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The Great Icelandic Soak-Off: A Potted Guide To Wild Pools
Iceland is dotted with wild, natural geothermal hot pots. They’re diverse and eccentric in nature—each one is different, whether a converted sheep bath with piped-in water, a warm river, or a naturally occurring pot for two. You should be prepared to use…
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Flúðir Town Guide: Tomatoes, Ethiopian Food And Soccer Golf
A half an hour’s drive inland from the ring road, Flúðir is a tiny town often overlooked by those looking to circle the island in their limited time in the country. The municipal area is home to 800 people, smack dab in…
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Outside Of Reykjavík: Theatre, Rock ‘n’ Roll & Elves
If you’re heading of Reykjavík soon, here are some interesting tucked away spots and fun activities that might interest you, from Keflavík to Hafnarfjörður to Snæfellsnes. Theatre: The Freezer There’s not an awful lot to do in the tiny seaside hamlet of…
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Outside Of Reykjavík: Mountains, Sagas And… Goats
Here are a few interesting spots to star on your Google Map for your next Iceland road trip. Place: Borg Situated outside the town of Borgarnes north of Reykjavík is this hillock where notorious Viking Skalla-Grímr Kveldúlfsson supposedly settled in the late…
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Alt Golden Circle: Lesser Known Spots On The Tourist Trail
The Golden Circle wasn’t always known as such. The first recorded mention of the Icelandic-language term “Gullni Hringurinn” was in 1979, on a RÚV radio show hosted by tour guide Birna G. Bjarnleifsdóttir. The listing for the item reads: “09:00: The Traveller.…
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Volcano Island: A Weekend In Vestmannaeyjar
The tiny propellor plane descends into the clouds, buffeted by the ferocious wind. Along with my twelve or so fellow passengers, I’m jolted left and right as a tiny sea stack appears in the round window through a blanket of fog. A…
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2016 In Travel: Small Towns, Ice Caves, Volcanoes, Islands
To look back on Grapevine’s year in travel, we decided to first go the empirical populism route, and drew up a list of the most clicked, liked and read stories we published in 2016. The first noticeable pattern was that our…
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Seeing The Underworld Of Iceland’s Lava Tunnels
Iceland’s lava fields have their own particular beauty. Their velvety moss carpets and waves of dark rock peaks have a peaceful vastness. But it’s not only the view that makes them special—the unique process of their formation has led to fascinating natural…
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Swimming In Silence: A Scintillating Snorkel Between Continents In The Silfra Fissure
Even in a town as small and quiet as Reykjavík, it’s still easy to get caught up in daily urban stresses: Drinking too much caffeine, staying up too late, and djamming a little too hard. What can someone do to wind down…
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To The Lighthouse: A Magical Getaway At Dyrhólaey
At the southernmost point of mainland Iceland sits a particularly dramatic and tide-lashed stretch of coastline. Around the town of Vík, the waves crash in with particularly ferocious force, rending the cliffside apart in imperceptibly slow motion and leaving behind angular basalt…
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Drive-Through Towns: Nostalgia For The Non-Existent in Þorlákshöfn
When I told the waitress that I was looking for something interesting to do in Þorlákshöfn, she expressed condolences. It’s not exactly the reaction one hopes for when writing a piece about a town. She asked the other waitress and went in…
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Volcano Watch: A Closer Look At Katla
Hvolsvöllur is a sleepy village in south Iceland, between Hella and Seljalandsfoss. It’s a somewhat forgettable, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it settlement of just a few small hangars and stores, a bank, and a handful houses, all whipped by dust from the steady tourist traffic of…
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Real Life Iceland: There’s More To Keflavík Than The Airport
Every tourist that comes to Iceland sets foot in Keflavík, but they rarely stay there—staring at the town instead through the windows of the Flybus. Not wishing to sugar-coat it: Keflavík has a questionable reputation. It’s not necessarily a place most Icelanders…
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Fjord Serenity Now! A Kayaking Day In Hvalfjörður
Kayaking has always been a favorite sport of mine because its effort-to-awesomeness ratio is incredibly low. Sure, pro kayakers can get up to all kinds of badassery, but if you’re a tourist interested in trying it for the first time or a…
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Meanwhile, In Hafnarfjörður: One Of Reykjavík’s Neighbouring Towns
To most people who visit Iceland, the town of Hafnarfjörður is a suburb on the way to Reykjavík, or “that bit where the city starts.” As seen from the Flybus window, the main drag consists mostly of a working harbour, a viking-themed…
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Akranes: The Great Unknown Across The Bay From Reykjavík
Sitting in the office on a rainy afternoon after several days reeking of the mundane, Hrefna and I take a solemn oath. We will take hold of our heartstrings, seek adventure, and head into the uncharted territory of the west. We will…
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Take A Moment: There’s More To Borgarnes Than Bónus And N1
Borganes is perhaps best known as the last‐chance gas and Bónus stop before the long drive onward to the remote Westfjords or the north of Iceland. Passing through, this diminutive town appears to have been dramatically sliced off just past the local…
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Visit Sólheimajökull: A Glacier In Retreat
As the dizzy heights of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier come into view, most people understandably feel a magnetic pull to the otherworldly ice cap. The most accessible place to satisfy the urge get your feet on the ice is Sólheimajökull. Various tour companies…
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On Your Own: Six Spots In South Iceland
The majestic Route One ring road threads down through the mountains from Reykjavík to Iceland’s southern coastline, passing an endless trove of natural wonders along the way. From the famous “Golden Circle”, to the various vast lava fields, tumbling glacier tongues, tiny…
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Gamla Laugin: At Flúðir, The Secret’s Out
Flúðir is a sleepy village of around 400 people, just over an hour’s drive from Reykjavík. After turning off the well-beaten path of the southbound Route 1 at the town of Selfoss, it’s a 45km inland drive through some some surprisingly verdant…
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Speed-Dating An Old Friend: Driving The Ring Road In 2 Days
In a direct challenge to most internet commenters, two friends and I decided to spend two days circling the island in a grey rental car. While certainly not “preferable” to taking one’s time, driving Iceland’s storied Route 1—the ring road—in thirty-eight hours is…
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Stargazing In South Iceland: Look Up, It’s Great!
To the average Reykjavíking, the stars are nothing special. While travellers from bigger cities are often awestruck when they gaze upon our winter sky—doubly so if the Northern Lights are out—we’ll nod and stare at our phones some more. I’m a very…
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Breathing Space: Yoga In The Icelandic Wilderness
For all of Reykjavík’s obvious charms, ask anyone who’s lived in the city for a while, and they’ll tell you that they need to escape sometimes. In sharp contrast to larger national capitals, Reykjavík’s central island is a tiny area—walking the same…