Iceland advice - May half term

[CoolShoeshine]

Have been pondering an Iceland trip for next May. Aware that this is the wrong time of year for seeing the Northern Lights but would prefer to go when not freezing cold.
However, have read that because May is neither winter or summer it is considered off-season. This has put me off somewhat as I wouldn’t like to go when things are closed.
Main things we want to do are to see a bit of the landscape- volcano, geyser, waterfalls etc, swim in a lagoon and also go whale watching. Are tours for these activities likely to be running in May?
one other concern is the expense. The flight and hotel costs are fine and we have a rough idea of tour costs. Even though we are not on a strict budget we wouldn’t want to spend silly money on food and drink. We’d probably have breakfast at our hotel but what about lunch and dinner options? Is there anything reasonably priced? Can we pick up bits from supermarkets?
Thanks for advice

May is a brilliant time to go! Nothing will be closed except the highlands. You'll be able to drive around easily, the light nights are amazing, the summer birds have arrived including puffins. The new spring growth will just be coming through. It's a gorgeous time of year!

Travel around, don't just stay in Reykjavík. Swim in the normal pools. Get some alcohol from the duty free in the airport if you drink. Cheapest supermarket is probably Bónus. Krónan is fine too. Hagkaup is more expensive and 10-11 is taking the piss, that's just for tourists. It's easy to do picnic lunches for not too much. Dinner will be a bit expensive if you eat out, but there are cheaper options around. Don't do tours except whale watching, much better to hire a car and do it yourself.

Hi @Puffinshop thanks for advice - I’m really pleased that May is a good time. I absolutely would love to see puffins 😍
Picnic lunches sound good. So is it reasonably easy to self drive? We are not very experienced in driving out of the UK.
When you say about swimming in normal pools, where do you recommend please?

We went a long time ago, the public looks were pretty much all we could afford to do! They have a range of hot pools at the side. We went in dome natural saunas too. Go horse riding if you like horses, they are a unique breed.

It's very easy driving here. As soon as you're out of the city it's just miles and miles of mostly empty single carriageway road with very few turnings and clear views all around. Obviously there are a few things to be aware of but overall it's much much easier than driving in the UK, especially in the spring when you won't need to worry about snow and ice and storms are unlikely.

Almost every little town has its own outdoor geothermal pool. They are brilliant, I've never encountered a bad one. Though some do stand out. Hofsós for example is something really special. In the capital area, I like Seltjarnarnes pool for a nice everyday pool, Lágafellslaug in Mosfellsbær for slides, Álftanes pool for general fanciness. https://sundlaugar.is/en/

@CoolShoeshine Self driving is an absolute doddle. Just stick to the speed limit! We saw lots of locals being caught one day. The roads are good and well signed. There are more challenging roads and you need a 4x4 for these. That’s a better vehicle anyway.

Husavik is best for whale watching and you should get some sightings in May. We also did a super jeep tour. Loved it!

The northern lights are not guaranteed ever so definitely go in May as you will enjoy a lot more.

For puffins, either go up to the West Fjords and do that area (it's stunning) - Látrabjörg is a puffin paradise. Or if you prefer to go along the south coast, take the ferry to the Westman Islands. That's one of the most wonderful spots in the country and most people skip it!

Would you recommend a trip at Easter time (mid April)? We don't get a May half-term in Scotland and I really really want to go.

It's OK then, might get a bit of snow but it won't settle. Sleet and cold rain is likely - there is a word in Icelandic, páskahret, that means 'Easter sleet/cold' because it does seem to be like that most years!

It's a bit brown and soggy still usually but the light is good. Snow is usually still on the mountains which is beautiful. It's late winter - spring won't be there yet. Generally the landscape's not really at its best in late winter but this is Iceland, so a landscape not at its best is still drop dead gorgeous to be honest.

We have always been impressed with the state of the roads and how quiet they are in Iceland. You will be fine driving in May.

What a perfectly timed thread for me, I booked today for ds and I to go in October half term.
We're hiring a car so I'm glad to hear the driving is easy - what are our chances of seeing whales in October?

