Here are some helpful tips for traveling around Iceland. Also, there are suggestions of great places to visit for good photographs and activities, especially when traveling with kids.

The Overview

Traveling in Iceland is really easy and there are a ton of activities for the entire family to enjoy. Here are some of our best travel tips.

Things you need to know:

• We prefer traveling IcelandAir. There is no extra charge for checked luggage, and we find the planes to be comfortable.

• The electrical outlets and voltage are not the same as in the US. You will need a converter and adapter to charge batteries and such.

• There is a large food court in the mall that has much better prices than the area restaurants.

• SAVE RECEIPTS TO SHOW AT THE AIRPORT TO GET TAXES REFUNDED -  You must spend a certain amount at one time to qualify for a tax refund. Just ask the clerk at the store. They are very helpful and are familiar with the tax laws. Fill the forms in each time you get them. That will make turning them in at the airport a breeze. WARNING - turn in the receipts prior to checking your luggage on your return flight. They can/might ask to see the items you purchased.

• https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/individuals/travelling/travellers-leaving-eu/guide-vat-refund-visitors-eu_en

• If you want to go to Blue Lagoon (which you should), book it as soon as you book your airfare. 

• Cars travel on the same side of the road as the USA. It's very easy to drive in Iceland. The hardest thing about driving in Iceland is reading the road signs. 

• Most Icelanders speak English. 

• Be cautious about going onto farmland (especially where animals have been grazing). You will be asked about this at customs in the USA.

• When bringing a grandchild, or other child that isn't yours, have a notarized letter that contains both parents signature giving you permission to travel abroad with the child. Also be sure to have the child's passport.

• How to work the parking meters - 

• A good place for kids to see puffins is at the aquarium. It wasn’t open when we were there. http://saeheimar.is/is/page/um-okkur

One thing that was a disappointment had to do with the mineral pool and hot tub. They are no longer available to all the guests and the hours of operation, if you pay the extra money to be able to use the facilities, are limited. If we come to Iceland again, we will consider finding a different hotel. Also, the buffet breakfast in now up to $30 up from $20 five years ago.

Day 1 – Saturday: We were starving so we ventured to downtown Reykjavik to find some food. We found a coffee (kaffe) shop named “C is for Cookie” that served sandwiches as well as a variety of desserts. I ordered us ham and cheese sandwiches on rolls. Oh my goodness! What a lucky find. The roll was incredible! It was a whole grain roll with lots of pumpkin seeds on the top. It cost 750 ISK (roughly $6 at the current rate of exchange). It was worth every ISK. (https://www.facebook.com/cookie.reykjavik) Týsgata 8, Reykjavík, Iceland.

 Our grandson was really excited to begin shopping for gifts for his family and school friends and so we made a trip to a local grocery store (Bonus- https://www.bonus.is/ ) to see what they had to offer. We found quite a few items that made nice gifts. They had nice candy bars as well as packages of smaller candy bars at a much better price than the downtown tourist gift shops. Specialty salts are another item seen all over in the gift shops that are much better priced at the supermarket. Our grandson bought some American Doritos to share with his class.

It’s a good idea to get familiar with the markets. Food in Iceland is quite expensive. A good way to stretch the food dollar is to get food for breakfast to eat at the hotel, make sack lunches and supplement dinner by having plenty of snacks and drinks throughout the day. I brought quite a bit of food from home to have for lunches in Iceland. We bought the local yogurt (skyr) to eat for breakfast. We brought a box of cereal for our grandson to have for breakfast. We bought milk at the grocery store in Iceland for him. Milk, juice, and produce is very affordable in Iceland.

We did find some nice places for dinner that were fairly affordable. The first night we ate Italian food at Piccolo Italia Ristorante located at Frakkastígur 12, 101 Reykjavík . The food was delicious with dinners costing between 1999 ISK and 2500 ISK. It’s a very cozy place with an authentic Italian feel to it. http://www.italia.is/

 After our dinner, we walked up to the church, Allgrimskirkja, in the middle of the town. They were projecting lights depicting a volcano erupting. Our grandson thought that was super amazing. We took a few pictures, but decided that we’d go back another evening because we didn’t take our tripods with us. They didn’t show the lights any other night during our stay.  http://www.hallgrimskirkja.is/  Sorry the pictures below are not good. That's what happens when you don't have the tripod.

