We travelled to Europe in October 2023 for almost a month and went to several countries. To avoid lengthy blog post, I will split the trip into the following posts:
- Dubai and Iceland
- Italy and Switzerland
- France, UK, and Singapore
- flights and lounges
As we took Emirates to Europe and Singapore Airlines back, that’s why we have layovers in Dubai and Singapore.
Dubai
I have 20 hours of layover in Dubai so I went to Sky View Dubai to do the Sky Slide. I bought via Pelago but it is handled by Tiqets. The ticket comes with observatory ticket where you get to see the famous Burj Khalifa.
After taking the panoramic glass elevator that zooms you up 219.5 meters above ground, you will reach the Sky Views Observatory. Before doing the Sky Slide, you can take a walk on the Glass Walk:
As you can see from the video above, you will see people sitting or even lying on the glass to take photos or selfies. After a quick Glass Walk, I proceed to the Sky Slide. Here’s a POV video of me taking the Sky Slide using my handy Go Pro:
Before leaving Malaysia, I actually bought a SIM card from a Shopee seller which is not workable. If you are coming to Dubai for a layover, there is no need to purchase a SIM card. When you pass the customs in Dubai, you will be given a 1 day SIM card with 1GB as below:
For Emirates passengers, if you have a layover of 8 to 26 hours, you will get a free hotel stay via Dubai Connect. Depending on your timing of the stay, you will get a breakfast/lunch/dinner. After a good rest, we fly to London with Emirates again.
London
Once we reached Heathrow airport, we took the Heathrow Express using Duo Saver ticket for a cheaper ticket for 2 pax to London. With this ticket, you get 2 tickets for just £55.50. Although you can get cheaper tickets if you buy earlier, however as I purchase quite near to the travel date, this is the cheaper option that I can get. The 1 thing with this ticket is you will have to inform the staffs there so they can tag the other person through the barrier.
If you want to save more money on the transport to London, there are options using the Tube (London Underground), Elizabeth Line, or the coaches which you can read more about it here.
Iceland
After a night’s rest without any activities due to the long queue at the Heathrow customs, we took the Southern line to Gatwick Airport the next morning to Iceland. You can also purchase Gatwick Express but the train schedule on our particular day and time has almost the same duration to Gatwick Airport so we chose the former since it is cheaper.
Once we touch down in Keflavik Airport in Iceland, we picked up our car rental from Icerental 4×4.
For Icerental 4×4, you will get fuel discount of -3 ISK per litre if you pump at N1 stations.
The first stop that we went to after landing is Blue Lagoon. Although we have a tour with Northern Lights Bus via GYG on the same night but due to low visibility and cloud cover, the tour operator has to cancel it. They even send out SMS to inform everyone. Thanks to that, we can enjoy our sweet time at Blue Lagoon.
Iceland Day 1 – Blue Lagoon
I bought the tickets from Get Your Guide as I get 10% discount for Eurail pass holders. You can check the full list of discounts for Eurail pass holders here. However, before you buy it from Get Your Guide (GYG), do check the timings and prices from the Blue Lagoon website. This is because certain time slots are cheaper so it can be cheaper to buy directly from their website.
At the entrance counter, you will get a wristband. This wristband is not only your ticket but it’s your ‘credit card’ as well. The wristband will record all the transactions and you will pay them when you check out.
Once you pass the entrance, you will need to take a shower before entering the lagoon. I was shocked as I was not expecting people to walk around naked in the bathrooms lol. I guess if I go to Japan onsen next time I will not be shocked anymore.
As it’s already dark, we cannot see the water in its pretty blue color. In fact, it’s as dark as my wife’s face cause we cannot take nice photos lol.
Inside the lagoon, there is a drinks bar and mask bar. Depending on the package, you will get different numbers of drinks and masks.
After removing our masks, we head to our accommodation.
Reykjavik Accommodation – Pavi Guesthouse
For all the accommodations in Europe, we get it from Agoda and Airbnb only. Besides Switzerland, all the accommodations are below RM500 per night for 2 pax.
