Iceland, The Golden Circle

Since we were seeking cheap last minute flights to Europe in July, I decided Iceland was worth a look. I’ve been warned about the crowds now visiting Iceland and one of my goals for this summer trip was to avoid Europe crowds in July. Our base was an Airbnb in a non-touristy town called Hverageroi, near the Golden Circle. We stayed three nights.

After landing in Iceland we got our rental car and headed straight to the Blue Lagoon. It’s the Eiffel Tower of Iceland and we had tickets for 12:00. It was a great jet lag remedy since we barely slept on the 5 hour red eye flight over. Since the tickets are sold in limited amounts per hour the Blue Lagoon was not crowded and it was well worth the cost. It is touted as a premier spa. There were people in bath robes enjoying premier services but we found it very family friendly.  Ages 12 and under are free so we only had to pay for half our family. From the showers, lockers, to complementary arm floats for young swimmers, face masks and drinks in the lagoon – we all loved it and agreed it lived up to the hype.

The owner met us at our Airbnb to welcome us. It was his summer house where he grew up and he now shares it with his grandchildren.  I think it was my favorite Airbnb I have ever booked for our family. I booked it two weeks in advance and it was $1000 for three nights – a bargain for a family of six in Iceland. We had a hot tub that filled up with fresh geothermal water straight from the earth below the house. Getting through jet lag so far north where it never got dark was tricky. We were all prepared to sleep with eye masks and I made sure the place I rented had shades on the windows. But it was still like taking a nap versus getting a good night sleep. By dinnertime the kids were way too tired to dine anywhere nice. We went to the grocery store and ate easy smoked salmon dinners on the patio by the hot tub. I loved the chill in the air. It’s pristine and some of the cleanest air you will ever breath.

We like to travel as locals as much as possible. We went to the grocery store which is always fun in another language! We spent $82 and ate off of it for three days. We had dinners at the house and bought car snacks from the local bakery.  One day we took the kids to the grocery store and told them to pick a car treat to try. The packaging could not be in English (no Oreos) and it had to be something they had never had before. And that’s how we roll. We pack lunches as much as we can and buy what we need along the way. When in France we eat out every meal because the food everywhere, even a takeaway sandwich on baguette, is amazing and always worth it. In Scandinavian countries the culture is to eat in. Good restaurants are rare and expensive. The best thing Iceland had to offer was fresh caught, smoked salmon. And hotdogs. Like we found in Norway, people in Iceland love their hotdogs! 

We rented an economy range SUV that was $550 for three days. Packing carry on luggage helps with large families renting small European cars. That was the bulk of our Iceland expenses. We visited public parks that were free. We visited a geothermal pool in Fontana where we spent more renting towels than we did on admissions to swim. We were the only Americans there. 

We visited the Great Geyser, and Strokkur which is the active geyser located in the same park.

The same day we visited Gullfoss falls.

Mostly a wet day and we were layered up with all the layers we brought for the cold and rain.  But we didn’t let that stop us! Not everyone was enthusiastic about it the whole time. But we made the best of it.

Just as the sun came out, we made a quick stop at the crater Kerio, known for Bjork once performing a concert there from a raft. We hiked around the crater.

We spent the Fourth of July in the Pingvellir National Park, where the Vikings of Iceland held the first freely elected parliament in the world. We also saw the tectonic plates where North America split from Europe.

We topped off the day with a swim in a thermal pool over looking a Fontana lake. It rained all day and it was cold. But the girls and Brian still took a dip in the freezing lake water. We saw very few Americans all day. It was cool to celebrate in a different country and be reminded that our little corner of the world is very small indeed.

We flew out early the next morning but were pleased with our quick Iceland visit. It’s easy to drive there. It’s not as expensive as people say and like all travel in Europe, there is always a cheaper way to visit when you get off the guided tours and the hotel track. With a family of six it does add up but you can control costs and make it doable.

Being flexible when traveling with children is the key. Sometimes kids sleep at odd times while traveling. Not everyone will want to take a photo when you want them to say cheese. Someone’s eyes will always be closed in the photo even when you think you got a perfect shot. And sometimes you just have to go out for pizza, get a beer and let the kids roam a cool playground to blow off steam.