Ireland & Northern Ireland - The Basics

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Magical Iceland - Reykjavik to the Arctic Circle - Part 1

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Iceland Arctic Crossing - Volcanoes, whales, puffins

In this 2 part series, we share an itinerary for an adventure in Iceland where volcanoes erupt, sheep cross the road, whales wave hello in the fjord, and we cross the Arctic Circle with adorable puffins everywhere! Bonus - I also find a new delicious sparkling wine. Both Part 1 and Part 2 will provide our full itinerary which moves slowly to include buffer time to manage jet lag. 

Feel free to use our itinerary.

Part 1: Reykjavik to Akureyri 

In part 1, we fly into Keflavik (KEF) airport and spend a couple days in the capital, Reykjavik checking out the colorful landscape and Hallsgrimskirkja church. Next, we head south to Fagradalsfjall volcano for a hike hoping to see the eruption (we did and you will see the footage!). Then, we head north 5-6 hours to Akureyri, visiting Dimmborgir on the way. Part 2 covers Akureyri to Grimsey Island where we reach the Arctic and Tim (my spouse) pays homage to Monty Python in his crossing. 

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Summary - our Itinerary

  • Days 1 - 3
    • Reykjavik (2 days)
      • Hotel - Alda Hotel (3 nights lodging)
      • City view
        • Street art….inclding literal street art
        • Find the humorous signs
        • Hallsgrimskirkja church
    • Fagradsfjall Volcano hike (VOLCANO ERUPTED!!!) (1 day)
  • Day 4 AM
    • Drive up North (5-6 hours)
    • Dimmuborgir (home of the Yule Lads) (2-4 hours)
  • Day 4 PM - Day 6
    • Akureyri
      • Hotel - Icelandair Hotel (top of the hill and next to public hot springs; 3 nights lodging)
      • Dinner at Rub23
      • Check out the elf houses and the church (with street art!)
      • Public thermal pool
      • Whale watching 
    • Destination Arctic - Grimsey Island
  • Day 7 - drive back to Reykjavik and catch your flight home

Reykjavik (Days 1 - 2)

In Reykjavik, our itinerary points to 3 free activities, checking out figurative and literal street art, admiring the humor, and viewing the church. In or near Reykjavik, activities are abundant, for example the Blue Lagoon, Viking World museum, whale watching, and more. However, this adventure focuses on getting to the Arctic with activities that nicely fit into a week’s schedule. Furthermore, because Iceland is an island, food, drinks, gas, and other essentials are expensive. This itinerary helps manage cost.

Hotel - 3 nights

In Reykjavik, we stayed at the Alda Hotel which provided a nice sized room by European standards. They also provided a local cell phone which was a nice touch. The beds were comfy and the blackout curtains absolutely necessary during the midnight sun. What I liked most was the effective use of space for example, a simple touch like a coat rack nd the inward swinging shower door.

Alda Hotel website shows rooms for summer 2023 on a Friday night run about ISK46,800 - ISK52,000 (at an exchange rate of 0.007 that equals $328 - $364) per night. Expedia website showed the $328 per night. Both websites were viewed on Feb 14, 2023. There are less and more expensive hotels in the area, this is simply where we stayed.



City Views

Reykavik is a colorful, vibrant city full of activities. Walking around the city feels like being immersed in a rainbow. 

1. Street art. Not only does Reykjavik have amazing traditional street art, they step it up by offering literal street art.
Street art

Literal street art


2. Humor. From the Penis Museum to the names of certain establishments, the city of Reykjavik seems to possess irreverent humor.


3. Hallgrimskirkja church. This Evangelical-Lutheran church is an overwhelming icon of the city. I have had the pleasure of visiting in 1987 and 2021. As a person who LOVES art and architecture, I sit in awe of the design inspired by Icelandic nature and landscape. 

Hallgrimskirkja church 1987

Hallgrimskirkja church 2021

Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption (Day 3)

Volcanoes sit all across the island. On our trip, we hiked up Fagradalsfjall and viewed the eruption, an experience like nothing before. A few things that I found important for the hike up Fagradalsfjall. 
  1. Footwear is critical. I wore my trail running shoes. 
  2. Layers of clothes. Helpful as temperature varies on the route. 
  3. Lightweight backpack with snacks and water
As a reasonably active GenX’er, I rated the hike a ‘2’ on a scale of 1 - 5 (with 5 being extremely difficult). That said, difficulty is highly relative.

There are incredible views hiking the volcano. Seeing molten lava for the first time thrilled me so you can imagine the intensity of my excitement when I saw the volcano erupt! Fortunately, we captured footage….check it out!


North to Akureyri

Driving the “Ring Road”

The “Ring Road”, the main road, follows the circumference of the island including some cool tunnels. Do not speed on the Ring Road for a few reasons, including:
  1. Surprise! There’s speeding tickets in a future car rental invoice.
  2. The elements (i.e., wind) tremendously effect your driving (and for clarity, I am a northerner accustomed to driving in wind, snow, ice, hail, etc).
  3. Farmers and animals cross the road.
There are stunning views along this journey, mountains, fjords, homes with their own churches, animals, waterfalls, so take your time and enjoy.





Some people drive through the rugged interior on 4WD or off-road vehicles. Do not attempt this in your rental car.

Dimmuborgir

We visited Dimmuborgir because I like metal music and this shares a name with a band. Turns out that it was a really cool place! Dimmuborgir is a vast terrain of ancient and unique lava formations. Legend indicates the 13 Yule Lads (like troll versions of Santa) live here.





Finally, after a long day of driving, we check into our hotel in Akureyri and head to dinner. You will hear more about the Akureyri swimming pool (aka hot springs), see our incredible whale footage, and reach the Arctic in Part 2!

See you then!

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