My husband and I had our second wedding reception in the US and already bought our return flight from Prague to California. A few weeks after the purchase, Adam came up with the idea to do a coast to coast road trip, driving from the west coast to the east coast. That meant that we had to forfeit the return leg of our light and book another one-way ticket to Prague from whichever airport on the east coast. We used Kiwi and found cheap flights departing from New York with a short layover in major European cities, one of them is Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Upon seeing Reykjavik destination, Adam got another idea that we should also visit Iceland on this trip. I had been in Iceland, spending more than two weeks with an adventure tour group and camping all over the country. I had no intention to go back because first I had seen most of it, and second we packed for summer (June) California weather and would need to stuff winter clothing into our already-full luggage. Iceland was kinda on Adam’s bucket list of places to see, and after all, this was still our honeymoon trip. Finally, we decided to include Iceland into our journey and picked a flight with the longest layover in Reykjavik, 24 hours.
Reykjavik is a lovely city on its own right, but people don’t travel to Iceland to stay just in the capital. On the other hand, it’s difficult to not stick to the capital because sights in Iceland are scattered across the countries. There is no frequent and extensive public transportation network as you see in most European countries. To get the best out of Iceland, you need to join a tour or rent a car.
While one day is not ideal, but no amount of time in Iceland is too brief. You can still hit some of Iceland’s most breathtaking sights and make the most of this tight window. Before you do anything, consider renting a car. We got ours at Sixt. And now see below for the top places to hit if you ever spend a day in Iceland!
We flew into Keflavik, the fifth largest city in Iceland and home to Keflavik Airport (KEF). The city provides a more local, small-town feel to the largest city and capital of Iceland, Reykjavík. The fishing town is also close to the famous Blue Lagoon, so don’t pass it by. I recommend staying here to hit all the biggest landmarks while still maintaining incredible accessibility to the airport.
We first leaned towards staying in Reykjavík to get to see the capital more but ended up staying at an Airbnb in Keflavik. The rental was a few minutes drive from the airport, very convenient for us to drive back to the airport early in the morning and dropped off our car at Sixt.
Our Airbnb accommodation in Keflavik
Sixt and other car rentals
Keflavik seafront
The Blue Lagoon is the most famous spa in Iceland and open year-round to travelers wishing to bathe in its warm seawater averaging 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius). The lagoon is known for offering treatments for skin conditions such as psoriasis, and it renews the waters in it every 48 hours, so it’s always fresh. It’s perfect to enjoy late at night in the summer or under the Northern lights in the winter.
On the way to the Blue Lagoon, we found this site
The blue lagoon
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, in the southwest corner of Iceland, a bridge now connects two pieces of land that were formerly the continents of Europe and North America. The peninsula exists on a major tectonic plate boundary: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. As the plates have continually separated, the bridge was built to symbolize the connection the two continents. Definitely worth a visit!
The Bridge between continents
In the same region of southwest Iceland, you can find the area of Gunnuhver. This spot is named after a female ghost who haunted the area until she was trapped by a priest and fell into the spring. Now, you’ll find mud pools and steam in this geothermal field. Although a bit eerie, this is a great spot to visit and travelers stay safe on the wooden observation platforms nearby.
The hot spring is apparently active
Finally, no trip to Iceland is complete without a trip to the capital! Reykjavik is full of landmarks and things to do. Hallgrímskirkja Church is a must-see with its unique design that can be spotted from almost anywhere in the city. The church features a remarkable pipe organ inside and a massive statue of Leif Erikson, the first European discoverer of America, outside. In the city center, walk down Laugavegur, one of the oldest streets in Reykjavik. The street is home to restaurants, shops, bars, second-hand and vintage stores. Grab a bite to eat with an Icelandic twist right here. Finish off your visit at the seafront. A famous statue, the Solfar Sun Voyager, can be found here and is meant to inspire dreams, imagination, light, and hope.
Hallgrímskirkja – the Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík
Walking downtown Reykjavík at midnight
Reykjavik at midnight
Interested in learning more about Iceland? Plan your own trip and be sure to check out all of the highly recommended spots above!
This music is a very good introduction to Iceland, one of my favorite countries on Earth. Iceland, in reality, is exactly like that: the breathtaking landscape with wide-open, empty, icy space.
Even the fairy-like love story depicted in the video is a part of Icelandic folklore tradition. In Iceland, people still respect the belief that elves are living among them.
Very good stuff. Simple explanation for a highly complicated subject. I wish I watched this video before my trip to Iceland as I would have understood more my surrounding.
Even if you’re not fond of natural science (I’m not), you should still watch it if you plan a visit Iceland. Nature is a big part of Iceland. Chances are you’ll emerge in it during your entire time there. The earth, the volcanoes, and others will be your main experiences.
[slickr-flickr tag=”tj-iceland” captions=”on” descriptions=”on” type=”galeria”]
It’s a long time since I feel truly satisfied during my traveling. To remind those who don’t know what I’ve been doing at the moment, I’m currently trying to finish off Europe; that is to visit every official country in Europe. The first 5, great. The next 10, also cool. But after seeing 40 some countries, there wasn’t much to discover anymore. I felt I had seen and known it all: the similar architecture, food, people and even the routine at the airport.
1. Sight-seeing in Reykjavik, visit museums and galleries, people watching, sample Iceland seafood
2. Do the Golden Circle to Pingvellir National Park (Iceland’s most important historical site, world’s oldest parliament), Geysir (geyser field) and Gullfoss (the golden waterfall)
I usually don’t say this about men, but I’m in awe by the like of this man ;-). Ironically, it was my boyfriend who “introduced” us by showing me youtube videos of Bear Grylls and gushing about this guy.
Seeing these videos pumps me up a bit although there is no chance I’m going to attempt any of these survive tricks.
Update: Where is Iceland? I’ve just returned from the trip. See my mini Iceland travel guide for tips for your next trip to this country.
“There aren’t many places on the planet where u can walk behind waterfall, climb onto a glacier, explore a lava cave, marvel at an erupting volcano, sail among iceberg on a glacial lake, watch water erupting into the air from a geyser and scuba dive along the rift between 2 continental plates, all in one weekend” – Frommer travel guide
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
