Iceland 2023 - our first family trip to Iceland

Our first trip to Iceland and the kids' first real trip to Europe

Posted by brian on June 30, 2023 · 51 mins read

This post recaps our first family trip to Iceland in 2023. During this visit we stayed in Reykholt (the one near Gullfoss and Geysir), Húsafell, and Reykjavik.

Here we go!

Contents

Iceland 2023 Day 1

Arrival and settling in

  • Start of day: Raleigh-Durham, USA
  • End of day: Near Laugarvatn, Iceland

It begins!

Young girl standing at airport gate with sunset view through windows and airplane on tarmac

Family waiting at airport gate C21 with luggage, one person lying on seats

Not much sleeping on the plane by anyone. No big surprise. Thankfully it’s a direct flight.

Arrival at KEF

At KEF we didn’t do a jetway so kids got a kick out of that.

Family on KEF airport tarmac with Icelandair plane boarding via air stairs

There was a long line at passport control but moved relatively fast. We were out in maybe 20 minutes.

Thankfully the Hertz line was short. We had some issues with the trunk of the Tesla Model Y rental not closing, where we have to try to close it a few times before it latched. I made note of it to the Hertz people, and took an abundance of photos and some videos of the rental car.1

There are supposedly some things to see and do near the airport but after the flight we were mostly shell-shocked. We made our way along the southern road, darting into a few towns that looked interesting, but given that it was still 8:30am on a Sunday nothing seemed open… even cafes.

Learning the EV charging system

Eventually we found ourselves in Selfoss, the most significant town we’d come across so far on our route. I wanted to test out EV charging while we still had plenty of charge. We had a rough go of it at first2 until I checked the trunk well and found a charging cable (and somebody’s sneakers). There are a few different charging standards but we should be good for the trip. Looking at maps of chargers, it appears there are reasonable options near everything we want to see.3

Charging started, Siena and I ducked away toward the grocery but found a bakery instead.

Close-up of Tesla Model Y charging port with CCS connector

Young girl at bakery table holding pastry with sesame seeds

Modern Icelandic bakery interior with industrial ceiling and display cases

We were quick about things as I wanted to get back to the car since Sherri didn’t have a way to contact me. Another car vacated a faster charger, so we moved the plug to that charger, then headed to the Bónus grocery store in the same parking lot. Iceland can be an expensive place to eat out. Shopping at a grocery store can cut expenses significantly if you’re staying somewhere you can prepare food.

Killing time before check-in

From here we headed toward the cottage, though we still had too much time to kill before checkin. We ended up at Efstidalur II, a restaurant and working farm. Sher and Siena hit the inflatable trampoline thing4, I went for strong coffee, and Rowan slept in the car. We’d be back here in a day or two for dinner and ice cream.

Green inflatable bounce pillow at Efstidalur II farm with picnic tables

White Tesla Model Y parked with Icelandic horses grazing in background field

Settling in

After trouble at the gate due to my not knowing how to make a voice call in Iceland, we met the cottage owners and settled in here. We treated ourselves to a geothermal fresh water hot tub, cooked some pork chops and chicken, and then headed to bed.

Oh, and I forgot a critical CPAP hose, so for the entire trip I’ll be sleeping with obstructive sleep apnea along with neverending sunlight.

Cozy cottage living room with exposed beam ceiling and two people relaxing Icelandic grocery packages on wooden table - chicken and pork from Ali brand Two people playing with yellow ball on wooden deck with hot tub and red privacy screen Cottage deck with covered seating area, gas grill, and mountain views Black and white papillon dog looking through door window from deck Gravel driveway leading to cottage with expansive Icelandic valley views Wooden deck with basketball hoop and hot tub area overlooking landscape Covered deck with white outdoor furniture and mountain valley views Glass greenhouse structure with mountain and valley landscape behind Small red sauna building with white door in grassy yard overlooking valley Complex geothermal heating system with red tank and multiple pipes and gauges Loft bedroom with exposed curved wooden beams and railing overlooking main floor 360-degree panorama of cottage living room with vaulted ceilings and open floor plan 360-degree panorama of cottage deck showing greenhouse, sauna building, and valley views Two children relaxing in blue geothermal hot tub on deck with mountain views

