What are some of the best sites to visit in Iceland?

We're scheduled to be in Iceland for 4 days in July on the Nautica and were wondering from your experiences which were the best excursions to book or places to see in Akureyri, Isafjordur and Reykjavik? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

I've been to Iceland 4 times, all by air, as a stopover on the way to/from Europe. Usually stay 3-5 days. One cruise was supposed to stop in Reykjavik, but it was too windy to get into port. I love Iceland and look forward to returning someday. BTW, Icelandair is a very nice, inexpensive way to fly to Europe. We travel in their business (Saga) class as it's pretty reasonable. No lay-flat seats, but more comfortable than economy.

My favorite place to visit (and stay) is the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa! Love their Silica hotel, with it's own private small lagoon! Relaxing in the very warm water (about 100 degrees F) and spreading the silica all over your body feels so good....just be sure to wear a tight bathing cap or slather your hair with conditioner....otherwise your hair will look and feel like straw for days.

Going on the Golden Circle tour is a must. The Gullfoss falls are beautiful and larger than Niagara. The entire tour is 8 hours long and you see so many different areas of SW Iceland.

Reykjavik doesn't have "sites" to see other than the church with the tall spire. Go up (elevator) for a wonderful view of the city and bay. The town is totally walkable and has many small shops, cafes and cute parks. One thing to know - it's an expensive island. They can't grow much and everything is imported. It's very clean and safe.

I haven't been to the other cities you're going to, but I'm sure you'll love Iceland. Virtually everyone speaks English and most people have 2 jobs because of the high cost of living.

I've been to Iceland 4 times, all by air, as a stopover on the way to/from Europe. Usually stay 3-5 days. One cruise was supposed to stop in Reykjavik, but it was too windy to get into port. I love Iceland and look forward to returning someday. BTW, Icelandair is a very nice, inexpensive way to fly to Europe. We travel in their business (Saga) class as it's pretty reasonable. No lay-flat seats, but more comfortable than economy.

 

My favorite place to visit (and stay) is the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa! Love their Silica hotel, with it's own private small lagoon! Relaxing in the very warm water (about 100 degrees F) and spreading the silica all over your body feels so good....just be sure to wear a tight bathing cap or slather your hair with conditioner....otherwise your hair will look and feel like straw for days.

 

Going on the Golden Circle tour is a must. The Gullfoss falls are beautiful and larger than Niagara. The entire tour is 8 hours long and you see so many different areas of SW Iceland.

 

Reykjavik doesn't have "sites" to see other than the church with the tall spire. Go up (elevator) for a wonderful view of the city and bay. The town is totally walkable and has many small shops, cafes and cute parks. One thing to know - it's an expensive island. They can't grow much and everything is imported. It's very clean and safe.

 

I haven't been to the other cities you're going to, but I'm sure you'll love Iceland. Virtually everyone speaks English and most people have 2 jobs because of the high cost of living.

Thanks. We just booked the Golden Circle tour as it definitely looks pretty cool!

We did Oceania’s Bird Island of Vigur tour when we were in Isafjordur a few years ago, and highly recommend it. We walked around the areas where the eider ducks nest (the family that owns the island built great little nesting cubicles for the birds), and where the puffins nest in holes in the hillside. They told us about harvesting down from the eiders’ nests and in their shop showed us how it is cleaned during the winter.

If you enjoy horses book a riding tour so you can experience the Icelandic horse and see the beauty of Iceland from a unique perspective. We were a "party" of two and had a wonderful tour, with a guide, of the Westfjords in Isafjordur.

It's more than 10 years since we were there on Insignia. We had an overnight in Reykjavik (although the second day was a short one) so four couples rented two cars and drove around both days. If you can find fellow travelers on your roll call, I'd recommend this alternative. It was cheaper than ship's tours and we saw much more.

Here's a vote for Akureyri. The setting is really lovely and there's a decent amount of things to see for a relatively small city. We stumbled upon some really nice restaurants and hung out in a couple of bars with really nice locals. All in all it's one of my favorite memories (and a total surprise) of Iceland.

I thought Reykjavik was rather dull.

The Golden Circle Tour is definitely worth it too - but if you have the time, do consider Akureryi.

Iceland is a most magnificent scenic country. We have toured it extensively both via a cruise (Oceania) and an expedition (Silversea).

Reykjavik --

Definitely the golden circle is worth the time. Spend the day. Many private tour companies for this.

Walk around town. Try some of the restaurants there especially if interested in exotic food (whale, puffin etc.). Expensive town. Best value is the hot dog stand near near the Raddison Blu 1919 hotel.

The hot springs/Blue Lagoon-- the best part is that they have an excellent restaurant there.

Akureyri been there twice -- recommend the whale watching. However depends on time of year and time of embarkation. The standard tour generally includes the Botanical Gardens, visit to a typical grass house, and the bubbling hot springs and waterfalls. Did not care for the tour. Whale watching was super!

Isafjordur - typical tour was the Museum in town, then to and old fishing village with grass huts.

I did a YouTube video on the Silversea cruise -- 1/2 was Arctic and other half was Iceland.

Here's a vote for Akureyri. The setting is really lovely and there's a decent amount of things to see for a relatively small city. We stumbled upon some really nice restaurants and hung out in a couple of bars with really nice locals. All in all it's one of my favorite memories (and a total surprise) of Iceland.

I thought Reykjavik was rather dull.

The Golden Circle Tour is definitely worth it too - but if you have the time, do consider Akureryi.

Right now we're scheduled to go on O's Akureyri Nature and History excursion where we drive around the area, stopping by the Godafoss waterfall and a few other places before heading back to Aukreyri to visit their botanical gardens. Since we're there from 8 am to 6 pm, maybe we'll walk around the town in the morning before our afternoon excursion.

Iceland is a most magnificent scenic country. We have toured it extensively both via a cruise (Oceania) and an expedition (Silversea).

 

Reykjavik --

Definitely the golden circle is worth the time. Spend the day. Many private tour companies for this.

Walk around town. Try some of the restaurants there especially if interested in exotic food (whale, puffin etc.). Expensive town. Best value is the hot dog stand near near the Raddison Blu 1919 hotel.

 

The hot springs/Blue Lagoon-- the best part is that they have an excellent restaurant there.

 

Akureyri been there twice -- recommend the whale watching. However depends on time of year and time of embarkation. The standard tour generally includes the Botanical Gardens, visit to a typical grass house, and the bubbling hot springs and waterfalls. Did not care for the tour. Whale watching was super!

 

Isafjordur - typical tour was the Museum in town, then to and old fishing village with grass huts.

 

I did a YouTube video on the Silversea cruise -- 1/2 was Arctic and other half was Iceland.

 

Pretty cool video, Paul. Thanks for sharing! I especially liked the polar bears and walruses. We just got finished being wowed on an Antarctica cruise, so it's time to schedule a visit to the other end of the world now! :D

We did Oceania’s Bird Island of Vigur tour when we were in Isafjordur a few years ago, and highly recommend it. We walked around the areas where the eider ducks nest (the family that owns the island built great little nesting cubicles for the birds), and where the puffins nest in holes in the hillside. They told us about harvesting down from the eiders’ nests and in their shop showed us how it is cleaned during the winter.

Thanks! That definitely looks like one cool excursion to take!