4 day Itinerary in Iceland | Day 4 - Blue Lagoon

Day Four | Blue Lagoon + Departure

6 am | Eat Breakfast

8 am - 1 pm | Relax at the Blue Lagoon

Transportation: Grayline picked us up from our place and dropped us off at Blue Lagoon. It takes about an hour to get to Blue Lagoon from Reykjavik. Then it takes around 20 minutes from Blue Lagoon to get to the airport - so make sure you plan accordingly!

Prior to entering the pools, you need to shower completely naked. Americans are probably not used to it but many people just walk around in the nude in the locker rooms. Don't be weird about it and let it loose. Also, make sure to leave plenty of conditioner in your hair. The silica tends to dry out your hair. I didn't have this problem because I lathered a lot of conditioner onto my hair prior to entering the pools.

Eunice and I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the trip. We purposely planned it at the end of the trip because we wanted to leave Iceland well rested and relaxed after a packed schedule. We ended up getting the "Comfort" ticket, which included a towel, silica mask, one drink, algae mask, and entrance to the Blue Lagoon. The difference between the silica mask and algae mask was their end effect. The silica mask tightens and deep cleanses your skin, while the algae mask moisturizes and nurtures your skin. Our skins felt really nice afterwards! I think I wouldn't mind going again because I enjoyed it a lot... however it is pretty expensive for people who still need to pay off student loans. Maybe I'll come back in the future after making some cha-ching.

3:30 pm | Departure

And now, the end is near and so I close the final curtain~ Needless to say, I was really sad to leave this place and I didn't want to believe it was happening. I wanted to stay and keep chasing after waterfalls. However I had to leave. I ended up buy a bunch of Icelandic chocolate bars for my family members. #noregrets I still have one in my room - saving it for a special day.

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4 Day Itinerary in Iceland | Day 3 - Southern Iceland + Glacier Hike

Day Three | Southern Iceland + Glacier Hiking

8 am - 10 pm | Southern Iceland Tour with Reykjavik Excursions

1st stop: Skogafoss

The sound of the water crashing at the bottom was pretty frightening. Make sure to wear a waterproof jacket! There are stairs to the right of the waterfall, where you can climb up and see the waterfall from a different perspective. We didn't get to go up because we were given 15 minutes at this waterfall. ):

2nd stop: Skaftafell National Park + Glacier Hiking

The fish was very juicy and tender. It came with malt vinegar and tartar sauce. It tasted good but not good enough to cost $22. Other than the expensive food truck and confusion, the glacier hike was really cool!

Our guide, August, from Icelandic Mountain Guides was great. I would've tipped him but I was not carrying any cash on me. (sorry, August) Apparently Batman and Interstellar were filmed here. If you guys have the money and time, you should check out one of their glacier hikes! They are a separate company from Reykjavik Excursions so you can book a tour with them independently. August taught us about the glaciers and even chipped off a piece of ice for us.

3rd stop: Dinner in Vik, a small town in Southern Iceland

I didn't end up taking a lot of photos here. Reykjavik Excursions really rushed us... they gave us 30 minutes to order and eat our food. The line was long because locals and everyone on the tour bus were trying to get food during dinner time. We were just glad that the food was cheap, compared to the expensive fish & chips we had earlier that day.

4th stop: Seljalandsfoss

This is the famous waterfall that you can walk behind of. We were able to walk behind it and, let me tell yall, it was so cool. I was so sad to leave so soon... );

Iceland is still SOOOO beautiful. I would recommend renting a car and driving down along Southern Iceland so that you can take as much time at each site. It's really a lot to take in and worth looking at.

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4 day Itinerary in Iceland | Day 2 - Golden Circle

Day Two | The Golden Circle

7 am | Eat Breakfast

We grabbed these yogurts from Bonus because I heard they were good and popular in Iceland. I tried the vanilla, peach, and strawberry flavor. My personal favorite was strawberry. The texture is in between greek yogurt and regular Yoplait yogurt.

7:45 am to 4 pm | The Golden Circle Tour with Grayline

1st stop: Random place with beautiful mountains

As Eunice and I were dozing off, our tour guide directed our attention to the majestic landscape. Every where I turned, it looked like a picture from National Geographic. It was super cold and windy that day. I should've worn something thicker than a fleece and windbreaker from Nike.