 Day 2 – Sunday: Golden Circle Tour with Reykjavik Excursions

The tour bus comes to the hotel to pick you up 30 minutes prior to your departure time. You are allowed to eat and drink (non-alcoholic I’m sure about) on the bus. Your guide spends the travel time telling you the history of Iceland and interesting facts about the place you are about to visit.

First stop – Þingvellir (In Icelandic it begins with a P with a funny mark on it. That particular letter sound is a TH) National Park. It is a place where the continental plates are pushing apart from each other. It’s pretty, and I’m sure if you are a scientist studying geology it would be even more exciting. Our grandson was excited because he thought it was so cool to go to Europe. There is a bridge that goes across the ravine. We had him jump on it so he could tell his friends he jumped from North America to Europe.

 Second stop – Geyzir (pronounced gayz sure in Icelandic). Strokkur is one active geyzir that erupts about every 5 minutes. If you watch carefully, you can get a picture of the gorgeous blue bubble the precedes the huge eruption. Set your camera on continuous shots to get a great combination of shots.

Third stop – Gulfoss – an epic waterfall. This is the second largest waterfall in Iceland. It’s amazing. Be sure to bring cloths to wipe your lens dry. It shoots off a lot of spray that isn’t very noticible through the camera lens, but boy does it ever show up on your computer screen and prints. Those water spots are very tedious to photoshop out too.

There are bathrooms and gift shops at all three stops, and food at Geyzir. We were on the express tour. We left our hotel at about 10:30 am and arrived back at around 5:30 pm. Our hotel was last to be picked up and last to be dropped off. We almost drove ourselves over to the bus station. As I mentioned earlier, food is expensive in Iceland. We saved quite a lot of money by packing our lunches and eating them on the bus between stops. We were glad we did because we got more time for photography. The stops were only 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 45 minutes. Be ready to do quite a bit of walking and stair climbing. I highly recommend taking a rental car and doing a self-guided tour. We didn’t get to do all we wanted and now either miss out or take time away from another day to go back. Our grandson liked the destinations, especially the geyser, but didn’t enjoy the bus ride very much.

For dinner, we went to Icelandic Fish and Chips. Overall, it’s fairly affordable. All the food is ordered Al a carte including the ketchup and tater sauce. The fried fish was delicious. I had the baked cod with a tomato topping that neither Dave nor I liked. They serve oven fried potatoes instead of French fries. We found them to be over cooked and tough. Our grandson gave a thumbs up to his kids plate of fried fish and oven fried potatoes. He also loved the onion rings that we ordered for him. (https://www.fishandchips.is/) Tryggvagata 11, 101 Reykjavik

 Day 3 – Monday: Today we wanted to do things that would knew our grandson would really enjoy. We gave him a list of options (zoo, swimming, shopping, and more photography) and the zoo won first place. He really wanted to see an Artic Fox and this zoo had one.

The Reykjavic Zoo itself is very small by most American Zoo standards. There were reindeer, Icelandic horses, various birds that most would consider farm animals and none of them being exotic unless you consider parakeets exotic, rabbits, cows, goats, sheep that looked like goats (they might have been goats for all I know), plenty of fish, seals, lizards, and bugs. The zoo allows you to pet the animals if they come to you. Fortunately, the animals that can do harm have barriers keeping them from the public. Our grandson had the most fun with the cows. They seemed to love the interaction as much as our grandson. All in all, the zoo was a big hit, both with entertainment and the pocketbook. The entrance for adults was 800 kr and children 5 to 12 600 kr. A few rides are available in the summer, but the prices are higher as well. There is a bistro there, but we didn't visit it. http://reykjavik.is/en/family-park-and-zoo  

Next on the agenda was shopping and Reykjavik Chips - the favorite restaurant of any kid. The only thing on the menu is chips (french fries). https://www.rvkchips.is/

We also had to stop by our favorite hot dog stand - ever. My mouth is watering. Yumm!

