I kicked off 2024 in the best way ever – I booked the first week of January off work and travelled to one of my bucket list destinations….Iceland!
Despite the fact that I turned 40 last year, this trip marks the last of my milestone birthday travels (I’ve previously posted about my big birthday vacay to St Lucia but there’s a few more I’m yet to share…I’m very behind!)
I’ve broken the trip down day by day so you can see what we did and our thoughts. Hopefully this is helpful if you’re planning a visit to Iceland (or are considering one) or just fun to read if you like hearing about people’s holidays!
Day 1 – Travel day and first impressions of Reykjavik
We had a 7am flight and landed at Keflavik airport at around 9.40am – I had no idea the flight was so short!
Keflavik is one of those confusing airports where you have to walk through the departure lounge to get to arrivals (not the greatest when you’ve been awake since 3.30am) – by the time you see the ‘Exit to Iceland’ sign you still have to go through passport control AND baggage claim!
After grabbing our bags and hopping on our transfer bus, it was a 45min transfer to Reykjavik. Icelandic hotel check-in time is 12 noon, so we were able to get in and drop off our stuff as soon as we were dropped off. After a quick change we headed out to explore the centre of Reykjavik.
I have to say, Reykjavik is a lovely city – extremely clean, easy to navigate and picturesque buildings / landscape that looks like it belongs in a festive Hallmark movie (as it was right after New Year everywhere still had their Christmas decorations up, which added to the magic).
We started off on Laugavegur (Main Street) then took a stroll up Rainbow Road to get to the iconic Hallgrímskirkja Church.
This may be an odd way to describe a religious building, but this is one of the chicest looking churches I’ve ever visited!
The real reason we were there is for the view from its bell tower. We popped into the gift shop and paid about 1400 ISK (approx. £8) to ride a reasonably small lift 8 floors up (there’s another 2 floors of stairs to climb after that) and the views over all sides of the city made this absolutely worth the money.
Next, feeling a bit peckish, we stopped off for one of Reykjavik’s street vendors to try a traditional Icelandic hot dog. Between the 2 of us we had an original one with ‘the works’ (lamb sausage, fried onions, crispy onions and 2 sauces that are a mixture of mayo, mustard and tomato ketchup) and a pulled lamb with bernaise sauce. At 700 ISK (around £4) it was the cheapest meal we had during our stay and hit the spot for a quick bite on the move.
With room left for dessert, our next stop was to try another Icelandic delicacy – the cinnamon bun. We chose to stop at Braud & Co because it was coincidentally about 100m away from the hot dog stand. I’d seen it a lot on social media and the outside was also really pretty and decorated in some of Reykjavik’s iconic street art. I had heard that it can get quite busy here, but on the 2 occasions we visited (a Wednesday and Saturday afternoon in January) we were able walk in and be served after a very short wait.
I paid about 750 ISK (£4.50) and this is some of the best money I spent. EVER. what looked like a powdery dry pastry on the outside turned out to be a taste explosion of warm, apple and cinnamon-ey goodness (yep, there was apple in there too. I wondered why it felt so heavy!) I now understand why people claim that Iceland has the best bakeries.
Strolling to the other side of Reykjavik (stopping to admire so many traditional and twinkly buildings along the way) we arrived at Fly Over Iceland .
Fly Over Iceland is a 5D experiential cinema that allows you to virtually “fly over” the entire country across all 4 seasons. I enjoyed this activity – at 5425 ISK (approx. £31) it’s one of the most affordable ‘trips’ to do in Iceland, however the entire paid experience lasts for about 20-25 mins (there are 2 other film experiences to watch before you do the main fly over, which is about 15mins of this) so would’ve liked this to be just a little bit cheaper. There’s a really nice cafe area before/after the main attraction where you can enjoy a warming hot chocolate (or, if you’re a bit weird like me, an ice hazelnut latte in -5°C weather) and a snack.
On our stroll back into the city centre we bumped into local legend Jólakötturinn, the Iceland Christmas Cat
We were VERY well aware before travelling to Iceland that everything is very expensive, but on arrival we found out that a lot of bars offer a Happy Hour in the afternoon/early evening (most seemed to be 5-7pm but some start as early as midday) so we decided to investgate further. We found out 2 things – 1, the drink options are largely limited to just Beer/Wine/Prosecco (bad news for cocktail drinkers like me, although the odd place do discount offer them slightly) and 2, the discount made the drinks go from a higher end London price (£15-20ish for a small glass of prosecco) to a slightly more reasonably but ‘still pricey for what it is’ (around £8)
Then on to dinner at the highly recommended Bastard Brew & Food (to anticipate your next question – we did ask, and the staff have no idea how it got its name).
