Top Iceland hotels
Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavík
53 Reviews There is a statue in front of Hallgrímskirkja church of Leifur Eiríksson or "Leif the Lucky". Amercians gave us this statue of Leifur Eiríksson. Leifur was the son of Eirik the Red and was born at...
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Blue Lagoon Reykjavík Region
38 Reviews cont'd from tip 1): There is one parking space, one entrance (smack in the middle of lava fields, so sneaking in from anywhere is at your own peril!), a reception where the questions are how many...
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Perlan - The Pearl Reykjavík
19 Reviews Öskjuhlíð hill is the hill around Perlan - it is a true gem in the middle of Reykjavik and a very popular outdoor area. Reykjavík - and Iceland on the whole - hasn't got many trees or forests so...
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Glaciers/ Geysers/ Waterfalls Reykjavík Region
29 Reviews I cannot believe that back in the 1920s these falls were nearly destroyed - that would have been criminal! They are raw and powerful, massive and mighty. There is a double cascade and the water drops...
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Blue Lagoon Reykjavík
15 Reviews After you go in there are mens and womens changing rooms that are very nice and there are locks on all the lockers and they give you towels and robes. You are required to take a shower naked before...
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Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavík Region
29 Reviews Worth a visit to this unusual modern cathedral that dominates the skyline of the city. Take the lift to the top for great views across the city and harbour. It is extremely windy up there and in the...
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Lake Tjornin Reykjavík
21 Reviews Lake Tjornin is a lovely lake right in the center of Reykjavík; it's a natural feature, which has been there since earliest times, and it's a haven for ducks (and other water birds) and those who...
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Sculpture/ Statues Reykjavík Region
8 Reviews In Reykjavik shorefront, not far from the city center -- nothing is far from anything in Reykjavik -- sits a commanding Viking ship statue. Made of metal, this modernised version of the ships Vikings...
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Golden Circle Tour Reykjavík
13 Reviews It is a circle of sights that is most achievable in one day out of Reykjavik. I did the golden circle and then drove on as far as Hella - this was a perfect distance and amount of sight seeing in one...
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Whale Watching Reykjavík Region
7 Reviews There are plenty of possibilities for whale watching on Iceland, and the sea outside Reykjavik is considered a good place for it. I went on the Hafsulan boat ran by Reykavik Whale Safari and Puffin...
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Churches Reykjavík
16 Reviews The church at Bessastaðir is right in front of the Presidential residence in Álftanes area. The church is open for visitors. A church was first built there in the year 1000, but the current church...
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Swimming Reykjavík Region
5 Reviews Reykjavík has many exterior geothermal pools, but Árbæjarlaug is by far our favourite. Located on the outskirts of Reykjavík, this modern complex has, along with the traditional swimming pool, a steam...
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Sólfarið - The Sun Voyager Reykjavík
12 Reviews Reykjavík is surrounded by sea and we have many beautiful waterfronts. The northern waterfront is a popular place for jogging and strolling. From there you have a great view of Esjan, which is...
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Icelandic Ponies Reykjavík Region
5 Reviews Best I describe my experience and then leave you the details. Fancying a nice, gentle Icelandic horse ride across a romantic lava field with snow possibly gently fluttering down around us, I booked...
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National Museum of Iceland Reykjavík
10 Reviews The National Museum conserves a varied selection of relics that testify to the cultural history of the Icelandic nation. It is an extremely interesting museum on 3 floors displaying all kinds of...
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Buildings Reykjavík Region
14 Reviews The Nordic Culture House in Reykjavík was opened in 1968. The house was designed by the world famous Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). He even designed the furniture in the café...
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Radhus - City Hall Reykjavík
10 Reviews Our City hall is located in the pond "Tjörnin" really. It was inaugurated on April 14, 1992 and not everybody here was happy about this location and it caused a lot of controversy, but now the nation...
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City views Reykjavík Region
11 Reviews For some of the best views of Reykjavik you can't go wrong with a trip to the top of the famous Hallgrimur's Church tower (Hallgrimskirkja), Reykjavik's main landmark . The views from the tower are...
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Harbor Reykjavík
10 Reviews 112 Reykjavík is the postcode for the suburb Grafarvogur "Grave-cove". A part of Grafarvogur is Bryggjuhverfið "Wharf district". It is a quaint little district, really colourful and lovely. I often...
