re: Iceland Trip Review

We went last week. My pics are like everyone else's (so to speak so I'll just give the highlights/what worked/and what didn't). Our party was a family of 4 with 2 boys ages 7 & 9 so our destinations were planned accordingly.

We flew out of BWI on Sunday night and landed around 5:00 a.m. local time. I knew that jet lag would be an issue so we took it easy on this day and stayed closed to KEF. We walked outside the airport and it was windy and about 30°F while waiting for the rental car shuttle and I thought "What did I get myself into" Ha! But that was the only time the entire trip that I felt uncomfortable because of the weather. Anyway, we rented a car and drove to the Viking World Museum and had breakfast and started to learn about Iceland history. We then had tix for the Blue Lagoon at noon. We arrived at about 10:00 and we were working on no sleep. We crashed for about 1:30 in the parking lot in the car. I needed that. We were at the Blue Lagoon until about 4:00 relaxing and having lunch. Very relaxing and just what we all needed after the overnight flight. We stayed at a B&B near KEF, went to dinner and had pizza (about $60-$70) and crashed from about 8:00 until about 9:00 am. the next morning. We were then on Iceland time and very refreshed. This paid dividends for the next few days for sure.

Day 2 we drove to Reykjavik and did the sites. The famous hot dog stand is about as overrated as it gets. Luckily when we arrived, there was no line. Like not one person. They said that was the first time there's been no line in months. People in the city were great and the museums/galleries were very nice. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Saga and then went to a local pool to swim outdoors in 35°F weather. Pools are heated of course and the sun was out. Very nice.

Day 3 we started the Golden Circe drive and saw the sites. We stayed at a small house in Laugaras next to a river. We ate at a local restaurant for dinner and had fish and deer loin. Very good. I think we spent $160 with no drinks.

Day 4 we drove to Vik stopping along with way at all of the waterfalls, glaciers, etc. CRAZY nice scenery. We stayed at a small house in Vik about 300 meters from the black sand beaches.

Day 5 we drove back to the airport stopping along the way to drive up the cliffs and overlook the beaches. Again, INSANE scenery.

Notes:
1. EVERYONE takes credit cards. I didn't spend any cash.
2. Drive is super easy and I'm VERY glad we rented a car and did our thing and saw the sites at our pace.
3. Yes, food is expensive but we only really ate one nice meal every day. Morning were gas station/10-11 meals -skyr, bananas, rolls, etc. Lunch was usually a gas station hot dog, stuff like that. Dinners were sit down, relaxing meals.
4. One long day in Reykjavik was plenty for us. The real deal is driving around the island, especially south. I would have like to have 3 more days there (sans wife and kids) to cruise through the interior and see some more. I HIGHLY recommend renting an SUV and just driving.
5. Tourism is blowing up. I'm glad we went in early April before the high season. Lots of stops along the way were busy and I can only imagine what it's like going to, say, Gullfoss, in July.
6. When in Reykjavik, you have to go to the top of Hallgrímskirkja church. It's only a few bucks - best deal in the city.
7. There are some grocery stores but most (especially once you get out of the city) are only open from 10-6. Plan accordingly.
8. We didn't see the Northern Lights on the trip. I didn't expect to so I wasn't disappointed. We woke up at 2:00 a.m. both nights we stayed out of the city to check but, alas, nothing but a moon.

That's about I can think of off the top of my head. It's a GREAT location for a first time International trip and with a family.