What To Do During Your Stopover in Iceland

Recently, my lovely sister currently based in London came for a weekend visit. A weekend visit, you say? To Iceland? Though Iceland is a bit out of the way of er... everywhere (even London)... it's actually quite common for visitors to only stay here a few days. Why? Because Icelandair offers a free stopover option on transatlantic flights. So why the heck not, right?

So you have a stopover. What now? Planning a quick trip in Iceland can be a little overwhelming, I totally get it. All the names are 56 letters long and confusing, you really like the bands Sigur Ros and Of Monsters and Men but you aren't sure about Bjork, it feels like you'll need to sell your first born to afford a hotel, and you probably heard some mention of eating rotten shark. Have no fear, dear stopoverers, I've got some easy and excellent suggestions for optimal Icelandic weekending.

Though I would recommend staying for at least 2 weeks if you're planning a proper trip to Iceland (I'm looking at you, photogs), a 3-5 day stopover is plenty of time to get your feet wet. My sister (technically not a Icelandair stopoverer but still fits the spirit of the post) came for 4.5 days total. We planned her trip more on the budget-friendly side, but not freakishly so, with a few splurges. 

At the Jökulsárlón beach.

Car Rental

I highly recommend renting a car if you're not a fan of the tour bus scene. You'll save money, have more freedom and time, and you don't have to get stuck sitting next to the stinky tourist guy with the fanny pack who insists on eating tuna from a can the whole time. The main roads, though narrow and sometimes unpaved, are easy to navigate and rarely have any major hazards (except for sheep, of course). They drive on the "right" side of the road (same as America), and most traffic laws are exactly the same. Just be aware the police are not too forgiving of speeders. 

When booking, start with kayak.com to get an idea of where prices are at. Depending on the time of year, I've seen rentals range anywhere from around $30/day for the smallest compact to $120/day (bigger cars are obviously more). My sister rented from sadcars.com for her trip, and though I have no complaints, just be aware you're not exactly hiring a Roll Royce. I've also rented from sixt.com with no complains, though they tend to be a little more expensive than others (I was lucky enough to score a weirdly great deal for my roadtrip last spring). And of course, if you're in the market for a camper, I can't recommend kukucampers.is enough. 

Budget-Friendly Tips: You don't have to book a car for your entire trip if the price isn't right. During the summer, car rentals can double or triple in price compared to the winter season, so consider renting only for the days you know you'll be going outside of the capital area. It's very easy to get around Reykjavik on foot or by bus (which costs 350 krona per ride), so chances are you may not even use the car those days anyway.

Super Cheap Backpacker Option: You will not have very much freedom, and it's always a gamble, but Iceland is a relatively safe country to hitchhike around. You can also check out this ride-share site.

If Money Is No Object: Forget the compact and get a great off road vehicle. There is a whole world open to you if you have 4-wheel drive. 

Our sweet ride from Sad Cars.

Accommodations

My host family was kind enough to let my sister stay with us during her visit. Anytime you travel somewhere new, staying with someone you know is always going to be the best option because you get a much more realistic view of the area (this is why you always make friends when traveling, and be generous with your own home to other travelers-- it's amazing how large your network will grow!). But of course this isn't always possible, so be prepared to spend a major chunk of your travel money on a place to sleep. Check out airbnb.com, kayak.com, booking.com and Visit Iceland for all the options.  

Budget-Friendly Tips: Stay in a hostel. They aren't as cheap here as they are in other parts of Europe, but they are still cheaper than a hotel. Renting a camper van is also an excellent idea especially if you're in a small group. 

Super Cheap Backpacker Option: Camping in camping-friendly but not official campground site (aka, FREE), or couchsurfing.com.

If Money is No Object: No brainer. Stay somewhere fancy, order lobster and filet mignon, and fall asleep on your diamond encrusted pillow made out of unicorn skin while being sweetly serenaded by Ray LaMontange (I have no idea how rich people accommodate themselves in Iceland, that's just what I'd do).

Firework show near the Harpa in Reykjavik.

Airport Transfer

If you aren't renting your car right off the bat, there are many options for transfers from the airport to downtown Reykjavik (it's about a 50 minute drive). 

What to Pack

This is a little tricky if you're on your way to the French Riviera in the middle of the summer with a stopover in Iceland, so to save space and luggage weight, consider at the very least packing warm and waterproof shells and shoes. I can't stress the waterproof thing enough. You might be the lucky ones who get the beautiful blue skies and lovely temperatures, but for people like my sister who got poured on everyday, it's good to be as prepared as reasonably possible for wet weather. If you have a lot of extra funds, you can always buy more layers here if you need, but be aware clothes are extremely expensive here. If you're stopping over in wintertime, dress as you would for a normal snowy climate. 

We had just hiked to Seljavallalaug pool in the rain, swam in the rain, and hiked back to the car in the rain. RAIN!

Where To Go

This is roughly what my sister and I did for her stay. It's a great outline for the casual traveler looking to see a lot of the island that is readily accessible. Some of our days were long, but not overly exhausting by any means.

Day 1 - (Arrived around 4:00pm) Fancy dinner in Reykjavik at Sjávargrillið (splurge #1).
Day 2 - : The Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) + Seljalendsfoss and Gljúfrarbúi + swimming at Seljavallalaug pool + Skogafoss
Day 3: Snæfellsness + Kolaportið Flea Market (gotta try the shark!) + Menningarnótt (a massive culture festival in downtown Reykjavik complete with free concert and fireworks)

Day 4: Jökulsárlón, Vik, Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjall
Day 5: The Blue Lagoon (splurge #2), ate a hotdog in Reykjavik (a must) and went to the top of the Hallgrímskirkja, then spent a quiet evening having dinner and playing games with friends.

(Also, check out my other posts about things to do and road trips when looking into these places. To Vik and back: here, south coast: here here here, Reykjavik: here, and my epic photography road trip: here.)

To note: We were lucky to catch the Menningarnótt culture festival, but festivals and such activities in general are not uncommon (for example, Of Monsters and Men preformed a free show last weekend, NBD), so check out grapevine.is for news and events. 

Ásgeir Trausti concert.

Tours To Consider

Because I had to work a little bit, we were working with a budget, and I wanted to introduce her to some of my friends, we didn't have 100% free travel time during my sister's entire trip. Since I'm assuming you stopoverers will (unless, you know, you wanna hang out er somethin'), you should consider adding on a tour. Wait, didn't I just knock tours at the beginning of this post? What about tuna man? Well, stopoverers, not all tours are created equally. I fully support activities you need a tour for (the Golden Circle, for example, is NOT one of them). I'm talking about going on a helicopter, whale watching, horseback riding, glacier walking, dog sledding, or even inside of a volcano. Summer or winter, there are a gazillion awesome options. Hopefully I'll get to knock a few more of those off my list before I leave in about 5 months.

Seljalendsfoss

I hope I've made things a little less overwhelming for you stopoverers. I'd love to hear any stories about success or failures from your short trips. What did you learn? What would you do differently? Let's get a discussion going!