iceland.
Between listening to Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros at every youth retreat I ever went to and being mesmerized by the places Walter Mitty’s imagination took him…I had dreamt of going to Iceland for a long, long time. I dreamt of Iceland, daydreamt of Iceland, and sought out every opportunity to casually bring it up in conversation. I followed Icelandic photographers and watched documentaries about the country. I really couldn’t get enough! After spending so much time researching Iceland and scrolling through photos of Iceland, I was honestly a little worried I would get there and be disappointed or have felt that I had seen it all already from my planning.
Iceland is one of those places where photos truly do not do justice. No photo I have seen of Iceland (and trust me, I’ve seen and taken a lot) brings out the dramatic colors or vast depthness of the waterfalls. You truly have to travel to Iceland, to experience the true beauty.
LOGISTICS
In researching Iceland to try to come up with an itinerary, I kept finding two routes in common: The Ring Road or The Golden Circle. I was tempted to take the Ring Road (a “highway” that goes all around the perimeter of the country), though I did not want to feel rushed and wanted to make sure we had some time to relax. We were in Iceland for 8 days and most Ring Road itineraries recommended 10 days. The Golden Circle only takes a day (in my opinion) so what the heck were we supposed to do with our 8 days in Iceland? Over the course of a few months, I spent approximately 40 hours (I had a really boring job at the time!) reading, researching, and dreaming up our plan.
To start, I promise you, you need a plan. Iceland is not a trip where you go to relax. It’s also not a place where you go and just wing it. Iceland (outside of Reykjavik) is extremely remote. I highly recommend planning where you will sleep, and even eat, ahead of time.
We flew directly from O’hare to Reykjavik via IcelandAir. The flight was really easy, it took less than six hours. We took off around 11p CST and landed in Iceland by 9a. We slept on the plane so we could have a full first day as soon as we landed! We booked our car through Firefly car rental (Hertz owns them). I did pay for gravel damage but did not pay for any additional coverage. We rented a small sedan and didn’t run into any issues having such a small car. If we go back to Iceland, I would rent a larger car just so we can go off roading (F-roads in Iceland) but that is not necessary. There are so many additional insurance coverages you can get, I think this is where the car rental companies get you. We didn’t run into any issues with our limited coverage.
We were pretty nervous about driving in Iceland as none of the street signs are in English. Before you leave America, make sure to download the Maps.me app. This app is equivalent to Google Maps though it works when you have no cell service. I had a list of where we were going and we were able to use this app during our entire trip! Driving in Iceland was extremely easy, the roads were well paved and well marked; we never felt uncomfortable or like we were in danger.
Another thing to note is that we did not convert any US dollars to the Icelandic Krona. Everywhere we went accepted credit cards; our credit card has no international fees so this made it really easy.
We drove about 30 hours on our trip. I firmly believe that the best way to experience Iceland is by driving - you absolutely need a rental car and I highly recommend driving far. The farther we drove away from the city, the more beautiful and other-worldly, the landscape turned. I brought a ton of snacks - tuna packets, protein bars, trail mix, etc. We would drive for hours without seeing a place to stop for food. Though restaurants were few and far between, there were lots of really nice and clean public bathrooms. Some of these bathrooms did have a fee that you could pay with a credit card.
PACKING AND WEATHER
I was a little overwhelmed with what all to take with me to Iceland. From my reading, I learned that you could experience all four seasons in one day in Iceland. We were also changing hotels almost every night so the thought of two massive suitcases felt overwhelming. We invested in this Patagonia duffel that is waterproof and converts into a backpack (this made it so much easier when we changed hotels everynight). We were in Iceland the last week of May; the weather felt like the fall in Indiana, 50’s - 60’sF. I wore a lot of flannels and leggings or waterproof hiking pants. There were definitely times where we got rained on so having waterproof pants, coat, and hiking shoes is a must. The thickest coat I brought was just a raincoat. When we got farther north towards the Lagoon, it got to be really windy and cold - a snow hat and gloves were essential, I wore my hat almost everyday. Finally a swimsuit for the hot springs and hiking poles for the steep hikes were really helpful!
Late May is the start of summer in Iceland and by July, the sun never sets. While we were there, the sun stayed out until after 11pm and rose by 4am. I remember the first night we were out, we had no idea how late it was because the sun was still out at 11p! This makes your days feel so much longer. We didn’t feel the urgency of waking up extremely early like we do on hiking trips in the states. One of the days we didn’t even start our longest hike until 5p! If I were to visit Iceland again, I would go at the same time of the year - the weather is perfect, the sun is out late, and it’s not quite summer vacation yet so we really didn’t experience too many crowds.