In Reykjavik, the first place that we stay is Pavi Guesthouse.
Pros:
- cheap
- clean room
- got a Bonus store a stone’s throw away
- walkable to Hallgrímskirkja and Skólavörðustígur (Rainbow Street) (around 15-20 mins)
- got free parking
- plenty of clean bathrooms
- has a basin in room so can brush teeth and wash face in the room
- can cook in the kitchen
Cons:
- no lift so you will have to carry your luggage up the stairs
- the sound insulation is bad. If you are a light sleeper like me, you will likely need ear plugs
- parking space is limited. If you come back late, you might not be able to find a parking spot
- limited space to eat at the common area
Price: RM1327.06 for 4 days 3 nights/ RM442.35 per night for 2 pax
Iceland Day 2 – Golden Circle (Geysir and Gullfoss), Brúarfoss, Lava Show
The next day, we head to the Golden Circle except Þingvellir National Park. Along the roads of Iceland, there are a lot of spots that you can stop and take photos.
Geysir geothermal area
The first stop is Geysir. It is around 1 hour and 30 minutes drive from Pavi Guesthouse.
There are a lot of geysers at Geysir geothermal area but the most famous one is Strokkur geyser. You can tell which one is Strokkur as a lot of people will be surrounding the geyser. It will erupt around every 10 minutes so you can try to take a shot of it.
Gullfoss waterfall
After getting the water eruption shots, we head on to Gullfoss waterfall which is around 10 mins drive away from Geysir geothermal area. Parking is free and you just need to walk around 5-10 mins to see one of the famous waterfalls in Iceland.
Brúarfoss
On the way back to Pavi Guesthouse, there is a road sign showing a picture of Brúarfoss and it’s just 2km away. So we follow the sign to reach the parking lot. Here you will need to pay parking based on your car type. In Iceland, I use only the Parka app as it’s easy to use with friendly interface. It’s around 30 mins drive from Gullfoss and you just need to detour a bit if you are going back to Reykjavik.
If you are not rushing for time, I would highly recommend visiting Brúarfoss, Iceland’s bluest waterfall.
There are only a few people at Brúarfoss so you can take all the time you want to get those perfect shots.
Lava Show
After that, we head back to Reykjavik to watch Lava Show. They have branches in both Reykjavik and Vik. The reason I want to watch this is because one of the things that I wanted to do was to hike and see the lava flowing at Fagradalsfjall volcano. However, the lava activity is no longer active in October. Therefore, the nearest I can see and feel lava is through this Lava Show.
If you buy the Premium Experience ticket, you get a drink which you can sip at their lounge.
You will also get a backstage tour to the furnace room.
And you will also get a piece of lava if you buy the Premium Experience ticket.
If you would like to get great discount to watch the Lava Show, do like and follow my Facebook page and drop me a message.
After the Lava Show, we join the northern light tour. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the aurora but only very pale green lights as there are too many clouds and the solar activity is not strong enough.
Iceland Day 3 – Hallgrímskirkja, Skólavörðustígur, Perlan
The following day, we take Bus 11 (walk) to Hallgrímskirkja and Skólavörðustígur (Rainbow street). It’s around a 15 minutes walk from Pavi Guesthouse.
We fill our stomach at Reykjavik Street Food.
After a quick lunch, we head over to Perlan.
Perlan
There is also a volcano show in Perlan but you don’t get to see and feel real lava like the Lava Show.
Our wish comes true as we get to see ‘northern lights’ in Perlan, haha
Me sitting on the frozen throne (Warcraft 3):
There are a lot of interactive exhibitions in Perlan:
The Perlan observatory deck, looks a bit like KL Science Centre:
The Perlan restaurant with a disco ball in the middle:
To reward ourselves for hitting 10k steps in a day, we ordered the Icelandic lamb soup and waffle.
As we can’t see the northern lights the night before, we joined the tour again for free. The gathering location is at Storm Hotel which is around 10 minutes walk from Pavi Guesthouse. However, Lady Luck is not on our side and we still couldn’t see the aurora borealis.
