©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ICELAND’S RING ROAD ROAD TRIPS Alexis Averbuck, Carolyn Bain, Jade Bremner, Belinda Dixon HOW TO USE THIS BOOK Symbols In This Book Reviews KTop Tips Food & In the Destinations section: Drink All reviews are ordered in our authors’ Link preference, starting with their most Your Trips Outdoors preferred option. Additionally: Tips from Sights are arranged in the geographic Essential Locals Photo order that we suggest you visit them and, within this order, by author preference. Trip Walking Detour Tour Eating and Sleeping reviews are ordered by price range (budget, midrange, top end) and, History & within these ranges, by author preference. Culture 5 Eating Family 4 Sleeping Map Legend Routes Trips Trip Route Trip Numbers 1 Sights 4 Sleeping Trip Detour Linked Trip Trip Stop r Beaches 5 Eating Walk Route Tollway Walking tour 2 Activities 6 Drinking Freeway Primary Trip Detour C Courses 3 Entertainment Secondary Tertiary Population T Tours 7 Shopping Lane Capital (National) Unsealed Road Capital z Festivals Information Plaza/Mall (State/Province) & Events 8 & Transport Steps City/Large Town Tunnel Town/Village Pedestrian Overpass Areas Walk Track/Path Beach These symbols and abbreviations give Glacier vital information for each listing: Boundaries Cemetery International (Christian) State/Province Cemetery (Other) % Telephone # Pet-friendly Cliff Park number Forest g Bus h Hydrography Reservation Opening hours f Ferry River/Creek Urban Area p Parking j Tram Intermittent River Sportsground n Swamp/Mangrove Nonsmoking d Train a Canal Transport Air-conditioning apt apartments Water Airport i Internet access Dry/Salt/ Cable Car/ d double rooms W Intermittent Lake Funicular Wi-fi access dm dorm beds Glacier Metro station s Swimming pool Parking q quad rooms v Highway Markers Train/Railway Vegetarian selec- r rooms tion Highway marker Tram s single rooms E English-language menu ste suites c Family-friendly tr triple rooms Note: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book tw twin rooms CONTENTS PLAN YOUR TRIP DESTINATIONS Welcome to Reykjavik .........................................74 Iceland’s Ring Road......................... 5 Around the Ring Road ................... 96 Iceland’s Ring Road Map ................................. 6 The Golden Circle ...................96 Iceland’s Hvolsvöllur & Around ............. 100 Ring Road Highlights ...................... 8 Skógar ............................... 100 Reykjavík City Guide ......................10 Vík .................................... 100 Need to Know ..................................12 Kirkjubæjarklaustur............... 101 Ring Road Planner ..........................14 Lómagnúpur & Around .......... 104 Outdoor Activities Map ..................16 Skaftafell ........................... 104 Hot-Pot Hop Itinerary .....................18 Ingólfshöfði ......................... 104 Wildlife Watching .......................... 20 Hali to Höfn ........................ 105 Höfn ................................. 105 Djúpivogur .......................... 106 ROAD TRIPS Breiðdalsvík ........................ 106 Egilsstaðir & Around ............. 106 The Golden Mývatn & Around ................. 108 1 Circle & the Southwest 2–3 Days .... 25 Akureyri ............................. 111 Varmahlíð ........................... 114 Southeast 2 Iceland 3–4 Days ..... 35 Hvammstangi ...................... 114 East Borgarnes & Around ............. 115 3 Iceland 2–3 Days ..... 45 4 North Iceland 4–5 Days ..... 53 ROAD TRIP West 5 Iceland 1–2 Days ..... 65 ESSENTIALS ....118 3 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Destinations Reykjavík (p74) Iceland’s addictive capital is where everything’s at, and has a heady blend of fresh air, stylish design, artfully hip cafes and bars, fabulous and unusual museums plus a thriving restaurant scene. The Golden Circle (p96) In striking distance of the capital, this circuit com- prises some standout natural attractions, including the world’s oldest parliament, shifting tectonic plates, the original geyser and a stunning waterfall. Akureyri (p111) Iceland’s second city packs a punch for a diminutive town and is worth getting to know. There’s a quality restaurant and art scene, and the only decent nightlife beyond Reykjavík. Strokkur geyser (p28) SNOMEDIA/SHUTTERSTOCK © ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK We love to hear from travellers – your comments help make BEHIND our books better. We read every word, and we guarantee that your feedback goes straight to the authors. Visit lonelyplanet. THE com/contact to submit your updates and suggestions. Note: We may edit, reproduce and incorporate your SCENES comments in Lonely Planet products such as guidebooks, websites and digital products, so let