Iceland: Golden Circle for poor travellers

[olippold]

Hello,

 

We'll be in Reykjavik for 2 days this August and would like to do some sort of Golden Circle tour. There are 5 of us but the catch is 2 of our party don't like driving around and can get car sick, and 1 is a teenager who could quite possibly find it all very boring! So with that in mind, is there any sort of way to see some Golden Circle highlights with the minimum of driving, and preferably throw in some Icelandic horses as well (viewing, not riding) for the teenager? Or am I simply asking the impossible?

 

Thanks,

Oliver

[Nitemare]

I'm not sure I understand what it is you want to do.

 

It's a minimum of 4 hours just to drive from Reykjavik to the 3 main sites of the Golden Circle and back to Reykjavik. If you have folks who can't ride that far without getting sick then perhaps they shouldn't go. Have the teen do some research to see what the sites look like and see if they are interested in the tour or not. You will pass by horses en route to these sites that you can see up close (they are usually fenced in near the road).

 

Not sure what the "poor travellers" part is, either. Are you trying to save money? or is it more of a "whoa is me" poor thing?

 

You can save money by self driving (roads are well signed) but you will learn SO much more with a tour guide. Especially in a smaller minibus type tour than in a huge tour bus.

[KirkNC]

The golden circle takes seven to ten days depending on the time spent at different stops so based on the group you describe I don't see the golden circle in your future.

[olippold]

They're "poor travellers" in that they don't like travelling by car much! What I'm trying to do is see if it's possible to please everyone, but I suspect we may have to split up. Certainly a small minibus with a tour guide would be my preferred approach since we could tailor it to our requirements.

 

I'm not sure I understand what it is you want to do.

 

It's a minimum of 4 hours just to drive from Reykjavik to the 3 main sites of the Golden Circle and back to Reykjavik. If you have folks who can't ride that far without getting sick then perhaps they shouldn't go. Have the teen do some research to see what the sites look like and see if they are interested in the tour or not. You will pass by horses en route to these sites that you can see up close (they are usually fenced in near the road).

 

Not sure what the "poor travellers" part is, either. Are you trying to save money? or is it more of a "whoa is me" poor thing?

 

You can save money by self driving (roads are well signed) but you will learn SO much more with a tour guide. Especially in a smaller minibus type tour than in a huge tour bus.

[dbsb3233]

You can save money by self driving (roads are well signed)...

True, although I'm getting sticker shock looking at rental cars too. We're going to have a group of 6 adults, also stopping for 2 nights in August in Iceland before we head on to Amsterdam for a Baltic cruise. I managed to book a minivan months ago for around $350 for 2 days, which seemed quite expensive but as it turns out now seems to be a bargain. I keep checking the rates in hopes of finding a better price but instead find most are $500-$800 now. For just 2 days. Wow.

 

I'm still considering a tour instead, but then we have the (long) airport transfers to deal with too. As well as a very early flight leaving KEF that we'll need to leave the hotel at like 4am for. Given the distance from the airport, the odd times, and wanting to get our of town, I just figured a rental van would be best at the time.

 

I still keep waving though.

 

Anyone else have any thoughts on renting a car vs using a tour for a 2-night stopover in Iceland?

[Nitemare]

The golden circle takes seven to ten days depending on the time spent at different stops so based on the group you describe I don't see the golden circle in your future.

 

The Ring Road takes 7-10 days. The Golden Circle is 3 or 4 attractions all near Reykjavik that can be expressed through in 4 hours, but really needs 6-8 hours.

[Nitemare]

 

Anyone else have any thoughts on renting a car vs using a tour for a 2-night stopover in Iceland?

 

That is a good price for the vehicle.

 

There are quite a few good private guides in Iceland. Tripadvisor is a good place to find them. You'll pay more than "do it yourself", but you'll also learn so much more and get to know a local pretty well. The Icelandic people are ridiculously nice and they will share their love of country with you until you're hooked like we are.

