U.S. News Travel – March 2017 || Iceland is a hot place to visit right now, and it’s not just because of its smoky volcanoes and otherworldly geothermal pools. A variety of quick, nonstop flight routes from the U.S. have made the country more accessible than ever, and stopover options are helping Iceland earn a top spot on many travelers’ vacation itineraries.
How to Visit Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
Iceland Guide – Long Weekend in Reykjavik Stopover
In August 2014 I took advantage of IcelandAir’s stopover program to spend a long weekend in Iceland on my way from Greece home to Washington. Here’s what I did:
IcelandAir offers free stopovers in Iceland on flights between the U.S. and Europe. You can stay for up to 7 nights without having it affect the price of your ticket. It’s easiest to plan and book this directly on the airline’s website, rather than using something like Kayak.
Kex Hostel: a super hip hostel in a converted biscuit factory, this felt like something right out of Brooklyn. It was industrial-cool, with things like a magnetic wall of words and vintage atlases that you could browse on worn in couches. The rooms were standard hostel-style; bathrooms were small individual rooms. No embellishments, but safe and relatively clean. The hostel’s main space centers around a bar that’s loud and crowded at night — a hangout spot for locals as well as travelers. Location is great — a 2 minute walk from the main drag.
Sandholt Bakery: I went to this little bakery and sandwich shop on Laugavegur every morning. There was always a line, but it was worth the wait. The breads were freshly baked and delicious, and they had an area with table seating + WiFi.
Hallgrímskirkja Church: I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce this one, but it’s one of the top things to do in Reykjavik. You can climb to the top of the brutalist-style building and get that classic view of Reykjavik from above, with colorful houses and rooftops laid out before you.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum: Yup. If you didn’t realize that Iceland’s a quirky little place (most of the population believes in fairies), you’ll figure it out when you get to the Penis Museum. There are preserved genitalia from all sorts of animals, large and small, plus phallic artwork, some volcanic condoms in the gift shop, and a strange assortment of penis casts from the Icelandic handball team. Don’t miss this, it’s worth an hour of your visit. (And bring cash, it’s cash only.)
Laugavegur: The main drag in Reykjavik is full of shops and quirky bars. I popped into Hrim, which was a sort of Nordic version of Anthropologie’s home section; Vinbenid, an Icelandic candy shop; and myconcept, an eclectic retro-chic shop.
Prikid: This corner spot is one of the oldest cafes in Iceland. I stopped for a beer, but it was packed with folks of all ages eating lunch.
Harpa: This prismatic waterfront concert hall is a photographer’s playground. The glass exterior reflects light both inside and out. I didn’t see a show, but spent over an hour here photographing the amazing reflections, colors and architecture. I could’ve spent the whole day here.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur: If there’s one thing you eat when in Iceland, make it the hot dogs from this little stand near the Harpa. They serve hot dogs topped with ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, fried onion and raw onion (order one with all of that), and have been called the “best hot dogs in the world.” Bonus: it’s one of the most budget-friendly things you can eat in Reykjavik.
Harbor: The harbor is a nice place to wander; aside from the Harpa and hot dogs, you’ll find colorful old fishing boats, a market, some hotels and restaurants and a handful of kiosks selling bird- and whale-watching trips.
Kex Hostel Bar: This place is packed at night — not just with travelers or hostel guests, but with locals, too. I was able to grab a seat at the bar in the afternoon and read/people watch for a while.
The Loft: The rooftop bar of this hostel has a great view of all the Laugavegur action. You don’t have to be a guest to come here, and they also have live music.
Laundromat Cafe: It’s a bar. And a laundromat. Because nothing in Iceland can just be a plain bar, apparently. They also had a pretty impressive library of color-coded books, and an overall hipster vibe.
Tíu Dropar: This cozy little bar is a favorite among local musicians (which seems to be everyone in Iceland). People might just show up with musical instruments or hop on the piano; the whole (small) bar will quickly get involved with the jam session.
Lebowski Bar: As the name suggests, there’s a Big Lebowski-themed bar in Reykjavik.
Chuck Norris Grill: Chuck Norris has a restaurant in Iceland.
Kolaportid Flea Market: Knit wool Icelandic sweaters … and hats, and scarves, and a lot of other things. Hakarl fermented shark, which Anthony Bourdain declared the worst thing he’s ever eaten. I wasn’t about to try that, nor did I want to eat horse or whale (also for sale here), but I did notice that it’s cheaper here than at a restaurant.
Cafe Paris: Instead of eating fermented shark at the flea market, I had my one main sit-down meal here. The menu was familiar dishes (salads, burgers, pasta), not so heavy on the Icelandic specialties. (Yes, only one real meal over the weekend — Iceland’s expensive!)
Golden Circle: This is the essential tourist circuit to three of Iceland’s most visited and most accessible natural sights: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir hot springs. To save time, I did the afternoon version of the tour. It still lasted about 7 hours, but gave me the morning to explore Reykjavik more. I think the shorter tour was still plenty of time to see everything, though it did start getting dark and we didn’t get back to Reykjavik until 10 or 11 p.m. I booked with Reykjavik Excursions because their website was easy. The customer service wasn’t great, the on-bus WiFi didn’t actually work, and the guide wasn’t very helpful, but it was an easy way to see these sights. I had already booked when I arrived, but my hostel recommended Gray Line instead.
Thingvellir National Park: This national park is celebrated as the site of the first Icelandic parliament. The more interesting claim to fame, in my opinion, is its position between two tectonic plates. You can actually see where the European and North American plates are moving apart, and a new Icelandic continent is forming. You can even scuba dive in the continental rift, though I didn’t try it.
