Summer in Iceland for foodies & almost nature lovers- 5 day itinerary
You may or may not know that this past November, my husband and I were planning to honeymoon in Iceland. The day after the wedding, we arrived at the airport, went through security, and were heading to our gate when we found out our flight had been cancelled due to a storm in Iceland.
It was disappointing at first but what really frustrated us was that the airline had NO idea when they would be cleared to fly into the country again- so our only option was to cancel and reschedule. We did end up having an AMAZING spur of the moment honeymoon in Quebec City by the way, so it wasn't a total bummer!!!
After disputing charges and going through the hassle of trying to reschedule our trip, we finally nailed down our honeymoon redo for July 2018.
We figured the summer would be TOTALLY safe weather wise, haha. The only downside was that it barely gets dark each evening, so there is zero chance of seeing the Northern Lights. But,after vacationing in Iceland this summer I say that's a small price to pay for visiting the country in arguably the most beautiful time of year.
Day 1 - Reykjavik & the Blue Lagoon
If you are planning a trip to Iceland, chances are you will be flying through the night. On our redo, we flew Delta (9 pm flight out of JFK arriving 6:55 local time). Clearly we were SHOT once we landed. Luckily enough, the car rental situation at Keflavík International Airport is pretty simple. We rented a Toyoata Yaris from Blue Car Rental. The company is awesome to work with- but be prepared it is EXPENSIVE to rent a car in this country- especially if we you want an automatic.
The drive from Reykjavik is about 45 minutes of out-of-this-world-looking lava fields. We arrived at our hotel,CenterHotels Thingholt- it was modern and nice but nothing to write home about-at 8:30 AM- mind you check-in is almost never until the afternoon (just accept it now that your room won't be ready).
Knowing this, we had booked 2 tickets at the Blue Lagoon that morning. After dropping off our bags and doing a quick freshening up, we headed about 40 minutes back in the direction of Keflavík.
The Blue Lagoon is one of those things that you know probably won't be worth it, but if you don't do it- you will regret it. It is ran like an amusement park with long lines (even with tickets), a gift shop, and overly priced everything. The changing areas were...interesting...but I will admit the lagoon itself is pretty cool. we just felt that the amount of tourists there tainted the ambiance a little bit. This is also the best option for day 1 while being a zombie traveler and trying to pass the time until you can get into your room. Just remember to take off your jewelry and leave the provided conditioner in your hair if you plan on dipping all the way down (I chose not to get my hair wet).
At about noon, we grew hungry. We packed up our things and headed back into Reykjavik for lunch at Icelandic Street Food. This place is AWESOME. They have a limited menu, but that is totally fine when you pair it with the quality and relaxed atmosphere.
We dined their twice, once for lunch and the other late night. Over the course of our visits we tried pretty much everything- the shellfish soup, lamb stew, and Fishermen's special. what makes this place so awesome is that the soup's and special's are bottomless! Like the soup- have another! They also give out free desserts like brownies and macaroons endlessly. Our favorites were the shellfish soup with lumps of scallops and baby shrimp and also the Fishermen's special which is a mixture of cod, potatoes, onions, and hollandaise sauce (imagine it to be almost like tuna somehow but also not at all- haha helpful, I know) that was served with homemade sweet rye bread which is native to Iceland.
Luckily, by the time we had gobbled up all the soup we could handle- our room was ready. Following check-in we took a little nap to recharge our batteries for dinner.
The one awesome thing about our hotel was how centrally located it was. In about 5-10 minutes you could be anywhere you wanted to be in the city. We chose to dine at Sumac on night 1- which was about a 5 minute walk. Sumac knocked our socks off!
We started with their homemade flatbread which was covered in savory spices and a roasted pepper dipping sauce.To follow, we had the lamb and beef cheek which were both outrageous. The lamb dish was so different, I can't even explain the mix of sweet and salty with the rich lamb being paired with the sweetness of grapes (yes, grapes!).
To follow, we had a date cake dessert and a refreshing mint sorbet dish.