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Museums & Galleries Reykjavík Region
14 Reviews Iceland's National Museum of History is a little bit out from central Reykjavik, but it's worth taking the 10 minute stroll to get here, even if you're not all that keen about history. An important...
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AlÞingi - Parliament Building Reykjavík
8 Reviews The Parliament building was built in 1881 and the architect was the Danish F. Meldahl. The building was made out of dolerite which was found in Skólavörðuholt a little below where Hallgrímskirkja...
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Perlan Reykjavík Region
7 Reviews Perlan (literally, "the pearl") is one of Reykjavík's most striking buildings. You will no doubt see it as you come in the city from Keflavík Airport. Built atop the water tanks that supply...
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Geysers Reykjavík
3 Reviews Geysir is another one of the highlights on most people's trip to Iceland. The thousand year old area of Geysir is located at the foot of the Bjarnfell and is dotted with hot springs from which bubbles...
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Tjornin Reykjavík Region
6 Reviews Tjorn is a small natural lake that you can find in downtown. It is very interesting because you can see a lot of birds. Near Tjorn there is the Old City Hall that is very nice; there is Domkirkja, the...
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Laugardalslaug Pool Reykjavík
2 Reviews There is an excellent spa called Laugar Spa next to and connected with one of our swimming pools, Laugardalslaug in Laugardalur valley. In the same building is the fitness center World Class. I have...
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When you're driving the Ring Road towards Kirkjubaejarklaustar and Skaftafell, you will want to pass and photo the impressive landmark that is Lomagnupur (Loon Peak). Used for years by sailors as a navigational landmark, Lomagnupur on a breezy and misty day evokes memories of Viking days past.Lomagnupur is 35 km east of Kirkjubaejarklaustar.
Here is the public website of The Icelandic Road Administration for you who plan on visiting Iceland in the winter time The Icelandic Road Administration. It is a must checking it every day of your trip. Just click on the Icelandic map in the right upper corner. It gives detailed information on road conditions. And yes, the weather forecast as well is a must checking The official weather forecast website and click on the image where it says "the whole country". But I have found this forecast to be less accurate than I had expected, but this is Iceland's official website.This tip is a must for those travelling in the winter time and good as well for those travelling in the summer time. As here you can find road constructions as well, which is good to know when travelling in Iceland. I try to stay away from these roads if possible. Once I drove on a heath where there were road...
River and lake Lagarfljót run through Hallormsstaðaskógur forest and the biggest town in East-Iceland, Egilsstaðir, is situated by Lagarfljót. It is greyish white in colour as it has got glacial water. In Lagarfljót lives a monster, which has been seen by people through the ages, called Lagarfljótsormurinn, the Lagarfljót serpent. So beware. There are reports from 1639 of sightings of the serpent (worm-monster), the in 1750 a reliable source saw the serpent raising its humps. In 1861 some travellers spotted the serpent and in 1967 employees at the Hallormsstaður forestry station saw the serpent swimming up the lake. They followed it by car to the edge of the forest, but it disappeared further on.The river Lagarfljót is 140 km long and the lake is 35 km long and its greatest depth is a 112 meters. It has got bridges on both ends so you can drive on either side of the lake. The river...
Foss á Síðu - foss meaning waterfall - is a beautiful waterfall only 10 kilometers east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur in S-Iceland on ring-road 1. The waterfall falls from a lake called Þórutjörn. You can walk up to the waterfall and the lake. The waterfall is right by the ring-road 1. You can turn into the farmer's driveway and drive straight up to the waterfall.The waterfall is not that large like so many other waterfalls here in Iceland, but there is something special about it and the rock formations surrounding it. So it is well worth a visit while driving in this area, especially as it is by the ring-road and easily accessible.
Gullfoss is the best known waterfall in Iceland and on the Golden-Circle bus tour. It is breathtakingly beautiful, 33 metres high, with two cascades, the first one is 11 metres high, and the other one is 22 metres high and they fall into the 2.5 km canyon which is 70 m deep. Gullfoss actually means the Golden waterfall (gull-gold, foss-waterfall). The waterfall runs in the river Hvítá (White river). It is possible to walk right up to the waterfall where you can stand on the ledge. It will make you drenched but it is a breathtaking experience. But be careful as the path gets slippery and fatal accidents have happened here. You can then walk up the stairs to get a better view from above and to visit the information center there.Gullfoss is state property. The recent history of the waterfall is quite interesting and startling at the same time, as it could have been used for a hydroelectric...
