If you enjoy the outdoors and a good photo, then Iceland should be near the top of your list. It’s wild how many beautiful landscapes there are around the country. Whether you want an active vacation or a scenic drive with minimal steps, Iceland has plenty of attractions for you.
Our May trip to Iceland spanned six jam-packed days and focused on the south and west parts of the island. While our itinerary was crowded, we felt this was just the right amount of time to hit the main stops in those regions. For more relaxation, or to add on other parts of the country, you would definitely need more time. But if you want to travel like us – active and making the most of every minute – then the below itinerary could be for you.
Day 1: South Iceland Highlights
If you are flying to Reykjavik from the United States, your flight will likely arrive bright and early (before 7:00 AM). Considering the overnight flight is pretty short and you’ll be running on little sleep, many people treat this first day as a wash and take it easy around Reykjavik. Not us though! Since we had limited time in the country, we immediately started our road trip and set off towards Iceland’s southern coast.
Our first stop though: coffee and pastries. We were in desperate need after the flight, so we swung by Kökulist Bakery right next to the airport. From there, we had a 2.5 hour drive to our first real stop: Seljalandsfoss.
Seljalandsfoss is a beautiful waterfall just off the ring road. Because it is so accessible, you’re bound to run into a big crowd here. Still, that didn’t stop us from enjoying the views and taking some time to walk the short path that goes behind the falls (be prepared to get wet!).
As you are walking away from Seljalandsfoss, you’ll notice that the walkway diverges to the right and follows the cliff line. Take this path, and in 10 minutes or so you’ll reach Gljufrabui. While this waterfall is smaller than Seljalandsfoss, we honestly may have liked it better. Gljufrabui is set back in a narrow canyon and requires a bit of a skip and jump across some rocks to reach. The surrounding canyon walls frame the falls beautifully though.
Our next stop was Kvernufoss. This was not a planned stop, but we’re so glad we made it. Like at Seljalandsfoss, we were able to walk behind the waterfall to get a great view. The difference though was the atmosphere. Where as Seljalandsfoss was crawling with people, Kvernufoss was peaceful – serene even. Sure, there were a few other people there with us, but everyone seemed to have a mutual understanding that this was a place for peace, quiet, and connecting with nature. We took advantage and grabbed a seat behind the waterfall for 10 minutes or so. It was a highlight of the day, and we would absolutely recommend this stop to anyone passing by.
Next up was the town of Vik and the surrounding area. For lunch in Vik, we opted to go to Halldórskaffi, which was a good little cafe with a delicious lamb sandwich. After that, we made the short drive to Reynisfjara Beach. This black sand beach draws a crowd, but it is still worth a quick stop to see the basalt columns on the beach’s eastern side. For an aerial view of the beach, you can also take a short detour to Dyrhólaey, which is a nature preserve atop the nearby cliffs. There are some cool rock formations along the coast best seen from this stop.
At this point, the lack of sleep was really catching up to us. But we had one more stop before calling it a day! Last but not least was Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. This site (made famous by a Justin Bieber music video) is really stunning. With just a short, slightly uphill walk, you can get to a few awesome viewpoints of the dramatic canyon.
From there, we had another half hour drive to Lækjaborgir Guesthouse, where we stayed for the first two nights of our trip. This accommodation was a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it was a good halfway point between Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon and our stops the next day: Skaftafell National Park and Jökulsárlón. Overall, we would recommend staying here for anyone with a similar itinerary. There just aren’t a lot of food options nearby (we had grocery store sandwiches for dinner on Night 1), so plan accordingly.
Day 2: Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón
After a good night’s sleep, we started off bright and early towards Skaftafell National Park. Here we did the main 4.6 mile loop hike that took us to the magnificent Svartifoss waterfall and a great glacier viewpoint. Getting to the park early was a great call, as we had Svartifoss to ourselves for about 10 minutes. We took advantage by relaxing at the viewpoint and admiring the basalt columns that surrounded the waterfall.
The glacier viewpoint was nothing to scoff at either. The hike takes you to a higher vantage point that lets you really appreciate how the glacier “creeps” inward during the melting season. This part of the trail was completely exposed though, so it is worth bringing a windproof layer for this stretch alone.
Once we finished the hike, we set off towards Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. As we were on our way, the weather started to get…questionable. Heavy rains are one thing, but aggressive winds upped the difficulty level. It didn’t exactly put our minds at ease when we saw a van laying on its side just off the road. Nevertheless, with two hands on the wheel and 20 mph under the speed limit, we made it to our destination.
The weather at Jökulsárlón wasn’t exactly great either, but we weren’t about to cancel our Zodiac boat tour. We actually arrived to the lagoon parking lot early; thankfully, we ran to the kiosk just in time to move on to the earlier tour. Waiting around for 1.5 hours in the cold rain and wind would NOT have been fun. The tour, though, was fun.
