Two days in Iceland in October

[ying_li]

I'll be in Iceland for two days in late October. I was wondering if anyone

could recommend anything spectacular that I should see and/or photograph besides

the Blue Lagoon. I don't have any cave experience or spelunking gear. I'm

flying into and out of Reykjavik, and my hotel is there as well.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice provided :)

[charles_stobbs3]

In summer anyway there are sightseeing bus tours. Given the shorter days in October a set of roller blades might be enough.

[amy_wilson]

Natural Sites around the golden rings are very beautiful (take whole day to do all the sites but I recommend stop for a night somewhere). Also if have time, go to Vatnajokul for the glacier. Villages along the way are really beautiful as well.

 

Most Importantly, Aurora Bolearis is possible in October on a clear cold night. Cheers

[david_henderson]

If you're going to be based in Reykjavik then I think you could do worse than see what the bus tour companies have on offer. Not only is car hire very expensive in Iceland but at that time of year there must be some doubt about whether a std vehicle will get you to interesting places on a comfortable day trip basis. The bus tour people will have a clear idea about what to expect and -importantly- the vehicles to handle the roads and fords. The downside is that it restricts you to "tourist Iceland" - though frankly staying in the capital and short days pretty much does that anyway. You'll want to include Gullfoss.

[patrick_p]

I was in Iceland 2 years ago for a few days. We based ourselves in Reykjavik, rented a car and with a Lonely Plant and advice of local did a lot of day trips. We got to see a lot this way and on our own time with lots of photo stops not possible with a bus. I didn't make it to any of the golden ring sites. I decided to save that for another time.

<br><br>

<a href="http://www.patrickperon.com/Galleries/Iceland.asp">My Iceland Gallery</a>

[tim_hatten1]

Wow, 2 days...that really boils it down to the essence. Reykjavik is a cool city, especially the old downtown area. The Blue Lagoon is just a big public swimming pool - naturally heated, but still just a pool. The Golden Loop is a good day trip (Gullfoss, Thingverllir Lake, and Geysir) and classic tourist trip with good photo ops.

 

The drive out Snaefellsnes penninsula to the North of Reykjavik is awesome - rugged shore visible on both sides of road. (Snaefells is the volcano that Jules Verne set as entrance in his book Journey to Center of the Earth (but you don't need spelunking gear)). A few villages and several waterfalls along the way.

 

A longer drive, but spectacular landscape colors is a trip to Landmannalaugar. Lots of streams and hot pools. You go by active volcano Hekla and at base of glaciers. But with your short time schedule probably best saved for another trip.

 

I would recommend trying to stretch a couple more days so you can to all the above, except maybe Landmannalaugar :-) I can't wait to go back.

[ying_li]

I'd love to go longer, but this is actually just a stopover from a one week trip to Paris so I don't have that much time. IcelandAir offers up to one week stopovers on trips to Europe, so I figure I'll get my bearings and see some of the big tourist attractions, and next time I go to Europe I can stopover again and see more stuff.

 

David mentioned that I may not be able to drive out with a standard car to many places because of the shortened days too, so I guess I should probably try to head there sometime in the summer next time.

 

So the Golden Loop is one day - does anyone know how long the Blue Lagoon will take? A few hours, a day? And is the drive out to Snaefellsnes doable in a day in October?

 

Thanks for all the recommendations so far. Please keep 'em coming. :)

[ying_li]

And Patrick, your photos are beautiful and make me more excited to visit.

[david_henderson]

The Blue Lagoon isn't too far from the Airport. It unlikely to occupy you for more than an hour.

[tim_hatten1]

Ying,

I checked sunrisesunset.com and even in late Oct. you will have about 9 hours of light (approx 9am to 5:30pm) so you have quite a bit of light. I would recommend a day exploring in Reykjavik and a day on either Snaefelsnes (sp?) or the Golden Loop. You will see more diverse country (and variety of photo ops) on the Loop - it's a popular tourist area for a good reason.

 

It's marketing brilliance for Icelandic Air to offer the layovers between U.S. and Europe - it gets a lot of people interested who would otherwise just fly over.

 

You'll have a great trip!!!

Tim

[gunnar_fri_finnsson]

You should take a trip to J�kulsᲬ�n. That is a huge lagoon full of icebergs that run through it on their way to sea. I would say that is a photographers paradise. On the 45 minute boattrip on the lagoon you have glaciers and mountains in the background and often the seals rest on the lower icebergs in the lagoon like they just wanted to complete you picture frames. Because of how old the icebergs are and pressurised (3000 years+) they reflect light in a different way than ice normally does, so they seem to be blue rather than clear. Hope you have fun. Greetings, Gunnar from Iceland