Spatel005

Hi!

My husband and I are traveling to Iceland at the end of October for our one year anniversary and I wanted to get some feedback on what we have planned! We are planning on renting a car and driving around- how would the weather fare at the end of October? We are aware that there will be about 8 hrs. of sunlight during that time too.

Itinerary:

October 23rd: Leave Washington DC, overnight flight
October 24th: Arrive at KEF at around 7 am; have breakfast, spend day at the Blue Lagoon (one year anniversary!)
October 25th: Golden Circle, Snowmobiling, stay the night in Gullfoss
October 26th: Finish Golden Circle, Drive down south to Seljalandsfoss; stay the night near there
October 27th: Skogafoss, plane wreck, black sand beach, Skaftafell, Glacier Lagoon; stay the night in Skaftafell
October 28th: 5 hr. glacier hiking, Glacier Lagoon, stay the night in Skaftafell
October 29th: Drive back to Reykjavik, spend the day in the city
October 30th: Snorkeling in Thingvellir, Blue Lagoon again (open to other suggestions but we just want to relax and have a good time)
October 31st: Fly to Frankfurt; drive to Wurzburg, stay the night in Wurzburg
November 1st: Drive to Nuremburg and spend the day there; Drive to Rothenburger hotel
November 2nd: Rothenburger and Harburg; drive down to Fuessen
November 3rd: Full day Bavairan Castles tour
November 4th: St. Mang's Abbey, Andecks Monastary/ brewery, Munich
November 5th: Munich- museums and other sites/ breweries
November 6th: Fly back to D.C.

What do you think? Too ambitious? Any other recommendations welcome for hotels, towns to stay in, and activities! We'll also be hunting the Northern Lights so recommendations on places to view them the best are also welcome!

Thanks in advance!
Sheena

Kirkesgaard

Basically looks ok. In Iceland a lot will depend on the weather ... Could be picturesque or miserable. Be flexible and ideally have alternatives (like e.g. museums) ... definetely have good outdoor clothing.

I am not sure that I would put the Blue Lagoon on the first day ... depends a bit how you react to jet leg. But the warmth of the spa makes me tired, so if I was already a bit exhausted after the trip, I would probably consider something more active and maybe stroll through reykjavik.

Overall it is a bit tight ... Skaftafell to Reykjavik is a 4 hour drive without stopping or bad weather ... that leaves you not much time for the city on that day. (not sure if you wanted to see some museums).

Depending on how much time you want to spend at the Blue Lagoon, you could do snorkeling and then go for an hour or two to the Lagoon (which I think is good enough for the sensation of the hot water).

You did not mention Jokulsalon, the ice lagoon which I think is a must (you could drop the plane for that) ...

There is an impressive bird tour to a cliff at Ingolfshofdi (but dont know if they still go at your time - worth checking though - but maybe most birds will have migrated by then) ...

Vik is pictureque in nice weather ...

Consider booking your hotels in advance at least in the more remote regions ...

do they do snorkling at the end of October?

Other than that ... for Germany.
Why Wuerzburg? (not that it is not nice, just curious as there is different options) ... You have roughly half a day for Nuernberg. And you are also a bit tight in Munich ... Potentially go from Frankfurt to Nuernberg directly and use the extra day for Munich ...

Spatel005

Thank you so much for your feedback!

So we decided to take a day off of the Iceland itinerary and add it to Germany- skip the snorkeling and explore Reykjavik both on the day we arrive and after coming back from Skaftafell. Maybe instead of staying an extra night in Skaftafell, we can stay the night in Vik to cut down driving time the next day? Do you think cutting a day from Iceland is okay?

For Germany, I'm now thinking of spending 1-2 days in the Rhine Valley (Sunday-Monday) so here is an updated itinerary for Germany and need to choose between these options:

- Backarach-Rothenburg-Heidelburg-Ludwigsburg-Stuttgart-Harburg-Ausburg-Fuessen- Munich

-Backarach-Rothenburg-Heidelburg-Ludwigsburg-Stuttgart-Ulm-Augsburg- Fuessen- Munich

- Backarach-Wurzburg- Nuremburg-Rothenburg-Harburg-Ausburg-Fuessen-Munich

I'll have a total of 7 days in Germany. Towns like Ludwigsburg, Harburg, Ausburg, and Ulm we just want to stop by and see a few things. From what I have been reading, this seems doable but just having a hard time deciding!

traveller1959

First of all, be more careful with spelling of place names - otherwise you can end in deep trouble (you misspelled half of the German place names).

Second, all suggested itineraries would work but are somewhat rushed. I would skip Stuttgart and Augsburg. Ulm has the tall cathedral, but is otherwise not too interesting. Maybe worth a quick stop en route.

Hobbert

If you're deciding between the Blue Lagoon and snorkeling in Thingvellir, I'd choose snorkeling. I've done both and that snorkeling trip was magical. The water is so clear and beautiful, you feel as though you're floating in the air. I do enjoy the Blue Lagoon and it's a great way to start your trip after that overnight from DC. Enjoy your trip!

mokka4

Of your German stops, I LOVED Bacharach. Stayed there for two weeks in an apartment in Fall, daytripping with the train. It is a medium, wine-growing town with a lot of scenic half-numbered houses on the Rhein.
Wuerzburg and Nuremberg are mid-sized bustling cities with a lot of history.
Rothenberg is also lovely, but bursting with like-minded tourists all day long.
I also would skip Augsburg, Umm and Stuttgart...too many sites to enjoy!

mokka4

Umm ;-)

Spatel005

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! They were extremely helpful in narrowing down where to go on our trip! We kept an extra day for Iceland so we will definitely go snorkeling! And not to worry, Jokulsalon is on the list but many sites also called it the "Glacier Lagoon".

In Germany, we decided to go to Mainz, Rudesheim am Rhein, and Bacharach, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Stuttgart (because we have a friend there otherwise I would skip), Fuessen, and Munich.

Again, thanks for taking the time to give feedback on our itinerary!

StCirq

There's no need to go to the Blue Lagoon twice. There are countless outdoor spas and hot pools all over the country, most of them costing 1/6 the price of the Blue Lagoon, some of them free, all of them IMO more interesting than the BL.