ICELAND: RESOURCES GUIDE
About Iceland:
Iceland, the land of fire and ice, is a country that will leave you in awe. With its unique landscape of glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs, it's no wonder why it's become a top destination for nature enthusiasts. The island is also known for its colorful culture, vibrant art scene, and delicious culinary delights.
You won’t want to miss Reykjavik, the country's capital. This vibrant city is home to unique architectural wonders like the iconic Hallgrimskirkja Church and Harpa Concert Hall. You can also explore the city's museums, including the National Museum of Iceland and the Reykjavik Art Museum. The city's lively streets are lined with charming cafes, trendy shops, and bustling markets.
Consider a road trip on the Ring Road, which circles the island and offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Along the way, you'll encounter natural wonders like the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, the majestic Dettifoss waterfall, and the otherworldly Myvatn geothermal area.
For outdoor enthusiasts, Iceland is a dream come true. From hiking on glaciers to trekking through volcanic landscapes, there's no shortage of thrilling activities to do. The country is also famous for its hot springs, including the famous Blue Lagoon, which is a must-visit for any traveler.
If you're a foodie, Iceland won't disappoint. The country's cuisine is a blend of traditional Nordic dishes and modern culinary innovations. Don't miss the chance to try some of the local specialties, like smoked lamb, fresh seafood, and Skyr - a type of Icelandic yogurt.
Iceland is also known for its rich history and culture, with fascinating tales of the Viking era and Norse mythology. You can explore historic sites like Thingvellir National Park, which was the site of Iceland's first parliament, and the ancient settlement of Reykjanes.
Finally, Iceland is home to some of the most charming villages and towns in the world. Visit the fishing village of Akureyri, the colorful houses of Seydisfjordur, or the quaint town of Stykkishólmur.
Whether you're looking for adventure, culture, or just a chance to escape into nature, Iceland has it all. It's truly a destination that you won't forget.
Welcome to Adventure Fares' Resources and Information Guide. These guides are compiled to provide a great "starting place" for planning. Here, we try to help you with the 4 big planning goals for any destination: Where to Stay / Where to Eat / What to See and Do / How to Budget. We even try to include some great itinerary links. Have fun planning your travel adventure! These resource pages are always being updated. If you would like to see a country / city / place not already in our resource guides, please email your requests or suggestions to: [email protected]
BUDGET RESOURCES:
We typically go to Budget Your Trip to research budgeting! We highly recommend their website. They do a fantastic job of compiling data from thousands of travelers around the world! This data is so useful for anyone who’s wanting to make the most of their travel budget. If you sign up and enter your own expenses - you contribute to the data and also get to access their fantastic planning tools - with charts, maps, graphs, and tables of your trip finances. Bookmark their site, and go there for a lot more in-depth budgeting research: BudgetYourTrip.com
With this chart, we just wanted to give you an idea of how your budget might look compared to a few familiar places here in the U.S
Rentals / Hotels / B&B Lists
Finding the perfect accommodation can make or break a trip. That's why we compile so many lodging lists - to help you find reliable and affordable recommendations for AirBNBs, VRBOs, boutique hotels, and B&Bs. These lists should give you a great starting place, and hopefully make that trip even better!
AIRBNB LISTS
VRBO LISTS
(coming soon)
BED AND BREAKFASTS
BOUTIQUE HOTELS
AIRBNB Resources:
airbnb.com - It has become a very popular resource for travelers. We try to limit our lists to rentals in great locations, with good pricing, and great views when we find them. We use AirBNB a lot. ALWAYS double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings most of the time. Be sure to double check for air conditioning in the summer, and feel free to reach out to the owner for tips / questions!
VRBO Resources:
vrbo.com - VRBO is another great one to use. Sometimes you find rentals here you won't see on AirBNB - its always great to have more options, especially during peak seasons when rentals book up fast. Always double-check reviews and avoid "new" listings when possible. The VRBO system won't let us filter neighborhoods as well as some others, so always double check location after finding a good property.