Iceland Day 4 – Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi, Skógafoss, Kvernufoss, Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar
On day 4, we head down to Vik. However, we stop by a lot of tourist attractions. The first stop is Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi.
Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi
At Seljalandsfoss, you will have to pay a parking fee for 2 hours and display the ticket on your dashboard. If you don’t, there will be a person walking around and giving out warning notice.
Seljalandsfoss is one of the waterfalls in Iceland that you can walk to the back of it. However, you might be stuck in a human traffic jam as a lot of people will take photos here. And if you do not want to get wet, you will want to wear your rain jacket to Seljalandsfoss.
If you have the time and energy, you can walk for around 5-10 mins to a nearby waterfall – Gljúfrabúi. It is advisable to have a water resistant boots and pants as you will need to walk through a shallow stream before reaching Gljúfrabúi.
Then we drive around 30 minutes to Skogafoss and Kvernufoss.
Skógafoss and Kvernufoss
Parking is free at Skógafoss and you will just need to walk a bit to reach the waterfall. If the sun is at the correct angle, you can catch 1 or even 2 rainbows which we were able to see both. However, the 2nd rainbow is not a full one. If you are interested to hike, you can do so at Skógafoss which you can read about it here.
With about 5 minutes drive, you can reach a nearby waterfall which is Kvernufoss. However, please take note that you need to pay for parking at Kvernufoss which you can do so easily with Parka app.
For Kvernufoss, you will have to walk more compared to the other waterfalls above which is around 15 mins. Just like Seljalandsfoss, you can walk to the back of the waterfall. Among the waterfalls that we’ve visited, Kvernufoss is the one I like the most. Even though it’s not as big as the others, it is the least crowded waterfall and you can enjoy it all to your own.
After another 30 minutes drive, you will reach Reynisjara beach and Reynisdrangar.
Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar
At Reynisfjara, you will have to pay parking depending on the car type:
After a long day, we check in at Puffin Hostel Vik which is around 15 minutes drive from Reynisfjara.
Vik Accommodation – Puffin Hostel Vik
Pros
- a stone’s throw away to The Soup Company
- near to Reyniskirkja Church
- clean room
- plenty of bathrooms
- can cook at kitchen
- plenty of seats at common area
- free parking
Cons
- narrow stairs. If you have big luggage, it can be a challenge to bring it upstairs
- bad noise insulation
Price: RM389.61 for 1 night
After checking in, we walked to have dinner at The Soup Company. If you are watching the Lava Show in Vik, it will be at this area as well which you can see in the photo below:
If you see from the menu, all the soups come with free 2nd serving except take aways. Having hot soup in a cold weather is very comforting to the stomach and body.
Iceland Day 5 – Journey to the East
The next day, after taking some photos of the Reyniskirkja Church, we head East to Hofn.
We purposely drive to Hofn just to eat at Pakkhus Restaurant.
We ordered the cod and lobster and it’s really worth the drive to Hofn. A highly recommended restaurant as the seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection. Even after converting to MYR, the price is reasonable for such good, juicy seafood.
After the delicious meal, we drive around 45 mins to our accommodation at Laekjarhus Farm Holidays.
Jökulsárlón Accommmodation – Laekjarhus Farm Holidays
Pros:
- clean room
- sufficient bathrooms
- can cook at kitchen
- free parking
- has an attic
- has a farm with Icelandic horse
Cons:
- bad noise insulation
- limited space to eat at common area
Price: RM230.74 for 1 night
Iceland Day 6 – Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
From our accommodation, it is around a 30 minutes drive to Jökulsárlón for our Cyrstal Blue Ice Cave adventure with Blue Iceland. It has the cheapest rates among all the tour operators to visit Crystal Cave.
Please take note that there is a parking fee to park at Jökulsárlón and the surrounding area.
To start off the adventure, we will need to take a ride with the super jeep as below.
