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Reykjavik, Iceland
Summer 2018 (0.5 days)
Your wishes have come true!! We're back with another blog post! We will be adventuring to a new part of the world, just below the arctic circle, Iceland! Follow @3WishesTravel on Instagram to see the first-person recap of my trip on our Instagram stories. Also, check out the new sections of the website, including Upcoming Trips and interactive maps of countries and states I have visited. Now let's fly north to Iceland! 🧞♀️💜✈️
Table of Contents
Hotel and Flight Info 🏨✈️
I visited Iceland during a quick layover on my way to Sweden, Morocco, and Israel in the Summer of 2018. The average roundtrip flight to Iceland is between $400-500 roundtrip. We flew from Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) outside of Reykjavík, Iceland. The 3.5-hour flight was on WOW Airlines, a now out of business airline. KEF airport is 45 minutes outside of Reykjavík by car. There are bus options to get into and around Reykjavík city, but we rented a car from Holiday Autos for $88. You can find a hostel in city center for an average of $45 a night.
Total Cost Flight + Hostel: 4 days & 3 nights = $535
History and Background📜
While doing research for this blog, I found the history of Iceland to be extremely interesting and unique. People have lived in Iceland for thousands of years, creating Icelandic mythology and history that includes Vikings!
Iceland was discovered and settled by the Norse people in the 800s during the Viking Age. The first settler was Ignolfr Arnarson who settled in Reykjavik. The Norse people believed in Icelandic Mythology, worshipping a variety of gods called "aesir". The god Thor was the most popular.
At the end of the 10th century, King Olaf Tyggvvason of Norway, sent Christian missionaries to Iceland and found much success converting Icelanders. Soon after their arrival in the year 1000, the Althing, Iceland's political assembly, declared all Icelanders should become Christians. Norway exerted much control over Iceland for hundreds of years afterward, including taking away most of the Althing's power.
In the 1530s, Denmark supported an aggressive Lutheran Reformation in Iceland that ended with the murder of an Icelandic Catholic bishop. In the 1660s, Denmark declared absolute monetary over Iceland, but still gave local Icelanders some political say.
The 19th century saw a struggle for Icelandic independence from Denmark. In 1845, the Danish King Christian VII allowed the reestablishment of the Althing with increased powers. The new Althing was placed in the up and coming town of Reykjavik. By 1848, the new King of Norway, King Frederick VII renounced absolute power over Iceland and established a constitutional assembly where Icelandic political representatives argued for their independence, but sadly, no agreement was ever met. 100 years later, in June of 1944, Iceland gains full independence from Denmark! Iceland made world history in 2009 when Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became Iceland's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay prime minister.
Today, Iceland has a population of 365K people that live in the 4th lowest density country in the world. 89% of Icelanders are ethnically Icelandic. 79% of Icelanders are Lutheran and a part of the Church of Iceland. Icelandic is the official language of the country, but most people also speak English and Danish. Iceland is still governed by the Althing parliament in the capital city of Reykjavik. Iceland is not part of the EU and it has a currency called Icelandic Krona.
Visiting Reykjavik🗻
I visited Reykjavik, the largest city in Iceland. I wish I had more time to visit Iceland, especially to explore their incredible natural sites. A popular tour is to drive on the Ring Road around the perimeter of Iceland, which would take 12-13 hours straight but should be broken up into a 5-15 day adventure. Iceland has amazingly unique nature that includes volcanoes, icebergs, waterfalls, and the Northern Lights. I will outline my quick visit to Reykjavik but I encourage everyone, including myself, to visit outside Reykjavik on your Icelandic adventure.
Hallgrimskirkja Church $8
The most iconic part of the Reykjavik
skyline, the Hallgrímskirkja church,
is a Lutheran church located in the center of town near restaurants, shopping, and more. The church was built to look like how lava flows famously in Icelandic nature. The peak of the church is 240 feet high, in which visitors can climb to see breathtaking views for miles. When we visited there was a wedding happening inside the church, so we did not get to see those views, but I definitely recommend making the climb to future travelers. Outside the church stands Iceland's Leifur Eiriksson, the first European to discover America in the year 1000, 500 years before Colombus.