Footnotes:

  1. This is an absolute must in Iceland, where the winds are wicked and the volcanic sand is abrasive. You’ll want the photos in your back pocket in case there’s an issue with the rental car company. That said, we’ve rented twice with Hertz Iceland and haven’t had any issues when turning in. I would not suggest renting with Hertz in the US these days. ↩

  2. I was really scratching my head looking at the charger stand, as it didn’t look like there were any compatible cables, but also surely we’re not the first Tesla to try to charge here in this busy charging spot? Figuring this out on no sleep also wasn’t helpful. ↩

  3. IIRC this was a DC Fast Charger, so faster than a Level 2 you might find at a restaurant or parking garage, but slower than a Tesla Supercharger. There are Tesla Superchargers in Iceland, but you can’t rely on only using Superchargers if you’re out in the countryside. ↩

  4. These things seem to be all over in Iceland… if you know where to look. ↩

Iceland 2023 Day 2

Recovery and exploration around the Golden Circle

  • Start of day: Laugarvatn, Iceland
  • End of day: Laugarvatn, Iceland

I kind of slept from midnight to 8am or so and woke up feeling hungover, without the boozing. All day I tried to push through with a wicked headache and neck aches that my usual ibuprofen dose couldn’t cut through. It took all the way until 9pm to start to feel somewhat normal, so this was kind of a lost day as far as feeling good.

I sat in the greenhouse, where I researched CPAP supplies and had a short doze. The weather ended up being better than forecast. In the early afternoon it was sunny and partly cloudy, temps in the high 50’s, with less wind than yesterday. This is very good Iceland weather.

Interior of Birna's Cottage bedroom with exposed wooden beams, white walls, and movie theater decor

Open concept living room and kitchen at Birna's Cottage with vaulted ceiling and rustic charm

Red corrugated metal cabin with outdoor deck and folding furniture surrounded by trees

The mysterious door lock

The door lock for our Airbnb had me stumped. In the US we don’t typically include the door handle as part of the locking mechanism. Well, this is not the case in the countries I’ve visited in Europe. This door is strange in that you twist the knob down to bolt it, then turn the key. Nowhere is this obvious, but then once you know, you know. It took us about 5 mins to figure this out as we were trying to leave.

The shower situation

Here’s our shower. There is no shower indoors at this rental. This ends up not being a problem, actually, because 1) water is hot (VERY HOT) and instant, and 2) there aren’t neighbors within sight.

Hot tub and an outdoor shower

Attempting to find Brúarfoss

We set out mid-day to try to find Brúarfoss but couldn’t find where you turn in, so went to Geysir instead. We found a good charger there and managed to get the Tesla up to 98% charge, which should eliminate range anxiety for a few days. The visitors center was busy and touristy (and smelled like fish). We walked around the geysirs area – there’s one ‘main’ one where everyone stands around videoing themselves for 10-15 minutes until it finally goes off, plus a few smaller ones that don’t ‘geysir’. There’s a hike up a hill here that might be worth trying but we weren’t equipped for it… I had my ‘hangover’ and one of the kids wasn’t into it.

Crowds of tourists gathered around Geysir watching the active geyser erupt with steam

Finding Brúarfoss (finally)

I did more research and this time we were able to find Brúarfoss… turns out the access road is like 600 meters from the road to our cottage. Oops. We went over there, did a bit of hiking around, and got some great images.

