| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) 09:34 - Nov 14 with 2858 views | King_of_Portman_Rd |
Planning a visit in December and know there are some incredibly well traveled folk on here.. I've found a couple of relatively inexpensive airbnb's but if anyone has any recommendations of areas to stay (in Reykjavik), places to eat, things to see/avoid etc. then that would be greatly appreciated |  | | |  |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 09:35 - Nov 14 with 2852 views | Kieran_Knows |
Will be following this thread closely as I'm planning on going next year. |  |
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| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 09:49 - Nov 14 with 2829 views | hatch |
Just got back from a 3 night trip. Can only really comment on the core touristy areas as didn't have time to explore much beyond Reykjavik and the typical tourist trail but would love to go back and road trip the rest of the island. I can advise on what I did, however.
Car rental - almost certainly worth doing as I understand the taxis are very expensive (as is pretty much everything!) We got a VW Polo pretty cheaply from Avis.
Blue Lagoon - Near to the airport so worth doing on either the day your arrive or leave to tie it in (if you have a car). We went the day we landed and were in the lagoon when it was still daylight but stayed in until it went dark - it was nice to see both. I would be disappointed if I only saw it in the dark so make sure you get there in daylight hours. We spent almost 2 hours in the lagoon itself but you won't need more than that.
Food - Go to Icelandic Street Kitchen in Reykjavik - they do soup in holed out loaves of bread, unlimited refills. Lamb or fish. Simple. Herman Hriedarsson's neighbour works behind the counter.
Golden Circle - You may like to drive this as well, many do. We took one of the many many coach tours on offer which was warm, you could nap on long sections of the journey and they have a tour guide to explain the sites (which is the main reason we chose a tour).
Northern Lights - hit and miss of course. We got lucky with the conditions but still didn't see them in all their glory. We booked the boat tour out to sea to give us the best chance but it was extremely windy so they cancelled the trip unfortunately. We drove to the lighthouse and it seemed a very popular spot. If you are desperate to see them and have the money then I got the feeling the private tours are pretty good. You shoot around in these modified Jeeps and they know all the little areas that have good view points with no light pollution.
Not much else to add, just wander the streets and enjoy the city - the Harbour is pretty and the Concert Hall is impressive. Although it is expensive (I had a pints of beer at happy hour for £4, otherwise closer to £8) but don't worry about going overboard as I think you can keep sensible. Take lots of warm clothing - and I recommend hand warmers.
Enjoy! |  | | |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:11 - Nov 14 with 2806 views | IpswichKnight |
Not been in the depths of winter but can help a bit, we stayed at Hafnarfjörður which is about 25 mins by bus from central Reykjavik and just off the main motorway to the airport, plenty of good Air BnB around that area.
It's not cheap and the licensing laws are very restrictive, however you can buy lower strength beer ( 2-4% ) in the supermarkets ( Viking Gold is very pleasent! )
Check the opening times for the places you want to visit and if they are open late go later once the crowds of daytrippers have gone. We did this in Northern Iceland for Goðafoss, went at 10.30am and it had 11 coaches in the car park, so we went away and came back at 8.30 at night and were only people there ( ok this was in May! ) |  | | |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:29 - Nov 14 with 2778 views | ElephantintheRoom |
Cancel your trip and go in spring would be my advice. | |
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| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:38 - Nov 14 with 2761 views | IpswichKnight |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:29 - Nov 14 by ElephantintheRoom |
Cancel your trip and go in spring would be my advice. |
If your doing that go to the North instead! | | | |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:41 - Nov 14 with 2760 views | TIB |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:37 - Nov 14 by King_of_Portman_Rd |
5 days and we like a bit of exploring.. Both urban and rural so want to be close to city centre for the strolls around town.. But i've also started looking at hiring a 4x4 and doing a bit of driving around the island (apparently 4x4 is a must in December)
Basically I'm hoping for a city break with a healthy portion of outdoorsy/adventure type sightseeing. |
I'd only do a day in Reykjavik and spend rest on road. Golden Circle and along south coast to beyond Vik should be do-able but of course it's all down to conditions. I'd say you could get up to Western Fjords to but that would be a push and involve a lot of driving. Old School hostel at Laugarvatn a good stop on the Golden Circle...nice thermal baths next door too. |  |
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| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 11:03 - Nov 14 with 2736 views | Sarge |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 09:35 - Nov 14 by Kieran_Knows |
Will be following this thread closely as I'm planning on going next year. |
And I next week | | | |
| (No subject) (n/t) on 11:03 - Nov 14 with 2738 views | Swansea_Blue |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 10:37 - Nov 14 by King_of_Portman_Rd |
5 days and we like a bit of exploring.. Both urban and rural so want to be close to city centre for the strolls around town.. But i've also started looking at hiring a 4x4 and doing a bit of driving around the island (apparently 4x4 is a must in December)
Basically I'm hoping for a city break with a healthy portion of outdoorsy/adventure type sightseeing. |
As TIB said.
Just to expand, if I was to make a recommendation for 5 days in-country, it would be 2 around Reykjavik: one in the City, one including a trip to the Blue Lagoon/Reykjanes peninsula. And then 3 days on a roadtrip taking in the golden triangle route (Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir) first and then hop over to Vatnajökull, especially Jökulsárlón.
It's doable in the winter time-wise (but tight), and obviously you'd need to keep a close eye on weather/road conditions. You could manage quick stops at Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir in the daylight, but you'd be doing the bulk of the driving (4-5 hours+) to Vatnajökul in the dark. One day there to explore during the short daylight (you could take a snowmobile or jeep tour on the glacier if you want the 'full experience'), and one day slowly making your way back (there are sights to explore along the way). You'd need 2 night accommodation over by Vatnajökul. There are places along route 1, but small and isolated.
If the weather is good, it could be absolutely gorgeous, so don't let the time of year put you off.
4x4 hire is chuffing expensive mind, if that's a consideration. And I've not done those routes in the winter (but many times in the summer).
Or Western Fjords is another option but has less of the popular sites, but still lovely.
For only 3 full days in-country, I'd stick to a day in the City, a day exploring the peninsula and the Blue Lagoon (remembering your 'days' are only going to be about 4-5 hrs long. And then a day doing the Golden Triangle route.
Some of the above ideas are in this list, along with a few other quirky suggestions - they seem to cover most of the bases. https://traveltriangle.com/blog/iceland-in-december/ [Post edited 14 Nov 2018 11:27]
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| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 13:59 - Nov 14 with 2618 views | King_of_Portman_Rd |
Is it an easy place to just rock up and book a hotel for the night? By that I mean if I did hire a car and did a road trip would I need to plan it meticulously or could I just stop at a Hotel/B&B by the side of the road (outside of Reykjavik) and chance it?
Expect that major towns would be fairly busy in the build up to Christmas but not sure about rural areas | | | |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 14:54 - Nov 14 with 2598 views | TIB |
| ReykjavÃk (and Iceland in General) on 13:59 - Nov 14 by King_of_Portman_Rd |
Is it an easy place to just rock up and book a hotel for the night? By that I mean if I did hire a car and did a road trip would I need to plan it meticulously or could I just stop at a Hotel/B&B by the side of the road (outside of Reykjavik) and chance it?
Expect that major towns would be fairly busy in the build up to Christmas but not sure about rural areas |
I don't envisage it being that busy. I'd certainly book Reykjavik accommodation prior to going but then just have a list of places along the route you could stay and check before you go they've got plenty of rooms still. The School Hostel would be a good place to stop after a day completing the Golden Circle so might be worth booking ahead. | |
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