An Icelandic Summer
An Icelandic Summer
An Icelandic Summer
7 Days Starting and ending in UK
Visiting: Reykjavík, Akureyri, Mývatn, Víðimýrarkirkja
Tour operator:
Tour code:
99358
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
25 - 45
Age range:
21-99
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Make the most of the long, light days of the Icelandic summer as you enjoy an unforgettable break in the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’. Discover a dramatic land of lunar landscapes, pristine glaciers, smouldering volcanoes and bubbling thermal pools. Your adventure begins in welcoming Reykjavík, where you’ll enjoy an illuminating tour of the area, including the fabled Golden Circle. Continue to Akureyri, on the northern coast, where you’ll explore otherworldly Mývatn, the Goðafoss Waterfalls, a turfed church and a stable, to learn about the Icelandic horse. An optional whale-watching tour and brewery visit complete a delightful break.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Fly To Iceland
Location: Reykjavík
Meals Included: No Meals
Upon arrival, meet your tour manager at Keflavík International Airport. Transfer to your hotel in Reykjavík.
Spend the rest of the day relaxing and acclimatising to your new surroundings, perhaps opting to explore the cafés and shops of Laugavegur, a short walk from your hotel. Enjoy dinner by your own arrangement as you look forward to a wonderful few days ahead.
Day 2 : Included Reykjavík And Golden Circle Tour
Location: Reykjavík
Meals Included: No Meals
This morning’s included tour will acquaint you with delightful Reykjavík and its environs. Highlights include the shoreside Pearl Centre, fashioned from disused water tanks, the towering Hallgrim’s Church, the Presidential Residence in its idyllic setting, the Houses of Parliament and the Lutheran Cathedral.
This afternoon enjoy an included Golden Circle tour, which includes visits to the extraordinary sight of Tingvellir, a great lava arena where the world’s oldest national parliament, the Althing, was established in 930AD, and to Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest freshwater lake. You’ll also take in the Great Geysir, now all but extinct, but where its neighbour Strokkur spouts impressively every 10 minutes or so. The fascinating tour is completed with visits to the stunning Gulfoss Waterfall, perhaps Iceland’s most beautiful natural wonder, and to the fascinating Friðheimar greenhouse cultivation centre, where organically grown vegetables are produced with the aid of geothermal heat.
Day 3 : Scenic Transfer To Akureyri
Location: Reykjavík, Akureyri
Meals Included: No Meals
This morning you’ll depart Reykjavík and travel to your new hotel in Akureyri, Iceland’s second-largest city. Akureyri is located on the country’s northern coast, and you’ll make several interesting stops along the way. Call first at Borgarfjörður, a picturesque area between Reykjavík and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, home to a delightful fjord, fed by trickles of water from the rolling hills and mountains that frame this wonderful scene.
Continue to the Holtavörðuheiði Plateau, for some fantastic views over the sweeping, open spaces that characterise Iceland’s interior. Your last stop will be the charming coastal town of Blönduós, before arriving at your new hotel in the late afternoon, where you’ll enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 4 : Tour Of Mývatn
Location: Mývatn
Meals Included: No Meals
Join your tour manager this morning for an included excursion to the Mývatn region. Your tour begins at the Goðafoss Waterfalls (Waterfall of the Gods). According to myth, the waterfall was named in 100AD, when Icelanders accepted Christianity as their faith, symbolically throwing statues of the pagan Norse gods into the water at Goðafoss.
Continue to Lake Mývatn, which is something of an ornithologist’s heaven, attracting many interesting bird species, including one of the world’s largest ducks, the common eider. You’ll also visit the nearby Mývatn Nature Baths, where you’ll have the chance to bathe in the famous natural hot springs.
Day 5 : Optional Whale-Watching And Brewery Tour
Location: Akureyri
Meals Included: No Meals
Today, you can choose between joining an optional whale-watching tour at Haugunes, followed by a brewery visit, or spending the day at leisure, perhaps exploring Akuryeri. Haugunes is a small costal village, just outside of Akureyri, on the Eyjafjördur Bay.
Guests who choose the optional excursion will board a small boat to make the 15-minute journey to the centre of the bay, where whales often congregate. Iceland is a renowned whale-watching destination, and Hauganes is one of the best places in the country to get a glimpse of these magnificent marine mammals. In the afternoon, continue to a local brewery where they brew Kaldi, a popular Icelandic beer. Guests can enjoy a tour of the brewery, with an introduction to the brewing process, followed by a tasting session, before returning to Akureyri.
However you chose to spend your day, spend your final evening in Akuryeri at leisure, perhaps choosing to eat at one of the numerous nearby eateries.