Person standing on a rocky ledge overlooking bright blue glacial river at Brúarfoss

From there, drove to Laugarvatn to hit up a small market for butter, spaghetti, jam, and other snack type things. After dropping groceries we went back to Efstidalur II for an early dinner, where 3 of us ordered meatballs + fries, and Sherri had the cheeseburger. Meatballs were ok (kids didn’t like the sauce) and the fries had cayenne on them, so overall the meal could’ve been better in their opinion. I liked it.

Cows in a modern barn with Lely farming equipment and signage

Rustic restaurant dining room at Efstidalur II with wooden beams and modern farmhouse decor

The kids bounced some after dinner…

Green inflatable dome structure at a farm campsite with mountains in the background

… then we came back to the cottage.

As I mentioned yesterday, I forgot a critical piece for my CPAP machine. First time for everything, I suppose, I just wish it wasn’t when traveling internationally for two weeks. I tried to reach out to several pharmacies but I’ll make a long story short and say I didn’t have any luck. Let’s throw obstructive sleep apnea on top of jet lag and endless days where the sun never sets!

Oh, and we figured out why the rental Tesla’s trunk was having problems closing. Quite the genius design by Tesla.

Close-up of a car seatbelt buckle

Some evening bouncing:

Iceland 2023 Day 3

Perfect weather and after-hours touring

  • Start of day: Laugarvatn, Iceland
  • End of day: Laugarvatn, Iceland

Sleep was better but still feels brute-forced in that it took me about an hour to finally nod off (I’m usually out in 5 mins, 10 mins tops), and then kept waking up. Crazy dreams. But managed to squeak out a full 8 hours, and I didn’t feel incredibly hungover and terrible.

I found out in an Iceland book I read today that Icelanders aren’t super great emailers, so my email to the apothecary is probably already sitting in Archive. Oh well. I’m powering through the trip without CPAP but it’s not my favorite.

Perfect weather

Today our plan was to hang around the cottage until late afternoon, and then do the big tourist things in this area. Icelanders are opposed to paying to see natural wonders, so they’re usually free. On top of that, the two main ones we wanted to view today are open 24/7.

The weather was insanely beautiful today: mid-60’s, barely a cloud in the sky, only a light breeze. We caught up on reading and sunbathing, and spent some time in the hot tub. The kids wanted to go over to bounce place next door, but there were some teens already on there plus a tour bus pulling up, so we fell back to the cottage. We planned for an early-ish dinner around 5:30, and then headed out for touring around 6:30.

Two things worth mentioning about the cottage we’re staying. One, the owner took a room downstairs that’s maybe 10 ft x 8 ft and made it into a cozy lounge area. To reach it you have to go outside and down around the house to a separate entrance, which may be a bug or a feature depending on what you’re going for. Cozy cottage lounge with chess board on wooden table, leather chairs, and rustic hunting season decor

I was shocked to find the Tony Chachere’s in the cabinet, as we have the same can we’ve been working our way through for 20 years now. It’s not what I expected to see in a cabinet in rural(-ish) Iceland!

Spice cabinet in the cottage kitchen with Icelandic labeled shelves and local seasonings

Evening touring - the better way

Our first stop was back over to nearby Efstidalur II for bounce and ice cream.

Green trampoline bounce hill with people standing on top against a clear blue sky near the cottage

Then we made the easy drive down to Gullfoss, which no photo or video can capture the spectacle of; you truly have to see it. Since it was later in the evening, there weren’t the throngs of tour buses… we could truly take our time to soak in the sights.

Portrait at Gullfoss waterfall with a vibrant rainbow arcing over the cascading falls

Selfie at Gullfoss waterfall with the powerful multi-tiered falls flowing in the background

Walkway at Gullfoss with distant mountains and the river canyon under clear blue skies

Portrait with the Gullfoss waterfall cascading dramatically in the background

We left there around 8pm and then made a return trip to Geysir. This time we hiked up to the lookout and were treated to spectacular views. We made our way back down, waited for the geysir to do its geysir thing, and then headed back to the cottage around 9:30.

