10 Breathtaking Sights in Iceland

A land of fire and ice....

Iceland is a mysterious land that tells stories of elven folklore (“the hidden people”).  It is a land of contrasting beauty unmatched by anywhere else we have seen so far.  It is a truly remarkable country full of waterfalls, hot springs, mud pools, volcanoes, glaciers, geysers and geothermal vents which need to be seen to be believed.  

The scenery is breathtaking, its people humble, incredibly friendly, very knowledgeable but more importantly, resilient!  We could seriously run out of adjectives to describe the beauty of this place!!  An island made famous by the singer Bjork and World’s Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star Hafthór “The Mountain” Björnsson, Feet Do Travel will try and convey what makes the world’s youngest country so alluring.

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“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas ....”

We spent a magical Christmas in Iceland, one that I would say was the best I have ever experienced.  This could be because we were knee-deep in pristine white snow that fell silently on Christmas Eve.  Try to imagine it ... close your eyes ... transport yourself to a vision where you look out of a window early Christmas morning, and all you see is a blanket of fresh, thick, crisp snow laying on the ground; huge flakes falling in front of you.  It’s a sight that every child at Christmas dreams of ...... and our dreams had just come true!

Simon and Angie - Christmas in Reykjavik, Iceland

​Iceland was formed on two tectonic plates and because of this, holds an enormous amount of geothermal resources.  Being one of the most resourceful nations in the world, they have harnessed this energy and use it for electricity production.  Around 85% of Iceland’s energy is from renewable resources, more than half of that is from geothermal energy provided by volcanic activity – it’s an inspiration to the world and pleases the eco-conscious like me!  

What this means for the people is very cheap electricity bills, in fact, it’s so cheap that in wintertime when there is snow, some paths in Reykjavik were heated... this, we clearly noticed!! Most of the homes in Iceland are also heated by the geothermal power stations. The hot water from the power stations is pumped to the houses as a by-product of using geothermal energy – heating bills are virtually non-existent!

​Iceland also has an excess of electricity production, to the point where they have their own Hydrogen plants – this nation is also making its own Hydrogen powered cars and, should you be lucky enough to own one, you can fill up with hydrogen fuel for FREE at any of their fuel filling stations. They are so certain that geothermal energy is the way forward that if any other nation in the world is suitable and interested, Iceland will send the engineers and provide the technology for free. We found this honestly inspiring, the world needs to take note!
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Reykjavik ... a smoky bay ... the most Northern Capital in the world!

Raddison Blu 1919 Hotel - Reykjavik

A snowy square with heated pavements - Reykjavik

Icelandic Opera House (Islenska Operan) - Reykjavik

​Around 63% of Icelanders live in the compact capital city. We stayed at the central, harbourside location Radisson Blue 1919 hotel (https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-reykjavik-1919).  This hotel is opposite the world famous Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand!  Yes you read that correctly – “world famous”... Bill Clinton and members of Metallica have eaten here and around 70% of the country’s residents have bought a hot dog from this stand!! 

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Simon is HotDog happy at the World Famous Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand - Reykjavik

Hot dogs are practically the national dish and are sold everywhere; they are the cheapest meal in a country where food is rather pricey!  When you buy your hot dog you best make it two... they are delicious and after one, you will want another. Made mostly from Icelandic lamb, along with a bit of pork and beef, they are a very tasty on-the-go snack and you will see Icelanders eating them any time of day (or night!).

As there are nearly twice as many sheep than there are humans in Iceland this makes them a plentiful food source!  Iceland doesn't allow the import of any live animals, so the free-range, grass-fed, home grown lamb eaten today is just like the lamb eaten hundreds of years ago.  

Therefore, eating a hot dog is preserving an ancient tradition and it would be rude not to!

Moving on from hot dogs, let me tell you the 10 sights we visited....

1. Hallgrimskirkja Church, Reykjavik
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Take a walk up Skolavorduhaed Hill to see Hallgrimskirkja church.  Although its architecture is unique, during the day it is rather plain... but taking a lift to the top to check out the impressive panoramic view of the greater Reykjavik area is a must. 

Hallgrimskirkja church at night - Reykjavik

A Christmassy view of Hallgrimskirkja church at night - Reykjavik

It is definitely worth wandering up at night when it is flood lit from below, you can always stop off at one of the pretty cafe’s such as Babalu and order a coffee to make it worth your while. We stopped by Babalu and ordered a traditional Christmas Eve meal of lamb (of course!) and it was fantastic although to be fair, all of the food in Iceland is amazing.  We never ate a bad meal anywhere, the food was top notch (ee careful not to order foods such as Puffin or Minke whale as these days, they are only slaughtered to satisfy tourist curiosities and not actually eaten by the locals).

Babalu Cafe - Reykjavik

Reykjavik town center

Restaurants-a-plenty in Reykjavik

​2. The Perlan (or The Pearl) 

Although this is a rotating glass dome built on four tanks which store the city's water supply, it is worth a visit.  Make your way to the top balcony for one of the best viewpoints of Reykjavik.

