Two nights in Iceland...
 

Hey folks! I'm flying to Rome early October but plan on stopping in Iceland for a couple of nights on the way there. This will be my first time in Iceland and I'm travelling alone. On my list of things to do are the Blue Lagoon and the Northern Lights. What would you recommend for the following:

-What city/town should I stay in? (I haven't booked my accommodations yet)

-Rent a car/Jeep or Uber/public transportation (if there is such a thing)?

-Eat out or cook? Restaurant recommendations?

-Airbnb or hotel? (I haven't booked my accommodations yet)

-Nightlife?

-See Northern Lights with a tour group or drive on my own? (I know visibility of Lights isn't a guarantee and depends on conditions)

-Other things to do/see besides Lagoon and Northern Lights? It doesn't have to be "tourist" stuff...I enjoy immersing myself into the local culture.


I only have 2 nights (well a little more than that since my flight to Rome doesn't leave until 4pm on the 3rd day) so I know I can't go crazy. Thanks in advance!

Two nights is very little time. Stay at a hotel in Reykjavik, take the bus to/from the city (with a drop off at the Blue Lagoon), book a tour for your one full day (Golden Circle is popular) a tour for the Northern Lights one night, and eat your meals out. Plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from.

You just don't have time to much more than that.

I would just stay in Reykyavik, which is a very interesting town with lots of attractions. Do take the free tour - it's very well done. And you don't have to go to the Blue Lagoon; if you want to save time and money Reykyavik is full of wonderful small thermal spas where the locals go. I think you'll be very lucky to see the Northern LIghts in October, so I wouldn't invest a whole lot of time in it.

I agree with Melenq8 , that 2 nights is very little time, but if that is all you got then that's it. !!!

I agree that you can book the Golden Circle Tour and that will be your day .

Stay in Reykjavik as there is lots to see here.

You can book the Northern Lights tour for the night that you arrive in Reykjavik but you might not see the lights and the guide will tell you so.

Also it may be very overcast and then you will not go out.

I caught a glimpse of them about September 10th. but I was way further north when I saw them.

I agree with StCirq, you can skip the Blue Lagoon which is very over rated.

One of the best guides in Reykjavik told me to go to one of the local pools and he said the best one is

Laugardslaug Pools and Thermal Pool, it is right by the National Stadium of Iceland, and everyone know where that is.
Oh yes it cost $ 5.00 to go here ;)

So save your time and money and forget the Blue Lagoon.

Another option is that you might just want to stay in Reykjavik and see the places here . There are many places to visit and walk around.

Also if your going to stay in Reykjavik then stay right down town where you have walking distance to a lot of places, not the least of which is the Harpa Opera House...you will want to see this.

Keep us posted. Good Luck















guide willtell you there is noi guarantee

I enjoyed the Blue Lagoon during a short layover, but was disillusioned when I learned it is not natural, but the runoff from a geothermal power plant. The Flybus can take you there on the way from Reykjavik to Keflavik Airport. Wear an old swimsuit, because it will be stiff as a board when it dries out.

Dining in Iceland costs a small fortune, and a lot of the local offerings (like fermented shark) are off-putting, so here are a couple of places we found that didn't empty our wallets: Mezze, a Turkish restaurant on the main shopping street that runs through town (sorry, forget the name and don't have time to look it up right now) - very nice dishes and apparently the only Turkish restaurant in Iceland. And the Haitian coffee house down at the pier: great coffee and small plates. Oh, and we found that the much-touted Icelandic hot dogs were inedible. One bite each and we tossed them in the nearest trash can. The small supermarkets have affordable and edible sandwiches and fruit, drinks, etc. And the café in the Town Hall (which is on the free city tour, by the lake) has good sweets and small snacks.

We had an excellent dinner at Snaps Bistro. Then when our kids went a few months later, they had a dinner there as well and loved it too. We are headed back next summer and that is on the agenda.

As I mentioned earlier, with 2 nights it might be easiest to stay in Reykjavik for those. But, I thought I would throw out another option. The Northern Light Inn is not far from the Blue Lagoon and they have their own transportation where they will pick you up from the airport and they will also take you and pick you up from there. There is nothing else around it though. Our daughter just stayed there last month and raved about it, and said the restaurant was excellent. They have tours from there as well, so that might be an option. Although regardless of where you stay, definitely check out Reykjavik.

I did a one night stopover in Iceland last October. Just some thoughts on your plans.

