ICELAND FOR 3 WEEKS??
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ICELAND FOR 3 WEEKS??
my wife and i are searching for a place to visit late spring/early summer -2018. we are pretty healthy, early 70s and have done extensive independent travel (australia/nz, turkey, spain/portugal, baltic states, italy 4x, grand tour of europe 2x 10 weeks each). we rent a car and then just wander tending to avoid big cities and the routes of tour buses. vietnam & cambodia was our only tour - saving them for when we get old. never been to iceland but it seems like it might be a fit.
#2
We spent 10 days in Iceland in late May this year. I was convinced it would become our new favorite destination, but that didn't happen.
Iceland is getting quite a lot of press these days, but it left us feeling confused and ambivalent.
You might get some ideas and/or insight from my trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-road-trip.cfm
Iceland is getting quite a lot of press these days, but it left us feeling confused and ambivalent.
You might get some ideas and/or insight from my trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-road-trip.cfm
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We were there for a week last October and I enjoyed it. I will say that Iceland has become hugely popular. You won't be able to avoid tourists, and if traveling spring/summer you would need to book accommodations in advance. Reykjavik is the only city of any size, and its center is easily managed on foot.
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I've been to Iceland several times (most recently in Sept 2016 and January 2017) and will go back again, but I think 3 weeks would be too much time - unless you're planning lots of down time, hanging out in a rental home reading, sketching or doing a lot of nothing.
I think 2 weeks would be a reasonable amount of time to circumnavigate the entire country, stopping for 2-3 nights in several locations along the route to explore. I spent 4 days in Reykjavík which included one day doing the Inside the Volcano tour. While I like Reykjavík, I don't see how you could spend any more than 3 full days there (and that's assuming you spend a couple of hours in every museum).
I drove the south coast from west to east (Hofn). The landscape was unlike anything I'd seen before and I really enjoyed the weather and terrain changing every 15 kilometers or so. I did two horse riding sessions which I would highly recommend - no riding experience is necessary and because the horses are short and broad, there's no fear factor. I also did a glacier trek, including an ice cave, which was spectacular. If you like to hike, you could fill some of 2 weeks with treks; there are tons of birds, so if you like them, that could also fill some more time.
You could combine a week or so in Iceland with another 2 weeks in Sweden and Norway. Lots of countryside and smaller cities to see, including fjords, mountains and forests, not to mention small hamlets.
I think 2 weeks would be a reasonable amount of time to circumnavigate the entire country, stopping for 2-3 nights in several locations along the route to explore. I spent 4 days in Reykjavík which included one day doing the Inside the Volcano tour. While I like Reykjavík, I don't see how you could spend any more than 3 full days there (and that's assuming you spend a couple of hours in every museum).
I drove the south coast from west to east (Hofn). The landscape was unlike anything I'd seen before and I really enjoyed the weather and terrain changing every 15 kilometers or so. I did two horse riding sessions which I would highly recommend - no riding experience is necessary and because the horses are short and broad, there's no fear factor. I also did a glacier trek, including an ice cave, which was spectacular. If you like to hike, you could fill some of 2 weeks with treks; there are tons of birds, so if you like them, that could also fill some more time.
You could combine a week or so in Iceland with another 2 weeks in Sweden and Norway. Lots of countryside and smaller cities to see, including fjords, mountains and forests, not to mention small hamlets.
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While I agree that 3 weeks may be too much, I think two would be ideal. I would've liked to have done a slow circuit of the Ring Road. Also, don't dismiss Reykjavik. There are several excellent museums, and I found I really liked the town. Two days in Reykjavik would be fine.