Three Days in Iceland

This has been our first time visiting any of the Scandinavian countries, with Iceland being high on the list of places to see for many years. And while three days is really not enough to see all that this country has to offer, we were able to spend time in Reykjavík and visit some of the natural attractions of the South East area.

We flew direct to Reykjavík with Icelandair and jumped on the Flybus to our accommodation. The landscape travelling from the airport felt almost moon-like – very rocky and sparse, with hills looming in the distance, and it felt very different to anywhere we have visited before.

Reykjavík

Iceland’s capital is an interesting place. Home to 60% of the country’s 400,000 population, it is definitely on the smaller side compared to most other capitals, but this city is growing – huge levels of development can be seen all around, perhaps as a response to the 2.5 million visitors Iceland welcomes each year.

Reykjavík is easy to navigate on foot, offering a variety of galleries and museums (including the penis museum!) around the Old Harbour area. But perhaps the most iconic attraction is Hallgrimskirkja – at 74.5 metres tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and one the tallest structures in the country.

The Golden Circle

This is the Iceland the majority of people come to see – an area of stunning scenery where you can visit the Geysir Geothermal Area in Haukadalur and see the explosive eruptions of Strokkur which occur roughly every five minutes. Moving on from the Geysir is one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls, Gullfoss – a two-level power house of a waterfall whose sray hits you long before the falls come into sight. The final stop on this circular route is Thingvellir National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site where a fissure has appeared dye to tectonic movement creating a valley that you can walk through where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates drift apart. Literally walking between two continents.

Blue Lagoon

Another iconic geothermal site in this area of Iceland – The Blue Lagoon is surrounded by volcanic landscape, with the most recent volcanic activity occuring just north of nearby Grindavík on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. Evidence of these eruptionscan be seen with the lava flows to the side of the road as you approach The Blue Lagoon, with the single road into Blue Lagoon having been buried twice and is still being repaired. The volcano continues to be active with another eruption predicted toward the end of July (2024)

The milky blue, mineral-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon, with steam rising above the 40C water is quite dramatic against such a background and definitely something to experience!