Once we reached the glacier, we will need to put on crampons that they have provided and hike to the ice cave. With our naked eyes, we can’t really see the blue ice. But I increased the saturation a little bit in the photos to show that the ice does show some blue hues.
Back to the parking area at Jökulsárlón, there are some food stalls to fill your empty stomach. We chose this Nailed It Fish & Chips and boy it’s one of the best fish & chips that I’ve ever tried:
There is a path from the Jökulsárlón parking to the Diamond Beach which is around a 5 minutes walk.
After that, it’s journey to the West back to Vik.
Vik Accommodation 2 – Airbnb
We stayed at another accommodation in Vik with Airbnb.
Pros:
- clean room
- sufficient bathrooms
- free parking
- can cook in kitchen
Cons:
- away from town
- stairs only so can be hard to bring up large luggage
Price: RM409.15 for 1 night
Iceland Day 7 – Snowmobile
The next morning, we head back to Gullfoss. This is because the first snowmobile activity that we bought from Viator is cancelled due to snowmelt on the glacier. Luckily, we have empty schedules in our itinerary to slot in another one from Viator but another operator – Mountaineers of Iceland.
We first take a ride with the monster truck above to another place to get suit up for snowmobile. Once everyone is ready, we then get a simple briefing before we start our adventure with the snowmobiles:
Later that night, we took a walk around and this is how Hallgrímskirkja looks at night after lighting up.
Finale – Sjávargrillið
To end the Iceland trip with a grand finale, we splurge on a scrumptious dinner at Sjávargrillið.
While waiting for your food, they will serve you complementary bread and butter with a nice presentation as below. It does not only look good, it tastes really good.
While I was going through the menu, I saw Hákarl is in the menu. It is basically fermented shark that has a really strong smell to it. I knew about this before coming to Iceland and I told myself I’m never gonna try that thing as it is always in the list of worst food if not the top. However, the adventurous part of me took over my sense that day and I ordered it together with Brennivín which is like Vodka but it is actually a flavored spirit.
They serve Hákarl in a container like the photo below to contain the smell. One good thing about the Hákarl served here is that it is refrigerated so the smell is slightly lesser than if it were warm. The moment I put a piece in the mouth and bite on it, the juice that flows out makes you want to take it out from your mouth immediately. With a few quick chew ala Fear Factor style, I quickly swallow it with a shot of Brennivín. Compared to the 1st piece, the last piece has the strongest smell as the pieces are getting warmer.
With the worst food out of the way, I can fully enjoy the rest of my dinner. We ordered the Taste of Iceland and Catch of the day.
The food here is really good but the price is on the higher side. Do make your reservation early as usually it will be fully packed.
Takeaways from Frugalavish
- driving in Iceland is easy when condition is good. There are tons of road signs showing speed limit, which lane to keep at etc. For a first timer left hand side driving like me, it’s a breeze
- a 4×4 is not necessarily needed unless you are planning to drive off-road but it makes driving easier
- unless you are staying in high-end hotel, you will need to use the stairs to carry your luggage. However, if you self drive, it’s not a big problem as you can keep the large luggage in the car
- noise insulation is bad at most places so if you are a light sleeper like me, get a pair of ear plugs
- leave empty schedules in your itinerary so that if any activities gets affected, you can slot them in again on another day or time
- Bonus supermarket has the lowest price so you can get food and groceries here whenever possible to save some money
- Orkan has the cheapest fuel (besides Costco) but can be harder to find
- I always pump my fuel tank to full when it reaches half as it can be hard to find fuel stations outside town
- card is almost accepted everywhere in Iceland. For fuel, it is advisable to key in a set amount to avoid pre-authorization that holds your card’s credit that can go up to 30,000 ISK. I use BigPay solely for fuel in Iceland and usually the pre-authorization is refunded the next day
- you will likely need to pay for toilets. Therefore, I usually go to tourist information centers and N1 stations for free toilet
Please feel free to share your travel experiences in Iceland. You can read my next post here where we head to Italy and Switzerland after our Iceland trip.