Around the corner was Joylato, an ice cream shop that was filled with locals. Bobby and I tried the vanilla, which was tasty. It was very rich, you could really taste the cream with a hint of vanilla. I think I was expecting it to be similar to Italian gelato- but it wasn't. Not that that is bad, just saying it was different then anything I have ever had before.
We called it a night (our room is pictured above) decently early on day 1 with anticipation of the next few days of exploration!
Day 2- The Times Square of Iceland- The Golden Circle
Our game plan was to knock out the "touristy" stuff on days 1 & 2- and honestly I think it was a great idea. The Golden Circle is very doable in one afternoon. Basically, it is a circle of closely situated points of interest.
we started out at Thingvellir National Park. As you could imagine, the park goes on for miles and the views are spectacular. The main hiking areas were very crowded so we didn't stay long before moving on to the next destination.
our next stop was an awesome tomato farm! Tomatoes are one of the only vegetables actually grown (hydroponically) in Iceland. Friðheimar features a beautiful farm-to-table restaurant with both formal and casual options. We chose to eat at the "buffet" and sample the incredible tomato soup with homemade bread, fresh butter, and pickled cucumbers. This was hands down one of my favorite things we ate the whole trip!
We also stopped at the Secret Lagoon which is a pool derived from a natural hot spring. Down the road a bit is another spring, Hrunalaug- much smaller and more hidden which is very cute. We opted out of swimming in it due to some crowding, but i'd imagine if you were there alone it would be quite memorable.
The next stop took our breath away! The Gullfoss waterfall is stunning! It is enormous with spectacular views and if you are lucky,the sweetest rainbow. After a rather tourist-filled day this made it all worth it.
Not far from Gullfoss is Geysir. This area was also crowded but pretty cool when once the Geysir exploded!!! I have never seen one before so this was super exciting for me.
The last stop on our Golden Circle tour was Efstidalur II- a working dairy farm with a hotel, restaurant, and ice cream shop! It was so cute to actually try ice cream from the cows themselves!!! Bobby and I shared the mint chip- it was really, really good. Light, yet creamy. Again, I don't think it was the best I have ever had (sorry Italy holds that title) but it was still fresh and delicious.
After saying goodbye to our new mooing friends, we headed back to Reykjavik for dinner.
Dinner on day 2 was fabulous. It was a little bit of a walk from our hotel-but totally worth it! It was the best fish and chips and cod we have ever had, ever! Fisherman is a totally local butcher style fish shop where your meal is prepared fresh right in front of you. I HIGHLY recommend you try it here- especially since it is on the cheaper side (if that is a thing in Iceland haha).
That is actually something I should mention...food in Iceland is expensive! Do I think it is more expensive then quality eating in NYC...maybe not. But, most entrees for lunch will cost about $30 a plate and dinner, $50-60 plus. Can you do this trip without spending so much money on food, absolutely. We had a light breakfast, sometimes even a protein bar that I had packed with me. We usually split lunch and went all out for dinner to appease our foodie desires!
Anyway, definitely check this place out plus there is an ice cream parlor right next door that we were too full to try, but looked great!
Day 3- Exploring the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West-Iceland
I am SO excited to finally be at this point in the Itinerary! The reason being that this part of Iceland trumps everything mentioned prior by a long shot.
I may also be biased considering we started our day off with an amazing cinnamon roll from Braud & Co. The smell of this place is off the charts. Their cinnamon rolls are more of a pastry then ours- with no frosting. I know. I may have just lost you on the no frosting detail but trust me- they didn't need it!
Anyway,we were kind of done with the tourist trap stuff and wanted to venture off on our own accord. I had read that the Snæfellsnes Peninsula was where the Icelandic people go to vacation, and that sold me. Whenever I travel, I like to immerse myself into the culture so this definitely peaked my interest right away!
I am still undecided on if its best to stay/sleep in Reykjavik the entire time. To be honest, I loved the city feel where at 2 am we could leave our room and go get some late night food or do some exploring since it doesn't really get dark in the summer! The darkest it got was practically a dusk, haha. However, I would have liked to explore the peninsula even more had we had the energy- we drove about 3 hours west of the city and still had to drive back- sorry Bobby! Had we chosen to stay in multiple locations, I would have definitely booked Hotel Budir- our first stop on day 3.
