Iceland Layover

December 18, 2004 7:27 PM

10 hours in Keflavik/Reykjavik on the cheap?

I have a 10 hour layover in Keflavik (9am - 8pm) and want to see as much as possible without spending too much money. (more inside)

It looks like the Blue Lagoon hot spring is close to the airport, which sounds cool, but getting buses or taxis into Reykjavik itself looks very expensive. I'd really appreciate someone who knows the area giving me some advice on how to best get a taste for the country during my brief stay.

posted by hugo to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Just a taxi ride around Keflavik, local, is worth the trip, so long as you've got some daylight. If I recall (it's been some years), some sections of the countryside do a damn fair imitation of the lunar landscape you've seen in astronaut pictures.

A quick Google search of official tourism info indicates that Reykjavik is only a 45 minute cab ride/100 bucks away. Go for it -- you won't regret it.
posted by clever sheep at 7:54 PM on December 18, 2004

You definitely should go into Reykjavík and wander around. The Flybus is considerably cheaper than a cab and the schedule is meant to coincide with arriving/departing flights, so you should be able to schedule it fairly easily. Have a wander around the town and be sure to visit Hallgrímskirkja, the church that sits on a hill in the middle of the city. It's gorgeous and you can get a fantastic bird's eye view of the city from its spire. There's a brief walking tour described here.

If you do decide to go to the Blue Lagoon, it's midway between the Airport and Reykjavík. I'm not sure if the bus stops there, it seems like you might need to take a cab instead.

The area around the airport itself is rather lunar surface looking (which is really cool to fly over and land in an area that looks that way). Unfortunately, given your restricted time, I think the area around the airport is the only real landscape that you'll get to see. You should concentrate of seeing the town and possibly the Blue Lagoon if it's feasible time/moneywise. The landscape around Reykjavík is beautiful and interesting, but it's only a taste of the variety and spectacular beauty you'd get to see if you had more time to spend.
posted by filmgoerjuan at 8:28 PM on December 18, 2004

The Flybus is 1100 ISK (roughly $17.50 US), so count on at least $35 for the round trip into/out of town. Admission to go bathing at the Blue Lagoon is 1200 ISK ($19 US) plus extra if you need to rent a bathing suit/towels.

Unfortunately, Iceland is not particularly inexpensive (when I was there, someone compared prices as roughly equivalent to Japan); however, it is a beautiful place with some of the friendliest people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. If it's not outside the means of your budget, I heartily recommend that you try to see as much as your time will allow.
posted by filmgoerjuan at 8:39 PM on December 18, 2004

Maybe you should stretch that layover overnight - the NY Times travel section this week is all about how totally hot the scene in Iceland is now.
posted by nicwolff at 9:15 PM on December 18, 2004

Not much to add except to second the fact that Iceland is both incredibly expensive and incredibly worth it in terms of scenic beauty. However, the food in Reykjavik isn't anything great, so if you want to save, go to a supermarket and get some cheap food (dried fish is very inexpensive if you can stomach it) rather than eating out. And yes, do go to the Blue Lagoon - its a totally surreal experience.
posted by googly at 9:20 PM on December 18, 2004

The blue lagoon is definitely worth a visit if you fancy a bit of pampering and don't want to travel too far. Yes it is surreal and as it's winter now I reccomend you try to stay near one of the outlets as the water is alot warmer. If you have a spare bit of cash (actually I mean alot) there is a restuarant there, alternatively you can also buy snacks/drinks using your smartchipped wristband and pay upon exit. The area surrounding Keflavick and Blue Lagoon is bizzare with all the volcanic rocks and is worth a photo shoot. The flybus does indeed run a regular service to the Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik.

If you make it into Reykavik, just a wander around the back streets amonst the colourful houses is worth it alone. A trip up the bell tower of the Hallgrímur church will give you fantastic toytown views. If you are from the US then you'll feel right at home with all the big 4x4 imports - but watch out for the appalling state they make of their parking!

There are plently of restaurants, cafes and bars to eat in but the cheapest way to eat is is by having hotdogs (roughly $4) from one of the many hotdog stands around. An alternative is the reasonably priced Vegamót Bistró & Bar.

I it's a shame your layover isn't over night because you could experience a mad night out on the town.

Don't forget to bring with you in your hand luggage lots of warm clothing because the temperature is currently hovering around 0 degrees C.

Have fun - it's a beautiful country and its such a shame you don't have more time there. I went for 10 days in the summer and did a far bit of travelling but I have to go back at some point for more.
posted by floanna at 1:35 AM on December 19, 2004

Oy, Iceland is a remarkable spot. I lay odds that if you leave the airport, you'll go back just to visit Iceland. One caution: the airport can get righteously mobbed, since they seem to pack a lot of Icelandair departure times close together. Might be a good idea to check and see if that's true for you. If it is, you probably want to make sure you get back in time to get through checkin. Just ask, is all I'm sayin'...

All that said, and if it were me, I'd just get myself dropped off downtown and wander up and down Laugavegur, for a start. It's an easy few blocks up to Hallgrimmskirkje, as floanna suggests (350ISK to go up the tower, as I recall); the "toytown views" were quaint, yes, but look beyond them to the mountains and out to sea. To me it was really striking to note that I could see the city just sort of peeter out to nothing, with these tiny 15-20 house suburbs in the middle of nothing. In most of the US you just won't see anything like that, and when you do, you won't be in a capital city....

Sure, tverything's expensive, but what the hell. And make sure you get a hot dog with everything.

floanna: I don't know where Hugo is from, but in most of temperate North America, 0 degrees C is just not that cold... [wink /] true, though, the winds can be pretty brutal...
posted by lodurr at 9:23 AM on December 19, 2004

Too right the winds can be brutal! I had a quick look at the temps in Reykjavik just before I dashed off to work and thought it was a bit mild for the area. I just remember freezing even in summer some of the days and getting in and out of the lagoon was rather chilly.

Hugo - take a towel out with you to wrap up in when going inbetween the lagoon and main building or alternatively spend lots of time in the steam and sauna rooms. The little grotto thing next to it is crap but get an invigorating massage under the waterfall. Try the freebie silica mud in the buckets - you look silly with a load of white gunk on your face at the time but it makes you gorgeous afterwards.
posted by floanna at 2:07 PM on December 19, 2004

Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll just have coffee and cake to save money, though both will be good, neither will be remotely cheap in many (most?) places.
posted by biffa at 3:37 AM on December 20, 2004