Iceland Itinerary - Summer 2021 — Tuljak! Travel Blog

Since 2012, Iceland has been one of the hottest destinations for Americans. With an abundance of cheap airfare by IcelandAir and now-defunct Wow Air, Iceland has presented itself as a convenient stopover point across the Atlantic. For New Yorkers like ourselves, Reykjavík is as close to New York as places like Denver or Albuquerque. It may seem paradoxical, but we somehow overlook Iceland as our next travel destination because of its proximity. Ever since Brian and I considered a move from the East Coast, a visit to Iceland has suddenly taken on a new sense of urgency.

Our recent visit to Iceland is our second overseas trip since the global outbreak of COVID-19. Iceland did a fantastic job instituting a well-rounded pandemic response for a small nation. On the day of our arrival, Iceland had vaccinated about 75 percent of its population, far outpacing other Western nations, including the United States. With both of us fully vaccinated, we were excited to enjoy the trip without fear or hesitation. With about twelve days available, we opted for the ultimate Icelandic road trip on the Ring Road. As an added bonus, the recent eruption of a volcano near Reykjavík was the cherry on top of our action-packed itinerary.

Day 1 - New York - Reykjavík

New York City never looked so gorgeous when we arrived at JFK Airport. The sky was crisp blue, and the temperature was in the low 70s. I took this rare opportunity to quickly stop at the TWA Hotel, the landmark historical terminal built by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. However, a private hotel, the lobby, and many amenities are accessible to non-guests. It was a bonus to wander around this architectural masterpiece before boarding my flight with Icelandair.

On our arrival date, Iceland still has the policy of testing all arriving passengers regardless of one’s vaccination status. Iceland’s testing and entry regiments are efficient and well-explained. But before going through that, we stopped by the duty-free store to pick up a few bottles of wine. This has been one of the most popular insider tips for Iceland, and we were glad to see that just about every member of the flight crew did exactly the same thing. To our surprise, there was no SIM card to purchase anywhere in the airport due to the pandemic. Thankfully, I memorized our hotel's location in downtown Reykjavik, and we could rely on the road signs without online navigation.

Following the locals by loading up the alcohol at the duty-free store at the airport.

Because there was no room for early check-in, we quarantined ourselves in our rental car at the hotel parking lot. Needless to say, it was not an enjoyable start to a vacation. After about four hours in the car, we decided to walk around the city, albeit obeying the social distancing. Finally, at around noontime, we received a text from the Icelandic government that we were COVID-free and were allowed to travel around. We made a beeline to the visitor information office to get our local SIM card. Suddenly, we felt the weight was lifted from our shoulders.

We were eager for our first meal at Skál!, a celebrated eatery at the popular Hlemmur Food Hall. At 2 pm, we could finally check in to our room at Skuggi Hotel. At this point, we were as tired as ever, so what’s the best way to relax? A trip to the famous Blue Lagoon. Needless to say, we were very much relaxed and had difficulty staying awake as I drove back to Reykjavik. We had our first Icelandic hot dog at the venerated Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur to round up this long day.

Day 2 - Reykjavík - Golden Circle - Reykjavík

The weather was glorious today! I was excited to start the day early to explore more of Reykjavík. To take advantage of the ideal weather to tackle the most popular day trip from Reykjavik: the Golden Circle. But before heading out, we stopped by Braud & Co to grab one of their world-renowned cinnamon rolls. We also admired two of Reykjavík’s contemporary icons: Harpan Concert Hall and the Sun Voyager.

Just half an hour from the bustle of the capital, the scenery of the surrounding landscape became otherworldly desolate. The first stop on the Golden Circle is the Þingvellir National Park. This unique site is a fissure of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. But more importantly, it holds great national importance to Islanders. This geologically interesting place just happened to be the site of the historic Alþingi, the great assembly of all Icelandic tribes and precursor of the Icelandic Parliament today. Afterward, we made a quick visit to Skálholt, which is one of the two historical bishoprics of Iceland. Not far away is Friðheimar, the largest greenhouse grower of tomatoes in Iceland. Harnessing the geothermal power beneath, the greenhouse is also an excellent lunch spot to sample everything tomato. Tomato beer, anyone?

