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Making the Most of a Weekend Stopover in Iceland

Tuesday, July 26, 2016
By now, most savvy travelers have heard about the incredible Icelandair stopover deal. Through this ingenious bargain, Icelandair grants passengers an extended layover in Iceland for up to seven nights for no additional airfare.

Given its geographic position, Iceland is a convenient stepping stone between Europe and North America. I found the logistics to be especially favorable, considering a flight from Reykjavík to Seattle cuts a transatlantic journey in half. While it would normally take me about 16 hours to fly home via New York or Philadelphia, a direct journey from Reykjavík takes less than eight hours.

Reykjavík: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland

After taking advantage of this stellar deal, I can admit that it most certainly lives up to the hype. I immediately regretted not booking a longer stay. Only planning a weekend getaway vastly limited my opportunities, and I found myself wishing that I had taken advantage of Icelandair's full seven day deal. (But hindsight is 20/20, especially when you're on a tight budget!)

Given the short amount of time I had in Iceland, I nailed down my weekend itinerary to four main activities. While Reykjavík's 20.5 hours of sunlight per day helped me accomplish it all, it was difficult to prioritize so many bucket list adventures. While I'm sure I'll be back again someday (I made a promise to myself that I'd come back for the puffins!), I'm still satisfied with how I organized a weekend's worth of excursions. Here's how I made the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland:


Downtown Reykjavík

Reykjavík: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland

Colorful, quirky Reykjavík deserves at least one full day. It's possible to cut corners, but soaking up the city's vibrant personality requires ample time for exploring. Start your journey at the stately Hallgrímskirkja church. Commanding the skyline of downtown Reykjavík, the design of Hallgrímskirkja was inspired by Iceland's basalt lava flows. Take the elevator up to the top for the capital's most sublime panoramas.

Reykjavík: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Hallgrímskirkja church

Leave plenty of time to wander down Laugavegur, the city's main shopping street. This animated boulevard boasts a colorful array of restaurants, coffee shops, sleek boutiques and Icelandic specialty shops. Since Iceland is known for their quality wool, I picked up some cozy knitted socks for the rest of the weekend's adventures.

Be sure to also check out the picturesque Perlan, Tjörnin pond, Harpa concert hall and charming old harbor. Some of my favorite moments in Reykjavík were spent strolling along the waterfront past the iconic Sun Voyager (Sólfar) statue. 

Reykjavík: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Lively Laugavegur, the main shopping drag

The Golden Circle

Golden Circle: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Þingvellir National Park's otherworldly landscape

No trip to Iceland is complete without visiting the arresting scenery of the Golden Circle. Comprised of the gargantuan Gullfoss waterfall, bubbling Geysir hot springs and scenic Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, the Golden Circle is understandably one of the country's most famous tourist attractions. Since I had no desire to rent a car by myself, I turned to Arctic Adventures to help me see it all.

Golden Circle: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Gullfoss, one of Iceland's largest and most popular waterfalls

Iceland's striking landscape often made me feel as if I were on a different planet. Thingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly drift away from one another, is decidedly out of this world. Iceland's first parliament was founded here, and it's also one of the many
Game of Thrones filming locations.

Golden Circle: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
How many Game of Thrones filming locations must I visit before I have to start watching the show?
Golden Circle: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland

Snorkeling in the Silfra Fissure

Snorkeling in Iceland's Silfra fissure

Located in Thingvellir National Park, the Silfra fissure is where two continents rip apart. Thanks to Arctic Adventures, we were able to snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. This crack between the continents is filled with glacier water clear enough to see down to 100 meters!

The water gets its pristine qualities from being filtered through underground lava for 30-100 years. Due to its extreme visibility, the Silfra fissure is widely regarded as one of the best dive sites in the world.

Since the glacial water is near freezing, we bundled up in bulky dry suits that protected us from the extreme temperatures. While submerging my face in the water was initially alarming, I went numb several seconds later. The current leisurely carried us down the fissure as we marveled at its unique underwater beauty.

Snorkeling in Iceland's Silfra fissure
Our waterproof dry suits were surprisingly hard to maneuver in!
Snorkeling in Iceland's Silfra fissure
The Silfra fissure is the only place in the world where you can snorkel between two tectonic plates
Snorkeling in Iceland's Silfra fissure

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Soaking in the silky waters of the Blue Lagoon was the perfect way to de-stress

Did you know that the Blue Lagoon isn't actually blue? The lagoon gets its milky turquoise color from the sun reflecting upon the silica in the water. The water itself is actually white! In the summer, blossoming algae can also give the water a subtle green tint.

Seeing as the Blue Lagoon has been at the top of my bucket list for years, I was willing to pay the outrageous fee to enter. But while I thought I was getting a 50€ deal online, my reservation and transportation costs totaled to 82€. You win some, you lose some.

Be sure to book your reservation online in advance, and note that the "standard" entrance package does not include use of a towel. In the lagoon, there is a station for free silica mud masks and a swim-up bar. All you have to do is scan your wristband, and you'll automatically be charged for whatever purchases you make inside the lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland

Reykjavík Excursions offers hourly bus transfers to the Blue Lagoon from downtown Reykjavík or Keflavík Airport. The Blue Lagoon is 47 km from Reykjavík, and only 23 km from KEF Airport. To maximize time on your stopover, I highly recommend visiting the Blue Lagoon going to or from KEF Airport.

Because I was in the process of moving from Madrid to Seattle (and therefore hauling three year's worth of luggage with me), I opted to do this excursion separately. After seeing how close the airport and Blue Lagoon actually are, I realized that I could have saved ample time and money by combining the two trips.

The Blue Lagoon: Making the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland
Cheesin' with my mud mask and disposable camera. (Perhaps it's time to invest in a GoPro...)

Iceland effortlessly stole my heart, and I'm already anxious to return someday. Like I said, I have to come back for the puffins!! Thankfully, Reykjavík is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Seattle compared to other transatlantic flights. You can bet that I'll be taking advantage of another Icelandair stopover next time I get the chance!


Have you ever done a stopover in Iceland?
How did you make the most of your time?


How to make the most of a weekend stopover in Iceland


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