I’m now a big fan of after-hours touring where possible. The cafes and gift shops aren’t open, and it’s not exactly deserted, but it’s a much more pleasant experience than mid-day with full trails and parking lots. All night daylight makes sleep more difficult, but the payback is in being able to visit these sites late into the day.

Airbnb anxiety

We’re checking out tomorrow and so far the Airbnb host for our next place has been nonresponsive, so I have some light anxiety around that. I’ve texted (via iMessage: delivered) and messaged in Airbnb but so far no response. I don’t have GPS coordinates for the next place, and the directions on Airbnb refer to a road number that doesn’t exist. The cottage is on the property of Hotel Husafell, so I can Google Map over to there, but once we get there we’ll be lost finding the actual cabin and getting in. I’m not totally freaking out: they’re a Superhost, there appear to be legit (and recent) reviews, and the book I read today indicated that the typical Icelander tends to save things til the last minute (something harkening back to fishing boats and the town needing to be available to unload those), but it’s also 2023 and you’re an Airbnb host.

Spoiler for tomorrow: my anxiety was well-founded!

Iceland 2023 Day 4

Thingvellir and the journey to Húsafell

  • Start of day: Laugarvatn, Iceland
  • End of day: Húsafell, Iceland

We said goodbye to Birna’s cottage.

Dining room and living area of cottage with farmhouse-style table, white chairs, and large windows overlooking Icelandic countryside

Living room of cottage with white sofa, checkered armchair, and panoramic windows with mountain views

We packed up and made our way to Húsafell, via Thingvellir National Park.

Þingvellir (or Thingvellir) is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are visibly pulling apart, creating a dramatic rift valley with visible fissures and cliffs. They make a big deal out of this, and you can even scuba here. It’s also historically significant as the location of Iceland’s ancient parliament (Althing), established in 930 AD, making it one of the oldest parliamentary meeting places in the world.

Child standing at Thingvellir National Park visitor centre sign in Icelandic and English

Visitors walking on wooden boardwalk at Thingvellir viewpoint overlooking the rift valley and lake

Hakid trail map sign at Thingvellir showing walking paths and distances to various points of interest

Paved walking path through Thingvellir rift valley between towering tectonic plate cliffs with visitors walking

Selfie at Thingvellir rift valley with dramatic cliff wall from North American tectonic plate in background

Two people standing on amphitheatre-style steps at Thingvellir with dramatic cliff wall behind them

Crystal clear river flowing between rocky cliffs at Thingvellir rift valley

Two people posing in front of Oxararfoss waterfall cascading between dark basalt cliffs at Thingvellir

After Thingvellir we took a bit of an indirect route, so that we could make a couple of planned stops.

Road construction surprise

Along the way we were caught by a red light kind of in the middle of nowhere, in front of a utility truck. I’d say we were at that light for a good five minutes wondering if we were doing some dumb tourist thing, but no… they were redoing the road and shuttling cars down one lane of the two lane road.

Yellow road sign in Icelandic and English reading 'STOP Wait for a guide car' at construction site

Construction warning sign with cartoon character holding 'Pabbi works here' sign in Icelandic

Anyway… no big deal, and we were off again.

Stops along the way

First stop was at a computer store in Borgarnes. For some reason my Apple Watch charger decided to stop working. The computer store was in a mini-mall, so we did our grocery shopping there, too.

Our next stop was a quick 20 minutes up the road at a mini-mart / gas station / restaurant called Baulan, where we were able to do a fast charge on the car (49 -> 90%) and have dinner outside.

White Tesla Model 3 parked at Baulan gas station with dramatic cloudy skies overhead

Baulan restaurant menu board showing hamburgers, chicken, sandwiches, and kids meals with Icelandic prices

Child on seesaw at Baulan playground with bright pink jumping pillow and dramatic stormy sky in background

Orange ON electric vehicle charging station with Tesla Model 3 plugged in at Baulan

It’s kind of funny… I snapped a quick pic of the English language menu for this place so I could show the kids outside and ask what they wanted. Then, later, I posted it to Google Maps. It’s been viewed more than 14,000 times since then as of December 2025. I’m glad I could help out!

