Arrival
Our flight landed at 15:30. Firstly, we got tested for the Covid-19 at around 16:15 and we received negative results both in app and via SMS early in the next morning. Easy. Overalls, very quick and smooth process. Again – kudos to Icelandic authorities for this. You can read more about our experience with Covid-19 in Iceland here.
Shuttle bus sign at Reykjavik International airport towards car rental lot
What followed was our car rental. For our first day in Iceland, we decided to rent a cheap 2wd car due to several reasons mentioned here in detail. In a nutshell – we saved around 80Eur compared to 4×4 rental and saved even compared to a return journey from Keflavik to Reykjavik by bus. Our rental experience was great because we chose a good car rental company. Again if you are interested in details, serve yourself here.
Go Car rental, one of the best Icelandic car rentals
One additional piece of advice: I suggest WALKING from the airport to the car rental lot rather than using the shuttle bus. At least when the weather is OK. The walk takes some 5 minutes and you don’t have to wait for the bus, load all your luggage in and then unload all your luggage out.
Reykjavik
18:00-22:00
Reykjavik is a decent Nordic city where you can spend a couple of hours mainly just soaking up the atmosphere of the region. But let’s be honest, you usually don’t come to Iceland to see Reykjavik. You come to Iceland to see Iceland, and Reykjavik stands in your way as a first stop, because in 99% of cases you arrive somewhere nearby. And we can only confirm this – there are so many beautiful places around Iceland that Reykjavik (compared to them) simply isn’t that jaw-dropping.
Looking for cool places in Reykjavik? Get inspired by the Reykjavik VR tour!
Hallgrimskirkja, the most famous Icelandic church
Our accommodation stood a 3-minute walk from Halgrímskirkja. I recommend this area to anyone else spending just a couple of hours in the city because all you want to see in such a short time is really close.
At the end of the day, we took a long walk around Reykjavik’s center, covering Halgrímskirkja, Harpa concert hall and park around Tjornin lake. Nice, but nothing jaw-dropping. If I came to Iceland next time, I would skip Reykjavik and go directly for our main trip. But, because it was our first time, I don’t regret it.
What time of year did you go on your trip to Iceland?
This trip mentioned in this article was the first week of August. However, we went several times – July, August, September, February, March and more.
Should one get a satellite beacon for doing this ring road trip with a bit of highlands?
Well it depends what you mean by “a bit of highlands” 🙂 If you go somewhere potentially dangerous without cell service, then yes, you should get a satellite beacon. Are you going to Landmannalaugar for 1 day only? Then probably no, because there’s network coverage. However, if you’re planning a more remote hike like Graenihryggur there, then it’s better to have the beacon for this part of the trip.