Bed and Breakfast Resources:
Booking.com - this is often our “go-to” for this category. We find their customer reviews to be very reliable!
bedandbreakfast.guide (B&B Guide) - this one screens out the worst-reviewed places, so their lists are pretty reliable.
bnbfinder.com - this one is promising, but they don’t have near as many listings as the others here. We hope they grow!
Boutique Hotels Resources:
BoutiqueHotel.me - this one is usually our favorite. However, their list will only provide you with hotels who allow booking through booking.com - so some great hotels won’t be on their lists.
MrandMrsSmith.com - This is fantastic and inspirational resource for finding places to stay around the world. Much of their focus is on premiere hotels (and not what we would call “budget” finds), but it can be a fantastic place to search. It’s fun to just click on their “Inspiration” tab and find some new places around the world.
TheHotelGuru.com - This site also links to booking.com, and can be a complimentary resource.
GreatSmallHotels.com - Another resource the books through booking.com, this one tends to go a little more upscale, especially in large European cities.
Some More Interesting Lodging Guides:
gounusual.com - Great Resource for those trying to find unique places to stay: Castles, igloos, boats, more!
eruoglamping.com - Just what it sounds like - a resource of upscale camping places in Europe:
goglamping.net - GoGlamping / More upscale camping experiences - UK and Europe
NOTE: No matter what form of lodging you book, we recommend you always confirm your booking one last time a week to 10 days ahead of your travel.
Restaurants / Dining Lists
Choosing dining options can be confusing and intimidating. We've compiled these lists to help you start planning some memorable meals. Lists are organized by city and include some of the best and most affordable dining destinations in each city/area. Every adventure deserves some great meals!
TRIP ADVISOR
WANDERLOG
MICHELIN
TripAdvisor Dining Lists:
TripAdvisor.com - We recommend using TripAdvisor’s dining directories whenever you find yourself needing good food in a place with which you’re unfamiliar. They have a huge volume of reviews, great genre help, and mapping.
Michelin Guide - Dining Lists:
Michelin Guide - For respected and relevant reviews of restaurants around the world, Michelin has been the Iconic dining guide since the 1800s. If you find a 1 star near you, book it. If you find a 2 star, you’re in for a treat. If you find a 3 star - make a travel detour if you need to and get there!
Wanderlog Dining Lists:
Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities. Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, but we’ve come to really like their restaurant lists. They’re just a little pickier than TripAdvisor, but not as exclusive as Michelin. They’re worth checking out in most towns.
When trying to get a nicer restaurant into your travel plans, we recommend making reservations at least a couple of weeks ahead of time. Some of the Michelin star restaurants might even require more advance (varies).
Things to See and Do Lists
Finding what to see and do is always a travel priority. We've compiled lists/links from the world's most credible sources to help you find the best adventures for your destination. These lists will help you find the most popular attractions (and some hidden gems) for your travel adventures.
ATLAS OBSCURA
TRIP ADVISOR
GET YOUR GUIDE
Things to See and Do Resources:
These are a few resources we trust. They will give you some great places to start. Rank your priorities (and your travel friends' priorities), see what works for your schedule, and plan an amazing travel adventure. *Don't try to cram too much in - it's those "unplanned" moments that often product the best adventures.
FodorsTravel.com - In our experience, Fodor’s is the best overall place to start when planning a trip. Once you search and find their guide to a city - they break the guide down into Sights, Nightlife, Shopping, Performing Arts, and Sports and Acitivities. There’s not tons of inspiration here, but good, reliable information. There are ads, but they do a good job of keeping the content credible. They also have a great “Map View” feature for the different sections so you can always check to see what’s close. Their Hotels and Restaurants guides are also pretty good.
RickSteves.com - Rick Steves has been an awesome resource for budget travelers for decades, and his content just keeps getting better. His reviews are reliable, his itineraries are fantastic, and his reputation for credibility is great. We check out his information on any destination we're thinking about visiting.
