Winter Wonders & Delicious Detours

Great Value Vacations Preferred
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.1 . Great
87%
Travel Style: Array Relaxed
Physical Level: Walking or physical activity half to most of day - no carrying equipment. Easy
Lodging Level: Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels. Value (3*)
7 days
From: $ 1,849 $ 264 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Enjoy an introduction to Icelandic cuisine on a variety of culinary stops and excursions!
  • Discover the Golden Circle's highlights: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal Area and Gullfoss Waterfall.
  • Walk along the banks of the famous Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, one of Iceland's natural crown jewels.
  • Walk along the iconic black sand beach in Vik!
  • Gaze up at Eldborg, a volcano crater on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

Short Description

On this driving tour through west and southern Iceland, experience an array of landscapes in winter while enjoying Iceland’s culinary traditions. Begin your journey on Iceland’s dramatic southern coast, home to a number of iconic sites like the Golden Circle,  Vatnajokull National Park and Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon.

Next up: West Iceland. Highlights of this region include Snaefellsnes Peninsula with its glacier, unique lava formations, Snaefellsjokull glacier-volcano, and historical sites from Iceland's local sagas.

On this trip, you can enjoy a number of stops and tasty excursions along the way to experience Iceland’s tasty culinary culture!

Style Self-guided tour
See all the highlights and popular spots on a classic tour.
Itinerary Focus Classic Highlights
Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels.
Lodging Level Value (3*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions Transport not included
Start City Reykjavik
End City Iceland

Itinerary

Day 1 Welcome to Reykjavik!

Say hello to Iceland! Upon arrival in Reykjavik, pick up your rental car, drive to your hotel in Reykjavik and spend the rest of your day at leisure in the world’s northernmost capital city. 

Culinary suggestions: Café Loki, Saegreifinn Restaurant

Day 2 Gullfoss - Geysir - South Coast

Head out of the city and drive to Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir hot spring, highlights of Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Continue your trip, stopping at highlights such as Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss Waterfalls, and the majestic Eyjafjallajokull and surrounding area, the site of the infamous volcanic eruption in 2010.

Approximate driving distance: 200 miles

Culinary suggestions: Cafe at Fontana Geothermal Baths, Efstidalur restaurant and farm, Fridheimar greenhouse and restaurant, Farmers Bistro.

Day 3 Skaftafell - Jokulsarlon - Vik

Today, visit the majestic Skaftafell region in Vatnajökull National Park. Lace up your hiking boots and explore this beautiful area. Continue to the shimmering icebergs of Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon before returning to the charming village of Vik in the afternoon. Wander through this remote seafront village and walk along the famous black sand beach!

Approximate driving distance: 295 miles

Culinary suggestions: Thorbergur Cultural Centre & Cafe

Day 4 Thingvellir - Borgarfjordur

Leave Vik this morning and drive to the UNESCO-certified Thingvellir National Park, a popular stop along the Golden Circle and the site of the ancient Icelandic parliament. The park itself is situated in a stunning volcanic landscape of mountains and lava flows on the edge of Iceland's largest lake.

Continue to Borgarfjordur fjord, where you'll visit the historic site of Reykholt, Hraunfoss and Barnafoss Waterfalls and Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe.

Why not treat yourself to a rejuvenating soak at the Krauma natural geothermal spa?  Relax in pools fed by a perfect blend of water from Deildartunguhver and nearby glacial springs.

Approximate driving distance: 208 miles

Culinary suggestions: The Settlement Centre in Borgarnes, Stedji microbrewery, Ljomalind Country Market 

Day 5 Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Explore the countless natural wonders of Snaefellsnes Peninsula, a 55-mile peninsula which is also a national park. With mountains to one side and the sea to the other, visit the wind-tangled Arnarstapi sea cliffs and the rocky beach of Djupalonssandur before driving along the north coast through bustling fishing villages.

Approximate driving distance: 200 miles

Culinary suggestions: Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum

Day 6 Reykjanes Peninsula

Today, drive to the Reykjanes peninsula and visit the moon like lava fields around Lake Kleifarvatn. You could also stop at the Krysuvik geothermal area with its bubbling mud pools.

For a culinary treat, visit Grindavik fishing village, famous for its heritage of producing salt fish. Salt fish is undeniably responsible for the prosperity of the Icelandic nation, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th century when the industry was at its peak.

Approximate driving distance: 128 miles

Culinary suggestions: Vitinn Seafood Restaurant, Salthusid Restaurant 

Day 7 Depart Iceland

Your Iceland foodie vacation comes to an end today. Be prepared to leave the hotel about three hours before the departure of your flight to allow time to drop off your rental car at the airport. 

