South Iceland – itinerary
Day 1
9.35pm – “Wizzair” flight to Keflavik – 4h05
We pick up the Hyundai i20 car from the “Budget” rental company – PLN 580 for 3 days.
Overnight at “Harbourfront Guesthouse” in Hafnarfjörður – 230 euros for 3 nights – room with sink and bathroom outside.
Day 2
We make breakfast ourselves (products brought from Poland). We are going to Thingvellir – Thingvellir National Park is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List – free entrance and parking fee 500 ISK. There is a path in the Park where two tectonic plates (Eurasian and North American) meet. We walk to the small Öxarárfoss waterfall and to the church with a cemetery (it is worth paying attention to the patronymics on the graves).
We continue along the tourist route, the so-called The Golden Circle to Geysir – free entry – the main Geysir does not work, the smaller one is active – Strokkur, thermal springs around. We go to the Gullfoss waterfall (the so-called “golden waterfall”) on the Hvita River – it impresses with its enormity, consists of two cascades, one of which is 11 meters high and the other 21 meters; you can observe the waterfall both from above and below.
On the way to Hveragerdi, we drive to the Kerid crater with a lake inside – entrance costs 400 ISK per person, children up to 12 years free. Hveragerdi Geothermal Park Hverasvæðið is closed (entry costs around ISK 300 in general, you can boil eggs in boiling thermal water). In the “Kjöt og Kúnst” bar (currently closed) we observe how food is prepared in geothermal ovens – we buy a banana cake prepared in this way for 895 ISK.
We’re going to a restaurant in IKEA near Reykjavik – 15 meatballs and chips for ISK 1095, salmon sandwich ISK 795. We return to the guesthouse in Hafnarfjörður for the night.
Day 3
We make breakfast ourselves. We take road no. 1 to the Urriðafoss waterfall (you have to get a bit along a gravel road) – small but wide and there are places to fish. Then we go to Keldur – the side road No. 264 at the beginning is asphalt and the last 3 km of gravel – there are houses covered with peat and a small wooden church.
We drive up to Seljalandsfoss waterfall – you pay only 750 ISK for parking, it is 60 meters high and you can enter the cave behind the waterfall and Reynisfjara beach with black volcanic sand and basalt formations – one of the most beautiful in Iceland. On the beach on the rocks, you can spot puffins in the season. In the cafe – espresso for 450 ISK and cinnamon cakes for 320 ISK. On the beach, watch out for strong waves that can pull a person into the sea.
We eat lunch at a bar at the N1 gas station in Kirkjubæjarklaustur – a chicken burger set with fries and a drink (Appelsin) for 1750 ISK.
We take road no. 1 to Jökulsárlón, i.e. a glacial lagoon – on the way a view of the lava fields and glaciers. Jökulsárlón is one of the most interesting places in Iceland – huge chunks of ice flowing into the ocean, you can spot seals. There are huge icebergs on the lake – you can take boats to Vatnajökull glacier.
We drive up to the Fjallsárlón lake with ice blocks and a glacier view – but Jökulsárlón lake is more interesting. In the evening we return to Hafnarfjörður for the night.
Day 4
We make breakfast ourselves. We go to Reykjavik to Perlan – from the terrace there is a view of the entire city, there is a museum showing the wonders of Iceland’s nature, such as the aurora, volcanoes, ice cave; entrance ISK 4490 adult and ISK 2290 child and to the Hallgrímskirkja church – an iceberg-shaped church with a tower (access by elevator 1000 ISK per person), almost empty inside.
We go along road no. 1 to Borgarnes through the Hvalfjörður tunnel, 5770 m long and 165 m deep (free passage). Shopping in Borgarnes at the “Bonus” store – Appelsin for 159 ISK, small skyr 198 ISK and in the cafe next door – coffee for 395 ISK, cake for 300 ISK.
We go along road No. 54 to the Snæfellsnes peninsula to Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum (admission ISK 1400 per person, children free) – you can watch a short film about the production of hakarl, i.e. fermented (rotten) shark meat, and tasting hakarl (additionally pumpernickel and Brennivin, i.e. vodka). Next to the museum there are sheds with drying shark meat and small Icelandic ponies on the pasture. We take the coastal road to Grundarfjörður and the Kirkjufell hill (conical shape) and the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall.
We go back on road no. 1 to the restaurant in IKEA near Reykjavik – 15 pieces of meatballs and chips for 1095 ISK, sandwich with salmon 795 ISK, drinks 150 ISK.
We go to the center of Reykjavik and see the City Hall, Parliament, Cathedral and Old Harbor – streets with no traffic and an atmosphere like in a small, provincial city.
We travel by car to the “Laugardalslaug” pools in Reykjavik – a complex of outdoor pools with thermal water and baths up to 44 degrees C, slides and saunas – an adult ISK 1060, and a child ISK 165.
We are going to the airport in Keflavik to return the car to the “Budget” rental company. We depart at 12.30 am on the “Wizzair” plane to Warsaw – 3h20.
