Iceland/Norway - One vs The Other or Both - Suggestions

[gointhedistance]

I just started looking into an early summer 2014 trip to Iceland and/or Norway, and am looking for some input and advice.

This would likely be a non-skiing trip unfortunately (unless I can be convinced to dedicate a couple of days skiing to justify bringing ski gear), targeting the end of May, early June time frame. The goal of the trip would be to take 2 full weeks to explore the best scenery and local culture in the areas. It will be my girlfriend and I.

We will probably rent a car for a portion of the trip to navigate to different areas of interest - especially if in Iceland, and we will probably sleep in the car, or park and sleep in a tent vs staying in hostels or AirBnB it to save a few extra dollars. We aren't worried about roughing it for a bit - but will likely spend a few days in cities/towns to clean up I'm sure.

What's most important for us are things like:
1) Seeing spectacular views (i.e. fjords, mountains, cliffs, etc)
2) Hiking (either day hikes of 1-3 nights backpacking)
3) Filling in 2-3 days with activities - maybe a trout fishing tour, or boat/sailing tour, etc.
3) Not spending thousands on hotels and transportation.
4) Spending a few days/nights in a populated/semi-populated town or city to take in some of the local happenings - food/bars/life.
5) Having fun!

I'm looking for your input on what locations have the 'must have' scenery, best hikes (and maps if you have them), suggestions on activities, and how you've traveled there in the past, including where you stayed and what local things you suggest doing.

Also - should we take 2 full weeks in Iceland or spend 8 or so days there, before heading to the southern/western fjords of Norway (near Bergen) for a few days?

*I think there are a couple of threads on Iceland - but not alot of info in them that I saw. Hardly anything on Norway...

Thanks in advance!

[smmokan]

Funny timing... I just booked our trip to Iceland next July. Norway is right up there on the list of places to see, but I picked Iceland now because of the direct flights from Denver on Iceland Air. I also think that Iceland is a little more conducive to being able to see more of the country in a single trip, due to the fact that it's much smaller and has the #1 ring road.

That being said, we're not doing the whole "ring road" despite being there for 12 days. I didn't want to pack up and drive every morning, so instead we're going to spend our time in three different areas: Snaefellsness Peninsula for three nights, between Vik and Skaftafell NP for three nights, and then north of Hella (near Landmannalaugar) for four nights. I'd rather drive 30-90 minutes each day to check out the sights or to go hiking than drive every day/night to get to the next stop on the ring.

As for accommodations- we booked the three places through VRBO and HomeAway and they were all in the $120-150/night range. Hotels in Iceland look too expensive and they don't look as nice or peaceful as the places we're staying (I'd be happy to share if you send me a PM). We were thinking about renting a 4x4 camper and just staying at the campgrounds around the country, but renting anything 4x4 in Iceland is super expensive too. We're renting a small VW for the entire trip, and we'll rent a 4x4 one or two days to visit a couple spots.

My wife and I are going for similar reasons as you- activities and to see one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world. There are a handful of hikes I've already picked out, and I'm guessing we'll do a lot more hiking than driving around. If you're up for a 1-3 day overnight backpacking trip, look at the Landmannalaugar to Thorsmark hike on Iceland- it looks incredible.

Also, if you decide on Iceland, I highly recommend buying this map. It's a great resource and I've already spent hours looking at it even though our trip isn't for another 9 months.

http://international-photographer.com/shop.htm

[gointhedistance]

^Nice - thanks smmokan.

[hortence]

Once at JFK I was in a group of students going to Europe (with a layover in Iceland). It was my first big trip. My buddy pointed out a smoking hot girl that had just entered the boarding area and I said that I hoped I sat next to her.

I did, and we played chess and she fell asleep on my shoulder and I just generally fell in love the way 14 year olds do. So I've always wanted to go back to Iceland. The choice is obvious!

[OldLarry]

Half the population of Iceland is bizarro good looking. The other half look like hobbits, at best. They all drink like fish. You needn't go further that Reykjavik- strp a go pro on and hope for the best or worst threesome possible. Trip report is a must-

[Tippster]

Bring a heavy sleeping bag - it's gonna be cold. Average high temp for Reykjavikis 50F, In Bergen, Norway it's maybe 5F warmer. Low 40's at night. Why go so early in the year if you want to sleep outside?

[TBS]

Half the population of Iceland is bizarro good looking. The other half look like hobbits, at best. They all drink like fish-

This is the result of a limited gene pool...the family trees have but few branches

[gointhedistance]

Bring a heavy sleeping bag - it's gonna be cold. Average high temp for Reykjavikis 50F, In Bergen, Norway it's maybe 5F warmer. Low 40's at night. Why go so early in the year if you want to sleep outside?