[dbsb3233]

That is a good price for the vehicle.

 

There are quite a few good private guides in Iceland. Tripadvisor is a good place to find them. You'll pay more than "do it yourself", but you'll also learn so much more and get to know a local pretty well. The Icelandic people are ridiculously nice and they will share their love of country with you until you're hooked like we are.

I may end up having to cancel the van reservation anyway. It says it's a 7-passenger van, but the closer I look, I don't think there's enough room for 6 adults AND luggage. We're doing a 14-night Baltic cruise plus 4 nights hotel (Reyjavik + Amsterdam). That's 6 large suitcases and 6 carry-ons. While rental car companies never tell you exactly which model you'll get, it lists Renault Grand Scenic, which appears to have no luggage space behind the 3rd row of seats. Not sure we can risk that. So I may need a Plan B anyway.

[Nitemare]

Can't you leave the luggage at the hotel? And use a transfer service (Flybus) to the airport

[dbsb3233]

Can't you leave the luggage at the hotel? And use a transfer service (Flybus) to the airport

That was a backup plan - put 1 or 2 of our people on the Flybus just to get back and forth from the airport, drop luggage at the hotel, then go pick them up at the bus station. But that's kind of a pain for all involved. Especially when we're renting a vehicle at the airport for that express purpose.

 

I went ahead and made a reservation for the alternative I've been eyeing for a while - Fox Rental Car has a 9 pax van for $70 more. Factor in the Flybus cost with the initial van and it's not all that much more. Not thrilled that it's a manual transmission, but I can handle that. It's just been a decade since I've driven one. ;)

 

I guess I was just hoping that the 7-pax vehicle the first place assigned us would be big enough (i.e. had luggage space) but the more I thought about it, I didn't want to risk it and then have to break our group up just to get to/from the airport. I just had to get over the sticker shock of car rentals in Iceland.

[TMLAalum]

That was a backup plan - put 1 or 2 of our people on the Flybus just to get back and forth from the airport, drop luggage at the hotel, then go pick them up at the bus station. But that's kind of a pain for all involved. Especially when we're renting a vehicle at the airport for that express purpose.

 

I went ahead and made a reservation for the alternative I've been eyeing for a while - Fox Rental Car has a 9 pax van for $70 more. Factor in the Flybus cost with the initial van and it's not all that much more. Not thrilled that it's a manual transmission, but I can handle that. It's just been a decade since I've driven one. ;)

 

I guess I was just hoping that the 7-pax vehicle the first place assigned us would be big enough (i.e. had luggage space) but the more I thought about it, I didn't want to risk it and then have to break our group up just to get to/from the airport. I just had to get over the sticker shock of car rentals in Iceland.

 

We were in the same situation last May. 6 adults, 2 nights in Iceland. Too much luggage to travel with us all so we dropped our main bags at the Hotel Berg in Keflavik where we stayed on the 2nd night, proceeded to Reykjavik, and checked into our hotel for night #1.

 

I strongly suggest staying in Keflavik rather than Reykjavik! Our early morning departure led me to book near the airport for the night before. I was very glad to not have the longer drive to the airport facing us before dawn; however, we should have stayed there both nights for far less schlepping and time-wasting. Keflavik hotels can store your bags and transport you to & from the airport. Then you can get the rental vehicle while the others go to the hotel where you can pick them up sans luggage and continue on to Reykjavik. Day two can be your Golden Circle day.

 

Big Warning: Check your rental carefully before & after you drive it. We got dinged for a windshield ding we purportedly were responsible for- the Sixt agent found it using a flashlight from the inside of our SUV:eek:. Luckily our cc reimbursed us for the 750 euro we had to pay immediately!

 

See you on the ship.

[Piggeldy]

Certainly a small minibus with a tour guide would be my preferred approach since we could tailor it to our requirements.

 

Google "private golden circle tour".

