Iceland was our first trip to Europe after the pandemic hit. Iceland had recently opened up the country to travelers so we figured it wouldn’t be overcrowded. We were right!
Did you know that New York is closer to Iceland than it is to San Francisco?!
Iceland was overrun with tourists pre pandemic, but we went right when the country opened up in 2021 and what a treat that was! No matter when you go, there are plenty of spots to escape the crowds!
Our Itinerary: 7 nights in Iceland, flying in and out of Reykjavik (end of August 2021).
Do you need a car? I highly recommend picking one up from the airport. Iceland is best explored at your own pace. Public transport is limited and while there are many tour buses /other group options, you will be bound to a schedule. We used rentalcars.com to reserve a car. If you cannot get a car and are short on time, you are better off sticking to the Reykjavik area for a few days.
Day 1-2 : We picked up our car from the airport and headed to a small town called Budir on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Western Iceland, where we spent 2 nights at Hotel Budir. They call this region miniature Iceland because it has everything from glaciers to fishing villages. Be sure to take a rain jacket – we found this region to be the rainiest (and windiest) spot on our trip. This is usually not a region folks end up on their first trip to Iceland. Most blogs will point you to the Golden Circle and South Coast route first. I thought we’d mix things up a bit.
Day 3-5 We love to hike, but were in no shape to do Iceland’s most famous hike, the Laugavegur Trail. This is a 4 day trek in Iceland’s Valley of Thor, the Porsmork (Thorsmork) Nature Reserve. We decided to spend a couple nights inside Thorsmork and do some day hikes (small pieces of the longer trail). You can only drive so far in with a regular car, so you’ll have to park your car and arrange for a monster truck to take you into the valley! A hiker’s dream and one of the best experiences I have ever had. We stayed at the Volcano Huts, which is basically the basecamp. Accommodation is basic, but clean and it is absolutely gorgeous in the middle of the valley!
Day 6-7 After a few nights in nights in Thor’s Valley, we were ready for Reykjavik. Reykjavik is full of small boutique hotels – we stayed at the Kvosin Downtown. Reykjavik had amazing food with the freshest ingredients. My favorite meal was dinner at Matur og Drykkur. Did I mention amazing cocktails?! We ended our week with a soak in the Blue Lagoon. Yes it’s touristy but we loved it and it wasn’t very crowded when we went.
Happy traveling!
