Iceland holidays

Who is Iceland best for?

Iceland holidays are ideal for adventurers or those yearning for a taste of beautiful wilderness. It’s also perfect for families who want to appreciate fresh air and long summer days. In winter, Reykjavik’s Christmas lights illuminate the city, a wonder for youngsters who will most likely meet the 13 Yule Lads - festive trolls who are the Icelandic equivalent of Father Christmas. Teens can let loose, hiking, snowmobiling and sledding with huskies.

What you can find in Iceland that you won't find anywhere else?

Iceland has a population of 320,000. That's it. That's Wigan, and a full third of those hardy Icelanders live in the capital, Reykjavik, making the rest of the country one of the emptiest countries in the world. As well as the least polluted, since the country meets most of its energy needs from natural geothermal power. As a result, pristine landscapes of fjord, mountain, glacier, and moss-covered lava field still dominate most of the island.

Which experiences is Iceland best for?

Explore untamed landscapes from dramatic coasts and black-sand beaches to snow-capped volcanoes and steaming hot springs. Cross glistening fjords in a 4x4, go whale and puffin watching or traverse year-round glaciers. After all that adventure, you can take a long soak in the many steaming geothermal baths or slow the pace down visiting pretty fishing towns with local charm. Then there are the Northern Lights, best seen on a fun super Jeep (4x4s with massive wheels) adventures. Nothing can quite prepare you for this shimmering spectacle lighting up a clear night’s sky.

What are the best ways to discover Iceland?

The most obvious starting point on any Iceland holidays should be Reykjavik and after a stint in the capital, we recommend hiring a car to explore the rest of the country at your leisure. Where to stay? We have a handful of diverse hotels, all with wow factor. This could be a chic design hotel perfect for a boutique break or an adventure lodge-cum-feat-of-architecture with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Or base yourself out of a converted sheep farmhouse in wonderful isolation, from where you can go snowmobiling in the surrounding crisp white snow and afterwards hole up in the spa.

A special experience to do in Iceland:

When in Iceland do as the Icelanders do and take the spa seriously. With saunas and geothermal baths at every turn, it’s almost an injustice not to pamper yourself. Take to a smoke sauna heated by a wood fire. Feeling brave? Follow tradition and get your heart pumping by rolling in the snow.

Reykjavik

Before you head out into the wild, your first stop will be Reykjavik, the most northerly capital in the world, and a place that looks and feels more like a small fishing village than a capital. The city has a very quirky charm all of its own, with a selection of decent hotels and a more than decent nightlife. The good news is that Reykjavik is also so small you'll never get FOMO (fear of missing out) as you just wander five minutes around the corner to find another fun place to party. While you wander, it's also worth checking out the statue of explorer Leif Erikson outside the extraordinary Hallgrimskirkja church, which is designed to look like Iceland's basalt lava flows. A gift from the US of A, the statue acknowledges that it was a Viking who actually discovered the Americas several hundred years before that charlatan Christopher Columbus.

Snæfellsnes

Away from the capital, Snæfellsnes is typical of Iceland - a starkly beautiful peninsula jutting into the North Atlantic on Iceland's western coast. Closely connected with the Norse Sagas, this region was also the birthplace of Mr Explorer Erikson himself, and the Snæfellsnes volcano is where Jules Verne's adventurers journeyed to the centre of the world.

Southern Iceland

Another intriguing place to visit is Southern Iceland, home to yet more spectacular scenery, and the villainous volcano Eyjafjallajokull which caused so much air travel chaos in 2010.