RESERVATIONS
In addition to our hotels and rental car, we made reservations for all of our excursions and several restaurants ahead of time. When I say ahead of time, I mean several months out. The excursions fill up super fast. Do yourself a favor and book as far out as you can, it would be a shame to show up and not be able to do or eat where you want!
Most hotels and guest houses in Iceland have dining options since most locations are so remote. Overall, we had very good and fresh food while in Iceland but you don’t often get much of a choice as far as what type of food you eat. The hotel you are staying at will likely have one restaurant with a limited menu. Sometimes, the restaurants are expensive (Husafell and Fosshotel), but you have to do what you have to do. Don’t not eat, just know you will likely pay a lot for maybe not what you wanted to eat that night. Just be sure to pack lots of snacks!
Alright, let’s get to the fun stuff. What did we do, where did we stay, and most importantly, what did we eat!
ITINERARY
As soon as we landed in Reykjavik, we got our car (Firefly is onsite at the airport) and drove straight to the Blue Lagoon. Since the Blue Lagoon is closer to the airport than Reykjavik, I was told to do this excursion either right when you get to Iceland or right before you leave. I wanted to celebrate our arrival so I thought doing this right away would be a perfect celebration. The Blue Lagoon was about a 40 minute drive from the airport with not a lot in between. We were pretty hungry but waited until the Lagoon. There is a fancy, sit-down restaurant at the Blue Lagoon that you need reservations for but there was also a grab and go cafe. We split a very expensive BLT that wasn’t that great but we were so excited to be there, it didn’t matter!
Once you get to the Lagoon, they have you shower immediately before entering the water (you have to pay extra for a bathrobe). Everyone gets one drink (beer or wine) as well as one facemask with entry. If you want another drink, all you do is scan your wrist band so no need to bring money with you into the water. Once you leave, you turn in your wrist band and pay the balance.
We brought one phone with us into the Lagoon and just held it outside of the water. If you plan to go under the water, make sure to put a TON of conditioner on your hair before entering the Lagoon (there is so much sulfur in the water that it dries out your hair, big time!). Take all the time you want in the Lagoon - we were there for about two hours. It is so relaxing and so much fun. We both said we would absolutely do it again!
After the Lagoon, we drove an hour to downtown Reykjavik. We stayed at the Sand Hotel (free wifi and breakfast included) which was a fantastic location right in the middle of downtown. The hotel did not have parking but finding street parking was not an issue, and it was free since we were there on a Sunday. We didn’t need to use our car again until we left downtown; everywhere was really walkable.
I was surprised at how European downtown Reykjavik felt. I didn’t know what to expect of the town but I liked it way more than I thought I would. The buildings are so colorful and there are cafes and patios everywhere you look. The weather was in the 50’s and everyone was outside walking around, and many even had shorts on! We took some time just walking the streets and stumbled upon Skuli Brewing. We also got a drink at Apotek which is an award winning cocktail bar (very expensive). Fermented shark is a delicacy in Iceland so we knew we had to try it. We stopped in a local pub and ordered the dish. The shark came with a side of fish jerky. I wouldn’t say I would sign up to order it again but I’m glad we tried it! We had reservations at Rok for dinner which is a small, modern restaurant that served Icelandic tapas. We both agreed that our best meal in all of Iceland was Rok, I highly recommend it!
After dinner we visited BrewDog, which is an American brewery based out of Ohio. We thought it would be neat to visit the location in Iceland! I had heard about a restaurant called Hosilo that opened right before the pandemic started yet survived the pandemic. I wanted to check it out so we stopped in for a drink there as well. We ended our night at the Einstok Bar (Einstok is the local beer). This bar was cozy yet modern, and the bartender and owner were extremely friendly. We were here for hours!
The next morning we were pleasantly surprised with an incredible free breakfast at our hotel. We both agreed that this was the best breakfast either of us have ever had. It was a breakfast buffet in a quaint little cafe attached to the hotel. There was the typical European breakfast spread including fresh cheeses and cold meats but we also had Icelandic yogurt and smoothies, and pastries, not to mention the incredible coffee. We would most definitely stay at The Sand again.
