Iceland - questions answered

We did 2 days on our stopover from Europe in June of 2012, then 10 days (Ring road) last August, and then 5 days this past March. Once you start you just can't stop!

Happy to discuss details with you anytime.

We sailed to Iceland going up to the Arctic circle and then back down to Iceland itself. When we were in Reykjavik we took a flight - pre arranged with cruise company Thomsons - and flew over the Volcano, glacier, waterfalls and tectaonic plates. Apparently you can go direct to airport and hire a helicopter to do this trip and also to land on the volcano at a cost of £150. A couple of fellow passengers did this after not being able to secure a place on the trip we had booked which was supposed to be a helicopter but at last minute was changed to a light aircraft. The whole trip lasted roughly 2 hours and it was fantastic, the views from above are stunning and breathtaking well worth doing if you have the time.

Enroute to Europe we will have 2 nights in Reykjavik at the Hotel Lotus, a bit away from the old harbor but not far from the Hilton where we can catch the HoHo bus on our arrival day. May do a puffin or whale watch cruise that day as well. Day 2 will be the Golden Circle in a Ford Galaxy "or similar" since we are 6.

Enroute back to the US it's just DH and me and we have another 24 hours in Iceland. I booked "Room with a View", a b&b in Borgarnes because looking at a map and reading lonely planet's ICELAND guide, I felt staying there would give us a different area to explore not too far from KEF where we pick up our rental car. We arrive at 3pm and our flight back to North America departs the following day at 5pm.

What are the thoughts of experienced Iceland travelers? Is there somewhere other than Borgarnes we should consider given our time limitation? Thanks.

Borganes is a great place to depart from to explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, which is spectacular.

Alternatively, you can head to the South Coast and explore the waterfalls (Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss) and the Sólheimajökull glacier and black sand beaches.

We are booked for a cruise in June '15 which includes Iceland, Faroe Islands and fjords in Norway. In the past few days 2 couples have cancelled the cruise because of concerns over the volcanic gases currently being emitted and monitored by the Icelandic weather service.

Their opinions seem to be that the gases will make air pollution of such an unsafe condition that one should not go to Iceland...

I did check out some websites they had posted and see that there are daily reports...with "levels" and suggestions of what to do at each level (eg close windows, turn off A/C etc.)

My question is...do you think this is a valid concern.??? especially considering our cruise is over 7 months away? Is it an over-reaction? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated...personally...I think it's a bit of an over reaction but ???? LuAnn

We are booked for a cruise in June '15 which includes Iceland, Faroe Islands and fjords in Norway. In the past few days 2 couples have cancelled the cruise because of concerns over the volcanic gases currently being emitted and monitored by the Icelandic weather service.

 

Their opinions seem to be that the gases will make air pollution of such an unsafe condition that one should not go to Iceland...

I did check out some websites they had posted and see that there are daily reports...with "levels" and suggestions of what to do at each level (eg close windows, turn off A/C etc.)

 

My question is...do you think this is a valid concern.??? especially considering our cruise is over 7 months away? Is it an over-reaction? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated...personally...I think it's a bit of an over reaction but ???? LuAnn

LuAnn,

When you say "their opinion" above, is that the other couples' opinion or the Icelandic Weather service?

It is my opinion that if the cruise line was warned that it might not be safe to travel there, that the cruise line would change their itinerary.

There are eruptions in iceland all the time and they don't effect the entire island. I have reservations in place in island for 6 nights and have no intention of canceling due to potential volcanic dangers. That said, if there was a true concern, that it what trip insurance is for.

We are booked for a cruise in June '15 which includes Iceland, Faroe Islands and fjords in Norway. In the past few days 2 couples have cancelled the cruise because of concerns over the volcanic gases currently being emitted and monitored by the Icelandic weather service.

 

Their opinions seem to be that the gases will make air pollution of such an unsafe condition that one should not go to Iceland...

 

I did check out some websites they had posted and see that there are daily reports...with "levels" and suggestions of what to do at each level (eg close windows, turn off A/C etc.)

 

My question is...do you think this is a valid concern.??? especially considering our cruise is over 7 months away? Is it an over-reaction? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated...personally...I think it's a bit of an over reaction but ???? LuAnn

LouAnn, I'm on the same cruise as you, and have the same questions about their concerns...thanks for asking here.

As pmjnh said, there are no authorities warning people away from Iceland.

On certain days, the winds can and have pushed the air bearing gasses in specific directions, but none of those have been near any of the three ports cruiseships stop in in Iceland. Two of which are waaaaaaay far away from the volcano.

If there is an issue when you are scheduled to arrive, the cruise ships won't dock. Just like if there's a hurricane heading to a Carribbean island, or other such issue. They won't put their customers or their ships or their employees in any danger.

In response to the post about people cancelling cruises because of concerns about Icelandic volcanic gases...we were just there and NO PROBLEM! The air quality was great and it is an amazing country to see. I urge you to go and enjoy yourself. I would strongly recommend the Golden Circle Tour. We went with Dooley Tour Guide (you can find him on Facebook). He did a great job. Have a great time!

We are booked for a cruise in June '15 which includes Iceland, Faroe Islands and fjords in Norway. In the past few days 2 couples have cancelled the cruise because of concerns over the volcanic gases currently being emitted and monitored by the Icelandic weather service.

 

Their opinions seem to be that the gases will make air pollution of such an unsafe condition that one should not go to Iceland...

 

....

 

My question is...do you think this is a valid concern.??? especially considering our cruise is over 7 months away? Is it an over-reaction? Any and all thoughts would be appreciated...personally...I think it's a bit of an over reaction but ???? LuAnn

As someone who spent a week in Iceland last spring I find it amazing that two couples have cancelled a cruise seven months in the future over such "concerns." Iceland is totally safe.

