I’m heading out on a trip to Europe on December 21, and I’m flying on Iceland Air. This means that I’m going to have about a long layover in Reykjavik: I’m scheduled to arrive at 7am, and my connecting flight leaves a bit after 2.
Realizing its not a whole lot of time, does anybody have any good suggestions on how to fill a few hours with something interesting and touristy?
Ages ago I flew Icelandic to Europe with a layover - back then they had a really great offer and for practically pennies, you could spend the night and have a full day to roam around.
I loved Iceland! Truly wonderful people, amazing scenery…we took the bus from the airport at Keflavik (sp?) to Reykjavik (about 45 minutes I think) and it was like driving on the surface of the moon…then when we finally got to Reykjavik, it was a great city with lots of interesting things to do.
If you have the time, ask if they still offer that layover deal for tourists!
But even with those few hours, you should be able to take a bus and see some of the sights - and please do - you will never see landscape like that again anywhere.
Then again - I am not 100% sure what the weather will be like then - I was there in the summer, and although Iceland actually has a rather mild temperature, not sure how the weather will be for a “quick” bus trip into town.
At least buy a really good sweater while you are there! Amazing quality, classic designs and with some care, should last you for decades.
Have a great time, and report back on how you liked it!
There’s a hot spring right near the Keflavik airport where you can go and soak in the steamy goodness. The locker rooms are ingeniously arranged so that you get into the water before you go outside, making it ideal for folks like me who are wimps about the cold. I was there with friends at the New Year a couple years back, and I loved it.
Nitpick, but I vaguely recall that it’s the (perfectly clean!) outflow from a geothermal plant, not a natural spring.
There’s a standard tourist route known as the Golden Circle Route. You could do this within your allocated time. It takes you to:
if you’re in luck you may be there during Icelandic Honey Week .
Blue Lagoon is the place that GorillaMan and mrklutz are talking about. It’s a wonderful way to relax for a few hours. The locker/shower setups are clean and roomy. The lockers lock with a wristband that you wear. Towels are provided so all you would have to bring along is a swimsuit and toiletry. The link includes info about bus service from the airport.
If you want to head into Reykjavík, it’s about a 45 minute bus ride. Reykjavík is fairly small and very walkable. With just the time you have, I would suggest walking around town and seeing the sites. With transit time you’ve probably only got about 3hrs if you go into Reykjavík. But that’s more then enough time to get a feel for the town, and maybe grab lunch. Flybus was the one we used to get to and from the airport.
English was spoken almost everywhere we went in Reykjavík and the people were friendly and helpful. At the end of December, sunrise will be close to 11:30 AM and sunset around 3:30PM. That’s one of the main reasons that we decided against the Golden Circle tour a couple of years ago in January. Sunrise/sunset chart
Girl watching. 
No, seriously.