2nd stop: Thingvellir National Park

We had about 45 minutes to the explore the whole park. I didn't think it was enough time because the park is pretty big. You can see silfra fissure here, which is a crack between the North American and Eurasian continents. So basically you're in the middle. There's a small waterfall in the way back of the park, however we decided to skip it because gullfoss was next.

3rd stop: Gullfoss - Waterfall

Gullfoss aka the Golden Waterfalls was massive. It looked like the water was racing down staircases, made of rocks and mountains. Make sure to wear something waterproof because there is a lot of mist here. Our tour bus stopped here for lunch as well. It's really pricy and not that filling. So, it may be wise to pack your lunch (but you can't eat it in the cafeteria - from what I remember). 

4th stop: Strokkur Geysir

This picture definitely doesn't do it justice. I just chose this picture because I thought it was cool to see how blue the water was. The water can get up to 80-100 degrees celsius so you don't want to touch it... unless you want to burn off your arm/finger/leg. It goes off every 3-5 minutes and the height of the explosion varies. We were given 45 minutes here as well and I felt like I had adequate amount of time to see and explore this place.

5th stop: Old/New Icelandic Churches + Icelandic Horses

This stop showed us the difference between old and new Icelandic churches. Our tour guide explained that Iceland used to be polytheistic but converted to Christianity. Inside the white church (newer church), there were mosaics of Jesus Christ.

Our tour guide told us that this was a volcano. Now I can say I saw a volcano. Take that off the bucket list. I loved how the two horses were peacefully grazing near the possibly active volcano with no care in the world. 

Unlike horses from America, Icelandic horses were stockier and bushier. Their hair is unkempt and thick - probably because of the cold weather. 

5 pm | Nap + Dinner at KEX Hostel

By the time we came back from the tour, we were so tired from walking around and jetlag. We took a "nap" for about 3 hours. We were planning on trying out a place called Icelandic Fish & Chips because I heard they were good and I wanted to try their sauces made of Skyr yogurt. However we woke up around 9 pm and it was too late. We decided to try out KEX hostel because it's one of Reykjavik's popular hostels and they often have live shows, performed by local bands. Luckily, we were able to enjoy a group's performance. Unfortunately I don't know the same of the band but they were good!

We both got the Spicy "freedom burger," which cost around 2490 ISK. It suit our American tastebuds because it was meaty, juicy, salty, and filling. I would definitely eat it again if I went back to Iceland.

Just walking around this place made me feel like I was walking inside of a hipster's paradise. From beers that I've never heard of to mismatched furniture, it was really cute and quirky. I recommend just stopping by and checking out the interior. I warn you though. At night it can get really crowded and rowdy. Most of the younger generation seem to hang out here. My friend and I found a semi-quiet corner and met a lovely lady, who was a local. She told us cool stories about Iceland and a few anecdotes about her own personal life. Be brave and try striking up a conversation with the locals. They are really nice!

10 pm | Crepes at Eldur & Is

Reykjavik did not have a lot of dessert places but when we found one, they knew how to make desserts. This nutella crepe with strawberries and bananas hit the spot. Valdis and Eldur & Is were two of the few dessert places we found that were open as late as 11 pm!

11 pm | Solfar Sculpture

Solfar aka the Sun Voyager is a famous sculpture in Reykjavik. It's really pretty when the sun hits the metal at a certain angle. It was worth walking to it and just admiring its size and design. Here is the wiki page if you want to read more about it.

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4 Day Itinerary in Iceland | Day 1 - Reykjavik

Day One | Explore Reykjavik

6 am | Arrive at Reflavik Airport

We left Baltimore Washington International airport and arrived at Keflavik airport around 6 am. (There is a 4 hour difference between east coast and Iceland.) It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get from the airport to Reykjavik. We decided not to rent a car because we weren't brave enough to travel completely on our own in a foreign country and deal with any potential car troubles. We rode a Grayline bus to Reykjavik.