Is Blue lagoon worth the expense?

I'm not really an expert on whales so I'll leave that one.

Blue Lagoon is a rip off in my opinion, there are nicer options. It's not some natural wonder, it's the run off from a power plant. I'd just go to another pool or hot spring. But I know a lot of people do consider it a must do.

In October you have a chance that you will encounter an autumn storm, defined as whenwind speeds reach 45 mph +. Watch out for weather warnings and don't do anything silly.

The food and drinks were so expensive that I would actually pack something I could make up for lunch like pot noodles and lots of sachets of hot chocolate.

Definitely don't get anything at the cafe at the Blue Lagoon. We did it as part of an organised trip that lasted most of the day and were starving - two paninis, one pack of crisps, a water and a Diet Coke was nearly £60!!!

Haha that's mental even for Iceland! When we get a meal out or a takeaway for 2 adults and 2 kids it's about 35 quid. Not including drinks though.

@balzamico The weather can be very changeable, even in September. As we found out. Snow and very high winds one day. We had to hole up for 3 hours in a car park. So listen to the weather forecast. Book a 4x4.

Whale watching is better in the summer. However October has whale trips but obviously weather dependent and coooold! Husavik is the best place to get trips.

I wouldn't bother with the blue lagoon. There are other lovely hot pools that feel less commercial.

I’m really thankful for the advice given on this thread - have googled the pools and didn’t realise that there are masses of geothermal outdoor pools, so that saves money on the Blue Lagoon for starters. Plus the cost of paninis there has put me off somewhat.
Takeaways for £35ish sounds doable for the evening and will pack loads of pot noodles and crisps for lunch, and buy duty free wine, excellent ideas!
Just need to get my head round an easy self drive itinerary and I’ll be good to book!

We haven't ever found takeaways as cheap as that I'm afraid, but we have only been on holiday and not lived there so no doubt have missed a trick or two.

But whatever the cost, you will love it I'm sure. It's an amazing country.

Caveat on the meal price: my kids don't eat that much because they're primary age - if you have teenagers who need adult portions it'll be more. But our local pizza restaurant (which is really good) will do a massive pizza that is plenty for a hungry adult for under 3000 ISK. Two of those do us fine.

Me and my mate often go out for wings and a beer and the food costs us about 5000.

I wouldn't expect to pay more than 3000 per adult for a meal anywhere we go regularly, although of course fancier options are available.

That makes more sense - teens with us.

Definitely self drive. Trip adviser has some good itinerary ideas. If you can get to the glacier lake and diamond beach, def prebook.

personally I’d do the blue lagoon. It’s a bit of fun.

@CoolShoeshine Theres not a huge variety of routes! The ring road goes around the coast. There are of course inland options. We based our route on Lonely Planet recommendations. Work out if you want to see a lot at a slower pace or drive around the whole ring road route but not stopping so much.

I agree with all the previous comments that it’s an easy place to self drive - given you can drive a manual. I’ve driven in a lot of countries but only automatic (I know, I know, but I grew up somewhere automatic was the norm and when I tried to learn later in life, my instincts were all wrong so I am just a much safer driver without changing gears!) and Iceland is the only place I struggled to be able to hire a care.

There were a few places that had a couple automatics but the rates were sky high in comparison and once we had driven route one I understood - in an automatic you would be braking down hills constantly and the car would need constant repairs. So just be prepared to drive a manual.

Blue Lagoon is essentially an iconic tourist trap and the natural spots are better, but if you would feel more comfortable with other tourists than with locals, then go to BL but don’t eat there. Do look up advice if you have any treatment to your hair at all. I went in with permanently dyed hair and came out with an entirely different colour, and a friend who has her curls relaxed had an unexpected result too. We both laughed it off but then realised it would be horrible if you had something like a wedding or an interview shortly after!

Enjoy your adventure!

The decent 4x4s are automatics. Ours was.

Would anybody like to recommend great geothermal pools within a drive if Reykjavik if we don't do the Blue Lagoon please?