This natural phenomenon is only to be seen in Iceland, nowhere else in Europe, so it is well worth a visit. Geysir is claimed to be the biggest in the world, and has given its name to all other hot-springs which are called geysers. Although this geothermal area is named after Geysir then the "geysir" which erupts most frequently (like every 5 minutes), is called Strokkur. Geysir itself stopped erupting in 1915, but it must have been a sight to see as it went about 60 metres into the air, but Strokkur is much smaller. Icelanders tried reviving it by throwing soap into Geysir and forced an eruption and from time to time it erupted. Then on 17th of June 2000 (our National day) we had a big earthquake and Geysir started erupting again, but much less frequently than Strokkur. Take care that this is a high temperature geothermal area and stay within the boundaries and don't touch the water as...
I have been frequently asked about which towns around Iceland offer Northern light tours. Of course if the conditions are favourable, i.e. a clear sky and Northern lights, then you only have to look up where ever you are at a given moment. But let´s say that the sky is not clear and there have been Northern light sightings in an area close by then it is a good idea to go on a guided Northern light tour.There are other towns which offer Northern light tours than those based in Reykjavík. Saga travel offer Northern light evening trips from Akureyri. And Vesturferðir offer Northern light trips from the Westfjords. And one can find Northern light tours from Sel - Hotel Mývatn in the amazing Myvatn area in the North of Iceland (one of my favourite places). There are other towns as well offering Northern light tours and I will add them here when I find out more places.
There are many horse-rentals in Iceland and I am going to include some of their websites from where you can get information on the Icelandic horse and different activities. Íshestar and Riding and Eldhestar are 3 good websites on horse-rental. Do pay their websites a visit and enjoy your ride :D The Icelandic name for a horse is "hestur" and "hross".The Icelandic horse is a direct descendant from the horses the Vikings brought with them to Iceland. There is a 1000 year old law against importing horses to Iceland so they are as "pure" as horses can be. They are smaller than horses in other countries and very sturdy, I've heard foreigners referring to them as ponies, but we never do that, they are horses to us. In winter time you can see them with a heavy winter coat. They have 5 gaits which is characteristic for the Icelandic horse. Íslenski hesturinn horse-rental was voted in the third...
Húsavík is a lovely little town way up in N-Iceland located by Skjálfandi bay and is often referred to as "The Whale watching capital of Iceland" and even "The Whale watching capital of Europe", as it is the center of whale watching in Iceland, even though you can go whale watching in other places. There is also a must-see museum in Húsavík "The Húsavík Whale watching museum". See a tip on that on my Húsavík page.The first Viking settled in Húsavík in 870, a Swedish fellow, Garðar Svavarsson was his name. He left a year later and left one of his men behind, Náttfari was his name. He lived there until his dying day with his slaves and is considered to be the first Nordic settler in Iceland, making Húsavík one of the oldest local names in Iceland. Now there are ca 2.300 inhabitants in Húsavík and the nearest town south of Húsavík is Akureyri, Iceland's northern-capital. The beautiful...
Petra's mineral collection in Stöðvarfjörður East-Iceland is not to be missed. It is one of the best private collections of its kind in the world, an unbelievable collection which makes you say "wow" more than once i.e. if you are a stone-lover like I am. Around 20.000 tourists visit her museum every year. Petra started collecting stones from an early age and the collection grew so much that visitors started asking for permission to have a look at her collection, which is in her own home and garden. I took so many pictures of the collection and the magical garden, it is like stepping into another world. Kudos to Petra for her work.The admission fee is ISK 500 for adults over 14 and the opening hours are from 9-18 or upon agreement.I have added more photos of this extraordinary museum in a travelogue.It is well worth getting off ring-road 1 which takes you to Egilsstaðir from...
Castle House Luxury Apartments Reykjavík Region
2 Reviews and 195 Opinions We have just returned from a long weekend break in Reyjavik and thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the...
Hilton Reykjavik Nordica Reykjavík
4 Reviews and 597 Opinions I am now staying in this Hilton hotel which was part of the package tour that I booked with...
Hotel Reynihlid Mÿvatn
2 Reviews and 74 Opinions We stayed in Reynihilo after doing a lot of research on the net as nothing else was available. In...
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Q: Hello (again), As prices for 4x4 cars are so much higher than regular cars, before I make a decision I would appreciate your...
A: http://www.vegagerdin.is/vefur2.nsf/Files/Vegakerfid_english/$file/ATTRJY5V.pdf
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