Despite the cold rain and wind, getting out onto the lagoon was an awesome experience. The smaller boat used by the Zodiac tour gets you right up next to the icebergs, and if you’re lucky you can even see some flipping over. The tour company itself was great too. Our guide had a lot of fun facts to share about the lagoon and icebergs in general, and the company provided extremely warm wet suits that protected us from the elements (well, most of us…our faces were still exposed). It’s still advisable to wear several layers under the wet suit in bad weather.
After the tour we grabbed some crepes from the Sweet & Savory food truck in the lagoon’s parking lot and watched some seals swimming just off the coast. Then, we made a quick stop at the nearby Diamond Beach. In colder months this beach is littered with ice chunks from Jökulsárlón. In May though it was a bit too warm, so we only got to see a few smaller ice diamonds. Regardless of when you visit Iceland, this beach is worth a stop if you go to the lagoon given its proximity.
To cap off the day, we drove back to our guesthouse, freshened up, and grabbed dinner at the nearby Hotel Restaurant Núpar – which was honestly really good! All food is expensive in Iceland, but we thought the fish and chips here were actually quite good. The fact that this restaurant was essentially the only option near our guesthouse was a nice bonus. After that we turned in early again in preparation for Day 3.
Day 3: Skógafoss and the Golden Circle
Time to say goodbye to our lonely guesthouse! We left just after 6:00 AM and headed back west, towards the huge Skógafoss Waterfall. This waterfall is incredibly impressive – even more so because you can walk right up to its base within two minutes of the parking lot. The real attraction here, though, is the Waterfall Way hike.
When walking to the base of Skógafoss, you’ll notice a very steep staircase on the righthand side. Climbing up these flights gets you a nice vantage point of Skógafoss, but you shouldn’t stop there. If you continue along this path, you’ll see legitimately dozens of waterfalls in one of our favorite day hikes we’ve ever done.
This trail actually serves as the first section of the longer, multi-day (or point-to-point) Fimmvörðuháls Trail. We didn’t have time to do the full route, so we instead made a point to get to Sunset Falls, which was just over 4 miles from Skógafoss. This beautiful, two-tiered waterfall was well worth the extra distance and a fitting turnaround point for our hike. Had we gone a little bit further, we could have made it to the Skógá River bridge, but we wanted to give ourselves ample time to get back to the parking lot – we still had a full day ahead of us.
After finishing the hike, we grabbed lunch at Mia’s Country Van, which is at the end of the Skógafoss parking lot. And I will say – we liked the fish and chips at Hotel Restaurant Núpar, but these were better. The restaurant is no frills (it’s literally a food trailer), but the fish was delicious. We scarfed down our food – not because we were rushing but because it was really good – at one of the van’s patio tables, and then we started off towards the Golden Circle.
The Golden Circle is a famous route with several scenic stops that is not too far from Reykjavik. Coming from the east, we made our first visit Gullfoss Falls, which sits at the “end” of the Circle. Compared to the other waterfalls we visited, this one felt very developed, with a full visitor’s center and several observation decks. And rightfully so – this is another very impressive waterfall. It is honestly so big that it’s hard to get a good vantage point for photos, but you can really appreciate the volume of water as you’re standing right over it.
Next up was Strokkur. The geyser here was the main attraction for us, and thankfully we didn’t have to wait long to see an eruption. The thermal area as a whole is quite a bit larger if you have time to explore, but we opted to instead spend extra time at our other destinations.
After Strokkur we visited Bruarfoss Waterfall, and this one was a journey to get to. While all of our stops to this point were just off a main road and had a well-developed parking lot, we had to navigate a rough gravel road to get to Bruarfoss – and we still had to pay for parking! It was honestly worth it though. Even though Bruarfoss was not as large or spectacular as the other waterfalls we visited, the color of the water was astounding. It’s just such a pretty shade of blue; that combined with the swirling rapids created a hypnotizing effect that could have kept us there all day. If you have more time for this stop, we would recommend parking on the main road and hiking to the falls so that you can avoid the gravel road and needing to pay for parking.
After Bruarfoss we made a quick, unplanned stop at Kerid Crater. The lake in this volcanic crater is very pretty, and it was nice walking around the rim for a bit. You can also hike into the crater and right up to the lakeshore to appreciate the clarity of the water.
After the sights we stopped at Ölverk Pizza & Brewery for dinner and a drink. Then finally, we made our way into central Reykjavik for our apartment rental, where we stayed the next three nights.
Day 4: Thingvellir and Reykjavik
It was time for a more relaxing day (by our standards). After sleeping in a bit, our first stop was Brauð & Co – which is incredible. So good, in fact, that we went there the next day too. Do yourself a favor and get any of their cinnamon rolls; they’re honestly amazing.
