Iceland, thermal pools, platelets, ice caves etc... how do we plan this trip

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DS was chatting about Iceland and how one of his school friends had gone and visited the thermal poos, ice caves, and plateletts he said I'd love to go and see and take in a different country and culture.

So where do I start, any advice on what to do, where to stay?

I'd start looking at self-drive tour packages. We used a company called Discover the World.

It's a very easy country to plan for as basically you drive around the edge of the island. That said, we hired a 4 x 4 so that we could see more of the interior, which I really recommend.

Didn't see any thermal poos though!

Food is incredibly expensive so plan to diet

You do drive around the edge of the island basically if you want to see all. Alternatively base yourself in Reykjavik and then take tours out to the Golden Circle. It’s a well know route covering several of the biggest ‘attractions’. I’d do a self drive to be able to choose how long you take at each.

Expect rain. If it’s winter expect snow and the roads to be closed or covered in snow. If you want to see the Northern Lights you need to go in winter and watch the cloud cover carefully whilst there to grab an opportunity.

Wonderful country. I’d go back tomorrow if I could.

I went last summer for the first time and then again this summer. I love Iceland!

I'd recommend going in the summer as the days are so long, giving you much more time to do things. The first time we stayed in an Airbnb in Reykjavik and bought the City Card which gets you unlimited travel on buses in and around Reykjavik, into the many swimming pools which are open from early morning till about 9 or 10pm, and in to museums and galleries. We did the Golden Circle tour with Greyline Coach Tours. The airport is about 50 minutes drive from Reykjavik and we got the Flybus to and from the airport, booking in advance online.

This year, I hired a car and we stayed in hostels. First and last nights in Reykjavik, then travelled up the West Coast - stayed a couple of nights in hostels there, then stayed in a couple of different locations along the South Coast. Eating out is eye-watering expensive, but they love hot dogs, which are reasonable, widely available from stands and service stations, and pretty nice. Bonus is a good supermarket for food to cook in hostels. I joined Hostelling International and got about 10% discount. Apart from the hostel in Reykavik we, my teenage DS and I, stayed in twin rooms so it's not all about sharing dorms with strangers!

Last year we flew with EasyJet and this year with Wowair which is an Icelandic budget airline. Rented car from Blue Car rentals - pick up and drop off from the airport - 5 minutes walk from terminal building. The speed limits are lower than here, and once you're out of the city, the roads are very quiet. There really is only the one major route round Iceland, the Ring Road, with other minor roads off. Some are not suitable for anything less than a 4x4, but you can get pretty much to see what you want from paved roads.

A couple of websites I like are
icelandmag.is
www.inspiredbyiceland.com/plan-your-trip

You won't regret going. It is an amazing place!

I've visited in January, when it was cold. Booked the flights and accommodation separately. Stayed in self catering situated next to a small super market. Booked trips at tourist information like blue lagoon hot pools, golden circle, Northern lights. We didn't drive ourselves. Food and drink is expensive. It is a magical place, I'd like to visit again in the summer in the future.

We hired a camper van a few years ago in August and stayed on camp sites (EHU) to tour the southern half of the island for a week. We chose to stop at places which had a local pool (all geo thermally heated) where we ended each day. Food is very expensive and the cheapest place to buy alcohol is the duty free at the airport so make sure you buy some on arrival. It was a fantastic experience - one of our favourite family holidays.

Ooh. So glad to have found this, I was going to start the same thread myself.
Particularly helpful answer from SeeingaDistance but thanks to all for sharing.
We're just coming to a stage when it will just be me and dh for holidays and - for the first time ever - won't need to be in school holidays! Opens up whole new world to us

I'm also planning a trip to Iceland for me and DD aged 16. Wondering when the best time will be thinking between Oct and Feb for northern lights. I would not have the guts to drive though.

I would suggest either early-to-mid Oct or late Feb for a first winter visit. That way you still have a decent amount of daylight for day tours as well as the chance of seeing the lights (you can still do day tours Nov-Jan of course, but you might be setting out and coming home in the dark). There are lots of options for day tours so no need to drive if you're not confident.

Definitely best to hire a car and drive yourself. We drove the ring road last September, over 7 nights. I’d say 10 would be the ideal amount so you didn’t have to move each day / drive so far. We just planned our own route and booked accommodation ourselves, no need for a travel agent, there’s loads of info online.

The weather was mixed in September, mostly cloudy with a few periods of heavy rain and one snow storm in the north, but also some beautiful sunny days. We did also get to see the northern lights one night, although they were quite faint.

Would it be doable for around £1000 pp including flights in July do people think? Camper van hire looks pretty expensive.

We hired a car and drove round the island with a couple of nights in Reykjavik at hte beginning and end. It was our honeymoon so took a little over 2 weeks. We went June/July and the weather was brilliant.

It was over 20 years ago, but we went with a company called Arctic Experience, who I think were part of Discover the World. They organised the whole thing for us - flights, car hire , accommodation ad itinerary, following discussions as to what we would like. It was amazing.

I would love to go back again in winter to see the Northern Lights, but haven't quite managed it yet.