us know if you don’t want your comments reproduced or your name acknowledged. For a copy of our privacy policy visit lonelyplanet.com/privacy. WRITER THANKS to Clifton Wilkinson for the job, to the whole Lonely Planet and bouquets to my co-authors team and all who’ve shared ALEXIS AVERBUCK for their collaborative spirit, information and inspiration, Life in Iceland wouldn’t be especially to Alexis and Belinda including Magnus in Djúpavík, the same without the brilliant for sparking gin-soaked dreams Charis in Reykjanes, Kári and support of Carolyn Bain. She of future projects. Thomas in Ísafjörður and Eyþor shared her friends and her in Flateyri. And to the warmest, ace tips on this great land with JADE BREMNER wisest collaborators a writer utmost generosity. Folks such as Thanks to Destination Editor could wish for: Alexis Averbuck Halldór at Visit North Iceland and Clifton Wilkinson for his superb and Carolyn Bain – raising a Addi, Anton, Stefán, Jóhanna, destination and publishing snúður to you both! Finnur, Villi, Elisabet and Odinn knowledge. Plus, everyone and others I met along the way working behind the scenes on graciously shared their stories this project – Cheree Broughton, ACKNOWLEDGE- and their ideas. Thanks, too, to Dianne, Jane, Neill Coen, Evan MENTS my own personal peachy King of Godt and Helen Elfer. Last but Climate map data adapted the Mountains, RVB. not least, thanks to my travelling from Peel MC, Finlayson BL & accomplice Harriet Sinclair, McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated CAROLYN BAIN who joined me for a few epic World Map of the Köppen- Heartfelt thanks go to Icelandic days scaling Hekla volcano Geiger Climate Classification’, friends, old and new, for making and walking the legendary Hydrology and Earth System my relocation to Reykjavík such Fimmvorduhals trail. Sciences, 11, 163344. a rewarding move. As ever, a huge cast of locals, travellers BELINDA DIXON Front cover photograph: and expats helped make this What an extraordinary Northern lights over the Ring research project a delight, and opportunity – to drive pitted Road, Tom Mackie/AWL © I’m grateful to all of them for roads beside vast fjords, soaking Back cover photograph: helping me see more, understand in hot-pots along the way. Thanks Puffins, south Iceland, Marco more and enjoy more. Cheers as big as those mountains go Bottigelli/4Corners © THIS BOOK Symington. This guidebook was Book Designer Fergal Condon produced by the following: This 2nd edition of Lonely Assisting Editors Judith Planet’s Iceland’s Ring Road Destination Editor Clifton Bamber, Victoria Harrison, guidebook was researched and Wilkinson Gabrielle Innes, Kate Morgan, written by Alexis Averbuck, Senior Product Editor Genna Monique Perrin Carolyn Bain, Jade Bremner, Patterson Cover Researcher Meri Blazevski Belinda Dixon. The previous Senior Cartographer Valentina Thanks to Grace Dobell, Mateusz edition was written by Alexis Kremenchutskaya Kmiecinski, Joe Piscotty, Averbuck, Carolyn Bain and Andy Product Editor Kate James Amanda Williamson 134 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd INDEX Bjorbodin Beer Baths 62 (Reykjavík) 11, 76 A boat travel 124 Hallgrímskirkja accessible travel 124-5 boat trips, see also rafting (Hvalfjörður) 69 accommodation 13, 27, 125-7 Djúpivogur 47 Núpsstaður 38 activities 11, 16-17, 56, 16-17, Fjallsárlón 40 Papey 47 see also individual activities Húsavik 58 Þingvellir 27 air travel 124 Jökulsárlón 41 climate 12 Akureyrarkirkja 61 Seyðisfjörður 50 costs 13, 125, 128 Akureyri 17, 61-2, 111-14, 112 Vestmannaeyjar Islands 32 craters, see volcanoes & Almannagjá rift 27 Borg á Mýrum 67 craters Alþingi 27, 60 Borgarfjörður 67 credit cards 128 Arctic Circle 61 Borgarfjörður Eystri 14, 21 Culture House 11, 76 Arnarson, Ingólfur 40 Borgarnes 66-7, 115-17, 115, 117 currency 12, 128 Arnarstapi 70 Breiðdalsvík 48, 106 cycling 15, 95 art galleries, see museums budgets 13, 125, 128 Kirkjubæjarklaustur 101, 103 & art galleries Búðir, see Fáskrúðsfjörður Mývatn 109-10 Askja 59 Búlandstindur 47 Reykjavík 81, 84 ATMs 128 bus travel 15 business hours 13, 129 B D beer 42 C dangers, see safety debit cards 128 Beljandi Brugghús 48 campervans, see driving Deildartunguhver 68 Berunes 47-8 camping 125-6 detours 14 bicycle travel 15, 95 car hire 12, 120-1 Dettifoss 55-6 birdwatching 20, see car insurance 119-20 Diamond Beach 41-2 also puffin watching car-sharing 121 Diamond Circle 14 Grímsey 61 car travel, see driving Dimmuborgir 59-60 Höfn 43 cars, see driving disabilities, travellers Ingólfshöfði 39-40 cathedrals, see churches & with 124-5 Mývatn 60 cathedrals discount cards 125 Papey 47 cell phones 13, 131 djammið 91 Vík 33 churches & cathedrals Djúpivogur 47, 106 Akureyrarkirkja 61 000 Map pages dog sledding 110 Hallgrímskirkja 135 drinking 91, 132-3,