Day 6 : Transfer To Reykjavík, Via Víðimýri Church
Location: Víðimýrarkirkja, Reykjavík
Meals Included: No Meals
Today you will transfer back to Reykjavík, calling en route at the picturesque Víðimýri Church, one of Iceland’s few remaining turfed churches. This well-preserved church dates to the mid-19th century, when many churches and other buildings were roofed with turf to protect their inhabitants from the country’s harsh climate.
Continue your journey to Reykjavík, stopping at a local stable on the way. The Icelandic horse, a distinct breed of horse native to the country, has developed thicker hair to deal with the extreme temperatures, and often only grows to be the size of a pony. Enjoy a tour of the stable and learn more about the Icelandic horse, as you see some in the flesh. Upon arrival at Reykjavík, check-in and enjoy a final night in the welcoming Icelandic capital, dining at your leisure, no doubt reflecting on a wonderful few days.
Day 7 : Return To The Uk
Location: Reykjavík
Meals Included: No Meals
Transfer back to the airport for your return flight, after a delightful break in Iceland.
What's Included
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Six nights’ carefully chosen bed and breakfast accommodation at the three-star Skuggi Hotel, Reykjavík, and the four-star Hotel Kea, Akureyri
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A three-course evening meal at a local restaurant
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Return flights to Keflavík
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Coach travel and transfers throughout
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Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager
What's Not Included
Hotel transfer times
The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately ***
Combining hotel transfers
We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.
Special requirements
If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.
Disabled access
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Itinerary changes
Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.
Changes to your hotels
Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.
Travelling to Europe after Brexit
New rules apply when travelling to European Union countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. Note that these new rules do NOT apply when travelling within the United Kingdom or to the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland. You do require government issued ID when travelling by air though.
Passport - British passport holders need to have at least six months validity left on their passport and it needs to be less than ten years old; passports which have a longer validity than ten years are not valid for travel once the tenth anniversary of issue has passed. These rules do not apply to travel to Ireland where you can continue to use your passport as long as it’s valid for the length of your stay.
Visa - If you’re a tourist, you do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. Different rules will apply to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania; if you visit these countries, visits to other EU countries will not count towards the 90-day total. Travel to Ireland will not change and stays there will not count towards the 90-day total.
European Travel Information & Authorisation System (ETIAS) - Towards the end of 2022, it is likely that non EU citizens will be required to apply online for an authorisation to visit most European countries. The current details suggest there will be a charge of €7 per person and the authorisation will be valid for all trips made to the EU in a three year period from issue. We will advise you of confirmed details prior to your tour’s departure.
Border Control - At border control, you may need to show proof of your return journey - your travel documentation issued by us will be sufficient for this. You will also need to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens if manual checks are required.
Healthcare Cover - You should always get appropriate travel insurance with healthcare cover before you go abroad which covers pre-existing conditions. You should understand the terms and conditions of your travel insurance and be happy with its cover for healthcare and travel disruption. Newmarket sell a comprehensive travel insurance policy. Ask our travel consultants for more information. You should also apply for a UK Global Heath Insurance Card (GHIC) which lets you get urgent state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. Note GHIC is only valid in EU countries and not in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Mobile Roaming - Roaming charges have been re-introduced by some UK providers when visiting the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Prior to travel, please do check with your phone operator for the most up to date information.
Foreign Office Travel Advice
Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.
Check out our Q&As
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1983
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Vaccination Requirements
Your health and safety are pivotal to our operations, and every customer travelling on a tour with us must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Fully vaccinated means that you have had the full course of an approved vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to your holiday. We also recommend that you travel with proof that you’ve been fully vaccinated.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Our company’s mission is to enrich lives and improve wellbeing through travel. A big part of that is ‘Travel for Good’. Our ‘Travel for Good’ hub is our first step in a long journey to reduce carbon, offset anything we produce as a company and travel without harming the planet or the people of the destinations we go to.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest Covid-19 policies
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Fitness to Travel
We strive to give all our customers full care and attention, but we do need to know at the time of booking if there are any special needs or requirements. It is particularly important that we are advised of any disabilities and also if you intend to bring any specialist equipment such as a wheelchair with you. Please make sure that you make us aware of any requirements.
Reviews of this Operator
Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
Newmarket Holidays requires a minimum deposit of 35% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of newmarket holidays charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 48 days before tour starts: Forfeit 75% of booking price.
At 34 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 15 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Vaccination Requirements
Your health and safety are pivotal to our operations, and every customer travelling on a tour with us must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Fully vaccinated means that you have had the full course of an approved vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to your holiday. You can find the travel restrictions for different countries on www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We also recommend that you travel with proof that you’ve been fully vaccinated.
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