After all of the people I had seen taking amazing trips to Iceland, I knew I had to go! This was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever ventured to. It literally feels like you’re in a snow globe or on another planet. It’s truly unbelievable!
I would definitely recommend renting a car. We were unsure of doing this at first, but ended up being so glad we did! We were nervous to drive on the Icy terrain, however there is not much traffic or chaos on the roads of Iceland so we were good to go! So right when we landed, we grabbed our rental car and got started on the Golden Circle!
The Golden Circle
The Golden Circle is a driving route near Reykjavik with many scenic stops along the way. The roads are 2 lane the whole route, and it seems the only drivers out there are other tourists as well. Also – side note there are lots of horses you will pass on the road, and they are all super friendly. There’s lots of good information on the Golden Circle and how to plan for the drive here: https://guidetoiceland.is/best-of-iceland/top-9-detours-on-the-golden-circle
The Blue Lagoon
This is definitely a must do activity when in Iceland. One thing I was surprised by, was the cost. It is pricey, however definitely worth it. Tickets are $99, which includes all day admission into the Hot Spring, as well as one beverage. The lagoon is huge, and very spread out. There are several spots to get drinks, and there is a booth with silica mud masks for your face. There are also a few saunas! https://www.bluelagoon.com/
Snaefellsnes Peninsula
This is another beautiful stop in Iceland, which I’ll be honest – we didn’t make it all the way to. HOWEVER, the road to get here is absolutely stunning with so many pretty spots along the way. The thing about Iceland is all the main attractions are pretty spread out, and a good drive from Reykjavik. But literally all of the countryside of Iceland is beautiful and there are great spots to explore all over the country. Here are some pics from our drive!
Where we stayed: Swan House
Our hotel was cute, in a great location, and very affordable! This was a small boutique hotel, but very trendy and covered all of our needs. https://www.swanhouse.is/
Pablo Discobar
This was one of our favorite spots! It’s a Latin American restaurant and the top floor is a cozy bar, which turns into a nightclub on most nights. The nightlife in Iceland is hit or miss depending on the night, but this place tends to draw a big crowd most nights of the week! https://www.instagram.com/pablodiscobarreykjavik/
We flew over on WOW Air. Interestingly enough, the airline actually wen’t bankrupt and closed all operations, including canceling all flights the day after we got back into the states. We were literally on one of the last flights out of Iceland. I actually really liked WOW Air’s product – it was budget airline, but much nicer than many of the other budget airlines I’ve been on.
I would go back to Iceland in a heartbeat. To fully see everything you must spend at least a week here! We did a Northern Lights tour one of the nights and never got to see the lights, so I’ve totally got to go back to see them! Before going to Iceland, I did not really understand how the Northern Lights formed, and I thought it was just a normal occurrence every night. They actually only show up under the most perfect circumstances. The weather and sky have to be very clear, and they are better seen far out in the middle of nowhere. The tour we did was sort of a bust, as we took a bus out somewhere far away and basically just waited for several hours in hopes of seeing the lights. The best time of the year to see them is from late September to late March.
ML Travels 