48h in Iceland in winter: what to do and what to see
Iceland has become a very popular tourist destination in recent years and there are very good reasons for that. The list of natural wonders one can admire in Iceland is so long that a requires quite a few days to enjoy it thoroughly and it is well beyond the scope of this post.
Many people visiting Iceland, though, have relatively short time to make the most of their visit. This is particularly true of the many transit passengers traveling between Europe and America that get the chance to explore the country’s natural wonders.
In my case, it’s the national airline Icelandair that flew me there, giving me the chance to enjoy the amazing Saga Premium class, which I reviewed here.
I decided to make this, rather short, trip to Iceland after receiving an invitation to visit the bi-annual Icelandair Mid-Atlantic Tradeshow. It was great that, despite the intense professional programme, there was also some time for sightseeing in and outside Reykjavik.
What follows is my report and my recommendations for time-pressed first time visitors to Iceland!
Iceland Golden Ring Tour
This is a classic itinerary that can be day in a day (even half a day if hard pressed) starting and returning to Reykjavik. In fact, we did it during the month of January, when the Icelandic days are terribly short (it is dark until past 10am and again at around 4pm or so), nevertheless we managed to see quite a lot. Of course, we were in the hands of Reykjavik Excursions and a great guide, Albert, which, in addition to making the most out of our time to show us around and sharing the most interesting facts about each location we visited, he also kept us well entertained with its great Icelandic sense of humor!
Geysir geothermal area
This was our first stop, perfectly timed when the sun was already out. The Geysir area is know because, as the name indicates, this is an area where there is volcanic activity very close to the surface. Here you can admire the geyser that gives its name to the place, but also other boiling water springs.
The area is very easily accessible from the road, via a short walking path (in winter is advisable to bring warm clothing and waterproof shoes, though, since the soil can get really wet and damp!)
In recent years a large visitor’s center and a high end hotel have opened right next to the geysers area.
Here below is the geyser, which people congregate around to watch. I am not sure what is the frequency of the explosions, we had to wait only for about 5 minutes until one came up. Apparently it really depends on how much pressure the steam builds up underground.
Gullfoss Waterfall
This waterfall on the Hvítá river is a rather majestic sight.
The Gullfoss Waterfalls are actually two waterfalls in one. The top one is 11 meters tall, the lower one, 21. There are also two ways to approach it, the higher and lower one. We took the lower one, from where this picture is taken, which is very accessible by road.
Our guide told us that this waterfall was saved from being tamed and fitted with hydroelectric facilities in the early 20th century thanks to the constant fight of Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the young daughter of a local farmer Tómas Tómasson, who pretty much devoted her life to preserving this amazing landscape. At some point she even threatened to throw herself to the waterfall if the plans of the British developers went ahead. She persevered and she won and today the waterfalls are protected natural heritage.
If you are looking for a quintessentially Icelandic sight, this is it!
Friðheimar greenhouses
Is it possible to cultivate tomatoes and fruits commercially near the Arctic circle?
Yes! provided you have access to plenty of geothermal power. This is what drives this truly interesting agricultural and gastronomical business pretty much in the middle of the Arctic wilderness.
A couple of entrepreneurs from Reykjavik bought this farm in the 1990s with the idea to breed Icelandic horses here. They soon realized that the place offered other possibilities too!
Coming inside the Friðheimar greenhouse is like landing on another planet, particularly if, like us, you do so on a dark, cold winter day.
When you pass the door you come into a lush and warm, exuberant environment. You could as well be in the tropics!
What makes this place so interesting, though, is that Friðheimar is not just a greenhouse, but a gastronomic destination in its own right. Here you can eat surrounded by greenery, but, what’s more, you can learn the fascinating story of this place and how the family that owns it has been developing it using, mainly, the organically grown tomatoes that they harvest year-round.
Cherry tomatoes are the star here, but there are many other crops, such as aromatic basil, cucumbers or other vegetables and even fruits.
People learn here about the cultivation process, which includes organic, non-agressive pest control methods, and pollinization through the use of (imported) bees.
The menu is all based on local ingredients, with the tomato being, again, the star. Even the drinks have tomato as the base ingredient (there’s even tomato beer!)
There is also a shop where you can buy all sort of products made with the locally grown tomato, from sauce to jam. They also distribute it in supermarkets and shops throughout Iceland.
