Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Reykjanes Peninsula
he
Reykjanes Peninsula
, Iceland's southwestern extremity, provides most visitors with
their first look at the country, as they exit
Keflavík
's international airport and follow the
multi-lane expressway Route 41 east towards Reykjavík. Unfortunately, local vistas are
unremittingly barren - rough, contoured piles of lava and distant peaks, the rocks only
coloured by lichen and mosses - and most people leave Reykjanes behind without a
second thought. But if you've a few hours to fill in - before a flight, perhaps - the
peninsula has plenty to offer, and is conveniently close to the capital: there's the
Blue
Lagoon
, Iceland's most renowned hot spa; a museum at
Grindavík
to that great
Icelandic icon, the cod; a
trans-continental bridge
near Hafnir; plus plenty of wild,
rocky coastline with associated birdlife and lonely ruins.
Main roads through the region are sealed, with a few short gravel stretches out to
some sights.
Buses
run daily all year from Reyjavík to Keflavík and the airport, and
from Reyjavík to the Blue Lagoon and Grindavík; elsewhere you'll need your own
vehicle or to arrange a tour from the
capital.
2
The Blue Lagoon
Sept-May daily 10am-8pm; June-Aug daily 9am-9pm • 6500kr, or 8900kr combined entry and bus ticket from Reykjavík •
W
bluelagoon.com
Known in Icelandic as
Bláa lónið
, the
Blue Lagoon
is Iceland's most trumpeted
geothermal spa, a surreal splash of colour and warmth amidst a bleak satanic wilderness
of black lava rubble. It's also a shameless tourist rip-off, though worth the price once
for the experience: on cold days, when thick fog swirls over the warm, milky-blue
water, your hair, dampened by vapour, freezes solid.
Blue Lagoon is actually artificial, dug into the middle of a flat expanse of black lava
blocks and filled by outflow from the nearby
Svartsengi thermal power station
.
Svartsengi taps into steam vents fed by sea water seeping down into subterranean hot
pots, and by the time it emerges at Blue Lagoon it has cooled to a comfortable 38˚C.
There are decoratively positioned caves and arches, a sauna, and the famous silvery-grey
silt
, said to cure skin disorders - Icelanders scoop handfuls off the bottom and smear it
all over their bodies, and the shop sells beauty products made from it. Whatever the
effects on your skin, hair takes a real battering from the lagoon's enriched mineral
content; rub conditioner in as protection before bathing.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BLUE LAGOON
By bus
Regular buses (
W
re.is) run here year-round from
both Reykjavík's BSÍ terminal and Keflavík's international
airport; many people make Blue Lagoon their last port of
call before boarding a flight and luggage storage is
available.
Destinations
Keflavík nternational Airport (6 daily;
15min); Reykjavík (10 daily; 45min).
By car
The Blue Lagoon is off Route 43 near Grindavík,
around 20km southeast of Keflavík and 45km southwest of
Reykjavík.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Blue Café
Sandwiches, sushi and salads served in a
glassed-in corner of the lobby, overlooking the lagoon and
its steamy surrounds. With no competition, expect steep
prices - upwards of 1500kr for a sandwich - and
unexceptional food, though a coffee won't set you back too
much. There's also wi-fi.
Daily June-Aug 11.30am-9pm;
Sept-May 11.30am-8.30pm.
Blue Lagoon Health Clinic
T
426 8650,
W
bluelagoon.com.
Specializing in curing a range of skin
ailments, this on-site clinic also provides smart, large
rooms with minimalist trim, wooden floors and a charcoal-
and-white colour schem
e. Price i
includes breakfast and
entry to the Blue Lagoon.
31,000kr
Northern Light Inn
T
420 8900,
W
nli.is.
Cosy place,
with floral bedspreads and individually-shaped rooms
that make it feel like a guesthouse, though they're as
happy catering to conference groups as they are to
couples or families. The restaurant is good, too. Room
rate inclu
des huge buffet breakfast and airport transfers.
34,000kr
