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Trip to Iceland help please

35 replies

Cantdecidewhich · 08/11/2021 06:41

My Ds is trying to plan a surprise 2 night trip for his wife and asked me to help and I am struggling. He is hoping to see the lights, and a lagoon but doesn’t know where to stay. They will hire a car if necessary and don’t mind staying somewhere remote. Can anyone please help with this?

OP posts:
whiteroseredrose · 08/11/2021 20:09

Two nights doesn't give that much time, just one clear day.

A lot of flights seemed to arrive about 9 am so you could do Sky Lagoon or Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik on arrival day.

The full day could then be spent on the Golden Circle or further afield if you don't mind a very long day.

The ring road is fine in the summer but there are lots of warnings about the dangers of winter driving.

With such little time I'd go on a minibus tour. They know where they are going and are used to the driving conditions in winter. (I had originally booked for April and was surprised that that was still winter).

We self drove but it was summer and we had a week, so no more than 4 hours driving most days.

We used Troll Expeditions for a couple of activities and they were great - and a little bit cheaper than some others.

They do Golden Circle tours but also add on going on to Vik via Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls or even to Jökulsárlón if you don't mind a very long day.

The plus point is that they explain what you are looking at, the history and geology, which you don't get on self drive.

titchy · 08/11/2021 20:15

If you go with TUI they include two excursions in the total price.

I wouldn't bother with staying off the beaten track or hiring a car. Two nights is way too short for that sort of exploring. Reykjavik is a nice town to stay in anyway and all the tours start from there.

(I quite liked the blue lagoon though - one free glass of fizzy in the lagoon and a face pack included in the tour, plus very low mist/fog meant it felt like we were the only ones there!)

Cantdecidewhich · 09/11/2021 07:07

Thanks so much for your help, I have sent everything over to him, I am sure it will all be a huge help!

OP posts:
Cantdecidewhich · 09/11/2021 08:18

@Nanasueathome who have they booked trips with please?

Can anyone else please recommend companies for trips please?

OP posts:
Nanasueathome · 09/11/2021 09:10

[quote Cantdecidewhich]@Nanasueathome who have they booked trips with please?

Can anyone else please recommend companies for trips please?[/quote]
Trailfinders
He goes on lots of holidays to all sorts of places and always books bespoke with them

Day5DayandNight5 · 09/11/2021 09:53

Stay more than 2 nights
Stay in Reykjavik
We booked our accommodation, a studio self catering, next to a shop. Food & alcohol is very expensive
We booked tours once there
We did the Golden circle tour with commentary
We did the Northern lights bus tour, which was out in the middle of nowhere, but we did see the lights
We went to the blue lagoon

No need to drive

ChatterMonkey · 09/11/2021 10:01

Two days may not be enough time, especially at that time of year where weather is a big issue.

I went in February a few years ago and most of our excursions were cancelled due to snowstorms. If theres anything that you really want to do and will be dissapointed if you dont, then you need plenty of time to work round any potential weather issues.

Going against the grain to say I loved the blue lagoon! It is touristy, but we did the premium package (with the money we got refunded from our cancelled excursions 🤣) and had our own private changing room, a vip lounge with staff to sort drinks etc, a private exit and entrance to the water, and a beautiful 3 course meal overlooking the lagoon in their restaurant. Was probably the most luxurious thing ive ever done in my life.

Day5DayandNight5 · 09/11/2021 10:13

We went in January, it was extremely cold & windy

BarbaraofSeville · 09/11/2021 10:19

I think TBH you can't hope to do more than scratch the surface of Iceland in one trip.

There's so much to see that you can only see the highlights and a lot of it is very weather/time of year dependent, for example you will probably only see the northern lights at certain times of year and that time of year is mostly/all dark, so not a good time of year for sightseeing to waterfalls, driving around road trip style etc.

PuffinShop · 09/11/2021 10:41

I think it's hardly worth going to Iceland for 2 nights to be honest.

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