Icelandic Honeymoon

How we spent our first vacation as husband and wife!

There are so many options for things to do in Iceland and it really depends on each person, what activities they would enjoy. For us, we wanted to see as much of this frozen paradise as we could, splurging on adventures we normally never would to kick off the lifelong adventure of marriage.

Getting There

We got a direct flight from Denver to Reykjavik, which is really the Keflavik International airport, about an hour outside of Reykjavik. We ended up renting a car to better explore the coast. We landed at, like, 4am and our car was coated in a solid layer of ice. We had no scraper! If you’re only going to be visiting Reykjavik, a car isn’t as necessary. Without it, though, you will require tour companies to get into and out of the city.

I’ll break this honeymoon into the Reykjavik Area (below) and the Southern Coast of Iceland. And just for fun, I’ve got a post together for surviving a winter visit in Iceland!

Reykjavik Area

Near the airport are two typical tourist stops. Blue Lagoon and The Lava Tunnel. The former is a hot spring that I’m pretty sure every tourist to Iceland goes to. The latter is a bit off the beaten path, but worth a stop if it interests you. I’ll break both down now:

Blue Lagoon

Every blog you ever read about Iceland will say you have to visit the Blue Lagoon. I’m probably one of the few to say feel free to skip it. It’s neat, the water really is ridiculously blue, but we found the pools too hot and too cold, the prices fairly steep, and the “cattle-herding” aspect less than wonderful. I’ve heard great things about so many other hot springs that I think I would have preferred that to the prestigious Blue Lagoon. BUT, a lot of people enjoy it, so feel free to find out for yourself!

The Lava Tunnel

We got off our flight at 5:30 AM Iceland time and our Tunnel tour didn’t start until 9:30, so we took a nap in our rental car before entering the tour “hut.” I say hut, because I’d expected a building with heating and amenities and this is not what I got. Our tired, freezing bodies remained freezing as we put on our baby crampons and explored the tunnel formed by a lava flow thousands of years ago.

And it was actually pretty cool! Sleep-deprived and frozen, we still enjoyed learning about the lava flow 5,200 years ago and walking the very path the lava forced through the rock. Warm air actually melts most icicles, so they drip onto the ground (where cold air sits) and they form really cool, clear ice stalagmites!

The Golden Circle

A must-see for anyone travelling to Iceland, the Golden Circle is composed of three places just outside of Reykjavik that allow you to see some of the best of Iceland in a day!

Geysir

The Geysir Geothermal Area is literally where we get the word “Geyser” from in English. While the geyser called “Geysir” actually erupts only occasionally and unpredictably, its neighbor geyser Strokkur goes off about every ten minutes to the delights of everyone watching and filming as it bursts 66-132 feet into the air!

Gulfoss

This beautiful, wide waterfall was impressive even in winter, but would be far more pleasant in summer, I believe. Made of two separate waterfalls falling first 36, then 69 feet, Gulfoss is gorgeous and impressive and very close to the road, making it a wonderful tourist stop. There’s a large gift shop there as well. It was dreadfully windy with stinging rain when we were there, so our stop was brief, but worth it!

Þingvellir National Park

This national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is, in fact, where Europe and North America meet. The tectonic plates are what created the rift valley, and the nearby Langjökull glacier supplies the park with crisp, perfectly clear, freezing cold water throughout.

And we decided to snorkel in it. In February.

This may or may not have been a wise decision, but we were suited up in damp wetsuits, waited in the biting wind for about an hour, and then descended into the 35°F water to enjoy the truly fantastic, blue water. Honestly, though it makes for a good story, swimming between continents and all, Alex and I agreed we probably would have skipped it had we known just how cold we’d be, and for how long.

In Reykjavik Proper

Finally, we get to the city itself – the capital of our frozen wonderland! There is a lot to do in the city, from museums to fit every taste, murals of wacky variety,

Museums in the City

We decided of all the museums available, to attend the National Museum of Iceland. This lovely museum showcases the history of Iceland from pre-civilization, to the Vikings, to its independence from Denmark, to modern day Iceland. A lot of really cool artifacts and great geological exhibits really showcase the grand history of this tiny island. My favorite part was this wonderful hat/head:

For those less-interested in history, there are a lot more museums to choose from.

The Whales of Iceland is a giant warehouse with 23 life-sized models of whale species found in Icelandic waters. Visitors can even touch the models and feel like you’re in the ocean.

The Reykjavik Maritime Museum displays artifacts and model ships of Icelandic fishermen.

The Perlan was created so you can get a feel for the natural wonders of Iceland from within the city. It allows you to be a part of a man-made ice cave, a planetarium, and a replica of the Látrabjarg cliffs complete with summertime Puffins!

For those looking for just a good story, there’s the Icelandic Phallological Museum which houses over two hundred penises and penile parts from nearly all the mammals in Iceland, land and sea. But, I’ll leave that up to visitor-discretion.

Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral

Reykjavik’s most identifiable structure, this cathedral was inspired by the basalt columns around Iceland and is impressive to look at. You can pay to go to the top of the cathedral, but there was a really long line and it didn’t feel terribly necessary. My favorite part was definitely the outside. Complete with Leif Erikson statue – the man who first discovered America!

General Reykjavik

All of Reykjavik is wonderful and enjoyable to simply walk around during. If you plan to go, I would see if there are any events happening while there – we were lucky enough to attend the Annual Icelandic Beer Festival and had a really wonderful time!

There are also beautiful murals throughout the city. Here’s Alex’s favorite:

In Summary

If you’ve only got a 4 days or so in Iceland, Reykjavik will allow you see a lot of Iceland without going far. If you’ve got a couple more days to spare, I suggest checking out the southern coast.