On our way to our car, we stopped for a famous Icelandic cinnamon roll at Braud & Co. Yes, we had just had a huge breakfast but when in Iceland, do as the Icelanders do and eat lots of bread! The roll was very different from an American roll (powdered sugar instead of frosting) but so good and so fresh.
We left Reykjavik and headed towards the Golden Circle. Our first stop was the Gulfoss Waterfall which was about a 90 minute drive from our hotel in Reykjavik. Most of our drive was through the countryside, we drove past so many sheep and horse farms. Eventually we made it to Thingvellir National Park where we would spend the afternoon.
When we arrived at the parking lot, we were slightly confused because all we could see was vast countryside. Gulfoss waterfall has a paved and handicap friendly sidewalk. The walk from the visitor center down to the falls was about a quarter mile down into a valley. Out of nowhere, we saw the waterfall flowing through two canyons. It was so loud, it sounded like jets taking off. What’s pretty crazy is from the road, you never would have known the fall was here if not from the signs. That is what was so exciting about Iceland is that around every corner, there was so much to explore and discover. The visitor center at Gulfoss had a cafe and plenty of food options - we didn’t see another food stop for a long time. We spent less than an hour at Gulfoss. Just past Gulfoss, headed towards Silfra, is the Great Geysir, you can’t miss it!
Our next destination was the Silfra Fissure which was an hour away, back in Thingvellir National Park. The Silfra Fissure is a deep crevice between the two tectonic plates that separate North America and Europe. I booked a snorkel excursion in the fissure through Arctic Adventures.
We showed up to the meeting place a little early so we decided to explore more of the national park. What’s so incredible in Iceland is the signage. You will be driving down the highway and see a sign for a waterfall (foss = waterfall) that’s right off the road. We found so many falls by following signs that it’s too many to possibly name. All I can say is you can’t go wrong following the signs!
The Silfra dive is in a full dry suit. Logan and I were fully dressed under the dry suit when we went in the water and our clothes did not get wet at all. I wore long underwear and a thermal top under the dry suit. Though in a full dry suit, you can still feel the water on your hands and on your lips. The water was the coldest water I have ever felt, I had a brain freeze the entire time we were in the water. The snorkel trip was led by a guide and was about 40 min in the water. Due to the frigid temperatures, nothing can survive in the water yet it’s still such a beautiful place to snorkel. There is no lack of color or beautiful formation in the water. I am really glad we did this experience, though it was not comfortable - I was so cold the entire time. This experience reminds me of watching the sunrise at Haleakala in Maui, it’s one of those things you do once but not every visit!
The Golden Circle has some beautiful points of interest but if you are going all the way to Iceland, I highly recommend you do more than just the Golden Circle, there is so much more to see.
After Silfra, we drove 35 minutes to Mount Esja. We ended up passing the trailhead and needing to ask for directions. The trailhead is behind a red coffee shop on the east side of the road. I had not originally planned on doing this hike since we already had a jam packed day but one of my favorite adventurers that I follow in social media had just posted about this hike a couple of days prior. The photos looked incredible so I wanted to try to squeeze it in. The hike was only 4.3 miles round trip and like a rookie, I didn’t think it would be too difficult so Logan and I did not even bring our packs or any water. ALWAYS BRING WATER, my friends - what a rookie mistake. Within half a mile, we were shedding clothes, the weather in Iceland really does change by the snap of your finger! We had beautiful, warm weather for our trek up the mountain. This hike got steep and when I mean steep, I mean there was literally a chain to hold onto as you scale the summit of the mountain! There were two summits, each had a summit journal to sign and date. We made it to the second summit and stood on the top of Mount Esja and looked down on clouds; we had the entire place to ourselves. Of all the hikes I have ever done, this one topped them all (don’t worry, another Icelandic hike topped this one..more to come!). Though we did not bring any water, on our way down the mountain there was a stream that flowed near the trail all the way down. Since the water in Iceland is so cold and there is no life, the locals told us that stream water was safe to drink.We drank the stream water on the way down the mountain and it was the coldest, freshest, water we had ever had. Even when we had our own water later on in the trip, if we found a spring, we chose to drink that instead!
After finishing our hike, we headed about an hour to Borgarnes to find our AirBnb for the night. We stayed here, which was a cute little modern studio right on the beach, about seven minutes outside of the town. For dinner that night, we found a delicious pizza restaurant called La Colina. If I were in the area again, I would 100% go back here for a meal!