Another 45 minute drive found us at Hùsafell.

Húsafell arrival challenges

We still didn’t have directions from the Airbnb host. I’d texted her AND messaged through Airbnb but all we had was that it was a cottage in Hùsafell… which, to use an analogy (exaggerated only a little), is like saying that your rental house is in this one neighborhood near Disney World. Me: “Do you have a GPS for the cottage?” Her: “No, sorry”. So I’m really scratching my head trying to figure out how I’m being the stupid Airbnb guest here.

jfc.

So we’re here now and it’s… fine. One of the door sticks, we accidentally pulled the handle off the door on the other side, the keybox is really sticky, the other door locks itself automatically, there are only two bowls, the TV doesn’t work. Anyways. It’s a place. We got settled, me and the kids went to walk down to the bistro to check things out, they bounced on the rainbow jump pillow, they tried the hot tub for a little bit (mostly swatting at flies).

A red cabin at Húsafell resort

Two children on rainbow-colored inflatable jumping pillow at Húsafell resort with mountains in background

Iceland 2023 Day 5

Lava tubes and waterfall hunting

  • Start of day: Húsafell Cottage
  • End of day: Húsafell Cottage

Good morning from the Húsafell cottage.

Red wooden cottage with white trim and covered deck at Húsafell Airbnb accommodation

Lava tube adventure

We left for the lava tube around 12:10. Amazing cave tour! Lots of photos. Rowan liked it especially.

Person standing on ancient lava field with dramatic rock formations under partly cloudy sky near Húsafell

Víðgelmir Cave tour brochure showing Iceland's Mightiest Cave with tour information

Family group wearing helmets descending into Víðgelmir lava tube cave entrance

Tour group with headlamps gathered inside dark Víðgelmir cave chamber

Metal staircase leading up to cave opening with natural light streaming into Víðgelmir lava tube

Three family members with headlamps exploring dark tunnel inside Víðgelmir cave

Large tour group wearing helmets gathered outside Víðgelmir cave tour building before descent

After lava tube we came over to the Hùsafell Hotel bistro place – 3 of us split a meat lovers pizza and Siena had tempura shrimp.

Húsafell Hotel Bistro pizza menu featuring Bistro Húsafell Pizza branding with various pizza options

Interior of Húsafell Hotel Bistro dining room with wooden tables, black chairs, and large windows

We relaxed back at the cottage for awhile, and set out to try to find some hiking trails which were supposed to start on property.

The trails that couldn’t be found

There are elaborate hiking trail maps but we couldn’t find any of them. We really tried. They have printed maps, we asked a staff members, we scoped it out with the car. We could. Not. Find. Them.

Person reading Húsafell information sign along scenic path with mountains in background

We bailed on that, grabbed the car, and headed to Hraunfossar Waterfall, which is just a few minutes away.

Brian standing at wooden overlook viewing Hraunfossar waterfall with lava rock landscape

Child in pink jacket posing at Hraunfossar waterfall viewing area with river and lava formations behind

We spent about 30 mins there. Back “home”, we cooked pork chops on the filthy grill (which I left much cleaner than I found it), and combined with potatoes and a veggie for a decent home-cooked meal… at a fraction of the price of eating out.

Later, the kids made another trip to the jump pillow at 10:30pm because why not, it doesn’t get dark here, and then back at the cottage for the night.

Iceland 2023 Day 6

Horses and hot springs

  • Start of day: Húsafell Cottage
  • End of day: Húsafell Cottage

Horses!

We went to Sturlureykir Horse Farm near the northern Reykholt1, and me and Siena rode horses! Siena was all grins from the moment we went into the stable to pick our horses, until the end when we were back to the barn.