Oh, and the horse-breeding project was not abandoned. It is also well and thriving and visitors can also enjoy horse shows!
The whole concept of Friðheimar reminded me a bit of that of Mooma, in Catalonia, which I wrote about here, just that instead of apples this one is built around tomatoes.
Efstidalur II Dairy farm
Not far from Friðheimar, we made a pit stop at this dairy farm that is famous in Iceland because of its ice-cream.
This is not km.0 ice-cream, but pretty much “metre.0” ice-cream since the cow shed is literally integrated with the ice-cream shop, to the point that you are only separated by a thin glass window!
Also quite amazing to think that Icelandic cows produce enough milk to supply each inhabitant of this country with more than a litre of milk per day year-round!
Fontana Spa and Lake Laugarvatn
This is an ideal place to enjoy the thermal water of Iceland.
Located next to Lake Laugarvatn, this place has offered, for nearly 100 years, the possibility of bathing in hot springs. Volcanic activity here is close to the surface and, in some places, you just have to dig a few centimetres for boiling water to bubble to the surface.
At Fontana Spa you can bathe in a series of swimming pools with water at different temperatures, or spend some time in the sauna (the structure on the left of the picture) and alternate it with bathing in the icy waters of the lake!
But the other things this place is famous for is the geothermal bakery. Here they bake rye bread by digging a hole in the ground next to the thermal water springs.
The bread mix is left buried underground in a pot for it to bake overnight in the warm lava-heated ground, which acts as a natural oven a. 24h later, it gets dug out and immediately chilled in the waters of lake Laugarvatn and voilà! you have some delicious bread!
The next step is to try it and see whether it has baked as expected! From what we were told, there is some variability in how the bread gets cooked, since the natural heat is not always equally distributed throughout the ground at all times, so the flavour and consistency of the bread can vary considerably from one batch to the next.
Happy to report that we were lucky with the bread and it turned out to have an almost perfect consistency and a taste on par.
Even better if you eat the bread together with the locally-made organic butter and smoked trout from lake Laugarvatn.
We were actually told that when Gordon Ramsay visited this place, he was totally blown away by the flavours and immediately requested to go see the trout smoke house, which is located on the opposite shore of the lake, with a view to selling it in his restaurants in the US.
And, then, back to Reykjavik! (the traditional Golden Ring tour includes also a visit to the Þingvellir National Park, but we were short of time, so drove straight to the capital. Here are some of the landscapes we passed through before it became again dark.
Things to do and see in Reykjavik
Downtown Reyjkjavik
As you may imagine, Reykjavik is not a huge city, plus it is also considerably spread out, so the center is quite tiny. Nevertheless it is quite pleasant to walk through, even in a chilly winter day. Here are a couple of pics that give you a feel of the place.
You can see here, in the background, the contemporary glass-and-steel architecture of the Harpa concert hall (more about this singular building further down this text).
Hallgrímskirkja
This church is, perhaps, the most well known man-made landmark in Reykjavik and in the whole of Iceland.
Construction of this 74m-high Lutheran church started in the 1940s, but it was not considered finished until 1986! It was built in a modern style, with stylized, clean lines, that has turned it into one of the symbols of the country.
The church is on top of a small hill overlooking the center of the city and, in front of it, there is this statue of Leif Ericsson, the viking leader that is said to have been the first European to set foot in the Americas.
Harpa Concert Hall
I had the chance to get inside this building, not because of a concert, but because I attended an event that took place here.
While I don’t consider myself an expert in modern architecture, I quite liked the way it is designed, very modern but also quite spacious and functional (like most buildings in Iceland, a lot of care goes into great design!)
Whales of Iceland
This is an interesting museum about the sealife, and very particularly whales, that live in Icelandic waters.
Here you will find some 21 different whale replicas built at scale, with plenty of information about how they live and communicate. The museum offers also some sailing tours to go see the real thing (it is conveniently located in one of the city wharves).
I would have like to have had more time to go through all the collections properly!
Iceland Flyover
Located right next to Whales of Iceland, this is a totally recommended experience!
If you don’t have time to explore the nature of Iceland (or even if you do!), this is a thrilling full-motion movie that will make you feel as you were flying over the most spectacular natural spots of Iceland.
There is a bit of a short introductory story-telling part (with audiovisual animation) and then you move onto the circular cinema theatre, fasten your seatbelt and prepare for a truly immersive experience that will make your head spin!