I actually love winter camping... And spring/fall camping. There are several reasons for this, including my Scandinavian blood, my perfuse sweating, Minnesota roots, etc... Gear and temps are no issue. Adds to the 'adventure'.

[iceman]

< obligatory reference to the Penis Museum >

[The AD]

Half the population of Iceland is bizarro good looking. The other half look like hobbits, at best.

And then there's Björk who's seemingly trapped somewhere in between. Maybe leaning to the later.

[Alaskan Rover]

Haven't been to either yet...but have friends and family that have spent lots of time in both. Apparently both have areas very similar to coastal Ak...fjords, glaciers and volcanic areas similar to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (at least Iceland has the volcanic areas....not sure about Norway). But the cool thing about both countries is you get the awesome scenery replete with that ultra-cool Scandanavian culture and amazingly gorgeous women!

Just prepare yourself for spending large bundles of money at every turn. A great way to train for this is to throw at least $100 in cash out your car window every day.

Why not contemplate visiting BOTH countries via the Faroe Islands...which lay pretty much right between both countries. An island group very similar to the Pribilof Islands of Bering Sea. Although you'll have to throw an addititional $50 cash out that window if you want to train for the very expensive Faroe Islands as well.

[HansJob]

Check out Lofoten. Contact Seth at http://www.alpineguides.no/ He's an awesome dude and I'm sure can fill you in on other activities in and about Norway.

[Meathelmet]

*I think there are a couple of threads on Iceland - but not alot of info in them that I saw. Hardly anything on Norway...

Actually, there should be quite a few threads. Search with norway, norwedge, lofoten, narvik, arctic, stryn, jotunheim and other keywords.
Unless TGR has lately had some Purge of Danielic proportions, that is.

What's most important for us are things like:
1) Seeing spectacular views (i.e. fjords, mountains, cliffs, etc)
2) Hiking (either day hikes of 1-3 nights backpacking)
3) Filling in 2-3 days with activities - maybe a trout fishing tour, or boat/sailing tour, etc.
3) Not spending thousands on hotels and transportation.
4) Spending a few days/nights in a populated/semi-populated town or city to take in some of the local happenings - food/bars/life.
5) Having fun!

Just to give a quick beta..

Those countries are total opposite.
Iceland is a desolate lump of ash & rock with 250.000 people. You will find your solitude if you are looking for that, interior is actually quite hard core if you plan to do some hiking.
Never been there, but friends have visited and I have done few trip plans that have sadly fallen through.
Iceland is expensive as fuck, even more than norway. And norway makes Swizerland look like Laos. So unless you are in a tent/huts, prepare to spend a boatload of cash.
Especially if you dream to have a 4wd car in iceland to drive around and to the interior.


1) Seeing spectacular views (i.e. fjords, mountains, cliffs, etc) :

Norway has much, much more variability. If you go to the jotunheim area, you can see sea, birch forest, glaciers
and El cap sized cliff walls plunging straight to the fjord within 30 minutes. Iceland is much more barren.


2) Hiking (either day hikes of 1-3 nights backpacking):

Norway has way,way,way better infra for the hiking with a lot of camping places, huts (Norske turistförbund) and more variable terrain. Iceleand, again, is much more hardcore and
desolate. But shit, it has volcanoes and ashfields and geysirs..



3) Filling in 2-3 days with activities - maybe a trout fishing tour, or boat/sailing tour, etc. :

Both are about the same, I guess. Norway has better infra on this though.
Mountainbiking, rafting, boats. Iceland seems to be more limited in this area. Best bet is around Reykjavik. Over half of the population lives in the city.



4) Not spending thousands on hotels and transportation. :

Ouch. This can be hard. Hotels (in norway) a expensive. For what I know, Iceland too.
But, other options, like norwedgian huts are not that expensive, some are even free. And in norway they have the culture of renting out Hyttes (huts)
that are cheap, 20-30€ on the cheapest and camping places are cheap as well. And in both countries you can basically camp everywhere as it
is considered "birthright". Well, as long as you are not camping in somebodys backyard...

5) Spending a few days/nights in a populated/semi-populated town or city to take in some of the local happenings - food/bars/life.:

Norway is easier in this behalf. More people = More infra. But it will be goddam expensive, mark my words.
Food in norway is not that spectacular in general. And drinking out? Ouch.
In iceland towns outside Reykjavik are really small, but the charm apparently lies in that. Very down the earth vibe with cool locals.