 

Any excursion we took on Iceland was of great to decent quality (even "Reykjavik Excursions")... a friend of ours took a tour with Extreme Iceland and thought they were amazing. My feeling always is that you see much more and learn much more with a decent tour guide. As DH doesn't drive and I love to watch the scenery instead of concentrating on traffic and driving we took tours (Diamond Circle, Glacial Lagoon, Blue Lagoon) or the regular bus (Reykjavik/Akureyri).

[dbsb3233]

We were in the same situation last May. 6 adults, 2 nights in Iceland. Too much luggage to travel with us all so we dropped our main bags at the Hotel Berg in Keflavik where we stayed on the 2nd night, proceeded to Reykjavik, and checked into our hotel for night #1.

 

I strongly suggest staying in Keflavik rather than Reykjavik! Our early morning departure led me to book near the airport for the night before. I was very glad to not have the longer drive to the airport facing us before dawn; however, we should have stayed there both nights for far less schlepping and time-wasting. Keflavik hotels can store your bags and transport you to & from the airport. Then you can get the rental vehicle while the others go to the hotel where you can pick them up sans luggage and continue on to Reykjavik. Day two can be your Golden Circle day.

 

Big Warning: Check your rental carefully before & after you drive it. We got dinged for a windshield ding we purportedly were responsible for- the Sixt agent found it using a flashlight from the inside of our SUV:eek:. Luckily our cc reimbursed us for the 750 euro we had to pay immediately!

 

See you on the ship.

Thanks. Good info. I had looked at Keflavik hotels when I was first booking things some months ago. Looked extensively, in fact. But everything that looked decent in that area was significantly more expensive (especially in Aug), so I ended up with Hilton Reykjavik Nordica in Reykjavik. Booked a discounted non-refundable rate too so we're locked in now. We'll be flying in from Denver so our sleeping schedule is gonna be totally messed up anyway. I figure what's 2 more days? :D

 

What time did you get to KEF before your flight out? The airport website says at least 2 hours early since there's so many early flights. Our flight is 7:40am so I'm thinking 5:30am to drop everyone off to start checking in while I drop the car at Fox (just across the lot). That means checking out of our hotel about 4:30am. Again, that sounds awful but it's only 2 days removed from 10:30pm Denver time so it's all messed up anyway.

 

I've heard the same horror stories about gravel and sand damage claims there. That has me concerned too. What added insurance coverage did you add (or recommend) for the car? Sounds like the gravel damage coverage may be worth it. Some even offer sand/ash but that seems like overkill (until you hear from people that got caught in a sandstorm).

 

One website said to take cell phone pictures of the entire vehicle first. Probably a good idea.

 

Did you do the standard Golden Circle drive that maps usually show? Any other things to see/do that you highly recommend? We'll likely drive to see Blue Lagoon, but I don't think we'll have anyone that wants to actually get in. Just wanna sightsee it (if it's worth just seeing).

 

Thanks!

Edited March 25, 2016 by dbsb3233

[TMLAalum]

Thanks. Good info. I had looked at Keflavik hotels when I was first booking things some months ago. Looked extensively, in fact. But everything that looked decent in that area was significantly more expensive (especially in Aug), so I ended up with Hilton Reykjavik Nordica in Reykjavik. Booked a discounted non-refundable rate too so we're locked in now. We'll be flying in from Denver so our sleeping schedule is gonna be totally messed up anyway. I figure what's 2 more days? :D

 

We flew in from Toronto and stayed very near the Hilton at Hotel Lotus. We caught the HoHo bus in front of your hotel which was a great way to recover from jetlag.

 

 

What time did you get to KEF before your flight out? The airport website says at least 2 hours early since there's so many early flights. Our flight is 7:40am so I'm thinking 5:30am to drop everyone off to start checking in while I drop the car at Fox (just across the lot). That means checking out of our hotel about 4:30am. Again, that sounds awful but it's only 2 days removed from 10:30pm Denver time so it's all messed up anyway.