Gullfoss, the Golden Fall, lends its name to the well-traveled Golden Circle.

The second stop of the Golden Circle tour was Gullfoss, the Golden Falls. While it may not be as massive as Niagra Falls, the unspoiled surrounding was stunning. Ten minutes south is the Geysir Geothermal Area, home to the first known geyser to the Europeans. While the original Geysir geyser is no longer active, the adjacent Strokkur geyser still puts on a great show for all visitors. Although we contemplated visiting the Geldingadalir eruption site afterward, we decided to take it easy with a relaxing evening back in Reykjavík. We wrapped up our night with a wonderful seafood dinner at Messinn.

Day 3 - Reykjavík - Reykholt Valley - Hólar

It is time to start our epic Ring Road road trip. Per Cameron Hewitt’s suggestion, we opted to travel in the clockwise direction. It did not take us long to be in awe of Iceland’s investment in infrastructure; the tunnel outside Akranes is marvelous in itself. Our first stops on this road trip are the various sites in the Reykholt Valley: the thermal hot spring of Krauma and the religious complex of Reykholt. But the true highlight of the area is the impressive cascade of Hraunfossar and Barnafossar. The adjacent Hraunfossar Restaurant and Cafe was a handy spot for lunch.

Víðimýrarkirkja Turf Church, one first encounter with the Icelandic turf architecture.

Back on the Ring Road, our next stop is Grábrók Crater, a beautiful crater with a well-maintained trail. It was a quick hike and offered a panoramic view of an adjacent sister crater and drystone sheep pens. From there, it was another three hours drive to where we stayed for the night. Along the way, we stopped at a beautiful turf church at Víðimýri. Unfortunately, we arrived too late for the Glaumbær Farm & Museum, so we decided to check in early at our Airbnb in the village of Hólar. Set at the end of a beautiful valley, the view was gorgeous despite the heavy fog. It was not until we met our host that we realized that we had to backtrack to Skagafjörður for dinner for half an hour. Surprisingly, Hot Wok Cafe's pizza, fish, and chips were great.

Day 4 - Hólar - Hofsós - Siglufjörður - Mývatn

Although I had a full itinerary planned this morning, the breakfast with our Airbnb host, Nanna Viktoría, and her husband, Kristján, turned into a four-hour conversation about life in Iceland. As much as I loved to see all the sights I had planned for the morning, nothing could be having genuine conversations and connections with local Islanders. After saying goodbye, we stopped at the historic center of Hólar, which includes the tallest stone church in Iceland, a reconstructed bishop house, and a fully-restored turf dwelling.

Half an hour's drive north of Hólar, we arrived at the little seaside village of Hofsós. This detour's main objective was to swim at the village’s public swimming pool. This pool is often rated as Iceland's most spectacular municipal pool and overlooks the dramatic snow-capped mountain across the bay. But with heavy fog and little view, I decided to forgo a dip. As a consolation prize, some amazing basalt column formations are just adjacent to the pool.

From Hofsós, it was a pleasant hour-long drive along the Troll Peninsula to the town of Siglufjörður. Despite its modest size, the town has many restaurants and an upscale hotel. After a pizza lunch at Kaffi Rauðka, we visited the town’s star attraction: the Herring Era Museum. Although learning about the town’s herring industry was fun, Siglufjörður’s claim of fame for me is being the filming location for the Icelandic TV show Trapped (Ófærð). It certainly geeked out at all the otherwise anonymous structures around town. Akureyri, the second city of Iceland, is an hour and a half away from Siglufjörður. The town is reminiscent of a miniature of Reykjavík. While an appealing town by itself, we were in a hurry to get to Mývatn. We made only a five-minute stop at the city’s prominent church, Akureyrarkirkja.

Half outside of Akureyri is Goðafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods. The broad waterfall is certainly enjoyable if we are not exhausted. By the time we reached Hotel Laxa, we were thoroughly exhausted. We decided to have a relatively early dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly good. What is the best way to relax after a long day? A premium bath! Thankfully, the Mývatn Nature Baths are only twenty minutes away! It was a perfect end to the day.

