9 Days in Reykjavik and Southern Iceland
Aug 28th, 2021, 10:31 AM
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9 Days in Reykjavik and Southern Iceland
My wife and I took a nine day trip to Iceland in July. I have already posted about the Fagradalsfjall Volcano and the online Covid 19 rapid test that we took through eMed, but I thought that I would post a brief trip report. Iceland became of interest to us after friends of ours visited Iceland in 2018 and showed us their photos. In April, we decided to plan a trip to Iceland after the country became one of the first European countries to accept Americans, who were vaccinated from Covid 19, and after Icelandair launched a good air fare sale.
Our Itinerary:
Day 1 – Mon. 7/19/21 – Left Boston at 11:50am; arrived in Keflavik at 8:50 pm. Picked up our rental car and drove to our AirBNB in Reykjavik.
Day 2 – Tues. 7/20/21 – Reykjavik (Harpa Concert Hall, Old Harbor & Downtown)
Day 3 – Wed. 7/21/21 – Reykjanes Peninsula (Seltun Geothermal Field, Fagradalsfjall Volcano & Blue Lagoon)
Day 4 – Thur. 7/22/21 – Golden Circle (Pingvellir National Park, Geysir & Gullfoss falls)
Day 5 – Fri. 7/23/21 – Perlan Museum in Reykjavik
Day 6 – Sat. 7/24/21 – Checked out of our AirBNB. Explored South Iceland (Seljalandsfoss falls, Gljufrabui falls & Skogafoss falls) and checked into Hotel Katla near Vik.
Day 7 – Sun. 7/25/21 – Southeast Iceland (Diamond Beach & Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon)
Day 8 – Mon. 7/26/21 – Westman Islands (Took ferry to Vestmannaeyjar and toured Heimaey Island with Eyja Tours)
Day 9 – Tues. 7/27/21 – Checked out of our hotel and drove to Keflavik A/P. Left Keflavik at 5:15 pm; arrived in Boston at 6:50 pm.
We really enjoyed our trip. It rained a lot while we we there, but for the most part, we were still able to see everything that we had planned on seeing, despite the rain. The daytime high temperatures were in the mid-fifties (degrees Farenheit). Prior to our trip, we had been warned about the high prices in Iceland. While we did find that most items were more expensive, we found that the prices that we paid for restaurants dinners were pretty much in line with what we would pay in the Northeastern United States, when you add on the gratuities, that we pay in the USA, but are not expected in Iceland.
It is less than 250 miles from Reykjavik to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It is hard to believe that, within this distance, we were able to see so much natural phenomena, including volcanoes, hot springs, mud pools, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, icebergs, and black sand beaches. In addition to the natural phenomena, Iceland has a vibrant capital city, Reykjavik, where we enjoyed the pedestrian streets, the restaurants and the Perlan Museum. The highlights of our trip were the icebergs in the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and our guided tour of Heimaey Island in the Westman Islands.
View of Reykjavik from the observation deck of the Perlan
Lava from the Fagradalsfjall Volcano, which erupted in March 2021
Strokur geyser in the Geysir geothermal area
Skogafoss waterfall
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
A map of our trip
Our Itinerary:
Day 1 – Mon. 7/19/21 – Left Boston at 11:50am; arrived in Keflavik at 8:50 pm. Picked up our rental car and drove to our AirBNB in Reykjavik.
Day 2 – Tues. 7/20/21 – Reykjavik (Harpa Concert Hall, Old Harbor & Downtown)
Day 3 – Wed. 7/21/21 – Reykjanes Peninsula (Seltun Geothermal Field, Fagradalsfjall Volcano & Blue Lagoon)
Day 4 – Thur. 7/22/21 – Golden Circle (Pingvellir National Park, Geysir & Gullfoss falls)
Day 5 – Fri. 7/23/21 – Perlan Museum in Reykjavik
Day 6 – Sat. 7/24/21 – Checked out of our AirBNB. Explored South Iceland (Seljalandsfoss falls, Gljufrabui falls & Skogafoss falls) and checked into Hotel Katla near Vik.
Day 7 – Sun. 7/25/21 – Southeast Iceland (Diamond Beach & Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon)
Day 8 – Mon. 7/26/21 – Westman Islands (Took ferry to Vestmannaeyjar and toured Heimaey Island with Eyja Tours)
Day 9 – Tues. 7/27/21 – Checked out of our hotel and drove to Keflavik A/P. Left Keflavik at 5:15 pm; arrived in Boston at 6:50 pm.
We really enjoyed our trip. It rained a lot while we we there, but for the most part, we were still able to see everything that we had planned on seeing, despite the rain. The daytime high temperatures were in the mid-fifties (degrees Farenheit). Prior to our trip, we had been warned about the high prices in Iceland. While we did find that most items were more expensive, we found that the prices that we paid for restaurants dinners were pretty much in line with what we would pay in the Northeastern United States, when you add on the gratuities, that we pay in the USA, but are not expected in Iceland.
It is less than 250 miles from Reykjavik to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It is hard to believe that, within this distance, we were able to see so much natural phenomena, including volcanoes, hot springs, mud pools, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, icebergs, and black sand beaches. In addition to the natural phenomena, Iceland has a vibrant capital city, Reykjavik, where we enjoyed the pedestrian streets, the restaurants and the Perlan Museum. The highlights of our trip were the icebergs in the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and our guided tour of Heimaey Island in the Westman Islands.
View of Reykjavik from the observation deck of the Perlan
Lava from the Fagradalsfjall Volcano, which erupted in March 2021
Strokur geyser in the Geysir geothermal area
Skogafoss waterfall
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
A map of our trip
Sep 25th, 2021, 06:02 PM
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Beautiful photos!! I’ve been to Iceland twice. The first time on a trip very similar to yours and the second, to the north, basing in Akureyri and hitting the Diamond Circle. Iceland is a stunningly gorgeous country!
