Top 10 Iceland

146 Pages·2016·35.84 MB·English

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP
ICELAND
HOT SPRINGS AND GEYSERS • ITINERARIES AND TRIPS
TOP RESTAURANTS • VOLCANOES AND WATERFALLS
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES • BARS AND CLUBS • HOTELS
ARRS T F R ÍR K I R KÆ S J ÓU V L E T E G LU Y RI J Í A i sDs S lFJ tÓaKL óaU n ÁG sm B dLa Ó SH ksfTKn LiOAUÍrHFLÁGSkVTELGUURjSÖaRTÐnÍÞGIUSNTGÍUGHU UORRLRTÐSASRT RNBÆÖTENBRNUGGASATTAALÐ A DSBTURRAÆRRÓTGÐISTI GANSIGSAGG KAAATÓTATL TAAA VAS Þ JÖÓ AFRRRÐSEGLUYAOSTJKTAUAÍ GGS U T AKRÍLTAGA PP
YOUR GUIDE TO THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP
ICELAND
DAVID LEFFMAN
Top 10 Iceland The Top 10
Highlights of Everything
Welcome to Iceland .......................5 Moments in History .....................36
Exploring Iceland ...........................6 Churches ......................................38
Iceland Highlights ........................10 Museums in Reykjavík .................40
Þingvellir National Park ..............12 Museums Around Iceland ...........42
The Blue Lagoon and Around .....14 Waterfalls .....................................44
Geysir Hot Springs Area ..............16 Volcanoes ......................................46
Gullfoss .........................................18 Hot Springs and Geysers .............48
Lake Mývatn Area ........................20 Offshore Islands ...........................50
Vatnajökull National Park ...........24 Places to See Birds
Snæfellsjökull National Park ......26 and Wildlife ...............................52
Látrabjarg Bird Cliffs ...................28 Things to Do With Kids ................54
Landmannalaugar Area ..............30 Outdoor Activities .........................58
Jökulsárlón ..................................32 Hiking Trails .................................60
Places for Fine Dining .................62
Cheaper Eats ................................64
Bars, Clubs and Cafés .................66
Iceland for Free ............................68
Festivals ........................................70
CONTENTS
Iceland Streetsmart
Area by Area
Reykjavík .......................................74 Getting To and Around
West Iceland and the Iceland .....................................120
Snæfellsnes Peninsula ............82 Practical Information .................122
The Westfjords .............................88 Places to Stay .............................128
North Iceland ...............................94
East Iceland ................................100 General Index .............................134
South Iceland .............................108 Acknowledgments .....................140
The Highland Interior ................114 Phrase Book ...............................142
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top
10 Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that
this book is as up-to-date as possible at the
time of going to press. Some details,
however, such as telephone numbers,
opening hours, prices, gallery hanging
arrangements and travel information are
liable to change. The publishers cannot
accept responsibility for any consequences
arising from the use of this book, nor for any
material on third party websites, and cannot
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy guarantee that any website address in this
of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in book will be a suitable source of travel
the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. information. We value the views and
suggestions of our readers very highly. Please
Front cover and spine Reykjavík and Mount write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel
Esja in the background Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London
Back cover Godafoss Falls, North Iceland WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email
Title page Hveravellir hot spring in the western [email protected]
highlands

