If you are even remotely thinking about a trip to Iceland, I am sure you have seen numerous pictures of waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes and of course the Northern Lights. I used to think of Iceland as this far off land that was difficult to reach, but thanks to direct and inexpensive flights, the westernmost country in Europe is now an easy flight away. During a recent trip to a friend’s wedding in England, my husband and I decided to take advantage of the free stopover in Iceland that is allowed by both Icelandair and Wow Airlines. These “stopovers” allow you to stay in Iceland for up to a week without purchasing a separate airline ticket. We were lucky enough to spend 3 days and nights in Reykjavik and definitely made the most out of our time there!!

We had a few flight delays that caused us to arrive late Wednesday night instead of Wednesday afternoon. My original plan was to go on a Northern Lights tour that evening but as luck goes our tour was cancelled the night before. We weren’t fortunate enough to see the aurora borealis during our time in Iceland because there was very limited geomagnetic activity. I guess we will just have to visit another nordic country :).

Day 1- Golden Circle Tour and Reykjavik city sightseeing

The Golden Circle is the most common and most popular day tour from Reykjavik because it visits a variety of sights and it is relatively close to the capital city. There are A LOT of tours to choose from, so I went with a more inexpensive option that added an extra stop that most tours didn’t include.

The first stop was Thingvellir National Park, the home of Iceland’s parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries. Aside from it’s historic significance, the park also sits in a rift between two tectonic plates. We arrived just as the sun was rising (at 10 am!) which provided some beautiful lighting of the area.

The landscape of Iceland is very unique mainly because it is a relatively new volcanic island. It sits on two tectonic plates and has a lot of active geothermal areas. Our next stop was one of these areas, home to numerous bubbly springs and an active geyser named Strokkur. It erupts every few minutes and spouts water as high as 98 feet in the air. The area definitely has a sulphur smell and beware of the hot water as it could burn you almost instantly.

The third stop on our Golden Circle Tour was the waterfall Gullfoss. There are two levels to this waterfall with the total drop being about 105 feet. It is extremely beautiful in the winter but the area around the waterfall was very cold and windy!

Our last stop of the day, the Kerid volcanic crater, is not typically on a Golden Circle Tour. Although it was still beautiful, I believe the crater is much more photogenic in the summer when the surrounding area is lush and green. We were able to brave the wind and walk all the way round the rim of the crater.

We were dropped off in Reykjavik about 5 pm and spent the next few hours exploring the city and grabbing dinner. The main historic center of Reykjavik is easy to walk around with most main attractions very close together. One of the tallest and most recognizable structures in Iceland is the Hallgrimskirkja Church, a Lutheran church that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.

Beware that food in Iceland is extremely expensive, but my husband and I enjoyed the fresh seafood that is available. Other popular foods include lamb and Skyr, a type of yogurt that is similar to Greek yogurt. For dinner in Reykjavik, we chose the quaint Solon Bistro which was very warm and inviting.

If you have more time Reykjavik, particularly during daylight, I would encourage you to explore the harbor and waterfront areas. Harpa, a conference center and concert hall with beautiful architecture and the Sun Voyager, a sculpture representing a Viking ship, are both popular sights.

Day 2- South Coast Tour 

I had a difficult time deciding between a tour of the south coast of Iceland or a tour of the Snaefellsnes Penninsula on the Western edge of Iceland. After reading some reviews, I ultimately decided that the latter would be more beautiful in the summer and chose the south coast. There are once again a lot of options for a south coast tour, but the attraction that drew me in was the Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon and diamond beach. I will warn you that these are far away from Reykjavik and to go there and back in one day makes for a long tour (14 hours to be exact). It is possible to take an overnight tour to the area but we simply did not have enough time in our stopover to do this. With that being said, this tour was the highlight of our trip and definitely worth it!

Our tour started with a stop at two different waterfalls, the first being Seljalandsfoss. During the summer, it is possible to walk behind this 200 foot waterfall, but the path is way too icy during the winter.

The second waterfall, which you can actually see from the road, was the 197 foot Skogafoss waterfall. Again, this waterfall looks very different in the summer when it is surrounded by lush green grass.

While travelling the south coast, don’t expect many cities or fancy restaurants. There are times we would drive for an hour or more without seeing more than a few farms. Because of this, both our lunch and dinner that day were at gas station grills and consisted of a burger and fries with a chocolate bar 🙂 Other than the lack of restaurants, I thought the area was stunning and was mesmerized by the view from the bus window of endless glaciers and mountains on one side and the rugged coast on the other.

After about 4 hours of driving, we finally reached the Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon. It sits at the end of the Vatnajokull glacier and is full of icebergs that have broken off of the glacier. The lagoon is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a short waterway. During the winter there are seals that call the area home and during the summer it is possible to take a boat ride on the lagoon.

If you follow the waterway from the glacier lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean, you will come to Diamond Beach. It is a black sand beach where hundreds of icebergs have washed ashore and provide an absolutely stunning landscape! We couldn’t stop taking pictures from all angles and the sunset that occurred while we were there just made the views that much more dramatic.

Day 3- Blue Lagoon

Iceland is well known for its plentiful hot springs, but the Blue Lagoon is definitely the most famous and is a must have experience while in the country. It is located about 20 minutes from the Keflavik airport and is often done on your way to or from the airport. Our flight back to the USA was not until 5 pm so we opted to go to the Blue Lagoon the morning before we left. There are several different bus companies that combine transportation from Reykjavik to the Blue Lagoon and then to the airport with admission to the lagoon included. We opted for the tour from Grayline Iceland and had no issues with any of the transportation. There is luggage storage outside the entrance of the Blue Lagoon and costs about $5 per bag.

There are several different types of admission to the Blue Lagoon, some including use of towels, drinks from the swim up bar or different types of skin care masks. We opted for the basic admission that includes a silica mask to use while in the water and use of a day locker. We did bring our own quick dry travel towels instead of paying for one there. The Blue Lagoon complex includes a restaurant, cafe, changing rooms and showers and an in water spa.

**Things to consider on an Iceland stopover

• We found it very easy to be based in Reykjavik for the 3 nights we were in Iceland. Not only do tour buses pick you up from a stop near your hotel, we did not have to pack up our bags and take them with us each day. With that being said, I would choose a hotel that is near the center of Reykjavik or at least near one of the bus stops.
• If you go to Iceland in the winter, the daylight is very limited. We were there the first week of January and had enough light to see the attractions/landscape from about 10 am-5 pm. The tour companies are good about timing the day trips to fit within this time, but it is still something to consider when choosing a tour or activity.
• The Keflavik airport is about 40 minutes from Reykavik but there are two main bus companies that provide transportation between the two, Grayline Iceland and Reykjavik Excursions. The buses leave about 30-40 minutes after each international flight arrival and are very easy to find.
• The currency of Iceland is the Icelandic Krona but we did not have any actual currency during our three days there. We did not come across any place that did not take a credit card, but I would highly suggest one without foreign transaction fees.
• Although a lot of people come to Iceland in the winter in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights (and we were no different), the country is still beautiful with plenty of things to do and see. I have read a lot of reviews of Iceland that suggest visiting for at least a week to increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, but we talked to several people while we were there that did not see them even in that amount of time.