The next morning, we drove out to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula (90 minutes). We had no end destination in mind other than driving the Snaefellsnes loop around the peninsula. We found a small hotel on our way and stopped for coffee (most hotels will offer coffee and or breakfast to travelers). Along the way we found another waterfall sign and stopped to climb to the top.
While you are driving in Iceland, you’ll notice that almost every farm has a ladder to climb over their fence. Many waterfalls are on private property but the farmers don’t mind if you hike their land. Trust me, the ladders are to be climbed over.
Bjornfoss was a beautiful waterfall that we climbed to the top of, it was right off the road and very easy to climb! We also found Slegiubiena, a canyon that we hiked up too and climbed inside only to find another waterfall. We stopped for coffee near the arches at the village of Arnastapi and continued on towards Kirkjufellsfoss. Though it was cloudy and raining when we got there, it was still awesome to see this iconic waterfall in person. We stopped for lunch at Kaffi 59 and had the best fish and chips we’ve ever had!
Next we had a two hour drive to where we were staying that night in Husafell. We stopped for coffee at a hotel and made a pit stop to Hraunfossar before checking into Hotel Husafell. The water at Hraunfossar was the most bright blue yet was so clear. This was a busy waterfall, as no hike was needed (there were several tour buses here). We spent about 20 min walking around one of the sides of the falls to find the best view! If staying in Husafell, this is a must stop!
Hotel Husafell (free parking, wi-fi, and breakfast) is the only establishment in all of Husafell as all of the property used to be privately owned. The owners recently allowed a hotel to be built as well as the Husafell Canyon baths, an excursion we booked ahead of time through the hotel. The excursion left from the hotel and was about a 15 min drive to the baths. We brought our swimsuits and champagne in a backpack so we didn’t have to ride back in our suits. The canyon baths are natural hot springs that are privately owned - you can only access them via a tour. There are very nice changing stations that are available to use before getting in the bath. It rained on us during our time there but that almost made the soak even more enjoyable. I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit the baths but if you are staying at Hotel Husafell, I would definitely recommend doing these baths.
The hotel had breakfast included and had an incredible restaurant (no bar but they served alcohol). The rooms in the hotel were nothing special but the private and remote location along with the restaurant made the hotel really special. We did make dinner reservations several weeks in advance of our stay. Since this is the only restaurant for all guests to go too, it fills up fast. Make sure to dress decently (you are in a hikers paradise so you don't have to be too fancy), and mentally prepare that you will be spending a lot - I would consider this restaurant fine dining. There really isn’t anyone else around unless they are staying at the hotel so you will run into the same people during the excursion and meals.
After breakfast the next morning we drove about 80 minutes to the Glymur Waterfall trailhead. One tip, if you see a gas station in Iceland, stop and fill up. We had a bit of a panic on our way to Glymur because we needed gas and couldn’t find a station for quite some time.
Glymur trailhead is off the beaten path, quite literally. Our maps took us to a gravel road and told us we were there. We drove up the road about 2 miles and just when we were going to turn around, we saw the sign for the trailhead parking.
Glymur is a challenging 4.5 mile round trip loop that takes you to a waterfall you can only view by hiking or helicopter. I highly, highly recommend hiking poles and water shoes in addition to your hiking boots. When you start the trail, you quickly approach a small cave to your left. We were unsure of which way to go and naturally avoided the cave and went to the right. After a few minutes we felt we were going in the wrong direction and turned around. When we got to the cave again, we went through the cave and found the trailhead again. Next, we crossed a rushing river on a log using a cable. After much contemplation, we chose to keep our shoes on for this river crossing. The next section of the hike was all uphill and the terrain was very steep and muddy. Finally, we saw the falls. The view was spectacular and only got better the higher you climbed. At one point, we thought we had seen the best and almost turned around to go back down. We decided to go a bit higher which led to higher, and higher and eventually we were on the top of a plateau looking down into a canyon. At the top of the plateau was a river that was feeding the falls. The trailhead stopped at the river and picked up again across the river. Now, this was no small river, I would guess at least 100 feet wide. One hundred feet may not sound bad until you dip your bare toe in the coldest, most frigid water. We took our boots off and rock hopped across the river carefully yet swiftly. At one point, the water was up to our knees! This was no easy feat. After drying off on the other side of the river, we hiked our way down. The way down on the west side of the falls was much less steep than the way up. Though the river crossing is freezing, it is safe and I would imagine, it’s much safer than hiking down what we hiked up. To this day, Glymur remains my favorite hike I have ever done.