Holy views man. The hotel was literally in the middle of nowhere. The closest thing to it was this little black church that I was OBSESSED with. I don't know what it was about the landmark but it drew me in big time. Apparently, many people get married at the church and have their reception at the hotel- which must be so dreamy. The hotel is situated on a lava field meets beach with views of glaciers,volcanoes, and countless waterfalls. I can't even explain to you the beauty of this location- the pictures here didn't even capture a fraction of the the environment.
They say the appeal of this area is that it encapsulates every part of Iceland's many natural wonders. If you look one direction, you see a glacier and if you turn around, you see a golden sand beach with waves of the Greenland Sea. I have never been to a place where there is literally 360 views.
We decided to order lunch in the hotel's lounge. We went for the shellfish bisque which was full of lobster and fresh fish with homemade bread and some of the creamiest butter I have ever tasted. Their dinner menu looked amazing but we decided to venture on further into the area.
Next, were the towns of Arnarstapi and Hellnar. Apparently I have a thing for black churches and rock formations- who knew! These towns are only a few kilometers from each other and offer some of the most beautiful views that I have EVER seen. You can actually hike between the two they are that close but also different enough where you would need to see both.
At this point in the trip, we were approaching dinner time and decided to make Vidvik restaurant our furthest stop- and I am so glad we did.
The fairly new restaurant featured upscale Icelandic dishes with a classic yet modern twist. The seafood was so fresh and delicious and the cod dish above was one of the best seafood entrees I have ever had in my life.
Following dinner, we decided to head back to the city but had purposely saved a few pit-stops along the way to break up the drive. One was a hike up a crater. Yes a literal crater- Saxholl. The view from the top was breathtaking (are you getting me sick of you saying that yet, haha) and well worth the 150+ stairs it took to get up there.
Our last stop for the day was actually our favorite. I had read about the magical gorge of the peninsula but didn't expect it to blow us away as it did. When you walk up to it you are overwhelmed by the beauty of the natural spring funneling out of where the two mountains meet but if you are daring (lucky we were) you can climb through the gorge and reach the interior cave where there is snow from the glacier that sits above it- WHAT!
I can not at all describe how fulfilling this landmark was. We stood there for an extra few minutes before hiking back out to take it all in.
We had a bit of a ride back to the city but man were we on a high from all we had seen. If you are in Iceland, for even just one day- you MUST go to the peninsula and send me pictures when you are there!
Later that evening we got a little hungry and tried the famous hot dog stand in Reykjavik...maybe it was a classic case of the famous ones aren't always the best...but we weren't blown away! I mean we have NYC hot dogs, In my mind nothing compares to that! On the other hand, the Lobster Hut food truck right around the corner was AWESOME!!! Try their lobster hot dog on a freshly toasted bun- you won't regret it!
The South of Iceland was my second favorite area of exploration. It was slightly touristy but nowhere near that of the Golden Circle. Again, we drove about 3 hours away from the city to see the last of the landmarks on our list before day 5 which was a rest and relaxation day around Reykjavik- but we will get to that. The first stop was Seljalandsfoss waterfall.This waterfall had to be my favorite because you could walk behind it! It was so refreshing and memorizing- an absolute must see. Just be aware that this is one of the only sites where you are charged $7 US for parking. We actually gave our parking slip to a family who had just pulled in so they could avoid the fee- hopefully someone does the same for you!
We then ventured all the way out into the town of Vik. It is really a cute village with some simple eats. We didn't spend much time there though because we were super excited to check out Reynisfjara Beach. This was SICK. The sand was so fine and soft- but black! It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The way the ocean blues and whites contrasted with the land was mindbogglingly beautiful.
The rock formations on the beach are also incredible. We spent a good amount of time there before we headed to Dyrholaey for an event better view of the landscape.
A short drive away was the beautiful waterfall,Skógafoss. You can actually climb to the top of the waterfall- and the views are worth it! Just like Gullfoss, there was another beautiful rainbow there to greet us.
I think our next stop will REALLY excite you. So, we talked about the Blue Lagoon, I touched on the Secret Lagoon, and an even more hidden lagoon...but this one earns the "wow" factor. After pulling down a gravel road and walking about a mile into a valley and crossing over creeks you will reach Seljvavellir- one of Iceland's oldest pools that is often missed.