Top 10 Iceland ❮❮ 5
Welcome to
Iceland
Land of the Vikings and their sagas. A mix of lunar deserts,
thundering waterfalls, erupting volcanoes and majestic
fjords. Hiking hotspot. Wildfowl mecca. All this only begins
to describe Iceland… so who could deny it’s Europe’s
wildest, most rugged destination? With Eyewitness Top 10
Iceland, it’s yours to explore.
We love nothing more than spending never-ending summer days
strolling Reykjavík’s historic centre, taking an outdoor thermal soak
in the surreal waters of the Blue Lagoon, enjoying fresh-caught
salmon or lobster in a seafront restaurant, tackling the Laugavegur
trail between Landmannalaugar’s hot springs and the beautiful
highland wilderness at Þórsmörk, or gazing at powder-blue
icebergs drifting lazily around at Jökulsárlón. It’s all here on this
island nation, floating just below the Arctic Circle.
The country isn’t all a struggle against the elements. Small but
sophisticated Reykjavík offers a melange of cafés, bars and
museums. History and landscape are visibly entangled at sites such
as Þingvellir, the rift-valley location of Iceland’s original Viking
parliament, or Laxárdalur, the setting for the tragic Laxdæla Saga.
But in the end, it’s Iceland’s raw beauty that really captures the
imagination: the smouldering lava fields, huge volcanic craters,
bubbling mud pools and seething geysers.
Whether you’re coming for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide
is designed to bring together the best of everything the country can
offer, from four-wheel-drive expeditions across the Interior to gentle
walks around Reykjavík’s city parks. The guide gives you tips
throughout, from seeking out when and where to see the northern
lights to the best places to spot puffins, plus easy-to-follow
itineraries, designed to tie together a clutch of sights in a short
space of time. Add inspiring photography and detailed maps, and
you’ve got the essential pocket-sized travel companion. Enjoy the
book, and enjoy Iceland.
Clockwise from top: Jökulsárlón icebergs, the Blue Lagoon, Perlan building in Reykjavík,
Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupting, Vík church, a puffin, turf houses in Djúpivogur
6 ❯❯ Top 10 Iceland
Exploring Iceland
Iceland’s attractions are split between its
unique island culture and its often explosive
scenery – and with many landscapes closely
tied to famous historic events, you’ll often
Reykjavík’s old houses
find both together. Here are some ideas for are weather proofed in
making the most of your stay, whether you brightly coloured
are here on a weekend break in Reykjavík, corrugated iron.
or have time to circuit the country.
Strokkur geyser
erupts every few
minutes.
Þingvellir Geysir Gullfoss
Reykjavík
Kerið
Blue Selfoss
Lagoon
Hvolsvöllur Eyjafjallajökull
Saga Centre
Key Seljalandsfoss
Two-day itinerary Skógafoss
Seven-day itinerary
and the thundering falls of Gullfoss
Two Days in Iceland
(see pp18–19). Enjoy an evening soak
at the Blue Lagoon (see pp14–15).
Day 1
Stroll around Reykjavík’s midtown
Seven Days in Iceland
and harbour (see p75), taking in the
Harpa theatre (see p76) and cultural
exhibitions at Landn ámssýningin, Day 1
Safnahúsið and Listasafn Íslands Explore Reykjavík’s historic midtown
(see p75). In the afternoon, survey the and harbour (see p75), taking in
city from atop Hallgrímskirkja (see the excellent, subterranean
p76) or Perlan (see p77) before Landnámssýningin exhibition (see
admiring Modernist can vases at p75). Drive around the iconic
Kjarvalss taðir (see p76). Finish with landscapes at Þingvellir (see pp12–
the zoo and botanic gardens at 13), Geysir (see pp16–17) and Gullfoss
Laugard alur (see p77). (see pp18–19), before heading past
Kerið crater (see p112) to spend the
Day 2 night in the town of Selfoss.
Take a Golden Circle tour (or drive)
around the ancient parliament site at Day 2
Þingvellir (see pp12–13), Gey sir’s hot Travel the southwest coast, via the
pools and water spouts (see pp16–17) Hvolsvöllur Saga Centre (see p112),
Exploring Iceland ❮❮ 7
0 kilometres 60
0 miles 60
Húsavík
Krafla Jökul sárlón lagoon is
Námaskarð filled with floating
Akureyri Lake blue icebergs.
Mývatn Jarðböðin Seyðisfjörður
Egilsstaðir
Lögurinn
Lake
Höfn
Svartifoss Jökulsárlón
Skaftafell
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
is fed by meltwater from
Vík
Eyjafjallajö kull icecap.
the waterfall at Seljalandsfoss (see Lögurinn lake or head to the
p44), the Eyjafjallajö kull icecap (see picturesque East Fjords port of
p46) – site of the 2010 eruption – and Seyðisfjörður (see p102).
Skógafoss (see p45). Stay overnight
at Vík (see p110), with its teeming Day 5
seabird colonies. Drive towards Lake Mývatn, detour-
ing to explore the Krafla erupt ion
Day 3 site (see p21) and Námas karð’s mud
Cross the gravel desert that lies east pools (see p21). Circuit Lake Mývatn
of Vík to Skaftafell (see p25), where (see p20) before unwinding at
you can see glacier tongues and Jarðböðin Nature Baths (see p21).
Svartifoss waterfall (see p60).
Continue to the icebergs at Day 6
Jökulsárlón (see pp32–3) and lobster Head to the north coast for a whale-
restaurants at Höfn (see p103), with watching trip out of Húsavík (book in
views of Vatnajökull icecap (see p24) advance; see p96), before driving to
along the way. pleasant Akureyri (see p96).
Day 4 Day 7
Travel up the east coast and then Return to Reykjavík and spend a
inland to Egilsstaðir (see p101), couple of hours at the Blue Lagoon
where you could either circuit (see pp14–15) en route to the airport.
Top 10 Iceland
Highlights
Jökulsárlón lagoon at sunset