After our hike, we had a 3 hour drive to the Eastern coast of Iceland. On our way to Vik, we stopped in Selfoss for lunch at the Old Dairy Food Farm. This was a modern food hall with a large courtyard where we sat outside to eat. After lunch, we drove straight to Seljalandsfoss. Coming from Western Iceland, we were shell-shocked at how crowded Eastern Iceland was. There were so many tour buses and large groups all over this side of the country. Though still very remote, the most popular attractions are in Eastern Iceland so many more tourists head that way.
When we pulled up to the parking lot at Seljalandsfoss, we were tempted to turn around, the lot was packed! There were food trucks and portable bathrooms available near the fall. This was another waterfall that sounded like jets taking off! Make sure to wear your rain jacket because you will get wet! Even if you don’t go behind the waterfall, just standing to the side, the wind will cause the water to spray on you. We walked behind the waterfall and out the otherside. We saw several people walking down a sidewalk away from the waterfall and thought we would follow suit to make sure we weren’t missing out on anything. About a quarter mile north of the waterfall is another small waterfall. What most of the tourists didn’t do though was climb through the canyon and jump over a few rocks to get into the cave behind the waterfall. Inside the cave is another fall called Gljufrabui. Seeing a waterfall inside a cave is so cool and I promise it’s worth how wet you get (you don’t get drenched, just make sure you have waterproof shoes and a raincoat)!
Only 30 minutes past Seljalandsfoss is the famous Skogafoss. We arrived to Skogafoss later in the evening so it wasn’t too crowded. Many tourists do not know this (and if they do they are intimidated by the steps up the waterfall) but if you climb up the stairs to the right of the waterfall, there is a hike that starts just at the top of the stairs. The hike is called Waterfall Way and continues 5 miles back, one way. The hike follows the Skoga river and every quarter mile or so, you will encounter another waterfall and trust me, the falls get more and more beautiful the farther back you go. Since we arrived so late, and were pretty tired from our hike earlier in the day, we hiked back for about 30 minutes and just in the short time frame, we found 4 more stunning waterfalls. The hike itself is fairly flat, just a little wet!
Next, we drove towards the village of Vik where we stayed at Hotel Vik (free parking, wi-fi, and breakfast). The hotel was older but parts of it had recently been re-done. The bar area was small but had a full menu and the breakfast was fantastic. The hotel was within walking distance to a black sand beach, a grocery store, and a coffee shop.
For dinner, we ate at Smidjan Brugghus Brewery, a very short drive from the hotel. I don’t know if we were just starving from our busy day, but we both agreed the burgers we had for dinner were some of the best we ever had!
The next morning, we had coffee at the Lava Cafe, they had SO many different coffee flavors - we ended up coming here a second time on our way back towards the airport. In the same building as the cafe was an Icelandic grocery store, it was fun walking around and seeing what was for sale. The same building also had a very large gift shop.
We left Vik and headed north towards Vatnajokull National Park. About an hour into our drive we stopped at the Fjadrargljufur Canyon Hike. We were a little nervous because the road to the hike was an F road which means off roading is involved. The road is bumpy but is very doable with a car. The canyon hike was about 1 mile round trip, a very easy and beautiful pitstop - though also very crowded.
After one more hour in the car, we arrived at Vatnajokull (a national park that houses the largest glacier in Europe, it takes up 8% of the island). I remember as we slowly approached the glacier, Logan and I were both in awe at the size. It felt like everywhere we went in Iceland, we were in complete shock that places like this actually existed.
We booked a glacier climb expedition through Troll Expeditions. Before the excursion, we stopped at a large gas station that had wild horses and sheep outside of it! There are no cafes or restaurants near the national park so we grabbed Icelandic hot dogs for lunch at the gas station. It sounds gross, but they really weren’t that bad! The hot dogs are made of sheep and have both raw and fried onions on them. Not my favorite meal, but also not awful!
The glacier climb was an incredible experience. We were in a group of about 8 people plus 2 guides. The guides were extremely knowledgeable of the glacier. We wore crampons and carried ice picks. Our tour was 3-hours long and I think this was the perfect amount of time. Other tour options were 1-hour or 5-hours. We were both pretty shocked at how exhausting it was to hike on a glacier for 3-hours! I think the crampons and uphill on ice are much harder than you would think! If I go back to Iceland, I do not think I would hike the glacier again (one of those things you do once) but I highly recommend it to anyone that drives all the way to Vatnajokull.
