Golden circle is brill. blue lagoon is a must..one tip.. When ya go into a "Happy hour bar" ask before ya buy which beers are included cos they pull two then tell ya its that beer thats happy not those ya chose..only got caught out once. Enjoy its great.
I'd recommend renting a car and doing the golden circle at your own pace rather than paying for a tour. Then you can also go out looking for Northern lights at your leisure, as the "tours" for that just tend to be a bus taking you a couple of miles in any direction out of Reykjavik and telling you to look up...
im going there in november, northern lights tour and golden circle all booked plus a few places to visit also gonna tick KR Reykjavik ground and national stadium off
Download the appy hour app for cheaper drinks. Definitely agree with renting a car. It is very expensive in Reykjavik in particular...
I think you're giving the tour buses a slight disservice. Our coach drove for a good half hour up into the mountains where it was pitch black. The coaches are in contact with each other and our driver got a call to go another 10 minutes down the road where we saw the Northern Lights in all its glory. You're not guaranteed to see them whichever mode of transport you use but a.bit of local knowledge helped in our case. Geyser, Gulfos, Blue Lagoon are all a must and other options are whale watching, volcanoes and tectonic plates where America collides with Europe. If you've never been to Iceland I'd recommend it.
Can't offer any tips but I will be keeping an eye on this thread for tips myself as I was hoping to go next year for my 30th. Hoping to book a whale watching trip to see the Orcas.
I went to their Tourist Advisory Board, but they didn't have any pamphlets. They did sell a lot of frozen food though.
Thanks for the tips, we’ve got a car for 9 days and are going to go full circle around the island. Got whale watching booked and snorkelling where the American and Europe plates meet, nothing else. Will definitely be looking for a a few waterfalls! Another advantage from being retired from drinking booze is that I don’t need to worry about the price- happy days!
We went last October and loved it. Can only agree with everything said by others. Blue lagoon and golden circle were great experiences. And don’t think not drinking will shield you from the expense. Couple of things to ponder, fish and chips is a food of choice in Reykjavik was a mere £60 for 2 of us with a drink. That was overshadowed by 2 bowls of soup with a slice of bread each and 2 soft drinks for £40 near the harbour. They say Reykjavik is cheaper than the remote areas as you would expect. Having said all that I loved it and the quality of the food was very good. I even managed to go and watch KR Reykjavik while I was there. You will enjoy the country and particularly the people I’m jealous.
For food, Grillmarket is good, and reasonable by Reykjavik standards at about 80 quid for the tasting menu. Just be aware it's pretty carnivorous and you'll probably get some interesting meat at some point - e.g. puffin, porpoise or horse. If you want a cheap and decent burger the Lebowski Bar will do you burger, chips and a drink for about 15 quid. Extra points if you're a fan of The Big Lebowski!