opaldog

On our way back from Paris we plan to spend 1 night in Reykjavik. I have made reservations at the Hotel Fron. Anyone know about it? I don't know what we will do the night we arrive (3:45). I know that it is a big club city, but we are not big club people. I also know that it is quite expensive and we would like to keep our expenses down. I have looked into day tours, one of which picks you up at your hotel you day of departure, takes you for an iceland pony trek of 2 hours, back for lunch, to the Blue Lagoon for an hour, hour and a half soak and then to the airport for your flight back to the US. That does sound tempting to me. Has anyone every tried anything so ambitious in such a short amount of time? Or does anyone familiar with the area have any other itinerary ideas?

nibblette

Depends on what you like to do. Reykjavik has lots of museums that keep you easily occupied for a day. I assume you are leaving in the late afternoon for home. That leaves you with half a day to do things.
By the time you get into town, most shops and museums will be closed. But you can enjoy a nice dinner (yes restaurants are expensive) and walk around town.
Other options are a morning whale watching tour (3 hours) and lunch in town before catching the bus/taxi back to the airport. Or you can take a day tour to the Snaefellsnes Penisula where you can see nice scenery, lots and lots of beautiful birds, beaches before they drop you off at the airport.
The horse trek and Blue Lagoon is nice. But be aware that the horse ride is geared toward low-level riders and you will be walking almost the whole time. But the scenery is nice.

opaldog

Thanks for the info. The whale watching sounds like an interesting possibility and the tour of Snaefellsnes also. I have always wanted to try the Blue Lagoon, although I understand it is a commercial enterprise and not a natural pool. I like the idea of soaking before the flight back, which leaves for Boston at 4:45 pm.

BabsB

Hi opaldog, We did the Blue Lagoon tour just 5 days ago. We actually got picked up at the airport and dropped off at the Blue Lagoon. When we were done soaking they took us to our hotel. The Blue Lagoon is definitedly fun and we enjoyed it. I wanted to ride the ponys but not enough time. It sounds like a very fun tour to combine them both. We also took the full day Golden Circle tour and enjoyed it very much but it doesn't sound like you have enough time. My favorite thing was to take the elevator to the top of the big church (sorry don't have my tour book handy and can't begin to spell it but you know which one I mean) and check out the view. Spectacular. We also went to the Ice Bar for a quick soda. It is normally expensive to have an alcoholic drink there but since my son and I just had soda it was the equivalent of $10.00. We also tried the famous hot dogs and were not really impressed because they were lamb. Oh well, it was fun. Hope you have a good time.

DeeDee

Babs, Welcome home! Glad to see your post, have been thinking about you. Can't wait to hear all about your trip!

opaldog

BabsB: The Blue Lagoon from the airport; could you give me a little more info? What time did your flight arrive and when did the bus take you to the Blue Lagoon? Was it part of a package or did you pay for the bus and entry fee separately? Did the bus take you on to your hotel? and if so, at what time? How much did it cost? Hope you don't mind answering all that. We are booked to stay at the Hotel Fron. Any knowledge of it? Thanks

nibblette

There is a late afternoon Blue Lagoon tour offered by the people who do the flybus. They pick-up you up at the airport and then take you to the Blue Lagoon then to your hotel (like babs said). I remember seeing it in the brochure on the flybus. I can't remember the company but if you google flybus and Reykjavik, you'll probably find it (I think it may be Reykjavik excursions).

Actually that's a good idea for your evening. That way you can get cleaned up afterwards. The water is good for your skin but horrid for your hair. It'll be like straw if you get it wet.
You can then plan something else the next day and maximize your time there.

nibblette

Found the tour. It's by iceland excursions (www.icelandexcursions.is), tour A28, cost ISK 3,500, includes Blue Lagoon entrance fee and transportation (doesn't include towel, bathing suit or any refreshments).
The last tour leaves at 4:30PM from the airport for the Blue Lagoon and picks-up at the Blue Lagoon at fixed times. Sounds perfect with your 3:45 arrival. They drop you off at the hotel of your choice afterwards.

