel!
ICELAND HOTELS
For those who don’t want to camp or stay in a hostel, there are plenty of hotel options that you can reserve on a moderate budget. There’s also high end hotels for a more luxurious experience.
PLACES TO EAT:
As we had our campervan, we made our own meals a lot of the time to save money. Occasionally, we had meals or treats at actual establishments. Here are the ones that stood out the most to me.
class="external" href="http://efstidalur.is/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Efstidalur II in Laugarvatn: this was an absolutely amazing ice-cream place that we checked out after hearing all the amazing reviews and let me tell you – it did not disappoint! It had some of the best ice cream in the world and a good reason for that, is because all the cows that they get their dairy from are right there and can be seen from the ice-cream parlor! Their flavors were absolutely amazing and the prices were reasonable. As an added bonus, if you suffer from a nut allergy like me, all the ice cream was nut free!
Fridheimar in Selfoss: another really amazing place and even more so if you love tomatoes! This restaurant is completely dedicated to serving tomatoes that grow around the entire greenhouse-turned-restaurant. The soup was amazing and if you dared to try it, they even had tomato ice-cream and tomato cheesecake! You have to add this to your list of restaurants to check out.
Lava Café in Vik: a gentleman working in one of the gas-stations recommended this cafe to us and I’m so glad he did. I am really not someone who is a big fan of sandwiches, but theirs was enough to convert me into a sandwich lover for the day. Everything they offered looked amazing though, so I would recommend giving anything there a shot
BONUS: GET YOURSELF THE PAPRIKA PRINGLE CHIPS. THEY ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AND I’VE BEEN CRAVING THEM SO BADLY SINCE I GOT HOME.
THINGS TO SEE/DO:
– Blue Lagoon (go early in the morning or late at night for optimal timing!)
– Laugarvatn Fontana (another geothermal bath/hot spring that was amazing. 100x less crowded than the Blue Lagoon
– Arbaer Open Air Museum (amazing museum that is a little blast of the past)
– The National Museum of Iceland
– Geysir
– Snorkeling at Silfra (between the North American and Eurasia tectonic plates)
– Jökulsárlón (iceberg lake/glacier lagoon)
– Diamond Beach
– Kerid (crater lake)
– Reynisfjara Beach (basalt columns – similar to Giant’s Causeway)
– Bruarfoss
– Seljalandsfoss (if you keep walking further down the path, you will also find a crack in the rockside. Go through it for a hidden waterfall!)
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
ITINERARY:
Day 1:
Arrive KEF at 6am
Blue Lagoon via airport direct
Picked up campervan at BSI
Ikea and Bonus
Overnight at Gesthus Selfoss
Day 2:
Silfra snorkeling with dive
Thingvellir National Park
Efsti Dalur (a farm near Laugarvatn with the best homemade ice cream ever)
Brúarfoss
Geyser
Gullfoss
Skálholt Cathedral
Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfrabúi
Overnight at Skógafoss
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
Day 3:
Skógafoss
Dyrhólaey
Reynisdrangar / Reynisfjara Vik
Katla Geopark
Svínafellsjökull Glacier
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Overnight at Skaftafell Camping
Day 4:
Friðheimar (a sustainable tomato farm with a restaurant)
Drangshlíð
Kerid Crater
Laugarvatn Fontana
Overnight at Gesthus Selfoss.
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
Day 5:
Arbaer open air museum
Return campervan at BSI
Reykjavik
Overnight at Hlemmer Square hostel
Day 6:
National Museum
Free walking tour
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (Icelandic hot dogs)
PRICE BREAKDOWN/BUDGET
**ALL IN CANADIAN DOLLARS
TRAVEL
– Flights from Vancouver, Canada to Iceland (landing at KEF) = $399.91/per person
– Flights from KEF to BFS (Belfast) = $87.38/per person
ACCOMDATION:
– Van = $850 (4 nights and late checkout, included camping gear, WiFi package, etc.)
– Hlemmur Square Hostel (14 person mixed dorm) $44/per person
– Gas = $160 for the 5 days
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
FOOD
– Average meal cost was about $30. Didn’t drink the whole time we were there since it was super pricey
– Groceries = $30 (milk, snacks, Skyrr yogurt, etc.)
ACTIVITIES
– Snorkeling = $230/per person (photos were an additional $30. Not super worth it for me, as I had a GoPro)
– Blue Lagoon (included transport) = $120/per person
– Laugarvatn Fontana – $44/per person
– Arbaer Open Air Museum = $11/per person (student rate)
Iceland Photo by: Cassidy Erin Kersch
We were there from April 22nd-28th and there were times that we were definitely freezing. I would 100 percent recommend bringing layers and waterproof clothing! The weather is very unpredictable and there was moments where it was sunny one second and then down pouring/hailing the next.