So... has anyone ever been to Reykjavik?

I'm trying to plan a vacation. I don't vacation often, nor do I have specific criteria to narrow my options, but one place I'm interested in is Iceland. Reykjavik is a small city. I went to Key West a few years ago, and on the fourth day, I was ready to leave. I hadn't gotten bored, but I could fell it just around corner, so I'm wondering if 8 days in a city of 120,000 people would be overkill.

Thanks. I love you all, with a few exceptions.

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Reykjavic?

Damn near killed ya, Vic!

Actually, I have! I went several years ago as part of the Icelandair stopover deal (en route to visit a friend in Paris). I was there in early September.

I was there only for a couple of days, so I can't present myself as too much of an authority. Eight days just in Reykjavik definitely sounds like overkill, as I found the city to be pretty dead at night. But if you plan day trips elsewhere in Iceland, there might be plenty to keep you occupied.

My three suggestions:
*Definitely visit the lagoon, but a few hours there is more than enough unless you're planning to have a massage/treatment of some sort.
*Schedule a horseback ride if you can. Icelandic horses are unlike any other horse in the world, as their breed is pure pretty much from the Viking times thanks to heavily regulated importing rules. But keep it to a few hours unless you're used to riding a horse, because Iceland's geothermally heated water on saddle sores is, uh, quite painful.
*Eat a hot dog. Seriously! I laughed when I saw them selling hot dogs at the lagoon and grumbled something about damn Americans having to get their fast food anywhere, but it turns out they're quite the delicacy there (usually served with remoulade). The culinary landscape of Iceland isn't exactly exciting, and the food is quite expensive, so in retrospect, I'm sorry I missed out on that.

I've never been, but I thought I'd butt in with my two cents anyway. I'm a fan of architecture and the beautiful new Harpa concert hall was opened last year, which might be worth checking out. It houses the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and I believe Kiri te Kanawa will be appearing next month.

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Iceland Air has the most uncomfortable seats I have ever flown in. People were sitting on their heels to keep their butts from going numb. When we were in Reykjavik, they called for our flight to Stockholm and a stranger next to me said, "We might as well wait until the last minute. You know these benches are more comfortable than those seats!" We were sitting on a metal bench.

It's damn cold this time of year. lol The stopover idea sounds great, though.

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Thanks for the info, Jay! I'm loooking into it as I type!

I don't really mind winter temperatures all that much. The other primary option right now is Israel, and even there highs are only in the 60s right now. From what I can see, Reykjavik is having about the same weather as Pittsburgh, so it's not like vacationing in the tundra.

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Calvin, I'm looking at your stopover link right now. If I can find a route that my dates work out for, this deal is amazing. Thank you so much

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