Abbyo

We will be in Iceland in May and will have a rental car. We have two different days that we can do day trips from Reykjavik. We've already decided that one of them will be the Golden Circle. Just wondering what would be the best other day trip to complement this in order the get the most variety in our sight seeing. Some options I'm considering are: 1) Snaefellsnes Peninsula or 2) Reykjanes Peninsula or 3) drive to Vik and back or 4) Hvalfjordur and hike to Glymur or 5)drive to Esja to do some hiking there ( not all the way to top) or 6) Hveragerdi and Reykjadular trail.

Later in the trip we will be in Akureyri and plan to see Myvatn Lake and the Krafla area.

Any input about these areas would be much appreciated!

Thanks

annhig

would you mind posting your entire itinerary? it would hep for us to get an idea of where else you are going to be, how much driving you are already doing, etc.

Abbyo

Flying into Reykjavik and have 4 days there. We've allotted two of those for day trips with the rental car. Then we fly to Akureyri for a curling bonspiel. While we are there we've really only got one full day free and plan to do a day trip to Myvatn Lake and Krafla area.

Thanks.

annhig

Thanks, Abbyo.

the reason i asked is that very often people post Qs about parts of their itinerary and when they get the replies, it turns out that other parts of their itinerary conflict. but in your case, that doesn't seem to apply so here goes.

with 4 days [does that mean 5 nights?] what you could do is to drive to Vik one day, then drive to the airport the next day [depending on when your flight to Akureyi is, you could spend the night near the airport or aim to get there in time for the flight out] - this would enable you to see Vik which is very nice but cut down on your driving.

We didn't do much hiking in Iceland so I can't help you there. We did walk along the gorge that runs between the two tectonic plates that meet at Thingvellir in the Golden Cicle - that was really quite good fun!

vickiebypass

I vote for the Vik option. It's a tiny town with the best black sand beaches on either side of the spit - one with the famous basalt columns and the local beach right in town. It's wide and amazing w/fine black sand, pebbles, big surf and birds. Good scenery on the road to/from Vik.

Abbyo

Thanks so much for the info so far! We will be based in Reykjavik for 4 nights and 4 days; lodging already booked. I think the drive to Vik and back is doable so that's a definite option.

Does anyone have any opinion of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula? I know it would be a very full day but is it worth it?

We are already planning our own do it yourself Golden Circle.

Thanks,
Abby

annhig

Abbyo - we drove across the Snaefellsnes Peninsular and we were not blown away, but perhaps the dreadful weather we experienced detracted from the scenery, or perhaps it was the awful accommodation that we endured for only one of the 3 nights for which it was booked before we did a flit [after leaving the right money for one night of course] and ran away.

We did go on a very good boat trip when we saw killer whales, but I'm not sure that you could fit that into a day trip. The journey to and from the peninsular is not I think as interesting as that on the way to Vik which is another consideration.

MarthaT

If you started early enough I would go to Vik and then on to Jokulsarlon lagoon, which is about 2 1/2 hours further along from Vik. Long day but I think it's worth it.

PegS

I vote for Vik too. And if Jokulsarlon is too far, going just to Fjadrargljufur and hiking there (if it's not raining) is totally worth it. I didn't find that Snaefellsnes had the same incredible scenery that the South has.

Abbyo

Thanks for the input everyone. I think I'll see if my group wants to do Vik then. Seems like there is a lot to see on the way.

Also when we arrive early at KEF and pick up our rental car, I thought we should drive along the west coast of the Reykjanes peninsula rather than heading straight to Reykjavik. Can anyone comment on the drive up route 42 back towards Reykjavik? And is there much to see if you veer east on the 417 through Reykjanesfolkvangur?

Thanks!

annhig

Abbyo - we had the same problem too so we drove south west from the airport, in order to explore the peninsula before we carried on with our journey to our first stop. there are lots of places where you can stop to look at quacking mud and hot springs, plus a very startling landscape. I don't think we knew about the nature reserve so i can't comment on that.

You might also enjoy a stop in Hafnarfjordur, which has a range of cafes, a botanical garden, and the hotel/ restaurant fjorukrain which is an extraordinary mixture of life-size trolls and vikings and stuffed birds realistically arranged on make-believe cliffs!!

http://fjorukrain.is/en/

[we had lunch there but it says that it is now only open for groups at lunchtime, which is a shame]

Percy

It is not just the driving that consumes time it is the number of times you will want to stop for picture taking and also...

to turn off Route 1 to see some of the nearby sites.

Like on the road to Vik, you will want to see Seljalandsfoss ,not only is it a lovely waterfall but you can walk behind it and take pictures !!

Then further down there is Skogafoss, and nearby is the Skogafoss Folk Museum with it's moss covered roof cabins.

Great for picture taking.

When you get to Vik you will spend time walking about on the beach and I am sure taking pictures of Reynisdranger.

It is 120 miles to Lake Jokulsarlon , that 2 1/2 hours there and 2 1/2 hours back to Vik......

it would be a long day, I am sure you will decide when you are in Vik about going to the Lake or not.

Melnq8

Reading this with interest and realizing how ill-prepared I am for our upcoming 10 day trip to Iceland in May.

vipsha

If you have 4 days in Reykjavik I would recommend Snaefellsnes.
We traveled for 10 days 2 years ago, and covered Snaefellsnes, the Golden Triangle, Vik, Lanmdmannalauger, and Jokulsarlon among other places. I thought Snaefellsnes topped the Golden Circle, Vik, and Jokulsarlon - it was like a sampler of all of Iceland. It also may have helped that we had sunny weather when we went to Snaefellsnes, whereas it rained continuously during our 3 day stay in Vik (Vik can be rainy even when surrounding areas are sunny, strangely we would find sunshine 5 miles away from Vik). Nevertheless, Vik was surreally beautiful even in the rain. We encountered heavy winds of ~95mph (similar to Category 2 hurricane in the US) on our trip to Jokulsarlon from Vik. IMO it was underwhelming - if you have 4 days better to stick with Snaefellsnes. If driving please pay attention to the wind advisories http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/elements/
And road conditions
http://www.road.is/travel-info/road-...s-and-weather/