AtlasObscura.com - This is our favorite guide source! We don’t know how the team at Atlas Obscura finds so many cool, interesting, and odd things to see around the world - but they do it. It’s easy to find those top few things to do in any location, but these guys go beyond - and get you some off-the-beaten path adventures.
TripAdvisor - Trip Advisor is pretty commercial in nature, but they have really high traffic - so it's easy to see what's popular pretty much anywhere in the world. That can be helpful for planning what to see, and sometimes what to avoid. It's one of our go-to resources for seeing what might be in the town ahead on a road trip.
Wanderlog.com - Wanderlog is an interesting site - compiling lots of travel planning possibilities. Their trip-planning features are worth checking out, and we really like their “THINGS TO DO” lists. They’re pretty much ranked from most popular to least - so its a great place to figure out a priority list of things to see.
GetYourGuide.com - We really like this one! Get your guide is becoming a great source for planning as well as inspiration for travel adventures. Even if you aren’t looking for things to do on your trip, it’s a good place to get new trip ideas and browse exciting things to do. They have some "decent" pricing on local activities - worth considering for booking.
Nomadicmatt.com - Matt travels as much as any blogger / content creator we follow. He's a good writer, a good planner, and delivers entertaining content. We certainly recommend you check out his travel guides. If he's been somewhere, he shares great stuff!
OTHERS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
The Crazy Tourist - This is a travel resource that covers destinations all over the world. Just type the name of a country or city in their search section, and they have good
CultureTrip.com - This one is pretty commercial (lots of ads), but its also pretty reliable. They’ve been a travel industry leader for a long time, so there are enough reviews on things to know if you’re making good decisions. We always check out the Culture Trip guide for any location we’re planning on visiting.
Itineraries to Get You Started
Building an itinerary for your travel adventure can be a daunting task. Here are a few resources to help you get started without all the "noise" associated with online research. These are sample itineraries from travel pros who are credible, reliable, and know the places they're writing about. Itineraries are made to be broken, but hopefully these will start you out on the right path.
If you're planning a trip to Iceland, there's so much to see and do that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. To help you plan your itinerary, here's a comprehensive checklist of must-see destinations and off-the-beaten-path gems to explore. Below our checklist, you'll find several sample itineraries we recommend.
DON’T MISS:
- Visit the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa known for its milky-blue waters and rejuvenating properties.
- Take a scenic drive along the Golden Circle, a route that includes Iceland's famous Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir hot springs, and Thingvellir National Park.
- Go on a Northern Lights tour, which offers the chance to see the stunning natural phenomenon in the dark skies of Iceland.
- Explore Reykjavik, Iceland's capital city, and visit the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church, the Harpa Concert Hall, and the colorful houses of the old town.
- Take a whale watching tour from Reykjavik harbor, and keep an eye out for humpback and minke whales, as well as dolphins and porpoises.
IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME:
- Visit the beautiful Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where you can see icebergs floating on a stunning blue lake.
- Go on a hiking or glacier trekking adventure, and explore the beautiful Icelandic landscapes up close.
- Take a dip in one of Iceland's many hot springs, such as the Secret Lagoon or the Myvatn Nature Baths.
- Visit the stunning Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, located just a short drive from Reykjavik.
- Take a road trip along Iceland's Ring Road, which circles the entire island and offers breathtaking views of Iceland's diverse landscapes.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
- Visit the stunning Westfjords region, which offers some of the most remote and beautiful landscapes in Iceland.
- Explore the beautiful Skaftafell National Park, where you can hike to the top of a glacier or explore the park's many trails.
- Visit the charming town of Akureyri, located in northern Iceland and known for its beautiful architecture and natural surroundings.
- Take a dip in one of Iceland's natural hot springs, such as the Landmannalaugar hot springs or the Reykjadalur hot river.
- Visit the unique and otherworldly landscapes of the Reykjanes Peninsula, which includes the famous Blue Lagoon and the volcanic landscape of Krysuvik.
