Okay I just booked a flight to Rekjavik for a week. What should I do while I'm there? Looking for recommendations for food and activities. Thanks.
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Posted on Feb 03, 2011
10 Answers
I'll echo much of Joseph's recommendations, like the Golden Circle Tour (Pingvellir National Park where the first ancient Viking government' me, , geysirs (the word originates from Iceelandic), and Gulfoss (dramatic waterfall) and the Blue Lagoon. We also went to Perlan - a silver structure on a hill overlooking the city that built on huge tanks of water used to warm the city that also has the Saga Museum that chronicles Icelandic history (a little kitschy, but informative), went to a local municipal thermal pool which was a great way to 'be local.' and meet some folks, and went to the theatre (there are some performances in English). Finally, did a day trip to Kulusuk, Greenland, which was fascinating. Have a great time.
Posted Feb 05, 2011
Add a commentHow did you get around in Iceland? Tours look really expensive. Any good guides to recommend?
Posted on Mar 01, 2011
Couple days in REK, rent a car, day 1, drive up through snefesssness (watch for speeding tickets - video capture), take a snow mobile to the top of the sneffessness glacier, singing cave, ride a icelandic pony, then drive the golden triangle. Gulfoss, Seljalandsfoss, if you can rush rush, get to the glacier lagoons. And the Blue lagoon on the way back to the Airport to swim and relax before getting on the plane home!
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Posted Feb 08, 2011
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Definitely go out and check out Blue Lagoon - that place is amazing. I would also second the recommendation of renting a car - if you drive for 30 minutes you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere very quickly, surrounded by beautiful scenery. If you can check out the Raufarholshellir ice cave, that was one of the coolest things I saw in Iceland. You have to get the Icelandic hot dog from Bajerins Bestu and then any seafood restaurant will have great food. I would check out Perlan in Reykjavik as well as the beach that has thermal heated water pumped into it, I forget the name.
Posted Feb 09, 2011
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Golden Circle tour, check out a free bike tour (they accept donations/tips if you enjoy the tour), and visit a local thermal swimming pool. They are far cheaper than the Blue Lagoon (it's a fun treat) and gives you the chance to meet some locals. It's about $5/person and you can stay as long as you like. There's one in the city that even has a water slide (trust me, it's fun!).
Posted Feb 09, 2011
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did you go yet? if not...for sure rent a car and drive to HOTEL BUDIR..one of the most inspiring beautful extraordinary locations for a hotel you will ever see. totally stunning.
its 3 hours outside of rek...but worth every minute...although the restaurant in the hotel is little overpriced....but thats iceland...
Posted May 14, 2011
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Depends on how much time you have. Definitely do the Golden Circle tour. Check out the Blue Lagoon on your way to or from the airport. You can probably pass on doing the Northern Lights tour, because it's unlikely you'll see them. Check out a live show in Reykjavik and drink to the wee hours at Bakkus.
Posted Feb 04, 2011
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agree with the guys' suggestions. I enjoyed Cafe Rosenberg for entertainment - I think there's live music every night.
Posted Feb 05, 2011
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This will have some of the listings for live music.
Another option is to go down to the South Shore of Iceland. There are tours or you can rent a car. Going towards Vik is really pretty. Glaciers and Black Lava beaches......
The thermal pools (Blue Lagoon is a must) are fun. And will keep you warm.
Good people watching at the Flea Market on Sundays when a lot of places are closed,
Reykjavík Excursions has lots of tours you can go on or to give you ideas!
And Icelandic Hot Dogs are really good!
Have fun! For drinks Kaffebarin is interesting. It was featured in the movie Reykjavik 101.
Posted Feb 05, 2011
Add a commentHow did you go the South Shore? I've been looking into tours and they're all really expensive. Did you just deal with the cost or am I missing something? Any good guides to recommend?
Posted on Mar 01, 2011
I sucked it up and pretended that I didn't care about money. I just had to budget wisely, and deal with the fact that Iceland is/was expensive. I went with Reykjavik Excursions. Pack a lunch with you if you are on a budget, because the lunch at the restaurant we stopped at was about $25 for a bowl of soup and a coke!http://www.landogsaga.is/section.php?id=1554&id_art=1580 The Iceland Naturally website also has some good links.
I consider the Rough Guide to Iceland as my overall favorite. Overall, great recommendations for everything. Personally, I am not a fan of the Lonely Planet Guide to Iceland, but that was some Icelanders scoffed at some of the recommendations. But if you are doing alot of hiking the Frommer's guide is surprisingly good. I just helped a friend plan her trip and we consulted all of the guidebooks for hiking info and Frommer's won hands down.
Posted on Mar 02, 2011
Like everyonelse, i suggest the golden circle tour. I rented a car, which was a fun roadtrip and did a DIY tour.
go on a runter... which is essentially a icelandic bar crawl. .. but they start late... places don't start to get busy until midnight.
Posted Feb 05, 2011
Add a commentWe've heard about and are definitely interested in the runter but didn't really know how it works. I assume it's not an organized thing but are there any places you recommend starting, especially places where we could meet some locals? Any other advice on it? Thanks.
Posted on Feb 06, 2011
Reykjavik isn't a big place, and much of the bar activity centers around Laugavegur Street. When I was there, most of the bars were full of locals.
I suggest starting with a late dinner... which can then feed into the late night drinking/partying. we had dinner at either Solon or B5, which was pretty good. I don't think we had a bad meal in Reykjavik
Also, many of the coffee shops during the day turn into bars at night... so places that you may have walked by during the day are pretty happening at night.
Here's some info on the runtur.
http://matadornetwork.com/nights/how-to-drink-on-the-reykjavik-runtur/
They have a special drink called "Black Death" which is a schnapps, and kinda disgusting. Best tried ice cold or else it's even worse.
Oh, and depending on what time of year you're going -- you may be able to see the aurora borealis.
Posted on Feb 06, 2011
Not sure you ventured off to Iceland yet, but I wanted to give you a hands up on a time saving technique while your visting this gorgeous country.
Once you arrive town you will notice everyone seems to book the bus trip as their mode of transport in getting to and from the airport. I'd look into this bus option package if I were you because all the bus operators in town offer a layover to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is only 20 mintues from the airport. In the end they give you about 3-4 hours at the Lagoon. Plus this option saves a lot of time in getting to the Blue Lagoon on your own, etc etc. And if you are really greedy you can visit the Lagoon once you arrive town and then again when you are about to leave town!
Posted May 20, 2012
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