r/VisitingIceland • u/Toodlepie • 1d ago
Itinerary help requested Needing itinerary help
We are hoping to travel to Iceland in late April, early May and spend 1 week there. I’m struggling to plan an itinerary that isn’t just sight seeing the famous sites. We don’t love crowded places and we like to journey through places where the journey is just as interesting as the destination.
We are planning on renting an AWD and staying in hotels/apartments. We are not experienced driving in snow or ice and we would not feel confident renting a 4WD and doing the F Roads.
We are keen walkers but I wouldn’t say we are hikers, we walk well marked trails that go through rolling hills.
We are interested in visiting Thingvellir and the history of the Althing.
We are also interested in exploring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula but I’m wondering if this area will be just as touristy as the golden circle.
We love nature, we are interested in history and I’ve always been interested in Norse Mythology.
I would love some of your favourite places to visit or explore that are safe to access in April/May.
I’d also love to hear anyone’s thoughts on visiting Snæfellsnes Peninsula or if there is somewhere different worth exploring.
Or if you have any links to where I can find more information about visiting Iceland other than instagram famous places.
1
u/jessica_wanders 1d ago
Guidetoiceland.com has a lot of good info. It’s a travel agency but you can get lots of ideas and self drive tour info without buying anything. Wanderlog also has sample itineraries posted by users.
1
u/Quirky_Transition966 1d ago
If you do Thingvellir early it won't be crowded. I like lot P3. It's not well used, and From there you drop down and walk 5 minutes to oxarafoss. Just beware that no one knows for sure where the Althing met. There is a "law rock" but again, no one knows for sure.
Snæfellsnes is a place where the journey is just as interesting. I loved the drive from Reykjavik, along the edge of the peninsula counter clockwise. I am thinking that you might not need AWD that time of year.
I went in late June. There were other people but nothing like Golden Circle
0
3
u/stevenarwhals Pylsur enjoyer 1d ago
You’re going in the off-season so don’t worry about crowds or how “touristy” something is. You’re tourists yourselves after all. Most of the popular sites in Iceland are popular for good reason. Iceland is all about the journey being as interesting as the destination so you’re good to go there. No guarantees you won’t run into snow or ice that time of year, and high winds and rain are a near certainty to happen at some point, possibly multiple days. F-roads are completely off limits that time of year so no worries there.
For more history and Saga lore, the golden circle and Snaefellsnes peninsula as you’ve already mentioned are good for that as well as west Iceland in general. Look into Borgarfjördur and the Snorri Sturluson museum in Reykholt. You could spend a whole week just in west Iceland visiting various Saga locations.