Iceland

has anyone been there before ? - the country that is before you all pile in

Have just booked for 5 days in August and just got the flights on an impulse for me and the lad as I’m taking him up for the Huddersfield game but then realized I haven’t done any proper research.

Am I ok to be based in Reykjavik for the 5 days with a hire car or will I be missing out? It looks really expensive booze and food wise but have located an English pub for the arsenal game on touch down.

Northern lights possible at this time of the year?

Any must see/do recommendations?

Went in April. Fantastic place. The population of the whole island is only about 300,000, and 250,000 of them live in Reykjavik. Prices are roughly double what you’d pay in the UK. You won’t see the Northern Lights in August. We didn’t see them either. You need to be going October through to about March for that. We were only there for 4 days, cos of the cost, but crammed in whale watching (half a day on a boat out of Reykjavík), the Golden Triangle tour, which included Gullfoss waterfall, geysers, and Pingvellir, the big valley where the European and American tectonic plates meet. We added snowmobiling on a glacier to that trip, but you won’t be able to do that in August. The Black Sand southern beach tour including Skogafoss waterfall is beautiful as well. I also wanted to go up to the Snaefellsjokull peninsula (including the distinct peaked mountain featured in Game of Thrones), but we didn’t have the time. All those trips I mentioned are full on 8 to 12 hour round trip jobs out of Reykjavik, cos Iceland’s a big old place. We went on organised tours for all of them, so you could probably knock a little bit of time off by hiring a car, but petrol’s costly out there as well. The missus dragged me screaming and kicking to the Blue Lagoon spa resort (outdoor thermal pools close to the airport) for the final day. There are several bars that show football in the centre of the old town in Reykjavik, which isn’t that big. I watched us beat Spurs away in one of them.
Anyway, to sum up, bleak and beautiful place, lovely people, everyone speaks English, nearly all the tourists are Brits or Yanks, but it’ll hit you in your wallet. 4 days was all we could afford, but I want to go again. Loved it.
 
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Bit pricey - so take plenty of cash. Half the island I’d beautiful, half is a Luna wasteland. Blue Lagoon is amazing. People are really friendly - and they really like a drink. In August you’ll get a few hours of dusk but no darkness.
 
Mate its an absolute brilliant place and would love to go back.

The key is getting a car though, so you have done the right thing, but the one regret I have is that I booked a flat in Rekyavik and had to travel there and back each day.

Highlights for me Blue lagoon, Vik, Snaefull peninsula, walk from Arnatstapi to Helnarr but mostly the driving and seeing endless open road, lava fields, mountains etc.

Food and drink is expensive and in all honesty is not worth the money but the actual sites are typically free and based in the main along the ring road. Its a great walking and nature holiday.

Evening Frank. Me and the missus went earlier this year (as you can see). I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. Defo going back, but not for a couple of years cos I’m skint!
 
Evening Frank. Me and the missus went earlier this year (as you can see). I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. Defo going back, but not for a couple of years cos I’m skint!

Evening Exeter. Yes completely agree, its visually stunning and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Loved how wild the scenery was and fantastic to get out of Rekyavik and drive on open roads without seeing another car for miles.

Yes not cheap on the old purse strings. It was beans on toast a few nights in the Apartment.
 
Thank you for the advice and tips everyone appreciated and feeling a bit better about it all....hire car it is then
 
Iceland is a truly beautiful country. I spent just under 2 weeks road-tripping and camping the island last year, PM me if you have any questions.

The car is def a must. With your timeframe you can probably head towards Vik or Snaefsjokull/Stykissholmur (i'm butchering these spellings) and back, with plenty of lagoons, waterfalls, volcanic rock fields, and whatever else along the way.
 
Ok. We’re looking at a cheap place to stay.
Where do we start ?
Does it have to be Reykjavik centre ? (Location wise to go on trips etc)
 

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