• You are not going to have a lot of time to venture far from Reykjavik. And that's fine, there is PLENTY to see in and around this part of the country.
• In early October, weather is unpredictable. When I was there last October 6th, it was freezing gale force winds and blowing rain, which made things quite miserable for doing much of anything. Be prepared and dress accordingly.
• Seeing the northern lights is going to depend on the weather. Up to you if you want to book a tour or do your own research and drive out somewhere to see them.
• I rented a car and did a day trip around the Reykjanes Peninsula (which is a UNESCO global geopark), which is where the international airport is located. It was stunning and beautiful to say the very least, even though the weather was horrible. There were many fascinating sites along the way, and the landscape is just surreal. I did that on my own without a tour and loved it. It would be an easy day trip worth your while given its proximity to the airport and Reykjavik.
• For two nights, I would think an economy car would suffice. I drove a Toyota Yaris and that was ideal for fuel economy (gas in Iceland is very expensive). Hopefully you know how to drive a manual transmission. You're likely not going to be doing any off-roading, highways are well maintained, and driving in snow is unlikely.
• Make a reservation at Blue Lagoon in advance on their website, and I would not delay in booking as some of the time slots are already booked in October. You could pick up your rental car and head straight there (which is what I did before embarking on my road trip). I think it's worthwhile to go once, but it's expensive (cost is 84 Euros for just the basic entry package), and a place that is exclusive to tourists (i.e. you won't find locals here). And as some have already pointed out, you could just skip it and go to one of the local spas and get a more authentic experience and save money.
• I loved just walking around Reykjavik and site seeing and getting lost in the neighborhoods. Beautiful city with plenty of sites to fill a day.
• English is widely spoken in Iceland. I did not have any problems anywhere, and I don't speak a word of Icelandic. That's not to say that it wouldn't behoove you to learn a few words or phrases for when you go.
• If you rent a car in Iceland, DO NOT rely on Google Maps to guide you. I learned the hard way that it is unreliable at best, leading me into construction areas and down roads that don't even exist. Using it to navigate Reykjavik was a nightmare. Paper maps still work.
• A great resource on Iceland planning is the Iceland with a View Youtube channel. Tons of great advice for trip planning.

Some recommendations:

• There are other ideas for road trips that are realistic, such as the Golden Circle (which I'm sure you're read about and is super touristy), or the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which would be a longer day trip or overnight trip. I would like to go to Snæfellsnes next time I return.
• If you do decide to tour the Reykjanes Peninsula, stop at the Duus Museum in the town of Reykjanes, as they have a wealth of information on the area and have maps and literature on all the sites.
• In Reykjavik:
  • You have to see the Sun Voyager sculpture on the waterfront, tour go to the top of the Hallgrimskirkja (cost is about $9 converted from ISK), visit the Harpa Concert Hall (the architecture is incredible). Lake Tjornin is a beautiful urban lake to take a walk around, and there's interesting street art on many streets in the urban core of Reykjavik.
  • If you enjoy seafood, I highly recommend the Seabaron along the waterfront. It's a no-frills seafood shack, and just what I was looking for. There's an open case fridge where you select your fish and they prepare it for you. I got a sea trout skewer and a bowl of lobster bisque that was unforgettable (also added house-made skyr for desert and a beer - cost was about $45 converted from ISK). For coffee and breakfast, I enjoyed Cafe Loki and Cafe Babalu. Cafe Babalu was a fun spot to grab a coffee and pastry with a very homey feel to it - was my favorite coffee shop in Reykjavik.
  • I stayed at Hotel Hilda my first night, which is a small inn in an older house. It was close and walkable to everything in the center of Reykjavik. Smallish rooms with water boiler heating. If you're looking to go economical, it's one of the cheaper options in Reykjavik - clean, pretty comfortable and good location. Parking on the street by the hotel can be a challenge if you have a rental car. My second night was at Hotel Natura (an Icelandair Hotel). This was quite a bit nicer and more expensive. The food in the restaurant there is terrific. Very comfortable room, but definitely had more of a chain hotel feel to it.

Here's to you having a great time and hopefully the weather will accommodate your desire to see the auroras. Iceland exceeded all of my expectations when I spent my two days there. It's insanely expensive, so be prepared for that. I remember topping off my gas tank and getting a small container of skyr for a snack and it cost me over $50. Hopefully some of this helps with your planning. Cheers and happy travels!

jeverett--We were there in mid October a few years ago. Yes, the weather changed every 5 minutes, lol. It wasn't too bad though and I just had my regular skinny jeans on and a rain jacket with hat/scarf. The northern lights apparently were amazing while we were there, but we were too beat each night to even care to get up, lol. We have seen them in Alaska before, so it wasn't as big of a deal for us as it might be for others.