We ended the day heading out on our Northern Lights tour. It was supposed to take place on a boat, but because of the high winds the boats weren’t safe on the water and so we went on a bus. The ride out to the lights took about 30 minutes. Along the way, Pier, our tour guide entertained us with folklore tales, singing songs from his youth, and filling us in on more history of Iceland. We were driven to a coffee shop on the coastline. The coffee shop is very accommodating to these tours. They stay open late allowing the groups to order drinks and small pastries while waiting for the lights to show. The guides stay outside and watch for the lights and inform the guests when the lights show up. It’s quite nice to be able to stay in out of the cold while waiting. This was the best picture the I got. I would go on my own next time. I plan to check out to the Bridge between two continents on the Reykjanes Peninsula. https://www.nat.is/local_maps_print/map_reykjavik_reykjanes_print.htm

Day 4 – Tuesday:  Laugardalslaug Swimming Pool  http://reykjavik.is/stadir/laugardalslaug , The Handknitting Association of Iceland (best yarn store in Island) https://handknit.is/ , Mokaffe  (wonderful coffee shop that also serves the best waffles) https://www.facebook.com/mokaffeperth/ , Eldur & Is (Ice Cream and Crepes) https://www.facebook.com/eldurogis/

Our grandson was really wanting to go swimming. The pool at Natura is only for adults except for two hours of the morning and so we checked out one of the many local pools in Reykjavik. We chose this one because of the long tube slide. The day we went was cold and blustery, but the water was fairly warm although the air was very cold. They use the waste water leftover from the geothermal heating from their homes. The water is perfectly clean, it’s just had the steam captured from it. They use the steam to run the generators to heat their homes. The water also has the natural minerals in it because it’s from the geothermal fields. It’s a win win situation. Anyway, I would have loved the water to have been quite a bit warmer in the pool, but the hot tub was great. Kids are allowed in the hot tubs. For the sake of my grandson, I ventured into the pool to be in the water near him when he emerged from the slide. The slide was a huge hit with him. The inside of the slide was very dark, but was decorated with glow in the dark slides and really fun light strips. It’s hard to describe, but it was pretty fun. I know because he talked into trying it out. You need to bring your own towels to the pools here. The signs are not in English, but it’s pretty easy to figure out what you are required to do. They provide very nice lockers free of charge. The locker rooms are very clean with water continually runs across the shower floors to drains in the center of the room. Pool etiquette is that you don’t walk on the floors with your shoes on. They pride themself on cleanliness. There are private toilets and shower stalls in the locker rooms. I would have loved to have taken a photo of the inside area of the pool so people could see the slide, but photos were not allowed. I grabbed this photo off their website so you could see the impressive slide.

Next on the agenda was more shopping/photography. We went back to the downtown area to get wool yarn at the Handknitting Association of Iceland store located at Skólavörðustígur 19, 101 Reykjavík. They have the best price on Icelandic wool yarn. They also have colors that are dyed only for their store. They also sell handknitted items, but expect to pay a pretty penny (or ISK) for them. When you are at this store, be sure to look up the street at the church. It’s a good location for a great photo.

Just down the street (away from the church) is Fire and Ice Crepes (Eldur & Is). They offer sweet and savory crepes made with organic spelt flour and a good variety of ice cream. The prices are quite affordable by Icelandic standards.

Day 5 – Wednesday: We were supposed to leave early in the morning and head east toward Glacier Lagoon. Unfortunately, a huge storm closed down the roads and we were forced to stay near Reykjavik. The wind and the rain kept us mostly inside for the day. We spent a relaxing day sleeping in and working on our photos.

We went on a drive to find a few local waterfalls. We had to venture off the paved road onto a gravel road, which is typical in Iceland. However, when we were met with a bolder and extremely deep ruts in the road, we decided that we were finished with that particular adventure. We would have walked the rest of the way, but it was extremely windy and cold. Eli wasn’t up for that challenge. We did get a few nice shots of the mountains with some pretty foreground.

On the way back to town we stopped to photograph a church that had really interesting architecture. Dave was happy because we’d seen this church on our last trip to Iceland, and he didn’t take photos of it. He wasn’t sure we’d find it this trip. We did and we’ll be sure to tell you how to find it too.