Heimdall

I had a 12 hour layover last Nov, and took the bus into Reykjavik. There are many different tours on offer tailored to the length of your visit. I had a walk around town and then visited Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon is near the airport, and tour buses pick you (and your luggage) up at your hotel, take you there for a swim, and get you to the airport in time for your flight. It is more of a spa than a natural pool, but very enjoyable just the same. Silica in the water is supposed to be very good for the skin.

opaldog

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm not leaving until next March so I have plenty of time to plan and obsess and plan and obsess some more.

Fleetwood

We have just returned from a family holiday in Iceland and had a great time, we didn't venture far beyond the Golden Circle but saw some of the astounding countryside. In Reykjavik itself I particularly liked the huge church, Hallgrimskirkja, and the National Museum. Great views from Perlan, too, where you can eat. Food really wasn't a problem, lots of places to go to. Everyone we met was so helpful and friendly. Don't know what the climate will be like in March but it might put me personally off pony trekking.

Unfortunately agree that getting your hair wet at the Blue Lagoon leaves it like straw! though swimwear is so easy to pack and we hired towels when we got there.

Hope you enjoy planning your trip and have a fantastic time in Paris too.

opaldog

Thanks to everyone who has responded. We are looking forward to our very brief stay in Reykjavik.

BabsB

Hi opaldog, Sorry I did not respond sooner but we are still on vacation in London and this is the first chance I had at a computer. The other posters gave you good advice. Actually took a Allhandra Excursion but they all do pretty much the same thing. The tour guide meet us at the airport with a sign and then we waited a bit for the other folks going with us. The tour dropped us off at Blue Lagoon with an admission ticket. Once inside we rented towells and they gave us plasic bracelets that electronically locked our lockers. You wash up in the shower then head for the Lagoon. We tried not to get our hair wet but it was so nice and soothing that we ending up floating around. There is a huge clock that you can see from practically everywhere so it is easy to keep track of the time to meet your bus. We soaked for a bit, showered and dressed then went and had ice cream. next we wandered around and took pictures. All in all very fun and relaxing.

Sorry for the tangent opaldog...Hi Dee Dee, we are not home yet. We are in London, leave for Paris Thursday for 4 days. Then the rest of the trip we travel thru Belgium and Netherlands. We won't be home until August 6th. But when you are Fodors addicted, you search out computers

DeeDee

Babs, Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you're having a great trip. Will be watching for your report on your return.

AR

That's not such an ambitious itinerary. We did a day trip to Reykjavik from the UK and managed to fit a heck of a lot in.

opaldog

AR: What was your itinerary for your day in Reykjavik?

AR

Left Birmingham airport at 8am and arrived Keflavik (if my memory is right about the name) at around 10ish. We were taken to the volcanic landscape and were shown some sulphur (sulfur in US?) pools. It was fascinating scenery and odd to see a tiny fault line where the European and North American geological plates ended.
From here we were taken to the Blue Lagoon for an hour or so. It was weird walking out in zero temperatures in just your bathing clothes. The lagoon itself was beautifully warm.
We were then taken for a late lunch to a place just outside Reykjavik where we had a great vista of the city and surrounding area.
After lunch we went to the cathedral for a short stop and were then given a guided tour of the city itself (although, there is little to see really). We then had time to ourselves before being picked up and taken to the airport.
We could have taken a trip to Geyser instead of the blue lagoon and met back up in Reykjavik.
This was in 2003 and the thing that struck me was the friendlyness of the locals who were genuinely grateful that you would consider their country for a visit.
Iceland is an amazing place with landscape like you've never seen before. I'm told that the nightlife is excellent there as well but we obviously didn't sample it. You will enjoy the detour.

opaldog

AR: Who did you arrange your tour with?

AR

I really can't remember the actual tour company as it was in a brochure that I picked up in a travel agent. I'll try and look for it.
However, these day trips usually only take place in the winter when the tour companies are quiet. We did another from Cardiff to Barcelona.
They do places like Prague, Berlin, Venice, Copenhagen etc.
We went at the end of January (well, you have to visit Iceland when it's really cold, don't you?).

opaldog

Living in Europe you can do that. That's great. We take quick trips to Europe from Boston. Quick meaning 3 nights to Paris or London or Dublin. My friends think we are crazy, but we like the short trip.