View up the barn ladder at Sturlureykir horse farm

Horses in their stalls at Sturlureykir stable

Person with white Icelandic horse in indoor riding arena

Two riders on white Icelandic horses with waterfall in background

Brian riding a white Icelandic horse on the trail

First-person view riding white horse on grassy trail

Sturlureykir horse farm information sign showing hot water and geothermal heating details

Hot springs and hot dogs

Since we were in the area, we went to Deildartunguhver (next to Krauma, which I had previously staked out), which was steamy.

I had my first (and only, so far) Icelandic hot dog and it was much better than I could’ve expected… to the point where I want them all the time now. The crunchy onions really make it.

After that we stopped by Reykholt and checked out an old stone house and cemetery.

White church tower and bell tower at Reykholt with information map

Wooden doorway with reindeer antlers at historic Reykholt site

Information sign about Borgarfjardur at Reykholt

Information panel about The Reykholt Woods with historical text

Map of Reykholt historic site showing buildings and layout

Back to Húsafell

Then finally back to Husafell, where we stopped by the Bistro again, this time me getting the buffet (which was… not good), and the other three splitting the meat lovers pizza (which was quite good). Live and learn.

Since we were into the weekend now, Friday night and all, the campground was hopping… lots of activity there, plus lots of kids around at the jump pillow. Rowan begged to go back over there at 10:30pm, but honestly… I was done. It was a busy day!

Here are some photos of the cottage itself.

Dark bedroom in Húsafell cottage with two windows at dawn or dusk

Open plan living room and kitchen area of Húsafell cottage with vaulted ceiling

Loft bedroom with white walls and bunk beds in cottage

Bright white bedroom with double bed in Húsafell cottage

Wide view of cottage living area showing kitchen and dining space

Corner of living room with dark gray couch and yellow throw blanket

Dining area with white table and chairs under pendant light

Exterior wooden deck of cottage with patio furniture and hanging flowers

Footnotes

  1. I say ‘the northern Reykholt’ because there are two, both are near tourist areas, and it’s possible to be confused. Something to note! ↩

Iceland 2023 Day 7

Moving day to Reykjavik

  • Start of day: Húsafell Cottage
  • End of day: Old Reykjavik Charm, Reykjavik

Moving day! We had some timing issues to work through. Though our Hertz reservation said we could drop by 4pm, the office itself at Reykjavik Domestic airport closed at 3pm. In one place I read it said I could do a key drop; somewhere else it said I absolutely could not do a key drop. Easiest bet was to just have the car there by 3pm. We could check in to our lodging at 2pm. We also needed to budget time for Supercharging so the car was returned near 80%.

Car logistics

We drove direct from Husafell to the Supercharger on the north side of Reykjavik – and were lucky that nobody was there, though 2 car showed up directly after us, and another car ended up having to wait at least 15 minutes.1 We made it to 83%, then set out to find our Reykjavik home for the next few nights. We found without much trouble, dropped the bags, then I was off to drop the car, trying my best to understand and follow Reykjavik driving laws and etiquette.

We’d brushed some bushes back near Laugarvatn that made a scratch but I think I successfully distracted the Hertz guy by volunteering a scratch on the inside drivers side seat that was pre-existing. No additional charges, and I was on my way to walk the 2.2km from the airport back to our rental. “What’s the best way to get from here back over to the old town?” “Just look for the Church.” Good idea, thanks Hertz guy.

These were my photos from fast-walking back from the Hertz at the domestic airport: White Tesla rental car at Hertz return location in Reykjavik

Hallgrímskirkja church exterior with street parking in Reykjavik

Hallgrímskirkja church with three Icelandic flags at the entrance plaza

Exploring Reykjavik

The weather today was cooler and more overcast than previous days.

