Keflavík Airport – Leifsstöð terminal is extremely busy every single day. Airlines recommend guests to show up 3 hours before on peak hours. The dutyfree shop is a good place to pickup your last souvenirs but in general it is expensive. Simple food and a draft beer is also overpriced. However, the liquor is very cheap and Icelanders on their way home always stack up in the duty free.
Airport transfer – Keflavík Airport may be known as Reykjavík Airport in some places but make no mistake, the airport is a 35 minutes-drive from Reykjavík and since there are no trains in Iceland the best option is taking a shuttle bus with either Grayline or Reykjavik Excursions. Make sure you look up your pickup and drop off destination. In some cases a Hotel drop-off/pick-up isn’t always convenient. You might be kept waiting at your hotel for as much as 30 minutes, just to be dropped off at the bus terminal which might be next door. Once at the terminal, visitors are loaded onto a bigger bus for the 45 minute drive to Keflavík. Which is a lot more time-consuming than people expect.
Another option is to take a taxi, and that actually might be just about the same price if you are filling one taxi with 4 or 7 passengers.
Cruise ships – There are 2 different piers for cruise ships, Miðbakki and Skarfabakki. Miðbakki is for smaller ships and is located in the old harbour right next to Harpa Concert Hall. Skarfabakki pier is for bigger ships and located a bit further away, it’s about a 30 minute-walk to Harpa concert Hall but there is also a shuttle bus that takes you downtown in 5 minutes operated from the pier and easy to pickup as you dock (sometimes the shuttle is free by the cruise ship but normally there is a single fee 800 ISK). You also have the options of a finding a public bus for 460 ISK bus no. 16. Finally there are plenty of taxis waiting at the port. Small taxi is about 2.500 ISK for 4 pax.
Northern Lights – Where and how to see the northern lights? In short, it is based on luck and there is no better place than another. On all occasions you want to go away from any light pollution to place where it is completely dark. Sometimes the aurora is visible from downtown Reykjavík, but very vague light and very rarely.
You can book a bus tour that takes you out of town, you can walk to Grótta Lighthouse but your best bet is always renting a car. Don’t do that though until you’ve seen the forecast for the night. Cloud cover is the most important factor. Here are a few links to help you with your northern lights hunt.
http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/ – note that green color means clouds.
http://www.whatson.is/how-to-read-the-northern-lights-forecast-in-iceland/
http://www.icelandaurorafilms.com/hunting-auroras/
http://belgingur.is/map/island-3.2.sud-vestur/cloud_cover_total
http://www.spaceweather.com/
http://www.nordurljosin.is/
https://nightskypix.com/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights/
The Blue Lagoon – Probably the most famous tourist attraction in Iceland. Unfortunately, since it is the most famous tourist attraction in Iceland, it is extremely expensive and quite crowded. There is a limit to how many people are allowed inside at a time and sometimes you’ll be turned away. You must therefore book your spot in the Blue Lagoon in advance!
Another similar option is the Mývatn Nature Baths, This article compares the two.
Personally I don’t like either of them and same goes for Fonatana Spa in Laugarvatn. All of them are too expensive, too crowded and I find our public baths much more comfortable.
Last but not least, there are the natural Hot Springs in the nature that are hard to find and very fragile to traffic. Be careful around those.
Bathing in Iceland – Since you know the places to go, then you need to know how to bathe in Iceland. First of all, you bring a towel and swimsuit with you. Some places have rental service, but on all occasions, those are pricey options. If you want to save a few coins, you could wear shorts and dry off with a t-shirt as a towel but in no occasion have underwear on as you go in. Those are dirty and you will be kicked out of the pool if you plan to do that.
Everyone showers with shampoo without any clothes on before dipping into the pool. The genders are showering separately but are once again united in the pools and by then everyone wearing their swimsuit. When you go to saunas it stays the same. (opposite german saunas)
Please keep in mind that hygiene is important in these places.
Prices – Iceland is an expensive place, get used to it. You won’t find most of the big commercial chains such as McDonald’s, Starbucks or H&M, instead you’ll find Búllan, Endless coffee houses and Herrafataverzlun Kormáks og Skjaldar, which are small, unique and more expensive. You also won’t find any culture of bargaining not even in Kolaportið. At restaurants tipping is not required nor forbidden, the service is always included in the bill. Locals never tip, never have and never will I think. Staff in restaurants also knows this and will never expect a tip from locals. For some reason, visitors are more prone to tip and the waiters know that very well. They are always ready to give extra service when there is a chance of a generous donation. I’ve never heard of anyone refusing a tip, so don’t worry about being inappropriate. No waiter will give you evil eyes as you leave, they have no right to do so.
Currency – We use Icelandic Krona (ISK) but almost every shop accepts credit cards, no matter what you’re buying, you can buy a cup of coffee with a credit card. I always carry some cash on me, especially outside Reykjavík, because often you can expect quicker service when you pay with cash (waiting for the payment to go through often takes ages) and in some places you’ll need coins to pay for going to the toilet. ATM’s are not too common but more so in Central Reykjavík and shopping malls. Money exchange is through banks and tourist information centers and the rates are usually the same so don’t waste your time looking for the best rates and black market guys shouting in the streets.
Outside Reykjavík – Even if Reykjavík is a beautiful city Iceland’s nature is what draws most tourists to Iceland, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers and lava fields are but a part of the beauty. Going on an organized tour is the easiest way but if you want to truly immerse yourself in Iceland’s beauty you need to get off the beaten track. Rent a car, hitchhike or even cycle around the countryside, travel from one fishing village to the next or camp out in the wilderness. Iceland is a surprisingly big country and mostly open to whoever wishes to enjoy it. However you are expected to behave responsibly and take precautions. Icelandic nature is sensitive and can take years to recover if disturbed. Don’t leave trash lying around, stay on paths where possible and know that driving off road is strictly forbidden! Be aware of the fact that help can be far away if things go wrong and that weather conditions change quickly. If you need rescuing the people rescuing you will be volunteers leaving their homes and families to find you in the middle of a storm. They do it happily, knowing that things can always go wrong but make life easier for them, look at the weather forecast, ask locals about the current conditions (if a road was open this time last year there is no guarantee it will be again this year) and make sure your rental car is right for the job. Leave a travel plan, get the 112 emergency app and read more at Safetravel.is
More to come, this list is always going to get better, please send us any feedback.