Iceland stopover anyone?

[YoCo]

Just wondering if anyone has considered an Iceland stopover?

From the US flights go to Iceland with a day or more stopover and then on to Paris CDG.

Sounds fun!

 

[Cayou]

Stopover??? Did 12 days! Actually, planned on LePuy last June, but wife was still recovering from bronchitis, so after Paris had an incredible trip to Iceland instead. Can do a day, 2, 3 and get a great feel. Cheap flights, although expensive there - but well worth it. There is a 1-day circle you can take to get a feel of it. You will get some walking in, too.

 

[YoCo]

Yup, I'm sold!

 

[Tim Floyd]

Did this. Iceland Air experience was excellent and the pricing was great. They were also very flexible on our return. We ended up changing our return by several days and the change fee was only $80 or something close. They let you extend your layover for days either direction at no charge, even on a whim. Good deal and would do it again.

 

[Lurch]

Thanks for the reminder. I saw those flights when researching frights from Vegas to Paris. Sounds like a more interesting layover than Newark or NY.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

It's a bit crazy but Turkish Airlines has flights to Spain from many places that include a stopover in Istanbul with a night or two free hotel stay. So, for example, I could book a Boston to Madrid or Barcelona flight that stops in Istanbul first and see the sights there before flying to Spain. I saw this first three years ago and the price then was about what I paid for our airfare anyway. Then, if the stopover was short, you could get a free bus tour of the city. See https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/flights/stopover/

The site has links for you to check visa requirements (you may need a visa for Turkey even you don't for the EU.)

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

One day I will do a stopover. This is my second time getting a brief Iceland stop but, going with a purpose so I want to ge ton the CF as soon as I can.

 

[Pong]

I haven't done the stopover as I have limited time away from home for a Camino and want all of that time devoted to the walk. However, I have been to Iceland and even a few days around Reykjavik would be terrific. I don't like anything to do with crowds, but my trip "came with" a trip to the Blue Lagoon, so I went, midweek, at night, with snow falling (December). AMAZING! (and really not too crowded).

 

[Camino Chrissy]

It's a bit crazy but Turkish Airlines has flights to Spain from many places that include a stopover in Istanbul with a night or two free hotel stay. So, for example, I could book a Boston to Madrid or Barcelona flight that stops in Istanbul first and see the sights there before flying to Spain. I saw this first three years ago and the price then was about what I paid for our airfare anyway. Then, if the stopover was short, you could get a free bus tour of the city. See https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/flights/stopover/

The site has links for you to check visa requirements (you may need a visa for Turkey even you don't for the EU.)

On my first Camino in 2015 my son and I decided to fly from Chicago to Madrid with a very l o n g layover in Istanbul first, which saved $300 each on airfare. It was pure torture trying to sleep in the airport for many hours before taking off again. It also adds many more hours of time in the air as Istanbul is much farther east and south than Madrid...I say never again. We did not know of the incentives of perks offered at that time. But I would not consider it anyway as unrest in that country has been escalating.

The following year we started a cruise out of Istanbul and were supposed to have a day of sightseeing first, but it was cancelled as the cruise line felt the area was unsafe at that time.

 

[Deleted member 75649]

Yes, my partner and I flew from Melbourne to Amsterdam. We then flew to Reykavic and hired a small campervan for two weeks last August. We loved it however eating out grossly expensive, van hire,excursions and food expensive.
So it was a lot of pasta, vegetables and sausages. Camp grounds overcrowded with not enough facilities. We soon learnt to stop in the smaller towns with less tourists. We did the entire ring road.

 

[bmcbride]

On my 2014 Camino, I flew Icelandair and stopped over for 4 days going over, and 3 days coming back. It is a beautiful, rugged, country and the Icelandair flight was very good. One caveat, though. The weather in Iceland was, of course, very different than the weather in Spain in October/November. I did need to bring extra clothing along. Once in Europe, though, you could send the extra clothing ahead to Santiago and not have to carry it on your Camino.

 

[kmrice]

We laid over a couple of days last year en route to Italy and loved it. Fascinating place; if you lay over, do the Golden Circle tour to get the feel of it. But, while the flights are cheap, once you are in Iceland it is really, really expensive. Think San Francisco. We spent over $70 on a dinner of soup, bread and one beer each at a fairly simple restaurant. The hostel we stayed in (bunk beds, bathroom down the stairs) cost more than any hotel we stayed at in Italy. Well worth the expense, IMHO, but be prepared.

Also, if you are going to Europe for a long trip, and are limited to 90 days in the Schengen Zone (as Americans are), remember that Iceland is in the Zone, so your day one in the Zone is the day you arrive in Iceland, not the day you arrive in mainland Europe. I learned this on a previous trip. Arriving at 11:40 or so in Reykjavík, I had to hang back at the end of the customs line so that I would be stamped in after midnight or I would have been in the Zone 91 days by the time I left.

 

[blueskywa]

My Partner stated: I've got an idea for a holiday and the country starts with the letter 'I' and ends with a 'D'...excitedly I said Ireland!! No, he said.... Iceland!!! So....we did both and I must say the contrast between the two was amazing.....one white, mountainous and icy and the other green, rolling hills and just a little bit rainy. Both with stunning photographic scenery. Two weeks driving around the circumference of each country was a great way to spend a holiday. The main tourist spots are the Golden Circle route (300km loop from Reykjavik) and the Blue Lagoon - well worth a stopover for sure.