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27 June 201210 days in July
This year, our 5th trip to Iceland, we decided to do the tour again but this time crossing the country to discover sites that we knew little or nothing about. Also, it was a chance to see places that we loved but couldn't enjoy due to the poor weather.
As usual, we left Paris via the Icelandair Flight at 2:15PM for a flight of about 3.5 hours to Keflavik, a peaceful journey with sunshine all the way, arriving at Keflavik airport without delay.
Car Rental at Blue Car Rental
On arrival, Magnus from Blue Car Rental was waiting for us in the airport arrival hall to hand over the Suzuki Jimny that would carry us along the rough roads of Iceland.
The Blue Car Rental headquarters were 5 kilometers from the airport, so Magnus picked us up directly in the airport hall with a small sign for us to recognize him. Update: the Blue Car Rental office (Blikavöllur 3) is now just next to the airport, a 3-4 minute walk away, and pick-up takes place at the office rather than in the arrival hall. After customs, cross the departures hall and then car park P1; online check-in and key-box key collection are available. The welcome from Magnus was very nice; he showed us the vehicle parked in the airport car park, asked us about our route, and advised us on certain areas with warnings that some roads required particular caution.
For the return trip (very early in the morning for the 7:00AM flight...) we simply had to park the car in the same place, and someone from Blue Car Rental would be there to walk around the vehicle and make sure with us that there were no problems. Update: today, the car is returned to the Blue Car Rental office (Blikavöllur 3) for a quick inspection. The rental company advises dropping off luggage and passengers at the terminal first; only the driver brings the car back.
11 days around Iceland
We were all set to get out there for 11 days across Iceland. The weather was magnificent, the temperature was 18 °C, which was unexpected so we decided to stop at the Blue Lagoon, and that's when we really realized that this year was a very special year for tourism in Iceland...
The car park was crowded, with 6 or 7 tourist buses (mostly French for that matter...). This did not prevent us from enjoying it well with the bright sun even if, as a result, we only stayed for a short time. At 05:30PM, we left for Reykjavik to put our things at the guesthouse (Sunna) where we slept, right next to Hallgrímskirkja in the center of the city.
Practical tip: the Blue Lagoon sits roughly halfway between the airport and the capital, about 23 km from Keflavik (around twenty minutes by car) and about 50 km from Reykjavik. These days it is best to book your time slot in advance on the official website, especially in summer, when the lagoon is open from 7AM to 11PM between June 15 and August 20. Access is via road 43 (Grindavíkurvegur): some GPS units show outdated routes, so simply follow the road signs. Before you go, check for any closures linked to volcanic activity (see our article on the eruption near Grindavík). Full details (prices, facilities, best times to visit) are in our Blue Lagoon guide.
The welcome was friendly, and the guesthouse was really close to Laugavegur Street, about 10 minutes from the cathedral, and a stone's throw from the “Café Loki” where we went and enjoyed excellent Scandinavian smorrebrod.
Good to know: Hallgrímskirkja is a church, not a cathedral (Reykjavik's cathedral stands near Lake Tjörnin), so the "cathedral" mentioned above is really the church. Entry is free, and a tower offers a 360° panorama over the city. For planning your first evening, see our guides to Hallgrímskirkja, to visiting Reykjavik, and to the best restaurants in Reykjavik.