The Perlan - City Water Supply and home to the Saga Museum

The view of Reykjavik from the Perlan is amazing

Simon in full Viking battle mode

​The main Perlan building also houses the Saga Museum which is moderately priced and worth a look.  It recreates key moments of Icelandic history, and towards the end, you can try on Viking costumes. Pick up your weapon of choice and see whether or not the Viking look suits you!!

Angie's Viking war face - very scary!!

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The Golden Circle
Prior to our arrival in Iceland, we had booked airport transfers and a couple of day trips with Iceland Guided Tours (www.igtours.is) and we cannot rate them highly enough!  As they are a small family run business, every tour felt like a private tour – plus the driver was very informative and passionate about his Country; we didn’t realise we would be educated as well as “chauffeur driven”.

3. Gulfoss Waterfall

“The Golden Circle” tour is one of the more popular tours in Iceland and a must for everyone. Our day started by visiting a waterfall called Faxi, then on to the much bigger and more impressive Gulfoss Waterfall.  Water plummets down 32 meters in two stages into a rugged canyon offering a spectacular view. The sheer scale of this waterfall is a sight to behold.

Gulfoss Waterfall - part of the Golden Circle tour

The Great Geysir in action

​4. The Great Geysir at Haukadalur

The name derives from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush" because that is basically what it is - a periodically spouting hot spring.  When we arrived, we were met with the simplistic beauty of the land but nothing much else was happening.  All of a sudden, we heard a noise and gasps from people behind us as the geyser spouted out of the ground, we were left wondering “Darn, we missed it!  When will it happen again??”.
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There was a wooden bench near the geyser so we decided to sit and wait patiently.  We stared at the bubbling blue-hued hole in the ground poised for the next eruption. After about 10 minutes, our patience was rewarded!  We watched with amazement as boiling water was catapulted around 12 metres into the air.  This really was a remarkable natural phenomenon!

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Simon and Angie waiting for the Geysir to explode in to life

5. Þingvellir

The final part of the magnificent Golden Circle tour was the dramatic landscape of Thingvellir (meaning Parliament Plains) that lies in a rift valley marking up the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  This is the place to observe the effect of two tectonic plates drifting apart above sea level. This location is where the oldest existing parliament in the world first assembled in 930 AD.

​Iceland is a relatively young island formed around 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  It lies between the North American and Eurasian plates which are separated by a glacial valley and form spectacular cracks in the earth.  No single place epitomizes the history of Iceland and the Icelandic nation than here. If you want to see the jewel of nature, then come here.

Eagle eyed Game of Thrones fans may recognise this UNESCO World Heritage Site from season 4 when it was used to show Arya and Sandor Clegane's journey from village to village in mid-Westeros.

Eyjafjallajökull looming in the background

Waterfalls and glaciers …… the icing on the cake! South Coast tour.

We loved The Golden Circle tour so much we needed to see more of this breathtaking Country; The South Coast tour was booked for the following day.  In our off-road super-jeep there was just the four of us… Sy, me, a lady named Jen whom we met on the Golden Circle tour and our guide Odin.  For the entire day, we felt like a group of friends on a road trip.

Heading South on Highway 1 takes you close enough to see Iceland’s most famous volcanic glacier Eyjafjallajökull – remember the volcano that erupted in the summer of 2010 stopping air traffic in most of Europe for three weeks?  Well that’s the one! It can be referred to as the “Big E” to save pronunciation embarrassment.

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6. Seljalandsfoss waterfall

What a magnificent sight!! At 60 meters high and a foot path behind it at the bottom of the cliff, it is the only known waterfall of its kind because it is possible to walk behind.  It was such a picturesque and quiet spot and we enjoyed sitting on the bench admiring its charm.

Seljalandsfoss waterfall

​Whilst driving along the highway, we saw the effects of Eyjafjallajökull’s volcanic eruption. Mounds of black ash peppered the landscape and stood out like a beacon in contrast to the white snow laying on top.  It is only when you are in a situation where you come face to face with the aftermath of something so catastrophic that you appreciate the true scale of an event.  

Strangely there was something hauntingly beautiful about this vision; maybe it’s because we knew no-one was injured or maybe it was because Icelander’s appear rather blaise about these events (there is an eruption on average every four years!), either way it looked incredible.

The effects of Eyjafjallajökull’s volcanic erruption can still be seen here

​Iceland’s landscape is full of so many places where you just want to stop, get out of the car and take everything in.  We passed a field which was home to wild horses so we spent some time with them. In fact Jen, Odin and Sy were able to get so close they could pat their mane.  
We know this is a controversial subject in the UK, but in Iceland, horse is regularly found on the menu.  We had no problem with that and whilst there, we enjoyed a platter of various meat which included very tasty, lean horse meat.  

When you see horses running wild in the way they do in Iceland, you appreciate the natural and free life they lead so we didn’t feel guilty at all about eating one. Horsemeat is consumed in many parts of the world and other nations don’t bat an eyelid, but in the UK, it appears to be a no-no.

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Beautiful Icelandic Horses

7. Reynisfjara near the village of Vik 

This place was visually spectacular with a stretch of beach made up of black volcanic sand.  It’s surrounded by basalt columns and in the wild, stormy sea lay stacks of basalt rock, remnants of an extensive cliff line battered and eroded by the ocean.  We were fascinated with this dramatic coastline and the contrast of black land against a foaming white sea and soft white snow.