It’s a cool bar with more relaxed choices on the menu (think burgers, tacos and small plates) in addition to a pretty decent gin selection (we felt duty bound to try out a couple of local brands to really get the authentic experience). The food was delicious and would definitely recommend.
Day 2 – Golden Circle and hunt for the Northern Lights
Booking a trip to the Golden Circle is very easy to do through lots of different companies, before or after you arrive in Iceland (and to be honest, the main roads leading to each site are very clear and sturdy so it would be really easy to hire a car and do it). All of the sites we stopped at also had really nice facilities to stop and have something to eat/drink, visit the toilet and buy Icelandic souvenirs (everything is pretty pricey, but no more so than anywhere else in the country).
We were collected at 8.30am when it was still pitch back outside, but by the time we’d driven an hour an half into the middle of nowhere the sun was rising and our first stop was bathed in a beautiful golden hour glow.
Each trip takes a slightly different route, but our first stop was at the Geysirs; pools of boiling hot water that steam up and explode every 5-10 minutes. It’s difficult to capture on camera, but somehow I managed it!
Onto stop number 2 (and probably one of the most photographed ) – Gulfoss.
This waterfall, like many in Iceland to be honest, is beautiful (especially with the snow and ice backdrop) and gets its water supply from the glacier sitting behind it (a fact we found on day 3) which is clearly very strong because it was very loud, even from the distance away that we viewed it from.
Final stop of the day – Thingvellir tectonic plates.
This is a literal crack in the land and really reminds you of the volatile and ever-changing Earth that formed Iceland in the first place.
The walkway developed between the cracks signifies the boundary between the North American and Eurasian territories.
Although interesting, this was my least favourite stop of the trip as there wasn’t much more to view in or from the plates. Plus, it was a lot more icy than the other stops that made the experience feel a bit more tricky to move around.
The one slight disappointments with this trip is that the company we booked through (Tui) didn’t visit one of the stops that I was most looking forward to seeing – Kerid Crater. Because I’d seen this on every other Golden Circle itinerary I presumed every tour went there, so had I have known I would’ve booked with another operator.
For dinner we tried a traditional Icelandic food concept (but not food) and headed out to a Food Hall close to our hotel (there are a few around the city of varying size/variety/decor style). Although this gave us the chance to eat and drink a few different styles of food and although this was a more relaxed dining experience, the prices were pretty much on par with a regular restaurant.
After food, we went to hunt for the Northern Lights (this was supposed to happen on day 1, but it was too cloudy so the tour operator moved posponed).
We were collected at around 9pm told that we’d be viewing the lights from a golf course and there’d be hot drinks available for purchase from the club house. I had romanticised visions of standing out on a snow covered green, sipping on hot chocolate whilst marvelling at a spectacular light show courtesy of Mother Nature.
The reality was quite different.
We ended up being ushered to the car park and, although being assured it had been covered with sand it was not too dissimilar for an ice rink (but in the pitch black). I also learnt (slightly disappointingly) that the majority of ‘low level’ sightings of the Northern Lights can’t be seen by the naked eye (so those specular dancing displays you may have spotted online are not always the norm). In order to see what we captured in these photos, we had to hold our phones up to the sky and scan around a bit (there’s a short video in my Instagram highlights that shows how the colours suddenly appeared in pitch black sky when we turned on the camer). I think what we saw was catehoried as ‘level 2’ sighting, I’m not sure how high the scale goes.
Day 3 – Into the Glacier
This day wasn’t on our itinerary until we arrived in Iceland and we booked on the coach transfer from our airport (a very efficient way to do things on a longer drive). The possibility of getting to go INSIDE a glacier is a pretty unique experience!
We were collected at around 8am for this and drove for about 3 hours to get to our first destination (a fact that would have been handy to know in advance to advance plan for snacks and toilet breaks etc). Once we arrived in the middle of nowhere, we were almost immediately ushered onto this beast of a machine!
Although this looks like a snow truck, it’s actually a repurposed missle vehicle that the company bought from NATO (which I think added even more interest to an already unique experience). The driver also has an app that he uses to inflate/deflate the tires based on the terrain to avoid getting stuck.
After driving through mountains for another hour or so, we eventually arrived on top of the Glacier, aka The Middle of Nowhere. It felt so pure, empty and peaceful there, like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
Then, it was time to go into the glacier (which does have a name, by the way, but I cannot for the life of me remember it. I do remember that it sits dieectly behind Gulfoss and is the waterfall’s source of water, as mentioned in day 2) through this rather nifty tunnel.
