01 Arrival
Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland is so close (about two and a half hours from the UK), so comfortable, yet so distinct. The old heart of its capital, Reykjavik, feels like an easy-going small town.
How a troubled country created a winter tourism industry from nowhere.
Close to economic melt-down in 2009, Iceland staged a remarkable come-back. It crafted a tourist boom out of a celestial light show, the Northern Lights, from outdoor bathing powered by volcanic heat, and an epic day trip into the lava wastes. A bracing winter visit to the capital city Reykjavík is now a popular short-stay attraction. On a winter visit, you have the high likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights.
And sport helped…
In June 2016, this nation of 300,000 reached the knock out stages of the football championships Euro 2016 in France. This single event probably did more to promote Iceland to the world as a place to do business with, and to visit than anything else.
02 What to see and do
Warm welcome
Iceland is so close (my Thomson Holidays flight took two and a half hours from Gatwick), so comfortable, yet so distinct. The old heart of Reykjavik feels like an easy-going small town. The air is clean and fresh, the streets are safe. You could walk around the main attractions in less than an hour.
And it’s a bright city – houses, restaurants, factories, even churches, are clad in cheerful, colourful corrugated steel of many colours. There’s friendly service everywhere. Most Icelanders speak effortless, fluent English. Renewable energy, mainly free hot water, is abundant. The post-Recession recovery is spectacular, and some of the country’s bankers actually went to prison. But my favourite thing is the famous Iceland jumper, both sharp fashion and a lifetime’s guarantee against the cold. (Mine is 35 years old.) The prices I saw (2015) were around £100 for a garment.
Capital tour
Take an bus tour of Reykjavik, although it’s small enough to do on foot, particularly in spring as the temperatures pick up – it was -7°C for our early February trip.
Down on the waters edge is the proud, new performance centre, Harpa, sparkling with multi-coloured glass panels. Fishing sustained this nation for a millennium; they tell the story in the Maritime Museum on the harbour’s edge. On permanent show is the principal weapon in the bitter Cod Wars with the UK in the 1970s, the patrol vessel Odinn. Its original fishing net-cutting gear looks like a device from a Bond film.
Soaring about everything in this low-rise city is the tremendous, 220 feet high Hallgrímskirkja church. Its stepped wings like organ pipes recall the shapes cooling lava makes in Iceland’s landscape.
Golden Wonder
Winter or summer, the seven hour drive into Iceland’s raw and rugged interior, the Golden Circle, is irresistible. (And not only to tourists. Game of Thrones is filmed here.)
We passed multiple snow-capped versions of Ayers Rock, often the backdrop to galloping Icelandic horses, and the notorious Eyjafjallajökull which caused such dusty chaos to aviation across Europe after it erupted in 2010. Geyser is a broody, simmering place, spot on for the witches scene in Macbeth, enlivened by Strokkur’s steamy eruption every ten minutes. Next stop is the thunderous waterfall at Gullfoss, where cheerful staff serve sustaining meat soup and cake. Last call is the site of the original parliament, Thingvellir, surely the most tranquil, and beautiful, place to conduct politics on the planet. This rift valley is a site of geological drama. Tectonic plates are drifting apart at an inch a year. That may not seem much, but 2 yards, just under 2 m, in a lifetime?
Lights fantastic
The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is the most spectacular, non-destructive, natural show on Earth. Iceland, with the Arctic Circle cutting through the top third, is one of the best places to see it. Our driver took us out of town, where light pollution is low. The display had already started, a pale green band stretched across the starry sky, pulsing and rippling at random. A true wonder of the world.
And this was only stage one, out of four. Other nights lucky people might see the full-colour, all dancing display, caused by electrical discharges from the sun colliding with particles in our atmosphere. Sightings aren’t guaranteed, but can be forecast about four days out, when locals have a rough idea about the weather, and the likelihood of clear skies. September to mid-April are the best times.
Rhapsody in Blue
Iceland offers a unique comfort, the chance to bask in the balmy 36° C heat of free hot water coursing up from volcanic depths. It’s welcome at any time, but especially on winter days of nipping cold. There are many public pools with natural geothermal water in Iceland, where you can just turn up. But the swanky Blue Lagoon, midway between Reykjavik and the main airport, and expanded in 2016, is the biggest, with the best facilities.
There’s even a waterside bar. Nobody swims. You wallow in the outdoor pools, or stand decadently around in the steamy fog with a drink in hand, posing for (preferably waterproof) cameras at this popular backdrop for fashion shoots. For a sybaritic extra, try a massage, lounging back in the water on a supportive mat. www.bluelagoon.com.
03 Places to stay and eat
An ideal base for a winter visit
I stayed in the neat and new (late 2015) Storm Hotel, all soft wood and light-touch Nordic detail. Just off the city centre and waterfront, it is an ideal base for a winter visit.
Another is Canopy Reykjavik. The hotel was the first to open (July 2016) as part of Hilton Worldwide’s luxury and lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton. Set across six connected houses, the hotel features local art and inspiration. There’s a courtyard and smart new restaurant Geiri Smart.
As for restaurants and bars, it is a rare thrill on returning to a place after many years, to find a favourite place open and thriving. Kaffivagnin, down on the old harbour edge, once again served me exceptional fish and chips. I also recommend Old Iceland, and for special occasions Kolabrautin Ristorante, atop the Harpa concert hall. There’s a big choice of cosy bars, but rather than expensive imported wine. Try local craft beer – the cosy Bjórgarðurinn has a huge range. Or delicious tap water, served in big clear bottles. It is some of the world’s purest.
04 Places to visit nearby
See the rest of Iceland in the summer, when the sun never really sets
You probably won’t want to stray too far from Reykjavík in the winter, when much of the island can be under ice and snow, unless you take one of the dedicated trips in the appropriate vehicle. It’s totally different in the summer, when you have the entire island at your disposal in almost round-the-clock daylight.