I want to go to Iceland

[anna7602]

It seems like this is a drive-around-the-country kind of place, something DD has little tolerance for. So, we could try to ditch her and go on our own, or you ladies could convince me that it is a great place to see with a child.

either way, we have a super limited window during which we could go this year. Basically, it would have to be in late spring. Is that a crap time of year to go? Also, any chance we might get anything out of it if we only went for 2-3 days (we'll already be on a longer trip in Europe in April, so I would consider tacking it on although my preference would be for a stand-alone Iceland trip)?

Tagging GilliC and v.

[Deleted]

Yes, you do want to go to Iceland.

We went for a long weekend (left on Thursday night; came back on Monday) and that was a good amount of time to see the stuff by Reykjavik, though I greatly regret not having one more day so we could have taken a day trip to Greenland. Next time!  

It is super easy to get to from New York (4-5 hour flight), so I think it is a great standalone trip.

We went over Labor Day, which is probably somewhat similar to late spring. The days were long (great for long drives) but not absurdly so, and the weather was cool but not awful, so I thought it was a good time to go. Pack for the COOOOLD and wet though.

I don't have a kid so I don't know how kid-friendly it would be... but I will note that the best day we had there included about 9 hours of driving (driving out to Jokulsarlon and stopping at some other awesome stuff along the way), so...

So you can get a sense of what we accomplished in our time there:  

Friday: landed; checked into hotel; napped; explored Reykjavik (there's a church we went to, we went to the National Museum, and we wandered around the shops and such... you only need about half a day for this stuff)

Saturday: south coast drive to Jokulsarlon

Sunday: Golden Circle

Monday: did a bit more exploring in Reykjavik; Blue Lagoon on way to airport; flew home.

That was a perfect amount of time for that area, but again -- wish we had had one more day so we could have gone to Greenland.  Still, you can do a lot in 3 days.

[GilliC]

I'm the wrong person to ask about a short trip, because I was soooo glad we had more time. We spent three days on the south coast alone, and Jokulsarlon was a huge highlight. If you can't do the long drive, it is possible to fly to a town in the southeast and then it's only an hour or so west.

There is plenty to do around Reykjavik and you could easily fill 3 days. And if you can't do an extended road trip, it would be hard to see a lot of the other areas anyway.

[frlcb]

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

[GilliC]

Jan 24, 2014 14:27:34 GMT -5 frlcb said:

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

I disagree with the bolded. I do think you can see some of the highlights of the country in that time, but most of the country is so much different from the area around Reykjavik and even the south coast. I think to really get a good sense of the country, you at least need to see some of the really barren areas like the interior or the northeast where it's miles and miles of nothing. If you drove up towards the start of the Kjöllur route, you could get an idea, but I don't think it sinks in until you've been driving for hours without seeing any towns, people, or even plant life for miles in any direction.

I suppose if it was a clear day and you did a fly-over, you could get a sense of the emptiness without driving more than a day out of Reykjavik, but that's a pretty big variable weather-wise.

i still think it's worth a short visit, but I just don't think the area around the capital is very indicative of most of the rest of the country.

[wanderlustfoodie]

v's itinerary was the one I did the first time I visited Iceland over a long weekend. I've been back since to see other areas but haven't yet made it north to Akureyri or the west fjords. I think it's a very easy trip to do for a long weekend if you base yourself in Reyk, and you would see a lot, especially since it stays light out for so many hours every day (even in late spring). That said, if you do Jokulsarlon as a day trip from Reyk, it is going to be a loooong day, which is something to keep in mind since you'll have a young child who might not be up for a 14-hour travel day.

[sunshinedaydreams]

We were only in Iceland for 3 days on a stopover to Europe, and I feel like we saw a lot and got a good taste of Iceland, but we definitely want to go back. It wasn't nearly enough time to see everything.