 

Your timing sounds fine. Icelandair has all their connecting flights to various European cities departing within minutes of each other, but checkin is very efficient in that you go to a machine to get your boarding pass, then join a line to check bags. Once through security, lots of places to catch a bite and get last minute souvenirs. Waiting areas have limited seating, so don't feel you need to get to the gate too soon.

 

I've heard the same horror stories about gravel and sand damage claims there. That has me concerned too. What added insurance coverage did you add (or recommend) for the car? Sounds like the gravel damage coverage may be worth it. Some even offer sand/ash but that seems like overkill (until you hear from people that got caught in a sandstorm).

 

One website said to take cell phone pictures of the entire vehicle first. Probably a good idea.

We didn't take the extra coverage renting the SUV, but luckily our chase cc reimbursed us. However, DH & I added another night in Iceland on our way home and we did take the coverage. Ironically that booking was also through Sixt via Holiday Auto Rentals. Take cell photos before AND after. We had an issue renting thru Enterprise in England after we needed a car swap (long story) and were charged on our cc without our knowledge for damage to the first car that was towed away by an independent company due to a blown out tire. In that case our initial photos of the car sufficed to have the charge removed.

 

 

Did you do the standard Golden Circle drive that maps usually show? Any other things to see/do that you highly recommend? We'll likely drive to see Blue Lagoon, but I don't think we'll have anyone that wants to actually get in. Just wanna sightsee it (if it's worth just seeing).

Yes, we did the traditional drive and enjoyed it immensely. Also drove along the south coast of Iceland after Gullfoss. Did drive by the entrance to the Blue Lagoon. Also stopped at a golf course, hoping to buy a shirt or cap and had a lovely chat with the owners, but there was no logo'd merchandise available.

Thanks!

 

You are welcome!

Edited March 25, 2016 by TMLAalum

[TMLAalum]

Take the speed bumps in Iceland at a crawl! My poor sis-in-law in the way back of our SUV got a nasty head bump as I drove into Geysir on the Golden Circle and didn't slow down enough. BTW, she didn't have her seatbelt on, but it was my bad for going a tad too fast.

[dbsb3233]

Did drive by the entrance to the Blue Lagoon.

Curious - did you drive by intending to go in and see it but just decided not to? Or was it just along the way to somewhere?

 

We'd like to SEE it, but not "DO" it. We're not spa people, so we have no interest in actually getting in the water or any of that stuff. But it does look like it could be a cool place to see and take pictures of. What did it look like driving by? Are there any worthwhile views of it to be had from the outside or do you actually have to go in?

 

I see they have a visitor pass for EU10 pp listed on their website. Anyone know whether that's worth it just to see the place and take pictures? Also, do you have to pay an entrance fee to get to the cafe and/or gift shop? Looks like the cafe has decent views from the big windows.

[ljandgb]

You can walk in past the registration and look out onto the pool. There is also a deck to the right that I believe you can go out onto to take pictures. I remember seeing people in regular clothes out there. There's a really fantastic sit down restaurant, Lava, if you have the time and inclination, and a good counter service sandwich shop.

[Nitemare]

You can drive up and park and take a short walk (and pictures) of the Outside Lagoon, which is not for swimming but is quite beautiful, for free. If you get back on the road you just took to get to the Lagoon complex (Road 43) and continue south you come to the town of Grindavik, which has a great restaurant (http://salthusid-english.weebly.com/) and there's a cool lighthouse you can drive to, going past old shipwrecks (https://goo.gl/maps/b3xdK7tM8M52) on a rough road -- I wouldn't take this road in a small 2WD car.

[ljandgb]

I tried to edit my post but it didn't go thru?

 

I was adding that if you want to take a short walk thru the lava field, take the path to the left of the front door at the BL. It meanders past some blue pools and the moss covered lava field to the hotel on the other side of the property. There is no view of the main lagoon from the trail, however.

