Recommendations for 18hr layover in Iceland
Posted by mansardr00f@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 21 comments
Hi guys, I just found a really cheap international flight that has an 18-hour layover in Keflavík, Iceland (KEF) from 6am to midnight. I've never been to Iceland and though this isn't a proper visit, I'd love to see what I can. What recommendations do you have for 15ish good hours in Keflavík? Would there be a place to store our bags in the airport while we explore?
sdvneuro@reddit
Rent a car and do the golden circle
trixbler@reddit
Definitely rent a car and do the golden circle, you’ll easily do the trip round Thingvellir national park and can stop at Gulfoss, Geysir and go to the Secret Lagoon (a lot cheaper than Blue Lagoon!). Kerid Crater is another good stop if you have time.
Careful_Piglet@reddit
you posted a year ago. Since then, the eruption has happened. I'm considering a 4-day trip from NY to Iceland. Are your suggestions still viable and what about tickets /entry reservations to the places you mentioned? Thanks! Careful-Piglet
trixbler@reddit
Hi, I actually went to Iceland again in November, for a 5 night trip. I’ll list where we went below, but it was a LOT of driving so you’d need to decide how much you’re willing to do.
Day 1: Arrived 2pm, collect rental car, drove to Vik. Brief stop at Selfoss to pick up some groceries.
Day 2: Drove to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon for the boat tour and visited Diamond Beach. Booked the boat tour online the day before - you might be lucky and get a walk-up tour but better to book. On the drive back we stopped for a brief hike at Svínafellsjökull glacier and photo stops at the Mossy Lava fields and wherever we felt like stopping. Costs were parking at Glacier Lagoon (also covers Diamond Beach across the road) and the boat tour. Spent a second night in Vik.
Day 3: Visited Reynisfjara black sand beach, Skogafoss Waterfall, and Seljalandsfoss/Gljúfrabúi waterfalls. Had to pay for parking at all three locations, no other costs to enter. Another stop in Selfoss for groceries and drive to our Airbnb on the Golden Circle for two nights.
Day 4: visited the Secret Lagoon at 10am (opening time), then did a short circuit to Gulfoss Waterfall, Geysir, and Kerid Crater. No charge at Gulfoss, parking cost at Geysir, and an entry fee per person at Kerid (but less than the parking at most locations!). That was a fairly short day for us, we were back well before 3pm.
Day 5: Drove through Thingvellir National Park with a couple of short photo stops, lunch in Reykjavik and the afternoon in the Blue Lagoon. We booked the Blue Lagoon tickets only about 3 hours before we went. Early night and stayed near the airport as we had an early flight home.
Everything we did was easily accessible and not affected by the eruptions. It would be possible to do the majority of it in 3-4 days provided it’s not winter time and you have at least two drivers who are happy to spend a lot of hours behind the wheel. It’s a long long way to Glacier Lagoon but the boat tour was one of the favourite things our group did - the other was walking behind the waterfall at Seljalandsfoss.
If I was cutting items from the itinerary it would be in this order (ie my least favourite things): - Thingvellir - Reykjavik - Blue Lagoon (it’s great, but expensive and crowded)
Let me know if you want any other info on particular sites or details on accommodation and restaurants that we used etc.
Careful_Piglet@reddit
I am likely going in August so it's the following that is on my list, see below. I plan to fly from NY to KEF, rent a car, stay at airbnbs, cook if I have kitchen with minimal eating out and head back home late Tuesday night. Hopefully I won't be too jet lagged for reporting to work on Wed. I am not trying to cram in a lot but there is a lot to do!
Thank you for your input and suggestions! I'll have more daylight to drive so it should be easy enough for me to navigate my way around.
trixbler@reddit
Sounds like a good list, you should manage that fine without wrecking yourself driving. I used Lava Car Rentals in November, they were excellent. I was a little worried that the shuttle would cause delays as they are slightly away from the airport, but they were incredibly quick picking us up.
Bonus supermarket in Selfoss was great for groceries, and very easy to get to just off the main road.
Careful_Piglet@reddit
Thank you too about the Car Rental suggestion. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'll reserve a car and my airbnb's before the end of April. And today checking flights; the RT flight from JFK was $435 today and from EWR it was $535, even with the fuel uptick. Very reasonable thus far!
mansardr00f@reddit (OP)
Do you by any chance know if an International Driver's License/IDP is required for renting a car in Iceland? I have a driver's license in my home country, but not an IDP.
sdvneuro@reddit
I rented with a US driver’s license.
TBoneCapone4@reddit
Thingvellir National Park and Fagradalsfjall Volcano Hike. Both are very impressive and doable in a day. Doing the entire golden circle will be tough in that time frame. These two will keep you close to the airport and are free (parking at the volcano was maybe 10 euro)
No_Bag_4342@reddit
Don’t bother with the Blue Lagoon. It’s all tourists. Don’t bother with Reykjavik. It’s a nice little city but you don’t go to Iceland to see a nice little city. Rent a car and explore. You could visit the Golden Circle. For something a little different - in past years I would say an option is to drive counterclockwise around Reykjanes towards Grindvik and then cut north to Seltun and loop back to Keflavik - but I think the eruption has made that impossible?
shantron44@reddit
I would take the bus depending on the times and spend the day in Reykjavik. I went in August a few years ago and it was very walkable with lots to do.
Grayfox4@reddit
They have some pretty good hot dogs at pylsuvagninn
mahrog123@reddit
I think I ate two every day for 8 days.
savehoward@reddit
Depends. What time of year are you planning to visit Iceland?
mansardr00f@reddit (OP)
late august
savehoward@reddit
If you're just in Iceland for half a day, then you likely have no time for the bus, which is about an hour journey each way plus the waiting time. You'll likely have a better time renting a car, which will also help as you will no longer need to pay for luggage storage.
In August the weather is mild enough to get away with a day trip in just a car plus you'll have 24 hours of daylight. Go to the lagoon, see the opera house, penis museum, and you'll likely have time to visit the saltwater geothermal next to the university - that one is free.
mansardr00f@reddit (OP)
we’ll be in iceland from 6am to midnight that night, so pretty much an entire day (18 hours). Is renting a car a whole lot more expensive than the bus? my partner and i are the epitome of shoestring travelers. I’ve also heard that Blue Lagoon is a bit of a ripoff given that there are better ones and it’s not a natural spring. Any recs for good lagoons to visit instead?
savehoward@reddit
If you don't visit the blue lagoon, then a bus can be doable. But know Iceland has the most expensive public buses in Europe.
Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach would the most shoestring place to visit. It's free. It's also frequented by the locals.
Reykjavík is also incredibly small geographically. You can probably get away with a lime scooter in Reykjavík.
fingers@reddit
You can rent a car from the airport area. GET THE INSURANCE! Iceland has rocks. Make sure you take pictures of the vehicle BEFORE you leave.
Reykjavik is an hour away. They have public saunas that are more inexpensive than blue lagoon.
saretta71@reddit
Start at the Blue Lagoon - it's open early and you can have a great soak and then shower after. I would then look at day tours via Viator app to see what you find interesting. You want to the natural beauty which there is a lot of. Then do a dinner/meal at the city center.