Don't leave your binoculars at home. The largest colony of puffins in the world nests in the Westmann Islands, off the coast of Iceland. More varieties of breeding ducks are found at Lake Myvatn in the north of Iceland than at any other place in Europe.
Fishing
Fishing for salmon, brown trout and arctic char is popular June-September—and expensive for tourists. Purchase a license from landowners or a tour operator.
Golf
Iceland has more than 50 golf courses. There are nine in the Reykjavik area. You can play golf at almost any hour during the summer, when there are 20 hours of daylight.
Hiking & Walking
Hiking tours are available from Reykjavik. Your hotel will help you sign up for a half- or full-day tour.
Skiing
There's good skiing December-May at Hveradalir, Skalafell and Blafjoll (not too far from Reykjavik). You can also ski at Kerlingarfjoll in the summer.
Swimming
Reykjavik has several heated geothermal pools—at least one is within walking distance of most hotels. Every small town has at least one as well. The pools have hot tubs beside them and usually also have a sauna and sulfurous steam bath.
Pools are inexpensive (about 350 IKr) and a good way to engage in conversation with Icelanders. Take your bathing suit, a towel and toiletries. Lockers are available.
Shopping
Shop for woolen goods (sweaters, jackets, blankets, scarves), gold or silver Viking-theme jewelry, Icelandic art (paintings, photographs, etchings or ceramics), stamps and coins, smoked salmon and herring, lava ornaments, Icelandic folk and popular music, and sheepskins (for cribs, car seats or rugs). Look for the shops with the Duty Free sign.
It is pleasant to walk around the old part of Reykjavik, near the Parliament buildings, and look in the shops there. Eymundsson, a bookstore near the main post office, is a pleasant place to browse and has a good supply of English language books, photo books on Iceland and small gifts. Across the main street and up the hill is Laugavegur, called the "shopping street." Many shops have relocated to the mall or closed, but there is still a fair assortment, including designer-clothing shops. The Handknitting Association of Iceland is a good place to buy handmade woolen sweaters or yarn to make your own.
Rammagerdin has souvenirs and a lot of woolen sweaters and other local items. The Wool Market in the old section of town, close to the Hotel Borg, is another good shop. Stop by 66 Degrees on Laekjargata for great clothes to wear in the cold weather. Its cool caps make perfect souvenirs. The Keflavik International Airport's large duty-free shop has a few bargains, although some items are more expensive than in the downtown (nonhotel) shops, which aren't duty-free. Kringlan, in downtown Reykjavik, is the city's major shopping mall, with 40 to 50 shops carrying everything from Icelandic lava to Christian Dior fashions. Smaralind, the largest mall in Iceland, is located in the southern suburb of Kopavogur.
Some larger stores have a streamlined process for reimbursing visitors for the local value-added tax (VAT). Refunds are only applicable if you have spent more than 4,000 IKr.
Shopping Hours: Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday 10 am-4 pm. Hours may vary depending on the season.
Day By Day
Though most visitors in the past saw Iceland during a one- or two-night stopover in Reykjavik en route to or from Europe, it has become a popular place to experience the outdoors—camping, fishing, trekking and whale- or bird-watching. Those with plenty of time could easily spend 15-17 days driving around the island, but because most people have only a week or so, we offer the following "minimal" itinerary. It will at least give you a taste of what Iceland has to offer.
If you rent a car, you can follow the plan exactly. (Gasoline is expensive but so is everything else in Iceland.) If not, tours to these places are available as day trips from Reykjavik using the tour desk in your hotel. Tour operators make pick-ups and drop-offs at most hotels and some guest houses.
Day 1—Arrive Reykjavik.
Day 2—Reykjavik.
Day 3—Drive to Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, also known as the Golden Circle.
Day 4—Continue to Skalholt and Hveragerdi, where vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown in steam-heated greenhouses. Ferry or fly to Westmann Islands and overnight at the comfortable Thorshammar Hotel.
Day 5—Westmann Islands, where the most recent volcanic eruption took place in 1973. You can also see plenty of puffins.
Day 6—Return to Reykjavik.
Day 7—Reykjavik.
Day 8—Go to Blue Lagoon in the morning. Depart Iceland in the afternoon.
Should you have additional time, begin with Day 6 of the above itinerary and add the following:
Day 6—Return from Westmann Islands, overnight in Skogar.
Day 7—Drive to Landmannalaugar or Thorsmork (in season), overnight in Vik or Kirkjubaejarklaustur.
Day 8—Skaftafell National Park, Nupsstadur, then overnight in Kirkjubaejarklaustur or Hofn.
Day 9—Another day in Skaftafell. Overnight in Hofn.
Day 10—Drive to Egilsstadir for flight to Reykjavik and depart Iceland.
Alternatively, drive north from Reykjavik through Borgarnes to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula where you can engage in many outdoor activities. From there, go on to Akureyri, known as the "Jewel of the North." Continue to Lake Myvatn for fishing and relaxation. Visit Jokulsa Canyon National Park, then head back to Reykajvik. The drive can be made in one day if you don't stop to take too many pictures.