ITINERARIES FOR ICELAND:
Itineraries can be tough to build, but the process can also be really fun to research. We read hundreds of these a month - and are always looking for better ones for our resource guides. Here are a few we found that might be helpful to get you started. Some of these are from favorite sources, and few we just found for this country. Start planning that adventure!
Dozens of Iceland Tours & Itineraries / 3 Days - 15 Days / kimkim
4 Epic Iceland Itineraries - Road Trip Ideas / Earth Trekkers
Rick's Best 10-Day Iceland Road Trip / Rick Steves
Ultimate 10 Day Iceland Itinerary / Guide to Iceland
Iceland Itinerary Planner: 1 - 14 Days / Full Suitcase
Ultimate 8 Day Iceland Itinerary / going awesome places
10-Day Ring Road Itinerary / TripTins
Detailed Itineraries for the Land of Fire and Ice / Nomadic Matt
Suggested Itineraries in Iceland: 4 Days - 2 Weeks / Frommers
Around Iceland in 14 Days / Visit Iceland
Itinerary Ideas from 1 Day to 2 Weeks / Iceland Trippers
MORE RESOURCES:
Visit Iceland / Official Tourism Guide
Nomadic Matt: Iceland Budget Travel Guide
Nomadic Matt: Best 7 Things to See and Do in Iceland
Nomadic Matt: Iceland on a Budget - 18 Ways to Save Money
Backpacking Norway Travel Guide / The Broke Backpacker
30 Best Hot Springs and Geothermal Pools in Iceland
10 Best Trails in Iceland / AllTrails
Ultimate List of the Best Hikes in Iceland / Adventures.com
Hike the Hidden Trails of Iceland / 57 Hours
Guide to Camper Van Travel in Iceland / northbound
How to Plan a Camper Van Trip Around Iceland / Guide to Iceland
A Complete Guide to Camping in Iceland
VIDEOS TO WATCH:
TOP 7 INCREDIBLE PLACES IN NORWAY YOU WON'T BELIEVE / ERIK CONOVER
TOP 25 PLACES TO VISIT IN NORWAY / RYAN SHIRLEY
14 DAYS ON THE RING ROAD - ITINERARY / POOJA & SHRAVAN
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW VISITING ICELAND / ISLAND HOPPER
HOW TO HIKE THE LAUGAVEGUR TRAIL - A HIKING GUIDE / ALLAN SU
WATCH THIS BEFORE YOU GO TO ICELAND / THE LOVERS PASSPORT
10 MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO VISIT IN ICELAND / LIFESTYLE HAL
HIKING 60 MILES ALONE IN HORNSTRANDIR ICELAND / KRAIG ADAMS
5 BEST DAY HIKES IN ICELAND / TRAILWALKERS
TRAVEL FEELS ICELAND / CINEMATIC TRAVEL FILM
*photos from pixabay.com, pexels.com, unsplash.com and Darrell Potts
LOCATION SCOUT / PHOTOS
Resource Tip! Whenever we're considering going to a places we've never been, I like to pull it up on https://www.locationscout.net
Location Scout shows you pics from thousands of places around the world - just to give you a visual of where you're considering going. This is a photography-based website, with pics - and locations where the pics were taken (maps). Here's a snapshot of what you see when you look up this country. We highly recommend you browse this site before any adventure: https://www.locationscout.net
EMAIL Us - We Want to Hear From You!
We believe that the best travel advice comes from those who have experienced it firsthand. That's why we're inviting our members to share their travel tips, and recommendations with us. Whether it's a hidden gem of a restaurant, a must-see attraction, or an off-the-beaten-path adventure, we want to hear about it. Your contributions are helping us build a new database of "Member Suggestions." Email us when you get a chance - links, maps, and reviews all help! Email us at [email protected]
These resource pages have been fun to work on! We hope they keep getting better. Are we missing something? Are we missing one of your favorite travel resources? Please email me - I'd love to learn anything that can help make travel adventures even better! Darrell Potts.