Day 5 - Mývatn - Diamond Circle - Húsavík - Mývatn

After breakfast at the hotel, we decided to take on one of the newest tourist tracks in north Iceland: the Diamond Circle. The first stop was Namafjall, a geothermal park filled with various thermal vents and building mud pools. Twenty further down Highway 1, we took a gravel road detour to visit Dettifoss (Diamond Falls), which lends its name to the Diamond Circle. By some accounting, it is the largest waterfall in Europe, and I must admit that it was impressive, and the sound was deafening.

Another forty minutes north brought up to the next stop: the Ásbyrgi Canyon. But before we got far, we experienced our first road mishap. A giant truck kicked up gravel and cracked our windshield. Of course, we cursed and only prayed that our credit card would cover the damage. Dispaired by the cracked windshield, we stopped for lunch at an anonymous roadside eatery at the N1 gas station. The food was horrible; indeed, it was the only bad meal we had in Iceland. Afterward, we enjoyed a quick hike at the end of the Ásbyrgi Canyon. It was great, but it may not be the trip's highlight.

We then made our way toward the little fishing port of Húsavík. We were supposed to meet up with our friends and neighborhood Vince and Ivy here to exchange our Icelandic travel experiences thus far. While we waited for them to come back from a whale-watching cruise, we took the opportunity to visit their impressive church and famous Húsavík Whale Museum. It was fun to meet up with our friends afterward and plan the rest of our itinerary. We decided to meet up again tomorrow night at Seyðisfjörður. After saying goodbye, we made our way to GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths. The setting of the bath was stunning and we somehow spent more than four hours. It was worth every króna.

Day 6 - Mývatn - Fljótsdalsvegur - Seyðisfjörður

Before bidding goodbye to Mývatn, we checked out the area’s interesting geological sights. Among them are Skútustaðagígar and Dimmuborgir. But the most confounding was the thermal cave of Grjótagjá. It is among many filming locations in Iceland that HBO’s Game of Thrones uses. This is for sure the most underwhelming sight we visited on this trip. This tiny cave would not receive a tenth of the visitors if it were not for the movie franchise.

Bidding farewell to the Mývatn area, we continued our Ring Road journey. The driving time to our day's destination was only two and a half hours. Along the way, we passed a series of waterfalls by the road. The most impressive among them was Rjúkandi Falls, which has a convenient viewing platform. We made a half-hour detour from the main road to Skriduklaustur in the valley of Fljótsdalur for lunch. This mansion was home to Icelandic writer Gunnar Gunnarsson, but I have to admit that the reason for our visit was that they are supposed to have the best lunch buffet in all of Iceland. But unbeknown to us, we missed their lunch by half an hour. However, their afternoon cake buffet was still amazing!

Although we planned on visiting Vök Baths, another premium bath, we could not get in without an advanced reservation. Instead, we went to where we stayed for the night: Seyðisfjörður. The mountain pass toward the Seyðisfjörður was among the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. It was otherworldly surreal, from the glacial lake to the valley of waterfalls. If it were not for the Icelandic law prohibiting making sop, I would have to pull to the side of the road every few minutes.

Seyðisfjörður was a wonderful town for a break from the Ring Road. We checked into our serviced apartment run by Hotel Alden. While Brian used the apartment’s washer and dryer, I took a mini-driving tour of this charming little town. We later met for dinner with Vince and Ivy at one of the hotel’s charming restaurants. We ended our night with a box of wine and a bottle of whisky back at the apartment.

Day 7 - Seyðisfjörður - Höfn - Jökulsárlón - Hof - Kálfafell

Totaling more than six hours behind the wheel, today’s driving is the longest during this trip, so I opted to leave Seyðisfjörður as early as possible. The purist in me insisted on sticking with Highway 1 along the Eastfjords instead of taking the shortcut inland. In hindsight, it may not be the smartest move since Brian was still hungover from the night prior. As the guidebook mentions, the drive was scenic, but it did get repetitive after about the third fjord. Eventually, we made our way to Höfn, a major stop in southeastern Iceland. A workaday port town with little charm, Höfn does offer some amazing eateries, such as the beautiful langoustine sandwich at the popular Pakkhús.