Black Sand beaches and Basalt rocks - Reynisfjara

Walking across the frozen lake to the glacier

8. An ice glacier

For some reason, it never crossed our mind that we would walk on a glacier so when we stopped at Solheimajokull it was a real treat!  We didn’t know what to expect when gingerly walking across a frozen lake, knowing that if it cracked, we could plunge to an icy death into the freezing waters below (hmmmm, maybe that is a bit dramatic as some glacial ice is 1,000m thick!).  

We walked to the top of an ice cave and climbed down to get a closer look.  Once inside, we looked up through a blue tunnel – it was an ice hole – Wow!!  And WOW again is about all I can say.  The vision before us was like none we had ever encountered – they say a picture paints a thousand words, as that’s the case, I will let these pictures speak for us! The glacier was an amazing experience and highly recommended.

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Solheimajokull Glacier sprawling down from the mountains

An "ice wave" formed by the glacier forcing its way downhill

Into the Blue - the hole in the top of the glaciel ice cave

9. Skogafoss

In the winter, Iceland doesn’t have a lot of daylight hours. During December when we were there it was averaging around four a day so before we lost the light, we had one more attraction to see –  one of the biggest and most beautiful waterfalls of the island with an astounding width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters.  It is worth the visit and it was a truly spectacular way of finishing off this incredible day packed to the brim of the most stunning natural beauty we have encountered in such a small area.

Skogafoss waterfall

Our tour group. Left to right - Simon, Angie, Jen and Odin (our guide)

10. The Blue Lagoon

Iceland possesses one of the steamiest hot water lagoons in the world and once you have been there, everywhere else pales into insignificance.  You can’t go to Iceland and not visit its top attraction!

The secret lies 2,000 metres below the surface; geothermal seawater is pumped into this man-made marvel, all of which is powered 100% by geothermal energy.  This outdoor thermal spa at first glance is captivating and you are swept up in the romanticism of the milky white water, picturesque bridges and crisp snow enveloping it all. 

Swimming in the warm Blue Lagoon while outside temperatures freeze is heaven!

The trip from the changing rooms to the lagoon can be a little challenging

​One tip – if you visit here, either book online in advance or use a tour company such as Iceland Guided Tours (we did) otherwise you will have to queue; they limit the number of people allowed in to avoid overcrowding.  The Blue Lagoon is near the airport so you could stop here either on the way to Rejkavik or as your last stop before you leave the Country.

The Feet - Angie and Simon in the Blue Lagoon

Iceland should be a place on everyone’s list and we urge everyone to visit, we don’t know of anyone who has been and hasn’t come away gushing over how amazing it really is!!  It ticks so many boxes for what you want out of a country, and for me, the icing on the cake is its super eco-friendly way of life which should be the envy of the rest of the world!
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We will visit Iceland again, but next time it will be in the summer months.  We want to see how green the land is, experience the midnight sun but first and foremost, we want to feel it’s allure once more.

Travel Facts:

• The official currency is Icelandic Króna.
• The official language is Icelandic and remains unchanged from ancient Norse (which means 1,000-year-old texts are still easily read), however English is widely spoken.
• The three colours of Iceland's flag represent elements that make up the island. Red is the island's volcanic fires, White is for the snow and ice fields, finally blue is for the ocean.
• Credit cards are accepted pretty much everywhere – even in taxis.
• A food specialty is "Hakarl" - rotten shark meat (no, we didn’t try this!)
• Nearly 80% of Icelanders believe in elves.
• Icelanders do not have to pay school fees as all education is free of charge.
• The Icelandic police don’t carry guns. Crime in Iceland is very low and violent crime is practically nonexistent.
• There are no forests in Iceland.
• There are no surnames or family names in Iceland – Icelanders use the traditional Nordic naming system where the last name is derived from the father's first name.
• In the telephone book everyone is listed by their first name – including the President!
• The world's first female president was Icelandic, elected in 1980 she governed for 16 years.
• 11% of the country’s surface is covered with glaciers.
• A third of the worlds’ lava flows are in Iceland and the fields make up about 30% of the land.
• There are more than 20 active volcanoes.
• The largest volcano is called Vatnajokull and covers 8% of the country.

Main attractions & what attracted us:
What attracted us to Iceland was the snow!  We wanted a “white Christmas” and had always been fascinated by the mystery of this land and didn’t know anyone (at that time) who had been.

Some of the many tourist attractions:

1. Solfar (Sun Voyager) Sculpture
2. Whale watching (humpbacks are May – September only)
3. Puffin watching
4. Harpa Concert Hall
5. Glacier Hiking and/or ice climbing
6. During winter (November – March) the Aurora Borleaus aka Northern Lights (weather permitting)
7. During summer - the Midnight Sun by Grótta
8. Go on a free City walking tour
9. Horseback riding tour
10. The National Museum of Iceland
11. The Icelandic Phallological Museum (world's largest display of penises - 280 from more than 90 animals are displayed!)

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