Hello, Dopers! My wife and I are spending 8 days in Iceland in late August, and I’d appreciate some advice from anyone familiar with the land.
We are staying in a hotel just southwest of Lake Þingvellir, and are definitely going to explore Þingvellir National Park at the northern end of the lake. We also plan to drive east to Höfðasandur, and would like to explore the northwestern fjörds.
Questions:
These areas make me think we need an SUV, particularly for the fjörd roads. For instance, I know one should not drive on F-marked roads without 4wd. For exploring the western half of Iceland, how rugged of a car do you think we need?
What other recommendations do you have? We’ll be in Reykjavik to visit the museums and see acquaintances at the University…we could use more advice on the best places to see the beauty of the landscape. As implied above, off-roading is a possibility, but 4wd rentals cost more and I’m not keen on fording unknown rivers.
Thank you very much in advance for any advice, recommendations, or tales of your own experiences in Iceland! We’re excited to finally be staying in Iceland, rather than just passing through it to Norway.
I can’t speak to #1 as I didn’t really do any driving myself, but you’re going the exact same time of year I went and the weather was reasonably hospitable. Here are places I went to that are worth visiting -
In the far east, Jokulsarlon is worth a visit, but it can get a little crowded. Just a little to the west of that is a much nicer, more serene, and private place called Fjallsarlon. Here is a short video I took while there to show just how quiet it is. I could have sat there for hours.
I also really liked a place called Svínafellsjökull, which you may recognize from this scene from the middle of season 2 of Game of Thrones. They filmed there a couple of months after I visited
For waterfalls, I’m assuming you’re going to see Gulfoss, but Skogafoss is also well worth a visit and there’s almost nothing like walking the pathway behind Seljalandsfoss - particularly after dark when it’s flood lit like we did.
All these sites are either on or just barely off of the Ring Road so no off-roading is necessary. Have fun!
I am so envious. Iceland is definitely on my short list.
Anyway . . . be sure to visit the penis museum, which “houses the world’s largest display of penises and penile parts.” I think it’s the only one in the world.
interface2x, those all look amazing! I was worried that Jokulsarlon would be too far east to manage as a day trip, but it look like it would only be 4.5 hours over the ring road. I hadn’t known that GoT filmed some north-of-the-wall scenes in Iceland - certainly a fantastic choice by the director. And while waterfalls had been on the last, Seljalandfoss hadn’t…we’ll definitely try to visit it now! Less than two hours from the hotel, so after dark might be a possibility despite the long days in August.
Thank you for the preview in pictures. It looks like you had an amazing experience out there.
panache45, disturbing as the phallus museum sounds, it just may warrant a visit! Relevant Scandinavia and the World comics behind a spoiler in case they count as NSFW:
I spent a year in Iceland when I was a child- Range Rovers and Land Cruisers were the choice then.
All of Iceland is stunning. Reykjavik is wall-to-wall gorgeous, and so clean you could eat off the streets.
Landscape everywhere is dramatic and stark and eerie. See the geysers!
As far as I know, almost all of the “beyond the wall” scenes (starting in season 2)in GoT were filmed in Iceland. According to this, they’re filming again there right now.
Also, here is another place we visited while we were over there. It’s one of the first swimming pools built in the country and it’s completely isolated in a mountain valley at the base of Eyjafjallajökull (aka Iceland Volcano). The hike into the mountain valley alone is worth the trouble, but it’s also a relaxing place to soak and take in the scenery. If you’re lucky, when you get there, there will literally be no one anywhere and you can have the whole thing to yourselves. But bring a towel!
My apologies for the long delay in replying - I got distracted by the bar exam, and then moved. It took some time to get internet (besides my phone) in the new apartment. Thank you for all of the suggestions! We have a long list of options written up now, and the trouble will be deciding which ones to squeeze in.