As someone who spent a week in Iceland last spring I find it amazing that two couples have cancelled a cruise seven months in the future over such "concerns." Iceland is totally safe.

I agree I would think travel insurance would cover it.

My sister, nephew and I will be spending two nights on the way to Amsterdam our flight arrives at 11:00pm on Sunday and then leaves Tuesday morning at 7:30. Would it be better to stay near the airport or in Reykjavik ? Right now we have a reservation in Keflavik . Thanks

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My sister, nephew and I will be spending two nights on the way to Amsterdam our flight arrives at 11:00pm on Sunday and then leaves Tuesday morning at 7:30. Would it be better to stay near the airport or in Reykjavik ? Right now we have a reservation in Keflavik . Thanks

 

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Will you be renting a car? What are your plans during your stopover in Iceland?

Reykjavik is about a forty minute drive from Keflavik when using Flybus. I would be inclined to remain at Keflavik unless there is a specific reason for staying in Reykjavik (but remember that we had a car when we were there for a week last spring).

For a full day do not stay near the airport. Go to Reykjavik and book a Golden Circle tour so you can see some of the majesty of Iceland.

My sister, nephew and I will be spending two nights on the way to Amsterdam our flight arrives at 11:00pm on Sunday and then leaves Tuesday morning at 7:30. Would it be better to stay near the airport or in Reykjavik ? Right now we have a reservation in Keflavik . Thanks

 

 

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The only thing to do near the airport is the Blue Lagoon - it's only 20 mins away and you can catch a Grayline bus or visit re.is for the bus/tour excursion, but you probably wouldn't want to spend more than 3 or 4 hours there. I'd recommend going into Reykjavik and doing 2 tours - u could do the golden circle and the northern lights tour in the evening.

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Thanks. We are planing to go into Reykjavik and do both tours

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The only thing to do near the airport is the Blue Lagoon - it's only 20 mins away and you can catch a Grayline bus or visit re.is for the bus/tour excursion, but you probably wouldn't want to spend more than 3 or 4 hours there. I'd recommend going into Reykjavik and doing 2 tours - u could do the golden circle and the northern lights tour in the evening.

 

 

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You could spend a whole day on the Reykjanes Peninsula (the piece of land that has the airport and Blue Lagoon) and not see all the sites there. Lots of lighthouses, a couple nice towns and restaurants, shipwrecks, bubbling mudpots, and the bridge between the continents.

You'd need your own vehicle, but that's not hard to find, and it's really a very cool place to visit.

First of all, forgive me if these questions have been asked and answered before:

1. What is the most reasonable way to get from KEF to our apartment (Room with a View) in town?

2. Staying at Room with a View - what recommended options do we have of things to do/see/eat/drink within walking distance in the evening/night.

3. Can you recommend an excellent Seafood restaurant in town.

Thanks so much!!!

1) there are two roughly equivalent bus services from the airport to Reykjavik. We took Flybus this past March and were very pleased with it. It takes you from the airport (you can buy on your flight or easily at the airport) to the bus station, and then you get on another bus to where you are staying (or very nearby, if you aren't at a traditional hotel).

You can also take a taxi, but that will easily cost double the bus fare.

2) If you are staying at the place located at Laugavegur 18, then you are right in the middle of town, and there are plenty of restaurants, shops, and nightclubs nearby. Reykjavik is a great walking city, ask at the place you're staying for a local map, or go down the street a bit to the tourist info place for a local map.

3) Everywhere in Iceland has great seafood. You can spend $10-15/each or you can spend $50/each, or somewhere in between. I can help on the lower end of the range, or you can check one of the threads on the Europe board at Chowhound.com for great advice in the higher prices.

To add to Nitemare's response to zebra we found Flybus to be a well run operation. Their website has a list of hotels/B&B which offer pickup. The streets in downtown Reykjavik can be quite narrow and difficult for a large motor coach to navigate. You should be aware that if you need to transfer from the large motor coach (which picks up from the airport) to a smaller van (for delivery at your hotel) you may find there is some wait until that smaller van is full.

Regarding restaurants we loved Le Bistro which is located on Laugavegur Street. Wonderful food and a delightful atmosphere.

We're very excited to be visiting Iceland for the first time next month, on a 48 hour layover while on our way from the US to Copenhagen.

For our summer days in Iceland, we're renting a car and are staying near the airport in Keflavik; we're not planning on spending much time in Reykjavik. We thought we'd maybe go north-east(ish) one day and south-east(ish) the other day and just see as much as we can.

We've planned another trip to Iceland in November and will be visiting the Blue Lagoon and seeing the Golden Circle on group tours at that time.

So...............are there places that we should definitely visit on this summer trip, given the short amount of time we have, and given what we'll be seeing in November? Or should we stick with the tried and true Golden Circle and ...not sure what else?

Thank you so much for any help you can offer. Love this forum.

Best wishes!

Take a look here:

http://www.trippy.com/question/Iceland-48-hours-in-Iceland-what-to-do

Take a look here:

 

http://www.trippy.com/question/Iceland-48-hours-in-Iceland-what-to-do

That's awesome, thank you so much!

Can I book the flybus when I arrive? I don't know if my flight will be late and if I pick an actual time of arrival then miss it.

thanks

Can I book the flybus when I arrive? I don't know if my flight will be late if I pick an actual time of arrival.

 

thanks

The terminal is fairly small. You can simply buy bus tickets near the exit.

https://www.re.is/flybus/