5) Having fun!:

Well, that is about given. You will have a mindblowing trip, doesnt matter what country you chose.
In norway you will have the opportunity to do more and have more fallback options when the weather goes down to the shitter.

And it will.

And that you experience can be daunting if you are not prepared. Was in norway (telemark, jotunheim etc) for 3 weeks in 2012.
It was the rainiest summer since 1916.
Of the 23 days, it poured rain 24/7 on 17 days, and rest 6 days had some rain.
Doing a 3 day hike in the mountains, in a single wall tent (idiot), in the rain & sleet, seeing nothing...well...was interesting.
If you are prepared for utter shit, you can keep your sanity. If you are expecting good weather, it will fuck you head up. Proper.

But, when the weather is good, it is beyond awesome.

Coming back from a good hike in the glaciers, driving through the serpentine roads straight in to a ferry in Kjerag, grabbing a salmon sandwich,
and watching base jumpers leap from 900m above you in the evening sun.
Afterwards, grilled salmon in a hut that was on top of a pier, Bränvin and soaking in the views = Mind Blown.


Edit : Just to clarify. Never been in iceland, been in different parts of norway for 20-30 or so trips in the last 20 years.

[smmokan]

Based on my trip planning and the reservations I've made so far, I wouldn't classify Iceland as "expensive as fuck". I spent around $800 each for the flights, non-stop from Denver to Reykjavik. Car rental is going to be around $900 for the 12 days we're there (not 4x4 at that price, obviously). We're renting houses via VRBO for the 11 nights and it's costing us around $120-140/night. If you want to dirtbag it, you could easily cut out the accommodation costs by staying at various campgrounds for about $10/night and that makes the trip pretty damn cheap.

That being said, Norway looks and sounds awesome- it just looks a little more difficult to explore since it's four times bigger. Like Meathelmet said- you'll have a killer trip regardless of what you choose.

[gointhedistance]

Thanks MeatHelmet and everyone else.

I'll follow up when I define a bit more what the plans will be. Hitting some additional research tonight.

[Tippster]

I actually love winter camping... And spring/fall camping. There are several reasons for this, including my Scandinavian blood, my perfuse sweating, Minnesota roots, etc... Gear and temps are no issue. Adds to the 'adventure'.

Cool. I don't mind it either, but it WILL rain and be pretty bone-chilling due to the maritime climate (always wet.) I'd much rather camp in 30-40deg. dry than 40-50deg. humid. Wear wool, there's a reason all the locals do. Have a great time - the places MeatHelmet mentioned are on my bucket list, fuck the expense.

[Cono Este]

Great trip, never been to Iceland, but I have family in Norway.

Stavanger is in the heart of the fjords, and a nice little town. It's like Yosemite x10. Norht of there are some of the coolest spots to hike around the fjords, like Preikestolen. It also has an international airport so you can go direct from London. Renting a car and going north through Bergen would be a good trip. Its one giant granite valley and ferry boat across a fjord after another.

Beer laws are tweaked though.

[CG]

I was in both Iceland and Norway this summer. 1 day in Iceland and 9 in Norway. Initially I got the feeling a day in Reykjavik was sufficient but the more I thought on it I would have liked to have more time to check out the interior. Norway a big Oslo - Bergen - Trondheim triangle. I would go back in a heart beat. Views wise take the train from Bergen - Oslo and look up Norway in a Nutshell, it's a neat side trip with a few opportunities to spend a night in one of the remote (accessible by boat only) towns along the way. Expect and plan on rain. Oslo and Bergen are both great Cities.

[arild]

PM schralphmacchio for some american intel on visiting the better parts of Norway;he spent time in Troms (north),bergen(west) and svalbard in May this year. I was a shitty host due to family circumstances, so he had to drive around in his clutch-burned rental for his stay in Tromsø all by himself.

Never been to Iceland, but I hear it's a cool place for a long weekend. Norway as a whole is best visited in the early spring due to sun not being up for a very long time in the winter in the places any sane maggot would want to visit while here.

Places to go, and what to do:

Narvik, northern N: skiing and ice climbing. Best lift accessed backcountry/sidecountry in Scandinavia. Scuba diving for ww2 ships. One of themost brutal battles of the war in Norway took place here. Huge allied effort to secure the port, extremely high casualties on both sides. Ship graveyard. There is a place to rent scuba gear somewhere in town. Norwegian national mountain, Stetind, lies an hour south from here. Popular climbing there..

Tromsø, northern N: touring, climbing skiing, aurora borealis, beer, really fucking expensive, and in some cases, really good, eating.

Mosjøen, northern N: I just moved here, big fucking house and can take on a guest mag for a night or two. On the way further north to narvik and tromsø, and youre forced to drive through. Not much to do here, two hours to nearest decent skiing.

