HOW I WENT TO ICELAND FOR $800
Iceland has always been a dream of mine and at the top of my bucket list especially after seeing such beautiful photos of the Northern Lights. I’m always on the lookout for deals and I currently subscribe to many travel deal websites such asย Travelzoo, where I found this deal! Travelzoo is a third party company that emails you travel deals from your city. This deal was from Iceland Air forย 4 days to Iceland from NYC for onlyย $800!! There were no blackout dates and this included air and hotel at the Hilton in downtown Reykjavik. This was a great deal and I knew I had to get it immediately! Long and behold my flight to Iceland was booked for Thanksgiving break. BTW, I had great flight times and a direct flight to Iceland from NYC is under 6 hours! And that is how I got to Iceland for $800! I will share with you a current deal later at the end of my post that will get you to Iceland for as low as $489!! So keep reading =) One thing to note is that it can be super helpful to rent a car if you plan to see all of Iceland. Here are the highlights of my trip.
Blue Lagoon
I recommend taking a red-eye flight, once you land it’s early morning which will giveย you a full day to explore. My suggestion is to book the Blue Lagoon to help beat the jet lag. Tickets can be purchased there but I suggest buying the airport transfer tickets, this takes you from the airport to the Blue Lagoon and then to Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon is on the way into the city so it’s best to get that bucket list item checked off first. The Blue Lagoon has storage so no need to worry about your luggage. The tour bus will then take you into the city after spending a few awesome hours in theย geothermal spa. Make sure to get aย free mask facialย and drink alcohol at the bar! It felt amazing!! I wish I opted for a massage too!
Downtownย Reykjavik
This is where you should stay when in Iceland. Theย hotel at the Hilton was clean and convenient! Across the street is the bus stop so it was easy enough to get around.
A visit to theย Hallgrimskirkja church is a must! The tower can be seen throughout the city and it is also the largest church in Iceland. Don’t forget to buy a ticket to the top of the church to get a view overlooking downtown. I fell in love withย the colorful rooftops and I’m sure you will too!
Tour to the Tectonic Plates, Gullfoss Falls and Geysirs (Golden Circle Tour)
We woke up super early for this tour but it was so worth it! The tour started with a sunrise on the tectonic platesย and it was so beautiful at this time. I felt like I was in a winter wonderland. The tour bus then goes to the Gulfoss Falls which is a big waterfall, pretty amazing to see most of it frozen. My favorite of the tour was the eruptions at Geysir which is boiling water that goes upย to 70 meters in the air every few minutes. This is one of the most popular tours in Iceland and can be reserved at your hotel.
South Shore Day Tour
This was my favorite tour of my trip. It is a full day tour that takes you to the southern part of Iceland into a town called Vik. I saw multiple waterfalls where we spent some time hiking around it. The coolest part of all was seeing theย Sรณlheimajรถkull Glaciers!! If you have time I suggest doing a glacier hike! It can be pricey but worth the experience. The tour then goes further into the South Shore to the black sand beach. This is also a highlight of my trip as it was so beautiful and peaceful. I didn’t want to leave.. I was probably the last person to get back onto the bus. The bus then goes to another waterfall before stopping at theย Skรณgar Folk Museum. The museum was opened in 1949 to exhibit artifacts and how Icelanders lived in the past.
Here’s to all the things I wish I did…
Since I was only in Iceland for 4 days I was limited in time. If you have more time I suggest visiting Iceland for at least a full week! There is so much to do!! Camping in the southern part of Iceland is also a great idea if you’re looking to chase the Northern Lights.
The Northern Lights
Sadly, I was unable to catch it! Every single night I was there it was foggy and no clear skies. I was pretty bummed but it’s an opportunity for me to return. It’s also known as the Aurora Borealis, collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere to appear in many forms of beautiful glowing lights in the night sky.
Photo by:ย @guidetoiceland
Ice Caves/Glacier Hikes
How awesome is this? If you’re feeling adventurous, take a look into a tour toย explore the ice caves or hiking the glaciers.
Photo by:ย @guidetoiceland
Jรถkulsรกrlรณn
I highly recommend checking outย Jรถkulsรกrlรณn, a glacier river lagoon in the south of Iceland. The South Shore Tour did not take me here but I wish it did!!! It looks like an awesomeย experience to walk on a glacier lagoon.
Photo by:ย @icelandair
If that doesn’t inspire you to book a trip to Iceland, I’m not sure what will. There seems to be great deals throughout the year so I would suggest keeping an eye out for a cheap flight and hotel deals like the one I found. Right now theres an airfare deal from Boston or Baltimore for $489 per person, $300 extra for flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles from September through March. This includes hotel, daily breakfast and a night tour to see the northern lights! What a steal! If you are thinking of going, I recommend going for at least 5-6 days, 4 days was not enough! Check out the deal before it’s goneย here.ย The only other expenses will be food and tours so depending on what you would like to do, the tours could add up. I’m already dreaming about my next trip back to do everything I did not get to do.
Further Reading:
Check out the Fly Away Girl’s guide to Iceland in 48 hours
Passport Collective’s tripย hunting the Northern Lights in Iceland
6 comments
aditi
June 10, 2016 at 3:17 am
oh my god! I love you! This is such an amazing and inspiring post! Absolutely loved it…
Tour de Lust
June 10, 2016 at 8:22 am
Aww you’re so sweet! Thanks Aditi, I’m glad you enjoyed my post =)
Ray
June 17, 2016 at 9:08 pm
I’d still take Iceland in 4 for $800! Flights to Iceland from Toronto are usually around $650 on average. Mind you, Iceland Air always throws in deals throughout the year like you said.
Tour de Lust
June 17, 2016 at 9:12 pm
Yup $800 for air and lodging was such a great deal! Always lookout for those deals =)
BohoEve
October 25, 2017 at 8:18 am
Thanks for this! I love how specific it is.
Tour de Lust
October 25, 2017 at 9:00 am
Thanks for reading!