November 2018 and July 2022

Our decision to go to Iceland was primarily fueled by a desire to see the Northern Lights (hence the choice to go in the winter) but also by the amazing photos we’d seen from my brother and others who have traveled there recently. We prepared for frigid temperatures and opted to do group tours rather than rent a car to not have to worry about snow tires, wind damage, etc. But when we arrived, they were having a very mild start to winter with snow only on the tips of the volcanoes, mild wind, and temperatures in the 40s. We stayed in NYC for a night on our way back, and it was actually colder there than any of the days we were in Iceland.

2022 update: we got to take a 24 layover in Iceland with a group of friends on the way back from France. Got to experience the Blue Lagoon this time and the midnight sun. Loved it just as much in the summer and can’t wait to go back and explore more!

Accommodations: We stayed at OK Hotel in Reykjavik for the entirety of our trip, and decided to reserve the room starting the day before we arrived so we would have somewhere to go when our plane landed at 5:00am. This ended up being well worth it as the sun doesn’t come up until about 10:00am in November and very few places in downtown Reykjavik are open that early in the morning. This gave us a chance to drop our bags and take a power nap to get adjusted to the new time zone before heading out and exploring the city. OK Hotel has quite an interesting way of checking in – you go through a restaurant that remains unlocked 24/7, use their phone to call the hotel staff, and then they give you a code to a lock box to get your room key. The rooms have pretty funky decor but were comfortable and had everything we needed for the week. The location, rate, and reviews were our main draw as it is super close to the stop where all of the tour buses pick up and drop off, and also walking distance to everything in downtown Reykjavik.

Tours and Activities: We booked our Northern Lights tour through Viator for our first night as you are able to re-book the tour free of charge if the company cancels for weather or you don’t see the lights. The weather was too bad to go the first night, so all we had to do was call Viator (using the Viber app so we didn’t get charged international call rates) and they re-booked us for the following night. The second night the tour did go out and we got to a see a little bit of the lights but not a full show. We were given the option to go again but the timing just didn’t work out with the other tours we had planned. A little tip: what you can see of the lights with the naked eye is much less vibrant than what you can capture on camera with the right settings. I had downloaded the NightCap photo app and using their pre-set long exposure option was actually able to get some pretty cool photos.

Our next day was spent on a small group tour of the Golden Circle, which included a dip in the Secret Lagoon geothermal pools. I highly recommend this tour if you aren’t renting a car to explore the Iceland highlights on your own. Our guide was funny and knowledgeable, taking us to the tourist hot spots but also some pretty awesome locations off the beaten path.

Sleeping in is so easy to do with the limited daylight hours, so we had a pretty slow start the next day. We didn’t really have anything planned but ended up going to some pretty cool places around Reykjavik. We wandered around by the waterfront and checked out the Harpa concert hall, took photos at the Solfar Sun Voyager, and ate traditional Icelandic hot dogs at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. We trekked a couple miles over to the Perlan museum, which has some neat interactive exhibits (including an ice cave experience) and great views overlooking Reykjavik. I see on their website that they run a free shuttle directly from the Harpa – wish we had known that then! For dinner, we split a bottle of wine and the “Icelandic Gourmet Feast” at Tapis Barinn. This is an absolute must-do for any adventurous eaters!

Our last full day was spent on a tour of the south coast and a glacier hike, which was the highlight of our trip. Photos don’t even come close to doing justice to the volcanic landscape and immense waterfalls as you head south. We stopped at Skógafoss waterfall on the way to the glacier, where we climbed a steep set of steps to an overlook at the top. When we got to the glacier, we were introduced to our guide and fitted for crampons to begin our hike. We spent the majority of the afternoon trekking across the Sólheimajökull Glacier and taking in some awesome views. On the bus ride back to Reykjavik, we stopped at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which is lit up at night and has a little path that allows you to walk behind the waterfall.