10 days in Fall/Spring
Our trip was Inspired by the movie Eurovision Song Contest- one of my fave Will Farrell movies. See here more about why I highly recommend Iceland as a great Turkey week trip!
Of course Iceland has been a bucket trip for some time, but I with small kids traveling can be tough. With our kids 12, 10, and 6, we are finding them to be finally great travelers, so we’re taking advantage! As a bonus, my dad (70) was able to join. We were there for Thanksgiving week, so the weather has to be noted as cold and wintery (but comes with benefits!). So if you’re going in the summer, you might be interested in a different itinerary.
We rented a minivan and stayed at VRBO or Airbnb homes/hotels each night vs getting a camper. RVs are small and wouldn’t fit 6 people. But this was nice as most hotels come with breakfast and most VRBO homes with coffee. We preferred VRBOs so we could have a common area and a kitchen. This is extra helpful during winter months when it’s dark sooner. Most of the hotels only fit 2-4 per room without guaranteed adjoining rooms and it made for clunky coordination.
Prep: We watched a lot of Iceland movies and shows, listened to a lot of Icelandic music, watched a lot of Youtube overviews, and read a bunch of books. Fun fact, 1 in 10 Icelanders will write a book in their lifetimes! See below for additional resources!
But first, a great Iceland primer song! We still sing this 🙂
Itinerary
Note that if you only have 9 days you can cut 1 from the first day in Reykjavik, but it is nice to have the extra day for jetlag
| Day 1 & 2 Overnight flight, arrival in Keflavik, get minivan. We used Europecar and had a good experience. Search here for the right size car for you. Make sure you’re thinking of your luggage as well, cars are smaller in Europe (another reason to go carryon only!). Keep special attention to automatic vs manual- most cars in Europe are manual (and cheaper). Blue Lagoon is close to the airport, but 45 min from Rejkavik so we went straight there! Kind of wild after a redeye, but it was a great way to refresh and saved some driving! It’s pricey, but a cool experience. And it’s definitely one of those touristy things you are somewhat expected to do in Iceland. The water will make your hair SUPER dry, so try not to get it wet and put loads of conditioner it it before you go. Don’t spring for the massage, since it requires laying in the water. We thought the masks were fun, though not necessary. Note that there are lots of other non touristy baths to go to in Iceland if this one is too pricey and you’re driving the Ring Road. Lake Myvtan was probably our favorite. Check in at Rejkavik Accommodations You might be tired from the red eye, but power through with a city walk! This will help put you on the right timezone. I recommend staying in a VRBO in the downtown walking distance to Rainbow street. There were two things I should have done (too tired!) on day one or two that I wish I would have: 1) Food walk of Rejkavik (good overview of culture and food) and 2) Fly over Iceland (a virtual ride that gives a good overview of the history and landscape). Is it cheesy? Yes kind of! But did we love it and wish we would have done it earlier in the trip instead of last? Yes! Instagrammable Rejkavik places: Hallgrimskirkja (rainbow 🌈 road and church)  Harpa (big glass building) Solfarid (sun voyager sculpture) Laugaveur (shopping street) Gotta lighthouse (lighthouse and northern lights) |
| Day 3 Start driving! Hit these highlights on the way around the ring road Thingvellir National Park (Drekkingarhylur, Öxarárfoss) Seljalandsfoss Waterfall Skogafoss Waterfall Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach Explore Vik on your own, stay in Vik (watch Katla show beforehand!) Stay at Vik I Myrdal (ask for the Northern Lights wakeup call!) or VRBO if you can find one. Watch for Northern Lights on Aurora App or take tour |
| Day 4 Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon Skaftafell Glacier Hike with Melrakki Adventures (we did a private tour, since 6 year olds aren’t allowed on group tours) – this was a true highlight! Our guide was safe, knowledgeable, and a hit with the kids. See more about my review of the tour here.  Stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon or VRBO if you can find one. |
| Day 5 Black Sand Diamond Beach- beautiful photo ops of the ice chunks against the black sand Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Ice Cave Expedition with Melrakki. Another tour of a lifetime! See more about my review of the tour here.  Höfn and Hornafirði village Mt Vestra Horn Stay at Hotel 1001 Nott (little mom and pop hotel with a hot tub) or VRBO if you can find one. Watch for Northern lights |