7 am | Breakfast at Sandholt & Coffee at Te & Kaffi

There aren't many places open at around 7 am. (Click here to find a list of more breakfast places open before 8 am.) My friend and I could not check into our Airbnb until later in the day so we needed to go somewhere to grab something small and chill. Unfortunately Sandholt was going under construction while we were there. However their baked goods were still very good. After filling our bellies with carbs, we needed to wake up a bit (since it was 3 am back home). Thankfully, Te & Kaffi, a cute coffee shop, was right down the street from Sandholt. Did I mention that they have wifi?! Also the staff was soooo nice (& beautiful/tall/cool/chill/all of the above). Both places accepted credit card with no problem!

9 am | Hallgrimskirkja (the largest church in Iceland)

This church was architecturally and hauntingly beautiful. When you enter the main area of the church, the sounds of the massive organ fills and echoes inside the church. My friend and I just sat there for a while, resting our burnt out feet and letting our tired souls be carried away by the music. 

You also have the option of going to the top to have several amazing views of Reykjavik. It costs about 7-9 dollars to go up the elevator... (However, I saw a couple of people go up without a ticket... 'cause nobody checked sigh....) Here are some of the shots I took.

10 am | Check in and Nap

Trust me. You'll need the energy because the days are long in the summer. Click here to see the place we stayed at. Our host was really nice and he told us a lot of helpful things about the city. He suggested exchanging our currency at local banks (there are some near downtown) because the exchange rate is usually better than at the airport. Check out his website for good personal tours! 

1 pm | Baejarins Beztu Pylsur & Lunch at Sea Baron 

Hot dogs were about $3-4 each. This hot dog stand is famous because Bill Clinton and other famous people have stopped by. Apparently hot dogs are Iceland's staple food. These hot dogs are different from American hot dogs because they come with fried onions, onions, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade sauce. I may try putting fried onions in my costco hot dogs. They are pretty good but not filling. Therefore we headed towards Sea Baron, another famous spot in Reykjavik. 

The skewers and soup were very good. It felt like a good detox. It was as if all the oil and fat I've accumulated over the years were melting away, along with the cold. The fish tasted so fresh. It was a very healthy and filling meal, however the price was kind of high... 2480 ISK for soup and one skewer.

3 pm | Harpa (the opera house/concert hall) + Pick up groceries at Bonus

The inside of this concert hall was so beautifully designed. The way the light reflected off the colored glass windows was magical. There was an area where people can sit or lay down. My friend and I just laid there for a while and looked up at the ceiling and admired the view. Afterwards, we headed back towards our airbnb and got out groceries at Bonus. Click here for a list of more grocery stores. 

7 pm | Dinner at Noodle Station

We ordered the beef noodle soup and it was SO GOOD. I dream of this bowl once in a while. The beef was so tender that it was just melting in my mouth as I was chewing it. Our airbnb host also suggested núðluskálin, which had healthier options. However after my healthy lunch, we wanted something a little more oily and brothy. It really warmed us up.

Not sure if I was allowed to get on that but... whoops hehe. Just take the time to walk around the city. Every alley and street is so cute and quaint. The main shopping street is called Laugavegar. There are always a lot of people walking around - even at midnight.

9 pm | Icecream at Valdis

At first we thought people were rudely cutting us or didn't see us because we were so short... however a nice lady told us that we had to get a number from outside before we can order. Whoopsies. So make sure to take a number because they ice cream was worth the wait. Even though it was cold, I really enjoyed how strong the flavors were.

10:45 pm | Watch the Sunset

As we were walking back from Valdis, we stopped to watch the sunset near Harpa. It was seriously so beautiful (I'm starting to sound redundant because I keep on using the word 'beautiful'... but it really is - I can't say it enough.) At night, Harpa is pretty to look at because it changes colors.

12 am | Grab a drink at a local bar & turn in

We stopped by Kaffibarinn on our way back from watching the sunset because it was right off of Laugavegur. We grabbed an Icelandic beer called Kaldi. I personally don't enjoy beer but I did enjoy this one because it started out as strong and sharp but had a very smooth aftertaste. Compared to KEX hostel, it's pretty quiet and low key. It had a very chill vibe. 

The alcohol helped us fall asleep despite the light outside. In May and other summer months, you have to use the blackout curtains so that you're not woken up unexpectedly at 4 am.

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