8 Days Trip to Iceland in Summer
- cjiao3141
- Jul 27, 2022
- 6 min read
Things to know before visit
Scam
There are some major scams could happen here:
1. read your receipt before leave. There are times the merchant could put in much higher price than listed price.
2. Watch careful and confirm the price on the menu. There is one time the restaurant only listed the Vegetarian version, but leave the mean version like market price. We are not familiar with the local language and assume the the tasting menu is with meat. The final price was like 3X more.
3. The gas station can be very tricky. There are ones ask you to put pin number when you use your credit card. You will just need to load money on a card from the gas station to pay. Usually you have the option of different fixed price point. There are ones that have option of top off the gas, this option could be significantly expensive. Be careful!
Gas price
From other sites, they said the price range from 276 to 310 ISK, but what we see is from 345 to 376 ISK. Our recommendation is to check the price before you start pumping.
There are four major types of gas station brand in Iceland, differentiated based on color: The red and white company (N1), the green and yellow companies (Olis and OB), the white and pink company (Orkan), and the blue and red company (AO). Based on my experience, the Orkan is the cheapest and N1 is the most expensive.
Roundabout
There are many roundabouts in Iceland. Some of them have two lanes, so there are different rules that you need to know. Check out here:
Travel Plan
Day | Plan |
1 | Arrive Reykjavik at 9am, had lunch at Fishmarket and dinner at Grillmarket. Check out Rainbow road and the church (Hallgrimskirkja) |
2 | Check out Blue Lagoon at 8am Kayaking trip near Olafsvik. Visited the famous Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. Had dinner at Grundarfjorour |
3 | Check out the snaefellsjokull National Park (Londrangar). Hike at Glymur waterfall and Thingvellir National Park. Watch midnight sunset at Seljalandsfoss waterfall |
4 | Check out Dyrholaey (the arch with the hole) , Vik Beach, Skogafoss waterfall, and Gljufrabui waterfall. Had Lunch at The Soup Company and tried local brewery (Smiojan Brugghus). |
5 | Check out Fjadrargljufur Canyon, Skaftafell, and Diamond Beach. Had dinner at Hofn at Pakkhus Restaurant |
6 | Hike at Mulagljufur Canyon |
7 | Check out Skogafoss and Kvernufoss waterfall in the early morning and Golden Circle in the afternoon (Geysir, Gullfoss, and Bruarfoss waterfall). Had mushroom lunch at Farmers Bistro and ice cream at Selfoss. |
8 | Drive back to Reykjavik, check out Viking Village and visit Sky Lagoon. Had dinner at Sumac Grill+Drinks |
9 | Fly back to NYC |
Where to stay
Day 1: Framnesvegur 50, Reykjavík, Capital Region 101, Iceland
Day 2: andholt 45, 355 Olafsvik
Day 3-4: Drangshlíð 2 Hvolsvöllur, Hvolsvöllur,
Day 5: Þjóðvegur
Day 6-7: Safnavegur 1 Skógavegur 3, Skógar, 861, Iceland
Day 8: Fálkagata Eygló 202, Reykjavík, Iceland
What to eat
Icelandic Fish
Kleinur: The Twisted Doughnut
Bragðarefur: A Tasty Fox or the Trixter (Ice Cream)
Hákarl: Fermented Shark
Svið: Sheep's Head
Pylsa: The Icelandic Hot Dog
Skyr: The “Icelandic Yogurt”
Flatkaka með Hangikjöti: Flatbread with Sliced Smoked Lamb
Puffin: Local bird at Fratecula
What to pack
Travel Adaptor: You can buy this at local market but still better to get it before the trip
Waterproof Jacket: Iceland weather can be rainy during summer
Sleep Mask: Midnight sun during the summer is a real thing here in Iceland, so sleep mask is a must!
Water proof pants: Perfect for hiking
Hiking/waterproof boots: There are time you need to cross river or walk in muddy path
Reusable water bottle: Essential medicine if you have weak stomach
Trip Details
Day 1
We arrived the city around noon and checked out the Reykjavík City.
Iceland is also home to two colorful streets. Painted in the colors of the rainbow, these two streets represent Iceland’s friendliness and acceptance towards its LGBTQ community.
Day 2
In order to avoid the crowd, I booked the 8am ticket for Blue Lagoon.
book the ticket here: https://www.bluelagoon.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65ajHiww4iofEfUH2B1YBPbFrmuzIZLXHcrYu_MAsyqQ1UmYu5aM4VnUaAq2mEALw_wcB
At here you can experience the tranquility of the unique, geothermal seawater. You can also choose to stay at their hotels designed for serenity and complete relaxation.
After Blue Lagoon, we drove to the North west side for our kayaking.
The trip was near Olafsvik. we also visited the famous Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall.
Kirkjufellsfoss (“Church Mountain Falls”) was a short but very well-situated waterfall near the distinctive Kirkjufell mountain on the north side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This car park was apparently on private property and there was a camera at the entrance. You will pay after you leave.
Day 3
In the morning we check out the Lóndrangar View Point.
Address: P6PF+5W5, 356 Hellnar, Iceland
The Lóndrangar are a pair of rock pinnacles in Iceland. They are volcanic plugs of basalt, that have been hewn out from softer surrounding rock by erosion.
