Thinking of a city break in Reykjavik

Anybody been to Reykjavik - is it worth a trip?

What is there to do - any suggestions?

Chees

 

dont think they make much chees in Iceland

 

have you won the lotto

it's apparently bloody expensive

 

We've been.

Flew BA from Gatwick, I think there are 'cheap' flights with a couple of operators

http://www.icelandexpress.com (Stansted)

http://www.icelandair.com (Heathrow)

However we couldn't get a cheaper deal than with BA, and the dates/times were no good either. Cost about £170 return each, if memory serves.

We stayed at Fosshotel Baron

http://www.fosshotel.is

I would recommend it - clean, friendly (or as close to friendly as the Icelandic come) & best of all cheap (£65 per room).

There are two tour companies that do daily sightseeing around the island, expect to pay through the nose, £55-£75 per day, but if you like snow, stunning scenery etc. you'll love it.

As suggested it is horribly expensive (cheaper than Norway, but more expensive than Sweden), we ate pizza in our room from the nearby Dominos and even that cost £10 each!! Booze forget it, local bars are pricey at over £5 a pint, and cans cannot be bought at the local shop, they have this strange law about selling no more than 2% brews except at government outlets (which I never saw in 4 days). Every famous Scandinavian beer has a special 1.5% version for sale over the counter in Iceland, and guess what? They all taste like cat's piss.

The city itself is just plain weird. Windy, bleak and unexciting with very little to see & do. Unlike most city breaks I have taken you entirely rely on getting out & about. I daresay there is this famous nightlife somewhere, but I shudder to imagine the cost of experiencing it!!

The Blue Lagoon is worth a trip, piping hot outdoor swimming in cloudy mineral-rich water. It isn't heated by subterranean forces, it's a by-product of the power station next door, pumped into man-made natural looking rock lagoons, but an experience nonetheless.

Basically Iceland offers a unique experience, isn't totally prohibitively expensive, and if you like the great outdoors combined with barren & unforgiving terrain, or indeed if you are some sort of geology nut, Reykjavik could be for you.

If you want a pleasant Scandinavian city break with bars, restaurants, shops & city sightseeing, try Copenhagen or Stockholm instead!!

 

Wow - Thanks

Thanks for the very informative lowdown Vim. I knew it was expensive and was not too bothered about that - been to Oslo. But the bit about the bleak City centre may be more off putting.

Cheers.

 

Yep, been there.

It's a great place but mega expensive (And that's coming from me who lives in Norway).

Get yer sen to Copenhagen instead! But for a real great weekend try Krakow!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oslo

Now isn't that a ***** place!

***** and expensive! But Iceland is even worse!


COPENHAGEN!