Iceland recommendations?

[georgeglass]

We are going to Iceland for our Spring Break - last one with the kids in high school - and would love recommendations. We know it will be cold/wet/windy so also welcome gear recommendations. So far, we're planning on staying in Reykjavik one night and then staying at Torfhus Retreat and Hotel Ranga. Snorkeling in Silfra seems very cool to me, so we booked a family tour for that.

Thanks for sharing thoughts on things to see/places to go/restaurants, etc.

[erbear]

Iceland is so cool. Definitely hit the Blue Lagoon (touristy but cool), Golden Circle (hidden lagoon, geyser, the waterfall, the park). We went horseback riding on the Snauflsness (totes spelled wrong) Peninsula and it was awesome

[neonpink]

I went in December and would love to visit again. As my weather was so different from what you’ll experience I’ll give you some other thoughts. The people are amazing and so friendly. Food is expensive. We rented an apartment but food at the grocery store is expensive too. Everything I ate was good just a bit more expensive than I’d thought.

[dutchgirl678]

We were supposed to go to Iceland in 2020 but it got canceled due to Covid. I am hoping we can go next August but I'm not sure yet. I can't really recommend places to stay since our budget is a lot lower than the two places you mention. I did find these two places that I wanted to save for us:

West Iceland Log cabin www.vrbo.com/3750312ha?unitId=3765060
$241 per night with 4 bedrooms. It seems to be in an ideal location to visit the Snaefellsness peninsula and to drive to the Golden Circle

Or closer to the Golden Circle:
www.booking.com/hotel/is/mosas-cottages.en-us.html

Black Beach Suites near Vik, good for exploring the South Coast
www.booking.com/hotel/is/black-beach-suites.html

For activities we would do:
- day trip Snaefellsness peninsula
- day trip Golden Circle
- Snorkeling Silfra
- drive to Vik, stopping at some waterfalls etc on the way
- day trip around Vik
- drive back to Reykjavik
- half day Blue Lagoon

[goodygumdrop]

Went in 2019

Glacier Lagoon at Jökulsárlón National Park

Diamond Beach

We did an experience where they drive you up onto a glacier (Vatnajökull - largest glacier in Europe) and then you get out and get to go inside an ice cave, super cool!


Thingvellir National Park - The island has around 130 volcanoes, of which 30 are active! The division between the American and Eurasian tectonic plates that crosses Iceland from south to North and were able to see the fault line at þingvellir National Park.


Geothermal bakery at Laugarvatn Fontana - they bake the bread in the ground thanks to the heat from the hot springs

There is a Big Lebowski Bar which is kinda fun in Reykjavik, tons of cool street art too

Svarta Kaffid in Reykjavik for amazing soup in bread bowls, omg it was so good!