With 2-3 days you'll probably want to stick to just the Reykjavik area. But even then, a lot of the excursions you can go on out of that area have fairly long drives to get to them. Not sure how that would be with DD. I think the Golden Circle sights were at least an hour outside of Reykjavik. And then there was a bit of driving (20-30 min) in between each place - Geysir, Gulfoss and Thingvellir.

[sb]

My coworker is going to Iceland in a few weeks, and I'm so jealous. It's one of my bucket list trips for sure.

[CloudBee]

I can't wait to take DS because there is SO much to do. Yes, you would want to rent a car and drive around, but things are fairly close.

We almost booked a trip with DS for the spring, but... gasp... booked a Disney Cruise instead. (DH's idea.)

There were kids everywhere we went. Even in the Blue Lagoon.

[anasara]

We spent 3 days in Iceland on our way to France in May 2012 since it was free on Iceland Air.   We rented a car. 
Day 1: drove the southern coast to Vik & back, stopping @ various waterfalls & other interesting places along the way.  We arrived @ 6am & couldn't get into our place til after 3 so I just powered through on no sleep like I normally do.
Day 2: puttered around Reykjavin & spent the afternoon @ Blue Lagoon.  Wrecked my hair for like a week but so relaxing.  Reykjavik reminded me a lot of Bowen's Wharf back home in RI.
Day 3: Golden Circle.

[anna7602]

Jan 24, 2014 14:27:34 GMT -5 frlcb said:

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

Why is going in the Blue Lagoon verboten while pregnant?

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2014 8:02:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Jan 24, 2014 14:27:34 GMT -5 frlcb said:

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

Why is going in the Blue Lagoon verboten while pregnant?

It's like a hot tub.

www.bluelagoon.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/3/bathing-in-the-blue-lagoon/can-pregnant-women-bathe-in-the-lagoon/52/

[frlcb]

Jan 31, 2014 8:02:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Jan 24, 2014 14:27:34 GMT -5 frlcb said:

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

Why is going in the Blue Lagoon verboten while pregnant?

Yeah, equivalent to a hot tub. I am sure people do it but I didn't feel comfortable doing it.

[Susie]

I went to the Reykjavik area for a quick Thurs-Mon trip last year, and felt like I got a good feel for the Reykjavik area, but not for the country.  We went in August, the same weekend as the Reykjavik marathon.  Our itinerary went something like this:

Thurs:  land at KEF in the morning.  Bus to Reykjavik.  Tour Reyjavik on foot, probably walked 10 miles that day.  Felt like we saw most of the city.




Fri, got a bus out to where we could go horseback riding on Icelandic horses.  The landscape looked sort of similar to, albeit a bit greener than, the Burren in Ireland.



Sat - Boat tour to go see puffins, the Blue Lagoon after some friends ran the half marathon.




Sun - we did a bus tour that went to:

Þingvallavatn National park (where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet + largest lake in Iceland)


Gullfoss


Langjökull Glacier


Geysir


Then Monday morning we flew home to New York.

It was totally the tourist preview of Iceland, but it was enjoyable even though I know I didn't see all that Iceland has to offer.  Sometimes you can't let the perfect trip be the enemy of the good trip that you can fit in your schedule, KWIM?

[anna7602]

Wow, thanks for the pictures, Susie! Amazing!

[CloudBee]

Jan 31, 2014 8:02:39 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Jan 24, 2014 14:27:34 GMT -5 frlcb said:

I went for 4 days and it was perfect for what we wanted to see. We did Reykjavik, and some of the closer things like Gullfoss and whatever the geysir is, did a whale watching tour, we went to the Blue Lagoon (I didn't go in because I was pregnant). I think if you want to just go for 2-3 days you would get a good sense of the country. We stayed with friends who have kids and it is definitely a kid friendly country.

Why is going in the Blue Lagoon verboten while pregnant?

Hot tubs are off limits early in pregnancy, and many doctors don't allow it straight through. Even if you don't go in it's worth visiting. Your DH/DD can go in, and you can walk around outside, and then sit in the café. The café has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lagoon.