We booked flights direct with EasyJet and accommodation separately though HomeAway and stayed near Gulfoss falls in a log cabin - bliss. The airport is a good 45 minutes from Reykjavík so bear that in mind.

We hired a 4x4 from Blue car rental at the airport. Expensive, but everything is in Iceland!!
Driving was a pleasure; don't be put off or it would lessen your experience. Having the freedom to go wherever, whenever is fab. The roads are extremely well maintained and quiet, except when in towns obviously.

If I was to go again, I would stop at the Blue Lagoon straight from the airport and then head to Reykjavík for a couple of nights. Then I would travel inland to see the other sights, maybe booking accommodation like a road trip as the distances are vast. Staying in one location is quite restrictive - bear in mind the hours of daylight are limited most of the year.

ooh this is great I am also planning a trip and don't know where to start

"bear in mind the hours of daylight are limited most of the year" - outside of late Oct to Feb they really aren't. Thats why NL tours dont run after mid April, as the days are too long by then until September.

I've been lucky enough to do several visits (be warned - Iceland can be addictive!) and had a range of experiences from self-driving, doing small group day tours, taking internal flights etc and all have been fab experiences with their own pro's and cons e.g. gaining local knowledge on small tours v independence of your own car, time at sights etc. I would never say dont drive in winter but winter conditions can be very unpredictable and harsh so do a lot of research if considering that on a first visit (some excellent driving advice on these sites: safetravel.is and www.road.is/travel-info/driving-safely-in-iceland/).

I think I'm looking at the last week in August now for a week. I know we won't get to see NL but the days are much longer, is a week too long ? I will not be driving, want to do blue lagoon, golden circle what else is there ? Day chilling at beginning and end also just in the area. Found cheap flights and a good self catering apartment, for both of us looks around £1700 all in. Whereas end of Oct was coming in at £1100 for 5 days. So hard making a decision Oct or aug, Oct would be last week going into beg Nov.

V1298

You’ll want to get out of the South West of the country if you’re going for a week. Yes, the golden circle is really impressive, but it’s so so crowded compared to other places. Would recommend snorkelling Silfra, it’s amazing!

If you carry further along the south coast there’s the black sand beaches by Vik, glaciers that you can walk to, plenty of amazing waterfalls, the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and diamond beach...

The East fjords are beautiful and so quiet.

In the North, whale watching (would highly recommend doing this with Dalvik whale watching - amazing and no other boats around!), Akureyri town, more huge waterfalls, Myvatn lake and nature baths, geothermal area (smelly fumeroles!), Trollaskagi peninsula (beautiful), can even get the ferry to Grimsey to be inside the arctic circle.

In the West, Kirkjufell, ice caves, beautiful coastline...

There’s so so much to see but it depends how you want to get around.

@V1298 - yes it is a hard decision, but a week at the end of August is not too long at all (and you do have a small chance of seeing the lights at the end of August if you are up very late, its not unheard of).

As you're not driving you are looking at tours - there are public buses in Iceland but they are not geared up for efficient tourist sightseeing outside the city. But there are many great day tours available (and 2day/1night tours) that you can easily take as far south-east as Jokulsarlon or up west to the Snaefellsness Peninsular. Some tour operators also offer discounts if you book more than one tour with them.

You can also do shorter tours from Reykjavik to do glacier hikes and explore lava tubes, or sightseeing tours that also include these activities. You can also spend a day (or more) checking out the Reykjavik sights, art and museums, pools, the geothermal beach and there's a good nature park reachable on the city bus route too.

So lots to fill a week even if choosing to be based in Reykjavik and not driving.

Just one last point though, check your apartment is in central Reykjavik. I've heard complaints recently that folk are booking accommodations advertised as Reykjavik but they are actually located well outside the centre and if you dont have a car it can make a stay a lot trickier (for airport transfers, tour pickups etc).

Enjoy your planning!

Thank you, apartment says 5 mins from church and main road ? 101 area ?
So would you recommend a week in aug rather than 5 days in Oct/Nov ? Xx

You can do the blue lagoon as part of an airport transfer btw, worth bearing in mind if time is short.

Such a fab thread! Feeling totally inspired to add this to my places to visit this year!

Your location sounds fine (I assume you know larger buses are banned from the inner city centre, but there is a pick up stop at the side of the Hallgrimskirkja church).

Its a hard call re timing but if you are less bothered about trying to see the lights then the end of August has the benefit of much longer days for sightseeing and less chance of extreme weather (although in Iceland you can never be sure of that!).

Sounds good thank you, if we like we can always do a winter trip another time lol x
I was going to look into doing the Blue lagoon in the day of landing due to early morning arrival. After that I guess I'll have find way to city x

yes, dont bank on it being a one and only visit!

Its straightforward enough to transfer from the airport to the Lagoon and then onto Reykjavik and available either via the BL website or the main airport transfer operators (sorry, I'm not sure what the MN policy is re suggesting specific operators so I wont add here but you should be able to find easily via google).

You need to book your BL entrance in advance these days too.

Do you recommend aug or Oct ? I can do 7 nights aug and 5 nights Oct, but Oct trip would only give us 4 days due to times of flights. Will daylight hours aug be better for trips like golden circle, south coast etc ? Xx