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 1,849
Price Per Day: $ 264 per day

18,859 Great Value Vacations Travel Reviews & Ratings

87%
4.1 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 9,856
Great 4,428
Average 2,163
Disappointing 1,004
Terrible 1,408
Value
4.1
Guide
4.1
Activities
4.1
Lodging
4.1
Transportation
4.1
Meals
4.1

Winter Wonders & Delicious Detours

No reviews yet for this trip. Be the first one to write a review

Company Reviews

Ireland Trip March 2023

4.0
Details
Value4.0
Guide4.0
Activities4.0
Lodging4.0
Transportation4.0
Meals4.0
The reservations, car rental, and hotel reservations all worked well, with no issues. The additional tickets to attractions also worked well. We really enjoyed our time there and would love to go back one day. The value for the trip was great. Now, on the not-so-great side was that two of the 5 hotels were far off course from the route we wanted to take and were not in synch with the attractions we purchased as an add on. Celtic Ross and Ocean Sands hotels were a bit far removed from our preferred route that we would have liked to have taken and not feel rushed. These two hotels, although nice, were nowhere near any of the attractions and cities we wanted to see (Cork and Galway), but we were forced to adjust our scheduled to hit the attractions and make it to the hotels. This made for a couple of days where we had to drive great distances ,in the rain and in rural Ireland, to make it to the hotels. We made friends from a couple from PA that made the same exact trip to Ireland with GVV and they were unable to see the Cliffs of Moher attraction because they just didn't feel like they could make it due to the extended drive ranges. I called in to GVV home office before we left USA to see if I could adjust the hotel arrangements to make the tour more enjoyable but was immediately told that I could make no adjustments to the itinerary. Hotels in Kilkenny and Limerick were both awesome and right in the heart of the city and easy to get to. The last hotel in Swords was nice because it was close to the airport for final trip back to the airport. So, to make this Ireland trip more enjoyable, the hotels need to be closer to the attraction packages you guys sell so as not force a huge amount of driving to see them and make it to the next hotel. Overall, we loved the Ireland trip. I am surprised they let us Americans jump in a car rental and drive on their opposite side of the roads (left). PS; Wild Kerry Tours did an awesome job as well, but the start point of the tour was a little challenging to find in Killarney.
Read more

Great time in Ireland.

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Everything was wonderful. Thank ou GVV.

The customer service was horrible

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
The customer service was horrible. I sent multiple emails, called multiple times and maybe got a response once. Outside of that my trip was good.

Excellent booking, poor quality hotels

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
Excellent flights to and from Dublin. Some issues with obtaining car insurance at the rental agency (it is required to purchase extra before they release the car to you). Only one out of the 4 hotels was a true 4 star hotel. The rest were closer to 2-2.5.
Read more

Trustworthy and Professional

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Every representative was friendly and professional. They were thorough and helpful. I will definitely book with them again!

This was our first time in Ireland

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
This was our first time in Ireland. We loved the accommodations and everything about Ireland. The itinerary and experiences were exceptional. Our only comment is that there was a lot of driving to the sites and locations. We would definitely recommend the 12 day. We were unable to see some recommended sites because we had to backtrack. We will be booking another vacation through Great Value.
Read more

Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

Transport not included

Group Size

Independent

Accommodations

  • Icelandair Hotel Natura Reykjavik
  • Icelandair Hotel Vik
  • Hotel Skaftafell
  • Fosshotel Reykholt
  • Hotel Husafell

Trip ID#:

Greatvaluevacations-PK

×
Great Choice!

You can access members-only savings of up to $700 on over 6,000 Travelstride Select trips.

Sign in to see trip eligibility

or
or
Provide email and password

With your FREE membership you get to:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
Already a member?

We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By joining you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

×

You could save $ 300 per person on this trip!

TripSaver
Flexible travel vouchers redeemable on thousands of trips like this one!
×
×
×
Sign in to Save Trips
Welcome back! We're so happy to see you. ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
  • Bookmark trips you like
  • Share with your travel companions
  • Track price changes
  • Access private discounts on trips you save
×
Sign in to see your results

TripFinder is a member-only feature. Don’t worry, it’s free!

With a membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
Activate your free Travelstride membership

Just use the email address and password provided in the email we sent.

? Forgot Password?

With your free membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
To Follow, sign in or sign up (it's free) ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
member benefits

By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

First name is required!
Last name is required!
First name is not valid!
Last name is not valid!
This is not an email address!
Email address is required!
This email is already registered!
Please enter valid email address
Password is required!
Enter a valid password!
Please enter 6 or more characters!
Please enter 32 or less characters!
Passwords are not the same!
Terms and Conditions are required!
Email or Password is wrong!
Please select the captcha checkbox!
Please select the valid captcha!
Something went wrong! Try again later!

"Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."
Ibn Battuta
x
x
Download your brochure

Enter your email to get the "" brochure.

x
Brochure successfully sent!

We've sent the "" brochure to "". Check your inbox!