First stop was back to the obligatory Hallgrimskirkja for a closer look, which is both larger and smaller than in the photos; Siena and I checked out the inside while Rowan and Sherri stayed outside.

Leif Erikson statue in front of Hallgrímskirkja church with person posing

Interior view of Hallgrímskirkja church showing white vaulted columns and pipe organ

Brian inside Hallgrímskirkja church with towering pipe organ behind him

Person on playground equipment with Hallgrímskirkja church in background

Person standing on lawn in front of Hallgrímskirkja church tower

Then there was swinging on the swings out front. We took photos on the rainbow road and just wandered around the town.

Crowds walking on rainbow-painted street in downtown Reykjavik with church in background

I was starving by this point and found a nice place for fish & chips.

Restaurant interior with plaid cushioned booth seating

Fish and chips meal with lemon and tartar sauce and Coca-Cola

After coming back to the rental for a bit, Siena and I went down to the water to the Sun Voyager art installation.

Person standing at the Sun Voyager sculpture by the Reykjavik waterfront

Wanting to head back up the church but not wanting to walk the hill, we rented a Zolo scooter and zipped up the hill (1.2mi).

For dinner all of us ate at a touristy Italian place Rossopomodoro up the hill from Old Charm. It was fine. Then back ‘home’ for the night, with a quick pop-in to a convenience store for ice cream.

A note on our Reykjavik lodging. We stayed at Old Charm Reykjavik. Writing this two years later, it’s the second time now we’ve stayed there, and would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for that experience between a full service hotel and an Airbnb. It worked great for our family of four.

Footnotes

  1. We’d have a similar experience when revisiting Iceland again, where we rolled into the charger at just the right time. If you’re renting a Tesla and have a certain time you need to drop it off by, I’d budget an hour here for waiting+charge, with the hope you get our earlier. ↩

Iceland 2023 Day 8

Rainy day in Reykjavik

  • Start of day: Old Reykjavik Charm, Reykjavik
  • End of day: Old Reykjavik Charm, Reykjavik

At the bottom of the hill, near the Sun Voyager sculpture, is a little bakery. I found a spot in the corner, had a coffee and croissant, and caught up on some news.

Fresh croissant on a plate with coffee at a cafe table by the window

Newspaper showing sections for Reykjavik fish, be marinated, be bold sports, and icelandic air

Today was a wet, chilly day, with mostly light rain with some heavier at times. Not the best day to be taking in the sites. I was thankful for my Columbia rain jacket.

There’s a punk museum over by the Prime Minister’s house: Icelandic Punk Museum entrance with black and white punk rock photo display on pavement

Reykjavik’s iconic rainbow road: Rainbow-painted street pavement in bright colors stretching down a Reykjavik street

Another iconic venue is Hús máls og menningar, a bookstore with a bar and live music. Modern styled bookstore interior with two-story bookshelves, reading tables, and architectural lighting

Brian taking a selfie inside Hús máls og menningar bookstore with bookshelves visible in background

Daughter and I did some souvenir shopping (pot holder and coaster) and walked around a bit. Otherwise we were mostly indoors today, with the exception of wife and son popping out for Oreo ice cream.

Last dinner in Iceland

In the evening three of us set out to Subway (eat fresh!). Wife and daughter wanted something quick and predictable for dinner.

Cafe interior with colorful displays, customers at counter, and warm lighting

I was set on trying to find a restaurant for myself for my last dinner in Iceland, but I couldn’t get past my introversion enough to sit in a busy restaurant by myself, though I did end up walking about 2.5 miles, which was good exercise.

Tomorrow we need to be out by 11am, so I have a car arranged and I really hope they show up on time, as more rain is predicted. This gets us to the airport around 11:45am for a 4:45pm flight, but I don’t see a way around it. Better early than late and all that, right? It will be a long day. The flight itself is 6.5 hours, and with the time difference we land around 7:30pm EDT. I’ve booked for us to do our Global Entry interviews on arrival. Plus get our bags, schlep to the economy lot, drive home… and then I repack for a trip to NYC the next day. Whew. I’ll be a happy camper come June 24.

