Reykjavik & Golden Circle (Iceland)
June 26-29, 2011 (4D3N): Leg 1 of my 30th birthday trip with 10 friends. IcelandAir allows you to continue your journey onto Continental Europe for free so we flew into Amsterdam after spending 4 days in Reykjavik. Going to Iceland in the summer means the sun never sets. While it was nice to not having to walk home in the dark after drinking, we felt like we never got rested. Given there were 11 of us, we had to find a big house to accommodate us. If you are going with a smaller group, definitely check for hotels on TA. Iceland is full of exotic food, ranging from sheep’s head to horse meat and fermented shark to puffin sashimi.
*Highly Recommended
Day 1
Early morning flight arrival from JFK (via IcelandAir)
Airport transfer from Gray Line Iceland to Inga's New Guest Apartments
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur* (Famous Icelandic Hot dog stand)
Walk around Reykjavik
Lunch @ Cafe Paris
Hallgrímskirkja and stumbled into a live classic concert
Dinner @ Icelandic Fish & Chips*
Walk around waterfront/port
Bar hopping
Day 2
Hire Iceland Horizon for the Golden Circle tour (~8 hrs)
Thingvellir National Park (the divide between the American and Eurasian continental plates)
Geysir (bubbling hot springs) at Strokkur
Gullfoss (Golden Falls)
Eat sheep’s head (svið) @ Mýrin Mathús inside BSÍ Bus Terminal
Dinner @ Sargreifinn - The Sea Baron* (Whale meat on the skewer)
Day 3
Bus transfer for Blue Lagoon via Gray Line Iceland
Blue Lagoon (suggested duration 4-5 hrs)
Dinner @ 3 Frakkar* (We sampled some unique Icelandic dishes such as puffin/horse meat/fermented shark)
Bar hopping
Day 4
Airport transfer from Gray Line Iceland
Afternoon flight to Amsterdam
Tips
Here is a tip for the ladies at the Blue Lagoon. Apply hair conditioner (provided at the shower room) and cover your hair with a shower cap so your hair doesn't get all dried up from the lagoon.
We tried to replicate the Icelandic dog back home and we found the fried onions/shallot at Trader Joe’s.
Car rentals could be very expensive. But if you can fit it into your budget then it certaintly gives you the flexibility as driving in Iceland is fairly easy.
Flight time from NYC to Reykjevik is only 5 hours, you can easily do this trip over a long weekend!
