ISO Iceland Travel and Tours Advice

[CalGalTraveler]

We are considering a trip to Iceland next summer. We are planning a land tour instead of a cruise because we think we could see more and the North Atlantic can be rough around Iceland.

We could DIY with a rented car or we could take a formal tour package. Please provide your tips on best options and key not-to-miss highlights. If there are timeshares, or key hotels, please recommend.

TIA

 

[zentraveler]

We loved Iceland and went a few years ago and drove around the whole island in two weeks or so. We had a wonderful company book the car rental, and the hotels along the way (which were great) but other than that it was DIY trip. Essentially the best in-between compromise of a complete DIY and a formal tour.

It is one of our favorite trips and happy to look up the details.

 

[ScoopKona]

We could DIY with a rented car or we could take a formal tour package.

Or you could take a bunch of small excursion tours. We see Iceland on the Iceland Air stopover program. A few days in both directions when we're flying to Europe anyway. Iceland excels at the "quick visit, show me the highlights in an efficient manner" tours. That made the most sense, by far -- both from a time and bang-for-the-buck standpoint. Try to find a South Coast tour which includes the Secret Lagoon (not the Blue Lagoon.) In Icelandic: Gamla Laugin

Going for a soak in Iceland is revelatory. And that was the best soak of them all. Small geysers going off constantly around the lagoon, a swim up bar, hang out, a mineral content so high that the bath is basically an exfoliant.

If it was my trip, I'd spend a day in Reykjavik, a day on tour, another day in Reykjavik, another day on tour, and so on.

 

[zentraveler]

The "quick visit, show me the highlights in an efficient manner" tours. That made the most sense, by far -- both from a time and bang-for-the buck.

Skoop, I usually like your travel ideas, but am going to differ with you on this one.

That is exactly what we did not want to do. This is not a country to blast in and out of IMHO. But certainly an option if you want to miss a lot of this beautiful county and do the "tourist loop", but it would be a shame. The drive around the island was incredible, peaceful and for us, a wonderful "bang for the buck" complete with a hotel out in the country that woke us at 4 am (our request) to see the northern lights.

Going for a soak in Iceland is revelatory.

Completely agree. And there are others besides the Blue Lagoon if you get out of the tourist loop.

And everywhere we stayed, mostly small places, had amazing breakfasts (included). Food is wonderful there.

 

[ScoopKona]

Skoop, I usually like your travel ideas, but am going to differ with you on this one.

That is exactly what we did not want to do. This is not a country to blast in and out of IMHO.

We are slowly seeing the entire country, one stopover at a time, as we fly from KOA->SEA->KEF->??? and then ???->KEF->SEA->KOA.

These day-trip tours are inexpensive, pack a lot of punch for the time spent, and includes a local guide who knows basically everyone in the entire country, including the Prime Minister. "She's a lovely person. Throws nice dinner parties." The good thing about a'la carte is that after seeing the Golden Circle, visitors can mix and match according to their taste.

The last thing I'd want is "Loop around the entire island" -- that's not how we travel. Generally, we don't do tours at all. In Iceland it makes a great deal of sense. (If they had Italy's rail system, my advice would be very, very different.)

 

[GetawaysRus]

I agree with zentraveler. We also toured Iceland on our own (2 adults) after setting up the trip with an Icelandic tour company. We started with their 1 week Ring Road itinerary, then stretched it by about 2 days (and frankly, we should have stretched it even more. The pace was quick.) They reserved a car and hotels for us. I did have to put some time in prior to the trip to study their recommended itinerary to be sure I understood it.

Other than the few main cities, don't expect luxury accommodations. You won't find any of the large, familiar hotel chains outside of the main cities. Roads are generally quite decent, but you're not driving on superhighways. Don't speed. We were warned about hidden cameras (if that's true).

If you enjoy the outdoors you will likely find Iceland beautiful and its geology fascinating. English is widely spoken, so you shouldn't have any language issues.

 

[beejaybee]

We've only spent a short amount of time in Iceland via Icelandair's stopover option going to and from Europe. We rented a car for 3 nights enroute staying at Hotel Lotus in Reykjavik for the first 2. Arrival day was the HoHo bus, with the first loop naptime and the second loop hopping off at the various sites. For our full day out of Reykjavik we drove the Golden Circle visiting all the highlights. Our 3rd night was spent in Keflavik at a Bnb driving a southern route to get there. We flew to Paris early the following morning.
Flying back to the US on our Iceland layover we drove north to the Snaefelles Peninsula.
We were fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather in May.
Friends of ours recently returned from a pricey land tour of Iceland enduring cloudy, rainy and cold weather.
Recently, the continental rift at Pingvellir has been featuredon Nova and was the clue to a final Jeopardy answer.

 

[x3 skier]

My friend and I are taking advantage of Icelanair stopover rules by flying to Reykjavik for four days and then on to London. Great deal since business class (one way) was $2724 for two. Another advantage is its not an overnight flight.