Our hotel, Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon (free parking and wi-fi) was only about 25 minutes north of the glacier. This hotel was quite the splurge but it was the only hotel in the area. When I say remote, I mean we drove a full hour one way to find a restaurant to eat the first night (we stumbled upon the Hali Country hotel that had a restaurant onsite - I don’t recommend coming here, not because it was bad food but because it was so far out of the way! If staying at the Fosshotel for two nights, just make dinner reservations there two nights in a row). Logan and I both agreed that the Fosshotel was our favorite hotel we had ever stayed at. The property was tucked away on the side of a mountain and was completely remote. The hotel was large and modern and the rooms were extremely spacious. There was a full bar with snacks as well as a fine dining restaurant. I had made reservations ahead of time for the second day (this was the only hotel we stayed at for two nights); you absolutely have to reserve dinner well in advance. The hotel offered a large patio as well as a sauna and two outdoor hot tubs, all included in your stay. Upon checking in, you had to reserve a time for the spa which ended up working out really well because then we had the hot tub to ourselves!
Our stay at Fosshotel was our last two nights so we took our time and relaxed while there. We enjoyed quite a bit of time at the bar, so many good cocktails, spent time soaking in the hot tubs, and just relaxing in our room.
After enjoying the breakfast buffet (an additional cost but remember, no other options!), we drove about 15-minutes north to the Mulaglijufur Canyon hike (4.5 miles round trip). This was another hike that was slightly off the main road but the F road to get there was not that bad. We saw very few other people while on this hike. I would rate it as challenging, if you go all the way to the top. The hike was beautiful and having it to ourselves made it that much better. When you get to the top, you are nearly level with the glacier, with a very large drop in between. The top of the hike was extremely steep, windy, and quite scary due to the sudden large drop at the top. We had a lot of fun on this hike and I would definitely do it again.
Next, we drove 10 more minutes north to the Frost Cafe for lunch. This was a very small cafeteria style lunch with not many options. The cafe is right on the edge of the first glacier bay. When we arrived, I thought the bay was beautiful but it wasn’t what I had pictured in my mind. The bay was quite murky and the glaciers were smaller and not that clear icy blue you have in your head. Well my friends, don’t worry, drive 5-minutes farther north and your jaw will be on the floor.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what we saw at the Jokulsarlon Lagoon. Massive icebergs floated through the lagoon off the glacier and into the ocean. There were seals jumping in and out of the icey blue water; the water was so clear you could watch them swim from glacier to glacier. There were several places to park and view the Lagoon, we actually moved our car a few times for different views! The main marking lot had food trucks and bathrooms and was extremely crowded. I recommend pulling off before you get to the main lot (over the bridge).
Across the street from the lagoon is Diamond Beach. This is a black sand beach with chunks of ice that broke off from the icebergs as they made their way into the ocean. Both the lagoon and beach were extremely windy and cold, this was the coldest we were on the entire trip. After the lagoon we made our way back towards the hotel for our last night.
We flew out the next day but not until late in the evening. The drive back to Reykjavik from Fosshotel was 4.5 hours. We stopped in Vik at the basalt columns on the Black Sand beach (about 15min off the main highway). The columns are so widely photographed that it was neat to see these in person though this beach was extremely crowded.
Finally, as we drove through Selfoss, we stopped for lunch at Kaffi Krus and enjoyed a delicious pizza.
Before heading to the airport, we walked the streets of Reykjavik one last time. The Reykjavik airport is small, new, and easy to navigate. We did not know it but there are two really long customs checkpoints for Americans. Apparently Iceland is one of only 3 (at the time) countries that have Americans go through two customs check-points prior to leaving. You will go through a long line immediately after security. Once you are through this line, you will see the duty-free area and shops. After this section, there is another, much longer process to go through customs. Give yourself more than enough time to get through the second customs. There is food on the other side so don’t feel like you need to stop in the duty-free/food court area.
I could talk about Iceland all day long but I will never be able to explain the beauty, magic, and wonder that Iceland provides. Even after spending eight days in Iceland, it’s hard for my mind to fathom that a place like that really exists and it’s not just a daydream. I would go back to Iceland in a heartbeat. Iceland is not a relaxing trip and to experience the country in the best way possible, you have to drive a lot. Iceland takes extreme planning and is not a cheap trip. BUT, I promise you, Iceland will be one of those trips that you dream about for the rest of your life.
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Summer