After lunch, I decided to visit one of the most idiotic attractions in Iceland: the so-called Viking Village movie set. Though it was quite an interesting sight, it may not be the best investment of time. But as a consolation prize, the backdrop of Vestrahorn Mountain was one of the best views in this part of Iceland. Our next stop is the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and the adjacent Diamond Beach. Even though we had seen plenty of pictures, we were still in awe of the majesty and beauty of the mighty glacier.

We managed to get a seat for the day’s amphibian boat tour. By the time we were ready to depart, it was already 8 pm. Given the absence of eating establishments in this region, we rushed to our hotel's restaurant of the day: Fosshótel Núpar. Unfortunately, we had to skip out on the second glacier lagoon at Fjallsárlón. But I did insist on making a quick stop at the village of Hof to admire another historical turf church.

Day 8 - Kálfafell - Vik - Vestmannaeyjar

After breakfast at the hotel, we backtracked half an hour east to visit Svartifoss, the Black Waterfall. Unlike many popular waterfalls along the Ring Road, this one requires a half-hour hike on a steep trail. By coincidence, Vince and Ivy were also on the same hike, and we met up just before the waterfalls. This waterfall is noted for the impressive backdrop of the basalt rock formation. The next stops are a short hike at the picturesque canyon of Fjarðarárgljúfur and a whirlwind trip to Vik, the southernmost town of Iceland. The day's highlight was the Reynisfjara Beach, a popular black sand beach near Vik. This spot seems to be the most photographed in southern Iceland, and we can see why. It is the best spot for your Icelandic selfie, from the basalt cave to the dramatic rock rising from the ocean surface.

The basalt rock formation at Reynisfjara Beach.

Our itinerary for the day evolved around our scheduled car ferry to Vestmannaeyjar (or Westman Island in English) at 6 pm. Since this would be our first time taking a car ferry in a foreign country, we arrived an hour early. But before then, we were able to squeeze in a quick stop at another great waterfall along the south coast: Skógafoss. As we arrived at the ferry port in Landeyjahöfn, I could see the blue sky over the Westman Islands. But sure enough, the overcast sky caught up with us as the ferry approached the island.

We exited the ferry and made a beeline to Krónan supermarket to stock up on the necessary provisions for our Airbnb stay. The apartment rental for the next two days is located on the city's outskirts, and we had a fantastic view of the island’s superb golf course and the famous “Elephant Rock” (Halldórsskora). Because this is the festival weekend here on the island, we had all the dinner reservations planned in advance. Our dinner at GOTT was amazing; the portion was generous, and the atmosphere was second to none. We wrapped up our day with a leisure drive to the south of the island and got acquainted with the dramatic landscape of this archipelago.

Day 9 - Vestmannaeyjar

One thing that is particularly fascinating about Westman Island is its weather. We all know that Icelandic weather can be unpredictable, but I was still quite surprised by how varied the weather can be at any given time. We started our visit with a self-guided walk in the downtown and harborfront area. At the far end of the harbor is the ruin of the old Danish fortress and the newly constructed Heimaey Stave Church (Stafkirkjan). The church is a gift from the Norwegian government to celebrate a millennium of Christianity in Iceland.

Heimaey Stave Church (Stafkirkjan) is a gift from the government of Norway. — Heimaey Stave Church (*Stafkirkjan*) is a gift from the government of Norway.

No visit to Vestmannaeyjar is complete without a visit to the Eldfell volcano crater and the adjacent museum of Eldheimar. For most foreign visitors, the island’s claim of international fame was the 1973 eruption that swallowed up a fifth of the town. Our visit coincided with the Goslok Festival - the End of Eruption Festival. This quirky festival commemorates the end of the 1973 eruption, doubling as a homecoming for many of the island’s former residents. The festival includes wide-ranging activities for all ages. A visit to the Sagnheimar Folk Museum was pure joy and exemplifies the best of a community museum.

Unfortunately, we missed the last seats on today’s RIB fast boat tour. Instead, we walked the town’s “newly” formed lava field and various memorials to the eruption. We drove to several lookout points to see the island’s most famous residents: the Atlantic puffins. They sure are cute, and we became very good at spotting them in a relatively short period of time. We had a reservation at Slippurinn for dinner, and it turned out to be one of the most amazing meals we've had in the past few years. Just as we concluded our meal, the main celebration concert of Goslokahátíð was kicking off. I certainly was eager to partake in the festivities!