[Bowie MeMe]

True, although I'm getting sticker shock looking at rental cars too. We're going to have a group of 6 adults, also stopping for 2 nights in August in Iceland before we head on to Amsterdam for a Baltic cruise. I managed to book a minivan months ago for around $350 for 2 days, which seemed quite expensive but as it turns out now seems to be a bargain. I keep checking the rates in hopes of finding a better price but instead find most are $500-$800 now. For just 2 days. Wow.

 

I'm still considering a tour instead, but then we have the (long) airport transfers to deal with too. As well as a very early flight leaving KEF that we'll need to leave the hotel at like 4am for. Given the distance from the airport, the odd times, and wanting to get our of town, I just figured a rental van would be best at the time.

 

I still keep waving though.

 

Anyone else have any thoughts on renting a car vs using a tour for a 2-night stopover in Iceland?

 

When our "not so expensive private "friend" driver" (let me explain professional tourist drivers must buy some sort of licenses and pay for extra insurance to cover the passengers -- the guide I was using offered to use his car but he was "friend" and our travel insurance would have to pay for any accidents *my understanding) had to cancel all I could find was over $US 1000 PER day. We are now going to do Grey Line tour on mini van called "Delicious Golden Tour" a modification on the Golden Circle with several stops and lunch at a farm café, a winery/greenhouse and a turf farm with historically based food/growing methods. There is also a bus tour of Golden Circle and one that does it only for afternoon (not sure how they shortened it. Pick up at the dock (outside on street) or at the airport . Hope we like it. Next day doing a "city tour" as HAL shore excursion.

[dbsb3233]

I tried to edit my post but it didn't go thru?

 

I was adding that if you want to take a short walk thru the lava field, take the path to the left of the front door at the BL. It meanders past some blue pools and the moss covered lava field to the hotel on the other side of the property. There is no view of the main lagoon from the trail, however.

Thanks! That helps. I can see that path you're talking about on Google Maps. If that's open access from the parking lot without needing to buy a visitor pass, we might just give that a try first to see if it looks worth paying to see more. If we even go there at all. The more I look at it, the less I think there may be to really see there. Although if it's a bright sunny day we might as the blue color really tends to stand out in the sun...

 

http://www.airpano.com/files/Iceland-Blue-Lagoon/2-2

[ljandgb]

The path is definitely accessible. It hugs the pond to the left of the building, and if you look close, it branches to the right with a small footbridge over a narrow part of the pond to continue to the hotel.

 

Honestly, you can find lava fields anywhere (though you should never walk on the moss), and the blue water is pretty, but I'm not sure it would be worth a special drive if you aren't willing to get in the lagoon. I'm not one for the standard touristy stuff, but I did enjoy the lagoon, for the experience of being in 32 degree weather (I was there a few weeks ago), and still being toasty warm. I had an in water massage that was seriously one of the top experiences of my life.

 

But to just drive, look at the lagoon and then move on? There are way more beautiful places to see.

Edited March 29, 2016 by ljandgb

[ljandgb]

To bdsb3233, how much of 2 days do you have? We did a fantastic 2 day overnight tour to the Jokusarlon glacier lagoon. We used Goecco, with 23 people total. That would only work if you had two full days to sight see, with two separate travel days. Then someone else has to worry about driving and you can enjoy the scenery.

[ISLABONITA]

Not sure if you are already settled on driving but you won't get the experience and knowledge of a guide.

We booked 3 tours with David and his wife at Iceland Horizon and couldn't have done it ourselves. http://icelandhorizon.is/

They even took our luggage from the last tour to another hotel than the one they picked us up from.

They have a roomy van and are very flexible in what you want to see.

We had about 12 people on board and got to see and feed horses among one of the stops. Tours lasted around 8-9 hours and did not get carsick at all which I am prone to do.

Our flight was in the afternoon so we did stay in Reykjavik and took the flybus .

[Nitemare]

David was great, his tour made us fall in love with Iceland. Sending my sister and b-i-l with him this summer.