Bergen:rain, girls, beer (better beer than in Tromsø).

Ålesund: same as above, very nice bike and car opportunities if you want to visit the extremes of the country, way out in the sea. Ferries and bridges..

Oslo for the most part sucks, but has a decent nightlife. Grew up just outside. No real mountains anywhere close.

Jotunheimen is pretty cool if you go on your own or with a couple of friends. The beta from mags furher up in the thread is extremely valid. Pack for shit weather, count on shit weather hitting, hope for pauses in the downpours, because thats when Norway as a whole is beautiful.

[Labcabin]

www.bergen-guide.com .

I stumbled across this!

[SCOmeh]

Iceland is definitely cheaper than Norway these days.

If you want to do both IcelandAir does a stop over deal and flies to a couple of places in Norway AFAIK.

There's plenty of hiking in Iceland but it's not well advertised apart from Laugavegurinn which is popular with tourists and Icelanders. It's for good reason though as there is a great variety of terrain and environments to walk through. I've done it over several days staying in huts and in one push that took 12 hours walking overnight. It's very easy going for the most part. One of Iceland's more prolific guidebook writers Ari Trausti Gudmundsson has published one of his books in English, it's called Summit and lists 100 mountain hikes varying from super-easy to bottom end Alpine climbing. There are also translated books for the 4x4 trails, locations of natural hot pools and mountain huts. Take care with the pools one as some of the entries are on private property and aren't actually open to the public!

Personally I'd start with a couple of days in Reykjavik, head out into the countryside for the majority of time and then finish with another couple of days in Reykjavik.

High season is bringing in a lot of tourists these days so coming slightly out of season is actually a good idea if you want a bit of solitude whilst visiting the main tourist attractions. Though with a bit of research it's pretty easy to end up away from the crowd. Late May-Early June might have a lot of snow about as well. Certainly most sizeable mountains away from the sea will likely have snow covered peaks so factor that in with goals/gear.

[gointhedistance]

Just an update bump - for anyone else looking for some beta on this... and also still open to any other suggestions...

So we decided to head out the end of May through early June timeframe - 16 total days (2 bookending for travel).

We will be in Iceland for the first part - starting in Reykjavic. We booked our rental car last night, with the intention of doing the ring road and day hikes during our 10 days there. We will be sleeping in a tent/rental, and hopefully pulling long days (i.e. getting up to drive to next location, hiking, and crashing for the evening).

Some advise* on rental cars. I used the website rentalcars.com - which has mostly terrible, albeit mixed reviews online... but I booked with them because they had a great rate for a 4x4 vehicle. I confirmed with the rental supplier (rentalcars.com is like an affiliate of priceline.com) - that my confirmation is legit, and made sure to cover all of my T&C's with them directly. So - basically I'm getting a LandCruiser - for about a grand during my 10 days in Iceland. Most other sites/sources had small to mid size 4x4 for $1400+... I'm pretty happy about it.

I picked up a Sony Nex-5N from thin cover a couple of months ago and have been toying around in Bozeman with that, anticipating the trip... so photo TR will come.

From Reykjavic, we are flying to Bergen - to spend the remainder of the trip in more hospitable locations - like BNB's or hostels... The plan is to due activities this day - including the train, possible hikes around the Bergen area (Stravenger), possibly fishing, and sailing the fjords for a day or two...

Looking forward to it all.

One question - anyone know of a sailing option out of Bergen that would be for beginner sailors, maybe 2 day/1 night tour of the fjords... seems like most are either day cruises, shuttles, or end up being several days....

[systemoverblow'd]

^Just to warn you, that time of year you may not have easy passing on many of the roads to the East. Just be warned and bring a map, as your intended path may not be the path you can take depending on the thaw and the winter they had.

[gointhedistance]

^Thanks for that... It definitely will be dependent on the thaw. I had a friend traveling there the last week in May last year, and they did the ring - and they said the loop was fine, but the interior and side outlets were hit or miss yet... I guess we will just have to see. Hoping for the best.

If all else fails - head back towards the towns and spend more time looking for niceland gals...

[smmokan]

$1000 for 10 days in a Land Cruiser? Damn. I booked my rental car (a POS Volkswagen Polo) for 12 days and it was almost that much... I'll have to check out that site. The main difference is we're going in July when there are a lot more people around, however. Edit: Damn, just looked. $2500+ taxes for our dates. Oh well.

By the way, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND buying this map that I referenced in one of my posts above. It's incredible and a great starting point for your plans: http://international-photographer.com/maps/iceland/