| Day 6 Möðrudalur Farm Dettifoss  Geological Wonders of Lake Myvatn Myvatn baths Stay at Fosshótel Mývatn or VRBO if you can find one. Watch for Northern lights |
| Day 7 Husavik Whale Watching (bonus if you’re in season to see puffins!). Also kind of fun to do the tour on a traditional ship, though they won’t be as fast. Godafoss Waterfall (lots of movies filmed here) Explore Akureyri Watch for Northern Lights |
| Day 8 Siglufjordur Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall (hello Game of Thrones season 6/7 the Army of the dead)  Stay in Kirkjufell (simple place but great view) or VRBO if you can find one. Watch for Northern Lights |
| Day 9 This is a longer day of driving, but very scenic. This drive will feel like a mini Iceland as you’ll see all of the terrains you’ve seen so far on the ring road. Sneafellness Peninsula Djupalonsandur Black Sand Beach Explore the Lóndrangar lava formations Cliffside walk at Arnarstapi Gerduberg Basalt Cliffs Stay in Rejkavik at VRBO Watch for Northern Lights or book a tour if you haven’t seen them at this point |
| Day 10 Breakfast in Reykjavik Go see Piano from Volcano Man / Eurovision Depart Keflavik |
Packing list (also see under Iceland here)
We each packed into a carryon and it’s easily done! Keep in mind that you’re really only changing your underlayers, and the bulky items you use over and over. TLDR: layers, layers, layers! And get on that merino wool train with brands like Unbound Merino— not only will you need to do less laundry, but it will keep you cozy (without the itchy)! Here’s my favorite buys or download the packing list below:
Some notable favorites:
Essentials
- Snow pants kids
- Leggings kids
- Iceland coffee table book
- Leggings kids
- Wool leggings (not itchy and stink resistant! a GAME CHANGER for light travel)
- Rain pants (pop these over the leggings when you’re chasing waterfalls, take them right back off for longer rides)
- Cargo hiking pants, men’s
- Toiletries (hanging organizer is a must)
- Wool socks (wool will keep you warm, dry, and stink free)
- Waterproof fleece lined pants
- PJs (inside is always warm thanks to the geothermal heat- I recommend light PJs like these or just a bra tank and shorts)
Outerwear (note the pop of yellow or red looks great in photos against the stark Icelandic scenery)
- Packable vest
- Rain jacket
- Hat
- Waterproof gloves
- Waterproof and warm jacket
- Scarf (over the face ones can come in handy)
Footwear
- Crampons/ Ice cleats (you slip these over your shoes to avoid slipping)
- Wool socks, kids
- Hiking boots – Women’s
- Note that I brought sneakers and flip flops and didn’t need them
Accessories
- Portable charger
- Plug adapter
- Waterproof backpack
- Waterproof phone holder (for the lagoons and baths!)
- Car charger
- Sunglasses
- Shrink bag for bulky things (a must for keeping a carryon only)
- Thermos water bottle (all sink water is delicious and fresh! Don’t buy bottled water. You could have one be for tea/coffee and one for water)
For the home
Tips
$$$:
Getting alcohol at Duty Free when you land will save you a ton! You can bring in 1 liter per adult. We opted for the Brennevin (a local herbal spirit) and Gin (it’s a big gin country luckily for me!)
Cooking at home from a grocery store is a big budget saver, eating out is pricey. We dropped about $200 a meal vs $30 for home meal.
Safety:
Crime-wise Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world! But the weather can be really fickle and will change on a dime. Check road.is every time you hit the road. The winds were intense and we wanted to keep an eye on iciness as well.
Northern Lights:
You can book expensive tours, which will take the guesswork out of it. I downloaded the Aurora app and installed notifications. It checks on cloud cover, the aurora strength, and other reports. I was only able to see it one night and only with the help of my camera (Night Mode!), but I think if I would have sprung for the tours like this one I would have had a better chance. Though we were so knocked out in the middle of the night it would have been hard to hustle the kids out of bed. Note that some hotels you can request a northern lights wakeup call, which is very cool. We did this in Vik.
Alcohol Highlights:
You can’t go wrong with Brennevin or Gin. My favorite gin was The Secret Garden’s Elderflower & Jasmine. I was even able to find it in the US under the distributor The Herbal Garden.
Resources (aka homework):
How Iceland Changed the World – Great book on audible while driving the Ring Road)
Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World
Youtube channel called All Things Iceland from Jules with tons of great tips
Watch Ari Eldjárn: Pardon My Icelandic – Netflix standup comedian
Katla – Netflix mystery show
Game of Thrones is fun to rewatch the scenes filmed in Iceland