We spent about 45mins insider, being led through a series of tunnels and understanding the history of the Glacier. The tunnels and rooms have been curated by architects and artists, not just some hollowed out ice. Weirdly, we also saw the presence of volcanic ash that had settled on some of the walls from the 2010 erruotion (you know, the one that the their entire world’s air traffic into chaos and grounded all flights)
Some of the areas weren’t available for us to visit on the day due to flooding, an operational risk of a natural and slightly unpredictable entity.
A couple of points I’d like to highlight, pre-empting people may point out that this kind of ‘tourist attraction’ is contributing to decline of nature and global warming etc. The team at Into the Glacier went to great lengths to tell and show us how considerately they worked to create a space that’s attractive whilst remaining responsible to the environment and preserving the glacier. Christmas lights are used inside to provide light without generating additional heat, and spiked crampons aren’t permitted so that the flooring isn’t punctured in any way (the staff provide appropriate ones for you). Further to this; on the ascent to the glacier we could see markers that highlighted the shrinkage of the Glacier every 20 years since the 1960s (the tunnels have only been open to the public since 2019) and the rate of decline due to global warming was consistent long before people started visiting daily.
After cruising back down the mountains on our NATO vehicle, we hopped back on the coach for our final stop of the trip, Hraunfossar Waterfall.
I’m not sure if it was because is was snowing, the appearance of the black rock against the water or vantage point was just better, but I thought this waterfall was even prettier than Gulfoss (and not one I’d really heard about in my pre-trip research). There is a small cafe/shop here with a very limited selection of food/drink and toilets (additional charge) for a quick comfort break.
We enjoyed the actual in-glacier experience and seeing the waterfall, however I’m on the fence as to whether I’d book this again. The time spent on the coach (about 6hrs) far surpassed time on and inside the glacier (about an hour), there were no comfort/refreshment stops planned in to break up the journey. The price we paid for 2 adults was £425 (approx. 74,509 ISK) which only included the coach transfers and time in the glacier with a guide, which is pretty pricey for one activity with very little included.
After a long day with no opportunity lunch, we headed straight out for dinner as soon as got back to Reykjavik, and we had just one dish on our mind….fish and chips.
As a Northern gal, fish and chips is practically a diet staple, and apparently its the same here too. There were lots of restaurants offering this on the menu but we chose to eat at Reykjavik Fish because they had 3 locations very close to us that have pretty decent Google and TripAdvisor ratings. We had the standard fish and chips either a glass of prosecco (fancy) with fresh tartar sauce and lemon, herb and dill sauce on the side. The food was served quickly, looked fresh and tasted delicious (and I’d some of the best sauces I’ve ever had with fish and chips).
After dinner we took a stroll around the city to take in some more of the pretty traditional architecture against the backdrop of the moody night sky and twinkly Christmas lights. Then it was back to the hotel for a nightcap and early night before our final day.
Day 4 – Sky Lagoon and slow afternoon in Reykjavik
We decided to reward ourselves with a little R&R and slightly slower pace by heading to Sky Lagoon, the newest geothermal Spa to open in Iceland about 15 mins outside of Reykjavik. We booked with Sky Lagoon directly and chose the Sky package which included unlimited access to the thermal lagoon, private changing facilities and ond-time access to the 7 Step Ritual was cost 12,790 ISK (approx. £75) per adult. We also made our own way there by taxi so that we weren’t bound by certain times in case we wanted to stay longer/shorter, which cost between 3,500 – 4,300 ISK (£20-25) each way. Its also possibly to book a coach transfer independently or via the Sky Lagoon booking process which is cheaper and will collect from a designated bus stop around Reykjavik.
We made our booking for 10am (first slot you can book is 9am) which meant we got to experience the Sky Lagoon in the dark, at sunrise and then daylight. This was an excellent decision on our part, especially because we saw the tiniest hint of Northern Lights before the sun came up!
There’s a swim up bar so you can enjoy your tipple of choice (soft or alcoholic) whilst relaxing in the warm waters. To pay, a card authorisation is taken from you on arrival, and then the staff scan your wristband each time you make a purchase, which is then charged in full as you leave (for all purchases you make, not just from the bar). We had a couple of drinks each (plus a couple of tactical glasses of water to stay hydrated) which were both really tasty and priced similarly to drinks in other Reykjavik bars.
Next, we headed to the 7 Step Ritual. If you’ve done a spa day before, this is basically another way of saying ‘Spa circuit’s you visit different stations.