One of my favorite hike is Glymur waterfall. Glymur was considered Iceland's highest waterfall at 198m. Glymur waterfall is located in Hvalfjordur fjord in West Iceland, about an hours drive from Reykjavík. You will need to go through a cave, cross two rivers and experience different change of altitudes.
Distance: 4.3miles (7km)
Total Ascent: 1394 feet (425meters)
Length of time: 3 to 4 hours
During the summer time, you will be amazed by the abundance of these lovely flowers! Lupins are visible almost everywhere along roads, near waterfalls and lakes. It is also called the Alaskan lupin. It belongs to the pea family and was introduced to Iceland in order to fight land erosion and to enhance soil fertility.
Before I went to Iceland I had this dream to watch sunset at Seljalandsfoss. It is a waterfall that can be fully encircled, situated on the South Coast of Iceland with a drop of 60 meters (200 feet). You can walk all the way on the back of the waterfall. By the time we finish the Glymur waterfall hike, this waterfall was on the way to our airbnb. It was the perfect time to see the midnight sunset.
There was a secret waterfall next by called Gljúfrabúi. It is a hidden gems of the South Coast, and thus an excellent spot for photos. You will need to step on the stones to walk into the cave.
Day 4
In the morning, we check out Dyrholaey. It is close to village Vik. Dyrhólaey is a small peninsula or promontory but is a former island. In summer time, you might be able to see puffins. In the higher parts, you will see beautiful black lava seastacks and huge black arch.
After that we visited Vik Beach, Iceland is a very volcanic country and you will be able see black sand beaches here. The sand is ground down from black volcanic rocks. The beach is super windy and be careful of the skater waves.
Day 5
It was rare to have sunny day in Iceland. We planned all our big activities in the only sunny day. In the morning I revisited Skógafoss. This is a popular place, so it is usually crowded at normal time. It is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, with a drop of some 60 meters and a width of 25 meters. There was a steep stairs that you can walk up to see from the top of waterfall.
After that I visited Kvernufoss waterfall. It is a beautiful 30-meter waterfall close to ring road. It was right next to Skogafoss waterfall.
Another beautiful waterfall is Svartifoss. It is located in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. Formed from lava flows, the Svartifoss are situated along a beautifully marked track a few kilometers into the park. Over centuries, lava flows cooled at a languid pace in Iceland's frosty air, gently forming the stacked hexagonal crystals that provide the backdrop for the falls
At the Diamond Beach, the icebergs which fill the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon wash up on shore, creating a stark contrast with the volcanic black sand. Summer time is not ideal for diamond beach because there was not enough ice on the beach. However, I do enjoy seeing the floating icebergs.
Day 6
For the first stop we visited another hidden gem-Múlagljúfur Canyon. At 2/3 of the hike, you will see a long waterfall and the canyon river.
As part of the trip we visited Iceland active geyser. It is one of the major attractions in golden circle route.
As another iconic area, we visited Gullfoss (translated to ‘Golden Falls’). The water in Hvítá river travels from the glacier Langjökull, before cascading 32 meters (105 feet) down Gullfoss’ two stages in a dramatic display of nature’s raw power.
To finish the day, we check out the beautiful Bruarfoss Waterfall. Bruarfoss is a glacier-fed waterfall known best for its striking, bright blue color. It is almost hard to believe this color can occur in nature. It looks like Gatorade! The color comes from the Langjokull glacier which feds the Bruara River where this waterfall is located.
Day 7
The Sky Lagoon is located in the Reykjavík suburb of Kópavogur, just 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Reykjavík. This place provide you an infinity pool looking over the North Atlantic Ocean.
buy ticket here: https://www.skylagoon.com/
At the last night we happened to run into this bookstore bar with live music.
Hús máls og menningar
https://www.facebook.com/husmalsogmenningar
Food Experience
Fish Mark
This is a MUST VISIT restaurant in Reykjavík! The food, drinks, service and ambiance is absolutely 5 stars. We tried the trout and a seafood soup.
Grill Mark
The food was amazing and we tried Whale steak, puffin and local seabass.
Bjargarsteinn Mathús
We tried horse meat, fermented shark, and lamb.
Soup Company
We tried volcano soup, pumpkin soup and fish soup. They have a lava show in the same location. When you order the regular soup, you can get refill too.
Smidjan brugghus
They have beer flights you can try and also happy hour (small cup price for big cup)
Pakkhus
In a stylish harbourside warehouse, Pakkhús local langoustine, lamb and duck dishes that tempt taste buds.
Farmers Bistro- a mushroom special restaurant
Address: Garðastígur, 845 Flúðir, Iceland
You can try their mushroom buffet and mushroom flavor ice cream.
isbua huppu
This is a local ice cream shop. I really like this non-dairy softserve.
Noodle station
Great and inexpensive place for Thai noodle.
Sumac
This is a lively restaurant with on-trend concrete walls, burnished leather banquettes and a charcoal grill. Icelandic ingredients are given a Middle Eastern twist, with influences ranging from North African to Lebanese. we tried their tasting menu.
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