Vibrant blue and green night skies. Sauna-like geothermal pools. Lava fields. The Arctic Circle! 

Icelandic Landscape 

Reykjavík, Iceland has always interested me. The city name alone is intriguing. It sounds romantic and other worldly. It conjures up images of rocky desolate landscapes similar to the moon; short sturdy evergreen trees and dark blue freezing cold water. Game of Thrones. Expanses of snow and ice. 

We’ve known a few people to visit Iceland in the last couple years and they have all raved about it! Since the airline prices departing from New York are pretty reasonable at the moment, I thought this would be a good time to get the most from our travel funds.

I scoured airline deals, hotel views and possible excursions. Ultimately, I chose a package though Hotels.com that includes airfare and hotel accommodations.

Flight and Hotel 

We’ll be flying the discount airline WOW Air. Their prices are reasonable with daily direct flights from New York to Iceland. Like most airlines, checked baggage and food are extra but that’s ok. I have gotten pretty good at packing light and making snacks substitute as meals. Though, I will say that WOW Air does have reasonably priced snacks, sandwiches and dinners available. I might just have to try a meal to save room in my carry on.

It’s pretty easy to find well priced hotel rooms. Hotels are one thing that I really hate overpaying for. I want a hotel with clean rooms where I don’t have to worry about bedbugs, an acceptable sized room (so I don’t feel like I’m sleeping in my suitcase) and complimentary breakfast. Ultimately not much else matters since we won’t spend too much time in the hotel. As I hunted for a hotel, kept coming back to one: CenterHotel Arnarhvoll. It’s on the northern edge of the city and offers views of the sea. Since one of my goals for the trip is the view the Northern Lights, I’m hoping we’ll be able to see them right from our bed! If not, we’ll still have a clear and beautiful view. (Update: there’s too much light pollution in Reykjavik to see the Northern Lights, but we still enjoyed the beautiful view.)

(Photo taken directly from hotel website)

Sightseeing Adventures

Iceland has an incredible variety of things to see and do. Many tourists visit for 4 or 5 days; I couldn’t decide among all of the tours and trips so we’ll be staying for 7 days, not including travel days. Top on the mother-daughter list are:

• Icelandic horse ride over lava fields
• Full day tour of the Golden Cicle to see Geysir and world renowned Gulfoss waterfall
• Day trip to Grímsey Island, above the Arctic Circle
• Whale Watching
• Swimming in the Blue Lagoon
• Black sand beach on the southern coast

The Arctic Circle! 66 2/3 north latitude. Crossing that imaginary line is something not a lot of people have done. Maybe it’s just the math and geology geek showing through. Either way, 8 days in Iceland with the possibility of crossing the Arctic Circle will be a trip of a lifetime. A great way to stretch out my 40th birthday!

Have you been to Iceland? What was your favorite thing to do? I’d love to hear your experiences!

If you’re interested in learning more about Iceland, check out Lonely Planet Iceland’s Ring Road and Reykjavík 2019.

Other posts about our Iceland trip Icelandic Adventures, part 1

3 Best Ways to Use your Cellphone in Iceland