The lagoon is the first ‘step’, next you move on to a cold plunge pool before heading inside the main hut (I managed to dunk myself way all the way in and make a swift exit).
Next up was the sauna, which has an amazing glass wall with views across the Reykjavik bay. Very relaxing and beautiful.
Moving on to the cold shower mist, salt scrub (my skin felt amazingly smooth for a good couple of weeks after this), steam room and hot shower.
Afterwards we spent more time in the lagoon before heading showering/changing and having a brief chill in the cafe.
This place is absolutely worth the money and I would 100% put this on your to do list for a break in Iceland. The service was great and the whole place feels very premium (for obvious reasons, I wasn’t able to take any photos of the changing areas).
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do a comparison between Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon as it was closed due to the recent volcanic eruptions during our stay.
After arriving back into the city we headed straight to Svarta Kaffið for lunch. Here there’s just one item on the menu – soup served in a bread bowl. They offer 2 soup flavours, one meat and one vegetarian, which change daily. On the day we visited there was mushroom or Reindeer with truffle to choose from.
Both the soup and bread were fresh and tasty, and very filling. However I will say that at 2,850 ISK (approx. £16) its definitely one of the priciest soup dishes I’ve ever eaten!
After lunch it was time for a slow afternoon stroll to get our last daytime look at Reykjavik, do a little bit of shopping and sneak in one final cinnamon bun from Braud & Co. I also bought a slice of Hjónabandssæla, which translated to “happy marriage cake” to take back to our room for later. This was more of a dense tray bake style cake filled with fruity James and topped with a little bit of crumble. Equally as weightly and delicious as its cinnamon friend!
For our last evening we had a couple of glasses of Happy Hour prosecco (I even wore a ‘normal outfit’ that didn’t involved loads of layers and snow boots, although my stripey top is thermal)
For dinner we went to Islenski Barinn which was a recommendation from Tik Tok. On a side road just off the main shopping street, this place is popular with locals and tourists and booking is advised. We didnt book and simply took a chance popping in at around 6.45pm (it was already pretty busy) to see if they could squeeze us in and luckily they could, because about 10 minutes there was there was a line waiting half way down the street!
There are lots of traditional Icelandic delicacies on the menu so taking full advantage we ordered whale finn, Icelandic crumpet, lamb and another fish and chips (for comparison purposes of course). Although we desperately wanted to finish with Icelandic pancakes, we were too full and took a slow walk back to the hotel through the city to enjoy a last look at Reykjavik at night.
Things I learnt
– Card payments are accepted virtually everywhere, even the tiny little independent or remote shops. We did take some cash (which we had to order a few days in advance as a specialist currency) but people were surprised when we used it.
– Take a refillable water bottle with you so that you can top up water and stay hydrated whilst you’re out and about. There are fill up stations in a lot of main tourist areas, and Icelandic water is some of the best to drink in the world
– In the winter there are very few hours of daylight, so you’ll find that most of the time you’re heading out and come back for the day in the dark.
– For most people Iceland is a once in a lifetime destination, so try and cram as many things as possible into your time there. You will come home.tired but it will be worth it! There’s so many other things we doulsve loved to do if we were there for a bit longer (and had slightly deeper pockets) – Southern Iceland tour (Vik and the Black Sand Beach), Whale watching and the Perlan Museum were other possibles fro. My list.
– Iceland is an extremely clean, friendly and happy country, and everyone communicated with us in English (there were a lot of American and Canadian workers too).
What to wear (if visiting in winter)
– It’s pretty casual, the majority of people are dressing for warmth and comfort so unless a restaurant or bar states a specific dress code (or you’re aware it’s a high end place) the embrace the more laid back.
– I absolutely lived in my Lovall Winter Leggings you can see in the very first picture, with cosy jumpers and thermal layers underneath (all of my thermals and from the M&S Heatgen range) and some basic snow boots from Simply Be (which were I picked up with a Black Friday/ Pre-Christmas discount)
– Winter accessories are important! A good hat and/or ear muffs, gloves (I had thermal wool pair mittens that turned into fingerless gloves for phone use, and a backup waterproof pair), snood/decent scarf and thermal socks. If you’re planning similar activities similar to those we did, also take some crampons (snow chains for your shoes) as they’ll help grip and generally help you feel more confident walking in slippery areas.
Final thoughts…
I have absolutely fallen in love with Iceland (Reykjavik in particular) as somewhere that feels so warm, even in minus temperatures, happy and safe. I would absolutely go back, recommend that you visit, I may even be googling average salaries and house prices as I type….
Hope this post has been helpful / interesting and thanks for reading (I know it’s a little long!)
J xx
Jenny Chat 