Once we were back in town our little shopper of a grandson was itching to buy more gifts for his family and friends. We’d heard of a new 3 story mall in Reykjavik, Kringlan, and so we set out to find it. Turns out it was very near our hotel. It is a mall quite similar to Clackamas Town Center (only nicer and newer). One store I highly recommend for nice souvenirs is there. The name is Islandia Kringlunni. It’s very similar to our Made in Oregon stores. There’s some nice jewelry, mugs, pens, key chains, t-shirts, items made with wool, etc. One thing we learned is to make your purchases at one time to get over the 6000 ISK amount needed to get your tax free form at check out. You simply fill out the form and turn it in at the airport. They will credit back the taxes to your account. You will not get a form for purchases under 6000 ISK. Taxes in Iceland are 24% on general merchandise and 11% on books and food. You only get credited on items that you are taking home with you. We took a lot of candy home with us, but none of our purchases were over 6000 ISK so I don’t know how they would have dealt with that.

Day 6 – Headed to the east side of Iceland

It’s a 4 hour drive to Glacier Lagoon from Reykjavik and that’s with no stops. I knew there were at least 2 waterfalls that we wanted to see so we set our early for our trip.

Our first stop was in the town of Selfoss. Dave and I had been to a little coffee house here on our prior visit and we were hoping to find it again. We did. It’s called Kaffi Krus located at Austurvegur 7, Selfoss 800, Iceland  http://www.kaffikrus.is/. It’s on the main road heading to Glacier Lagoon so it’s easy to spot. I’d love to be there in the summer to enjoy their outside patio seating. They have a great selection of pastries. Their hamburger was delicious as well as their specialty coffees.

 Urriðafoss falls – This waterfall is just outside of Selfoss. We hadn’t heard of it, but decided to drive back in there and check it out. It’s worth the time. It’s a small park not visible from the main road, although there is a sign on the road so you know where to turn. The road is just before crossing a small river, so if you go across the river after Selfoss, you’ve gone too far. (this is assuming that you are heading toward Glacier Lagoon and not Reykjavik) There is a nice path leading to some great views of the falls. This waterfall is not a big tourist attraction so if you want a unique photo, this is a good stop.

We made it to Foss Hotel Glacier Lagoon in the early evening. We were pretty wiped out. Dave drove to a small gas station that had a deli and brought some soup back to our hotel room. We were ready to get some sleep after the long days drive.

Day 7 - Glacier Lagoon/Diamond Beach

After we ate the most amazing breakfast buffet at Foss Glacier Lagoon Hotel, we headed out to find the icebergs in the lagoon. They offered breads, meats, and cheese too, so we made sandwiches for lunch.

Vatnajökull, the name of the glacier, is visible from the road. It's huge. We saw a body of water at the base of the glacier and thought it might be Glacier Lagoon, but it wasn't. It was Fjallsárlón Glacial Lagoon. It was actually more beautiful than Glacier Lagoon. We might have just gotten lucky on the day we were there, but the reflections were amazing. Everything about that place was beautiful.

We finally got back into the car and set out once again to Glacier Lagoon. The lagoon is beautiful. It is connected by a short river that flows into the ocean. Icebergs from the lagoon float from the lagoon to the ocean where the waves wash chunks of ice onto the black sand. These chunks resemble diamonds, hence the name Diamond Beach. Be certain to watch out while near the shore. Very large chunks of ice have been known to land on people trapping them under water. Our grandson had so much fun at this beach. 

We hated to leave, but we had a long drive back to Reykjavik. I could spend days over on this side of the island and next time we come, we will.

Day 8 - Departure day

Our flight didn't leave until late in the day and so we spent a bit more time in Reykjavik. We had to go get one last hot dog at our favorite place. We also went and got our last pastry at the bakery. Eli enjoyed feeding the swans and the ducks at the lake in town before we headed to Keflavik Airport. Dave dropped Eli and I as well as our luggage off at the airport and returned the rental car.  That's the best way to do it. 

Inside the airport is where you turn in your receipts to file for your tax refund. Be sure to do this before you check your luggage. They can ask to see your purchases.

Going through customs - We've never made any large purchases so going through customs has been pretty painless. In Seattle, there were kiosks where we scanned our passports and answered some questions prior to speaking with an agent.