 

[HedonisticEpicurean]

I love visiting Iceland. My wife and family not so much. My wife thinks it is too cold, outlandishly expensive, and not exciting (too many waterfalls...LOL) and would not return unless I came up with a very good reason. The delicious herring choices for breakfast didn't help. I do know that my family would go back to spend a day or two at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon. My dad and I did Iceland and Greenland together on two separate occasions and had a wonderful time.

I have done Iceland on my own, with Travcoa now owned by TCS (highly recommended for quality), and had A&K put together an independent trip.

Independent on my own: Our family traveled with another family and rented two vans and stayed in only a couple of hotels in order to keep travel easy for all involved. There were 12 of us with one traveler only 2 years old. It was easy to plan and manage. I prefer doing travel on my own when possible. Because of the group we spent nights in Reykjavík and did day trips to various locations. The Iceland Parliament Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton, was a perfect centralized location for our group. I would stay there again for sure! I suggest considering doing Iceland on your own.

Travecoa (Now owned by TCS): This TCS experience is an almost exact replica of the trip my dad and I did numerous years ago. My dad liked having everything planned out and wanted to see multiple parts of Iceland. Our trip was more of a hybrid as my dad liked arriving and having meet and greets along with private transfers and private tours. If you like to keep planning and travel stress to a minimum and have the best services then I highly suggest using them.

Abercrombie & Kent: While I can find no similar itinerary anymore, of the 3, this Iceland and Greenland adventure was my favorite without a doubt. We visited remote areas of Iceland by plane and then flew to Greenland. The trip included incredible nature hikes, short day cruises, and memorable adventures. We visited: Narsarsuaq (Greenland), Qaqortoq (Greenland), and Narsaq (Greenland), Vestmannayjabaer (Iceland), and a few other unique destinations in Iceland.

In sum, the flights are cheap but the hotels, restaurants, car rentals, etc. can be a shock on the budget. When friends ask me if they should go to Iceland because of the cheap flights I always say to take a look at the other costs before committing.

​

 

[zentraveler]

The last thing I'd want is "Loop around the entire island" -- that's not how we travel. Generally, we don't do tours at all. In Iceland it makes a great deal of sense. (If they had Italy's rail system, my advice would be very, very different.)

We didn't do a tour. We just got a car and drove around the island on our own at a nice pace which allowed us to spend time in some of the small towns and out in the countryside. Very beautiful and getting out of the tourist zones is what we enjoy (we did go to them, but the large amount of time on the trip was mostly us and the Icelanders, great food and some northern lights).

 

[tashamen]

We spent a week in Iceland in July 2022 - I actually won 2 free flights there from Icelandair. We stayed in an apartment hotel in Reykjavik, somewhat like a timeshare in that it had a separate bedroom, kitchen, etc. Walking distance to everything downtown. As we didn't want to drive, we took 3 small group day tours, each with a different independent company. One took in 3 of the big sites in the Golden Circle, plus some extra stops the guide threw in; another was a horseback riding trip on Icelandic horses (I have always been terrified of horses but these are much smaller); and another a puffin boat tour. All very small groups.

I agree the food is fantastic - especially the lamb as the sheep graze freely and of course seafood. I had lamb every single day! As an aside we just got back from a week in western Ireland and I ate lamb and seafood there every day too...

 

[Glynda]

I took my second trip to Iceland with two friends in July of this year. We spent our first day in Reykjavik and the next morning flew Iceland Air from the regional airport up to Akureyri. I am 40% Norwegian and go back in Iceland to the Vikings. My biological great-grandmother immigrated to the US from there. Research shows that for hundreds of years they were in the North on the Troll Peninsula around Olafsfjordur and Siglufjordur. I had hired a private guide from the area who picked us up from the airport and drove us. We drove further up the valley on dirt roads until we found Kviabekkur, the little church where my great grandmother was baptized and her parents married. It was very moving to stand there in that spot. They led a hard life. We spent one night in Akureyri and then flew back to Reykjavik for four more days. We walked, took cabs, and did a history walking tour and a food tour. Then we boarded the Lindblad National Geographic Explorer ship Resolution for a Wild Iceland cruise. It was lovely and a small enough ship to go up into small fjords all alone. We took zodiacs to and from the ship. We're planning to go back next September and hope to participate in, or at least watch, Rettir, in the area of my ancestors.

 

[easyrider]

How sure of a thing is seeing the Northern Lights from Iceland ?

Bill

 

[HedonisticEpicurean]

The Blue Lagoon is listed as the most relaxing tourist attraction in the world according to Travel + Leisure. I saw this in my news feed this morning and thought you should give it a quick read.

 

[x3 skier]

Did a bike tour of Reykjavik a few years ago. A stop was a park that was established for the Trolls who supposedly live(ed) there. Easy ride and very interesting. Start of the tour was near here

 

[Glynda]

Did a bike tour of Reykjavik a few years ago. A stop was a park that was established for the Trolls who supposedly live(ed) there. Easy ride and very interesting. Start of the tour was near hereView attachment 82596

I can't imagine riding a bike on the hills of Reykjavik! I'm a flat country girl.

 

[x3 skier]

I can't imagine riding a bike on the hills of Reykjavik! I'm a flat country girl.

Very few hills on the route of the tour.