Day 10 - Vestmannaeyjar - Stokkseyri - Geldingardalur - Reykjavík

We woke up early to be in time for our 9:30 am ferry back to the mainland. “Thankfully, “the weather was less than ideal, which made leaving Vestmannaeyjar less difficult. Even though our time on the island was merely 36 hours, it felt like a lifetime ago. Seljalandsfoss is another of the country’s iconic waterfalls, ten minutes from the ferry. But as picturesque as this waterfall is, my favorite is the nearby Gljufrabui, a hidden waterfall that is both hidden and accessible. For lunch, we drove an hour north to the seaside town of Stokkseyri, known for its langoustine. The feast at Fjöruborðið may be our most expensive meal on this trip and was a worthy splurge.

Our Icelandic journey was nearing the end, so we decided to get ourselves to the volcano eruption site. After all, what was odd that there is an active volcano so accessible from the capital? The parking lot for the eruption trail is about 50 minutes from Stokkseyri. We pulled into the first major lots and began our hike. Despite the fog, we were excited. But it didn’t take long for us to notice the disappointment on people’s faces. Sure enough, the volcano was dormant today, and there was no visible lava flow. Not only did we not see the eruption, we also didn’t even see the volcano's crater. Words could not explain our disappointment. We definitely should have visited at the beginning of the trip.

I was not going to lie; we felt pretty dispirited. Sometimes, it was just not meant to be. Fortunately, we got a decent room at the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel in downtown Reykjavík. Exhausted, we took things easy for the rest of the day with a few beers at Café Rosenberg. Because of our expensive lunch, we decided to have a more casual dinner. We ended our evening with a dinner at Lamb Street Food and the nearby Valdís ice cream shop.

Day 11 - Reykjavík - Geldingardalur - Reykjavík

The first stop on our final full day in Iceland was the COVID test at Suðurlandsbraut 34. In the typical Scandivanian fashion, the testing regime was efficient and orderly. The process took about ten minutes, and we received our rapid test certificate via e-mail in less than 45 minutes. Lucky for us, a suburban branch of Brauð & Co. is nearby. We have been dreaming about their cinnamon roll since we left Reykjavík a week ago. We spent the morning window shopping and visiting the observation platform atop Hallgrímskirkja. To have our final lunch in Iceland, we took advantage of the amazing lunch set menu at the upmarket restaurant Fiskmarkaðurinn.

As we were enjoying our lunch, I jumped on the live video feed of the volcano. Sure enough, the eruption had resumed. So we decided to return for another try at seeing the actual eruption. This time, we finally picked the right parking lot and the “correct” trail for the best volcano viewing. Surprisingly, this trial we took was marked but not well-treked. After an hour-long hike, we were greeted with a perfect view of the crater. Sure enough, we got to see a hint of actual eruption. After yesterday’s disappointment, we felt particularly grateful this time around.

Although the trail was well-maintained, a section was exceedingly steep and dangerous. Even though it was merely a two-hour roundtrip hike, we were exhausted when we reached the parking lot. We met up with Vince and Ivy at Forréttabarinn for our last dinner in the country. Afterward, we had a nightcap at Fjallkonan to recount our Icelandic journey.

Day 12 - Reykjavík - New York

Upon checking out of the hotel, we said goodbye to Reykjavík with a celebratory hotdog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. We have decided to revisit Blue Lagoon and make our flight back home as relaxed as possible. But before leaving for the bath, we stopped by a local Krónan supermarket to stock up on various licorice treats to take home. A Brauð & Co. outlet was handy to satisfy our last-minute craving for Icelandic pastries. The Blue Lagoon was indeed relaxing before the flight. However, the cracked windshield on our rental car and the COVID-related procedures at the airport weighed on our minds. That said, we made out okay and departed Keflavík Airport on time. Little did we know we would be diverted to Washington Dulles Airport due to bad weather!

▲

Iceland Itinerary - Summer 2021