Blue Lagoon $55+
The Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland's most famous attractions and designated one of the wonders of the world. Located in rural Iceland, a 20-minute drive from the airport, visitors must either book a shuttle or drive to the Blue Lagoon. You must book tickets ahead of time, and times fill up fast. Pricing depends on time and day of visit so I recommend visiting outside of peak hours to help keep the ticket price down. Although the cost is pretty high, I believe it is completely worth it.
The Blue Lagoon leverages Iceland's famous geothermal heated waters to offer spa guests transformative services. The water is heated more than a mile within the earth by deep earth lava flows. After traveling that mile journey to the earth's surface, the water is enriched with silica, algae, and minerals to create the unique rejuvenating waters.
Designed like a high-end spa, the Blue Lagoon offers many upgrades from massages to robes and slippers. It is always pretty packed at the Lagoon, so be prepared that this might not be the most relaxing experience ever. After changing and putting your personal items in a locker, guests are directed to the indoor and outdoor sections of the Lagoon. The outdoor Lagoon is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever experienced with its light blue waters and black stone mountains surrounding the Lagoon. The hot waters of the Lagoon feel like they are heeling your every imperfection. For an extra fee, visitors can purchase a waterproof cover for cell phones so you can take the perfect picture. Your entrance ticket includes one drink at the in-water bars throughout the Lagoon, which offers both alcoholic drinks, like wine and beer, and nonalcoholic drinks. Although there is an ending time on your ticket, we stayed past that time and had no issue so feel free to take as long as you need in the Lagoon's healing waters.
From Viator.com and Insider.com
Einar Jonsson Museum $8
Einar Jónsson was an Icelandic sculptor with tremendous skill, active from 1902-1952. Jónsson created many public monuments, private commissions, and his own extensive collection. A majority of his works were done in plaster, as seen in the picture to the left. Jónsson offered his hundreds of sculptures to the Icelandic public if there was a museum built in the "desolate hill on the outskirt of town" that he chose in 1909. Jónsson was a visionary and believed the new town of Reykjavik could become a center for art and culture for Iceland. This desolate hill is the current day center of Reykjavik, across from the Hallgrimskirkja Church.
The Jónsson museum holds an almost impossible number of Jónsson's intricate plaster statues. The museum also cast many of his sculptures into bronze statues to create a beautiful and calming sculpture garden on the grounds of his museum. The Jónsson museum offers insight into the mind of one of Iceland's greatest artists and teaches its visitors about Icelandic Mythology, Icelandic folk tails and more. Fun fact: Jónsson was commissioned to create a sculpture of Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic explorer, for the City of Philadelphia that currently sits on Kelly Drive in Fairmount Park.
The Neighborhood of the Gods
Located in the center of Reykjavik, this trendy part of town has some of the best shopping. This neighborhood shows Iceland's hipster side and is considered one of the best places in Reykjavik to live. Each street is named after famous figures from Norse mythology. I enjoyed walking through the Neighborhood of the Gods, stopping in shops and picking up some souvenirs all while learning about Norse mythology!
Sun Voyager by the Sea
The Sun Voyager was designed by Gunnar Arnason as an ode to the Sun and the promise of undiscovered territory. The sculpture sits on a small enclave reaching into the Greenland Sea. This is the perfect place to appreciate the natural beauty of Iceland's mountains and sea.
Places to Eat🍴
Kaffi Loki $25
Located across the street from Hallgrimskirkja Church, this Icelandic cafe offers great food with a view of Iceland's most famous landmark. Kaffi Loki is medium-priced and offers Vegetarian-friendly dishes, as well as Free Wifi, which we all know is vital for travelers. Specializing in Traditional Icelandic Food, we chose Kaffi Loki to eat like the locals. I had the popular Lamb soup and a Viking beer, the national beer of Iceland. The high quality of food, plus the location near many tourist spots makes this a perfect lunch stop during your adventures!
I hope this helps you create your own Icelandic adventure. This was a super quick trip so if you need more Iceland recommendations please reach out!
Some pictures were taken by me, the ones that weren't, have their sources below them. Check out our Instagram @3WishesTravel for more, including live updates for my future trips! I will be in Puerto Rico next week so make sure to give us a follow for live Puerto Rico Updates.
If you are thinking about your own visit to Iceland, contact us and we will plan your entire trip for you! Subscribe below for an alert when our upcoming posts in new locations are published! If you have any Iceland recommendations, feel free to comment below! I would love to hear them :)
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