These photos do not even do this justice- have you noticed a theme yet?
On our way to the next destination I just needed to get out and make some new friends- they were beautiful!
There are many Icelandic delicacies horse, whale, puffin, etc. We hadn't tried a majority of them (and never would) but puffin was something that had intrigued us. I knew that Hotel Ranga was on the way back into the city so we stopped for quick taste of Iceland in their beautiful lounge. Hotel Ranga, like Hotel Budir would be a place I would have stayed in a heartbeat if we hadn't chosen one hotel for our entire stay.
The puffin was smoked and tasted very much like duck. Would I ever have it again? Probably not...but it was an experience and nicely done.
The dish was quite small and after a day of adventure, we still had quite the appetite. Once we made our way back into the city, I did a quick search for the best restaurants open, "now". It is so strange but, Food Cellar, a restaurant that hadn't come up in ANY of my previous searches popped up. The reviews and menu looked awesome and i'd be lying if I said the name hadn't drawn me in.
The place is AWESOME. It is in, well, a cellar...and has a live piano player and a super cool 1920's ambiance. This was by far my favorite restaurant in Reykjavík- and there is tough competition! We enjoyed our meal so much that we told the waiter's we would be back the night night- and we sure were!
For starters they give you homemade pretzel with a spiced cream cheese that is delicious. For appetizers, we tried the spicy duck wings (OMG), and a smoked goose dish.
For our main we had veal and followed it up with an amazing salted caramel chocolate desert and mini donuts.
The following evening, we again had the duck wings but also tried the baby back ribs and the Iberico Pork. All was drool-worthy to die for. My favorite was still those spicy duck wings though! By the way, their appetizers are HUGE and half the price. I recommend ordering 2-3 to save on cost and trust me- you will be more then satisfied!
We had ended dinner at about 11 PM and mind you- and as usual in Iceland during the summer- it was still light out. We explored the city's nightlife and at about 1:30 am we followed a bunch of locals into Ali Baba for some (delicious) late night shawerma.
Day 5- Walking the city- Reykjavik
If you could imagine, we were pretty shot by day 5- our last day in Iceland. We had saved this day to see Reykjavik in its entirety.
We started our day at Bergsson Cafe, a quick walk from our hotel. We just ordered a coffee but it was one of the only cafes that I remember seeing a salad option in Iceland- and they looked pretty good!
From there we walked down to the famous church,Hallgrímskirkja. Along the way we stopped to admire the beautiful homes and architecture.
Hallgrímskirkja is truly breathtaking. The cathedral ceilings and organ are so beautiful- it is almost indescribable. The exterior of the church is said to mimic the uplifting rock formations of the black sand beach (mentioned earlier).
Around the corner is my favorite cafe that I experienced in the city: Cafe Bismut. Here I had an amazing cappuccino that was prepared ever so perfectly- the barista even measured the grinds down to the gram! I also had the BEST parfait with maple syrup, granola, berries, and the delicious Icelandic yogurt,skyr.
The owner (I believe) who was so kind recommended that we didn't leave the city without walking down to the city and grabbing lunch at LAMB- a new hot spot.
I am SO happy we took his advice because the 30 minute walk from the cafe down to the docs was beautiful. The restaurant was casual and delicious. I don't mean to knock this place by comparing it to places like chipotle- but that is the best way I can describe the style. However, the ingredients here are FRESH with an herb garden growing on the wall. We opted for a plate with 3 sides, sliced lamb, and a homemade pita- which was the best I've had in my life.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the city until our last meal at Food Cellar once more.
So there we have it, a 5 day itinerary for your next trip to Iceland. We may have just spent a couple of days in this beautiful country but I will forever remember the beautiful landscapes and freedom of the people and their animals. Honestly, that was my biggest take away. The animals roam FREE on acres upon acres of hillside grazing on natural grass and drinking from fresh water creeks. Hopefully we can learn a thing or two from a country who truly appreciates its landscape and the beautiful and mystical creatures that inhabit it.
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