Modern Vatnsstígur apartment building exterior with gray facade and glass windows

Entrance to Old Reykjavik Charm apartment with cream-colored door on black corrugated siding

Iceland 2023 Day 9

Departure day and KEF airport chaos

  • Start of day: Old Charm, Reykjavik
  • End of day: Home

Today we say goodbye to Old Charm Reykjavik and make our way back home.

Living room at Old Reykjavik Charm apartment with gray and orange sofas, exposed brick wall, and large windows overlooking Reykjavik

Modern kitchen at Old Reykjavik Charm with gray cabinets, pendant lights, and induction cooktop

Our private car to the airport picked us up right at 11, which was great.

The KEF airport experience

As I mentioned yesterday, logistical challenges meant we arrived at the airport around five hours before our flight.

The KEF airport experience is interesting, and there aren’t a lot of workers around to help, so I’ll try to explain our experience in a way that can perhaps help others. My disclaimer is that this was a few years ago, perhaps specific to Icelandair, perhaps foggy due to exhaustion. YMMV.

Here’s an official map from the KEF airport authority as of December 11, 2025. Note where they say check-in us. My memory of things is in yellow/orange.

Official Keflavik airport interior map showing where things like entrances and exits, stairs and elevators, etc.

When you enter the terminal, look for the self check-in machines.

If you arrive more than 3 hours before your flight, you might not be able to check in:

Computer screen with Icelandic writing and an English translation saying the flight is closed for check in.

We decided we’d just wait for awhile, so we walked over to the seating area next to the elevator/stairs/escalator that leads up to departures. Next to the elevator, around to the side, we found another machine – poorly-marked – that seemed to indicate it would print luggage tags for us. And it did! We tagged our bags and then kept exploring.

The check-in desks were still unstaffed at this point, but saw Baggage drop - self service (see map). Using the bag self-check we were able to rid ourselves of our bags. And, while my memory is fuzzy and I might be wrong, it let us do this in advance of the other self check-in machines ‘unlocking’ to let us check in.

That done, you can either hang out in this area or head through security.

In the grand style of newer airport terminals, you must pass through a fragrant duty-free store to get to the rest of the airport. Once you’re on the other side, you’ll find an area with wood seats and a variety of restaurants and shops. Please pay attention to prices and do your conversion math correctly here! I found some food items to be extremely expensive, even for Iceland. Like $33 for one regular-sized takeaway sushi expensive.

KEF Airport terminal interior with decorative ceiling art featuring geometric patterns and departure gate area

Now you have some time to kill.

Two things to mention here, otherwise it’s like every other airport you’ve been to:

  1. There are many uncomfortable seats in the large room as soon as you pass through the ‘security shop’. If you keep going straight, you’ll start down a long hall towards the gates. Up a bit in this hallway there are some sitting areas in the hallway that might be unoccupied. There should be plugs for charging devices here, too.
  2. If you’re flying back to the US via the D Terminal, you are still on the other side of an unpredictable line from your gate! You haven’t yet passed through passport control for exiting the Shengen area (aka lots of Europe).1 Further up the long hallway on the lefthand side you’ll come to Passport Control. In the times I’ve been here the line moves pretty well and only takes a few minutes, but do be sure to factor some extra time here.

I believe they’re improving things over in D but all three times I’ve been there it has been chaotic with not a lot of seating, so try to time things so you don’t over over to D terminal too early. Maybe eyeball the Passport Control line and get a sense for how long that might take.

Overall, it’s an airport doing far more traffic than they can seem to handle, but you know what? You’re in Iceland! Enjoy the last few hours, savor the experience, and start thinking about your next visit.

Footnotes

  1. In the US we’re not used to passing through passport control on the way out of the country, so this may catch some people. ↩

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