Gullfoss: This large triangular waterfall is one of the most popular sights in Iceland. The views from above are impressive, but make sure you walk down to the pointed area to see the water cascading all around you. Watch out: there’s lots of mist — your camera lens will probably get wet.
Geysir: Ever heard of a geyser? Well this is the namesake: this geothermal fountain gave geysers their name. The actual Geysir geyser doesn’t erupt very often, but nearby is Strokkur, which shoots about 100 feet in the air every 10 minutes.
Blue Lagoon: Iceland’s most famous sight, this geothermal pool is the color of antifreeze and stays warm even when the temps plummet. The Blue Lagoon is near the airport so it’s best to tack it on when you arrive or depart (you can coordinate transportation through Reykjavik Excursions). I went in the morning before my afternoon flight home; you can read how to visit the Blue Lagoon here.
Related Posts
How to Plan the Perfect Long Weekend in Iceland
You can’t go to Iceland without seeing the Blue Lagoon. Partially because it’s one of the country’s biggest must-dos, and partially because it’s so close to the airport that it’s just silly how easy it is to squeeze in before or after your flight.
I spent the morning at the Blue Lagoon before flying home from Reykjavik. I booked transportation through Reykjavik Excursions (the company could work on its customer service but it’s the easiest when it comes to booking online/planning ahead). I left Kex Hostel in downtown Reykjavik at 9:30 am, took a transfer van to the main bus terminal. From there I boarded a coach and set off on the drive to the Blue Lagoon – about 50 minutes from the city. The bus promised free WiFi, but it didn’t work.
Upon arrival at the Lagoon (you don’t see much except black volcanic rocks at first) there’s a place to drop off luggage. Costs about 500 ISK per bag. There are lockers inside, so check your bags here, but keep a smaller bag with you.
After checking your bags, continue into the Lagoon complex — you’ll get a glimpse of the electric blue water but not the lagoon itself.
This is important: buy tickets in advance!! You’ll skip the big line. It’s easy online and there are a lot of different combos. I bought the standard package (35euro) a few weeks in advance, then added on a robe (10 euro) when I checked in — so don’t worry if you want to upgrade once there. I also booked an in-lagoon massage and transportation in advance, all via the Blue Lagoon website.
When you check in you’ll get a digital wristband, then you go inside and get a locker. The wristband is used to lock your stuff in said locker. I recommend bringing your own flip flops, hair brush, and a small plastic bag to carry a camera out to the lagoon with you. (There were no pockets in the robe and I needed to get my Instagramming in, so I got creative and tied my iPhone in my robe sleeve using the robe’s sash to hide it there while I was actually in the water. A bag would’ve been much easier!)
After you find a locker, you continue to the locker room’s showers. You’re supposed to shower without your swim suit on, though a few people kept theirs on. Ladies — it’s recommended that you load up your hair with conditioner before getting in the lagoon, as there are a whole lot of minerals in there that don’t play nice with hair. I did that, but it still took 4 days of deep conditioning after my swim to smooth the kinky curls out of my normally straight hair, so I say go skip the cond and go with a shower cap to just save your hair the trouble.
Head out to lagoon area — the ground can be chilly and slippery, which is why flip flops are ideal. Hang your robe on the racks of hooks (it reminded me of a ski chalet where everyone parks their skis), then… get in! It’s very warm. To the right there’s a bar (don’t worry about money, you just use your wristband to charge stuff and pay when you check out). There are a few small bridges you can swim under. Along the sides to the left/back are silica mud pots — slather it on the give yourself a facial. It’s free. (Some packages also offer an algae mask, but most people just were using the free stuff.)
To the left there are steam rooms, a warm waterfall you can stand under, some nooks, and a water massage area.
Near the bar a Lagoon employee makes the rounds taking pictures (for free). He emails them to you so you don’t have to bring your camera in the water. (I brought in my waterproof GoPro but was surprised how many stupid people had their pricey DSLRs in there with no protection.)
I swam around and got a beer at the bar, then put the gray-blue mud on my face. After about a half hour in the water, I moved over to the spa section and got a massage. It was simultaneously wonderful and weird. You float on a soft foam pool raft and are covered with a blanket. The masseuse occasionally dips you under water to keep you warm. It feels like you’re getting a massage in a giant warm bath, but since there’s no resistance from the water and the raft makes back access difficult, it can feel awkward when the masseuse reaches back there.
The steam rooms near the massage pool are small but weren’t very crowded. There’s also an upstairs relaxation room, which is quiet — actually for a major tourist site/bar/place with kids the whole lagoon was surprisingly quiet.
At 1 pm I went back inside, showered, dumped the robe, and put on my clothes. Checked out and paid balance (I had paid about $192 up front for the bus, entry, and massage, so the remaining $20 or so covered the beer and robe). There can be a line to get out of the locker area, but I lucked out and had extra time, so checked my email using the hotspot in the cafe. You can also walk up to second level where there’s an outdoor photo viewpoint.
On the way out, I walked through the very pricey gift shop and went to pick up my luggage. Got to the luggage check about half hour before the bus was supposed to leave so had some time to check email and charge my phone in the one wall outlet while I waited.
My flight was leaving Reykjavik at 4:50 pm so I took a 2:30 pm bus from the Blue Lagoon to KEF. The ride took about 20 minutes.
Going to Iceland? Do not forget your camera. This is one of the most photogenic countries out there, with stunning volcanic landscapes, epic waterfalls, colorful houses, geysers, wildlife and more.
Here are some photos from my trips to Iceland that capture why this is one of my favorite places to travel.
