hi There ,
I have a 24 hr stop in iceland , mid september, and I am looking for an itinerary , where I can fit in as much sight seeing as possible . I arrive at 3pm and leave around 5pm the following day . I am planning on renting a car but dont want to travel too far a field. Can anyone advise me on what is do-able . I would like to see rekjavik , but more interested in the geographic side . Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Well...you can start your journey right from Keflavik airport and finish it in Reykjavik. This way you'll see most of the Icelandic landscapes and cities (Great Reykjavik area includes 6 towns actually).
So next day - Golden circle as a safe and interesting option.
This way you'll see practically everything (almost) except glaciers.
I have another suggestion, because the weather is one thing you can´t count on and driving in rain and fog is not fun.
You arrive at 3 pm so you can spend the rest of the day in the capital and there is a lot to see.
You can either take the Golden Circle tour in the evening (19:00) or in the morning but I strongly recommend that you take the tour: Blue Lagoon to Keflavik airport when leaving. That is a unique experience. See information about the tours at www.grayline.is
There is also a website www.grapevine.is where you can see on a calendar what is on in Reykjavik the day/evening you will be here.
At last, I just want to mention the campaign to increase tourists to our country because the eruption in the glacier few months ago had serious affects on tourism here in Iceland, you see the campaign on this website: www.inspiredbyiceland.com
Have a happy stay - Bara
As everyone else here has mentioned.
Try to get on a Golden Circle tour DURING THE DAY (leaving AM the day you leave) since if you go later in the evening it will be relatively dark and you won't see much. Check out the tours available: [http://www.re.is/]
I would go explore downtown Reykjavík the first day and if you want to go hiking there is Mt. Esja right next to town and only takes a couple of hours to climb and you get a really nice view. You can catch a bus the base of the mountain and back.
There is also the Blue Lagoon, a must see location before you leave. It's relatively close to the airport and you can go there before you leave. [http://www.bluelagoon.com/]
Here are other tour providers: [http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/things-to-do/detail/item98/ICELANDIC_TOUR_OPERATORS/]
If you only have approximately 24 hours and want to you use time in the most efficient manner then I would consider renting a car and making way to see the locations you want since public transport isn't that advanced and will eat up your time as you wait, same thing goes with tour operations, they eat up time.
"You can either take the Golden Circle tour in the evening (19:00)"
Sep 15, 2010
Sunrise 06:50
Sunset 19:54
PS. I'm not tourist agent - so my advice is pure personal, joscelin2002 :-)
Another vote for the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon. I don't know whether it's best to do it by rental car or an organised tour... I drove a car in Iceland and I found the roads are easy (there simply aren't many) and even the free "Big Map" you can pick up at the airport is detailed enough to find Geysir and Gulfoss and Thingvellir, and your way around Reykjavik.
Most car rental companies allow you to pick up or bring back the car at the airport or in Reykjavik (at your hotel), it doesn't matter... for example they bring the car to your hotel, but when you're done you can leave it at the airport, or the other way around, or you do both the picking up and the returning at the airport (or hotel). I had an okay price through Sixt and they gave very good service.
Usually you can also opt for renting a navigation system to go with the car. But I was fine without one.
Using your own transportation will allow you to stay as long as you want at each of the sites. But if you don't want the hassle of renting a car and finding your way then a tour might be easier.
I really loved the Strokkur geyser and all the other hot spring type of things at the Geysir site, and stayed there for at least an hour. I also loved staring at the Gulfoss waterfall from various points.
Blue Lagoon could be nice for the evening if they're still open late... soak in a hot spring under a starry sky... take off all your jewellery or it will turn black! ... or go there just before you fly.
Reykjavik itself is small and you don't need a lot of time there. I don't know if "the Vulcano Show" features at night but it could be a nice way to pass a few hours after dark watching amazing footage of vulcanoes going off or even forming entire new islands of Iceland's coast.
Have fun! Iceland-specific tips on my website under Travel > Iceland 2007.