After enjoying our pastries, we went to Thingvellir National Park for the morning. The rain was coming down when we got there, but we waited it out for a bit before starting the walk through the park. The terrain here is really interesting, with several natural rock walls caused by activity along the fault line. You may even recognize some of the scenery from Game of Thrones, if you’re into that sort of thing.
One of the main attractions at Thingvellir is Öxarárfoss, which is another impressive waterfall. In just a couple hours you can walk through all of the park’s main sites (including the falls) and learn more about the area.
Once we left Thingvellir, we made a stop at Þórufoss – another impressive waterfall (Iceland has a lot of those). This one is a bit off the beaten track. Once you park at the relatively unmarked lot, you will need to take an unpaved path down towards the creek and walk along the edge until you hear thundering water. Shortly after that, you’ll be greeted by Þórufoss. While it isn’t the largest waterfall we saw, the vantage point makes it an awesome one to visit.
For lunch we just had some grocery store sandwiches we had bought the night before, which was good because it gave us time to get back to Reykjavik for a free city walking tour. Reykjavik isn’t the most scenic city, but it was interesting learning about life in Iceland, how the city came to exist, and how the country’s environment has and will change over time as a result of climate change and geothermal activity.
After the walking tour we had some time to kill before our dinner reservation. First, we went to the Omnom Chocolate Shop, which makes organic Icelandic chocolate and was featured on the Down to Earth Netflix series. We highly recommend getting one of their sundaes in the shop, but hold off on buying any chocolate souvenirs – you can get their bars for cheaper at local grocery stores. After our dessert, we went for a drink at RVK Brewing Company. While parking at this small brewery was a bit confusing (you need to go in front of the shop and not follow Google Maps), we enjoyed the beer selection and casual atmosphere.
For dinner, we went to Three Coats in Reykjavik. Without a doubt, this was the nicest meal of our trip. It was priced accordingly, but we would absolutely recommend people treat themselves here as part of their vacation. While it sounds kind of weird, the creamy mild fish soup was terrific. We also really loved the lamb and the mixed seafood gratin. You can also get more “traditional” Icelandic dishes like shark if you’re feeling adventurous, but we have no regrets ordering food we knew we’d like (and taking just a small leap with the fish soup).
Day 5: Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Time for a day trip! We really enjoyed all the sights around Snæfellsnes, but we saw A LOT. For a list of places to visit on the peninsula and tips for that visit, take a look at our post about the day.
To maximize our time on the peninsula, we grabbed food for lunch from Brauð & Co (along with breakfast pastries) before leaving Reykjavik. By the time we got back from Snæfellsnes, we were exhausted and wanted a quick bite, so naturally we went two places for dinner. First up was Svarta Kaffið, a small soup shop with some of the fastest service we’ve ever experienced. They have two soup options each day – one meat and one veggie. The soup was just fine, but it was affordable and filling since it came in a bread bowl.
For our second dinner, we went to Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, which is a hotdog stand in the middle of town. For whatever reason (probably because they’re cheap), hotdogs are a thing in Reykjavik. We felt like we couldn’t leave Iceland without going to this institution, so we got a “hotdog with everything except mustard” to share. It was actually pretty good! Probably better served as a snack than a meal, but after trying the hotdog, we get it.
Day 6: Blue Lagoon
Our last day in Iceland. To mix things up for breakfast, we went to Sandholt bakery instead of Brauð & Co. It was definitely good, but it was more of an institution and way more crowded than Brauð & Co, and it probably would have been better as a sit down meal. Their full breakfast menu looked great.
We only had time to grab food to go though, as we had a reservation at the Blue Lagoon. We saved this activity for last because it’s close to the airport, and it was a perfect, relaxing way to end the trip. The overall experience here is great. The geothermally-heated water feels incredible, and it was fun getting to do a mud mask while we enjoyed our drinks. The facility has showers as well for before and after you are in the lagoon, so we were able to get fully cleaned up before heading to the airport for our flight.
A quick pit stop, though – we needed to get lunch before the long journey home. We decided to go to Polskur Matur in the nearby town of Keflavik. Without a doubt, it was the best valued meal we had in Iceland. The schnitzels were delicious and MASSIVE. It was more than enough to hold us over until the in-flight meal and sent us off on a good note.
Other Tips & Tricks
- Planning for the Weather: Everywhere we went, locals seems to joke about the weather. Our walking tour guide said that you could dine outside a whole three days a year. When it was sunny during our dinner at Svarta Kaffið, our server said to just wait five minutes. Based on our week in Iceland, we understand where they were coming from. The weather changed constantly but generally stayed on the side of “not great”. Make sure you pack plenty of layers and keep rain gear with you at all times while touring the country.
- Getting Around: You need to rent a car in Iceland. Unless you’re staying exclusively around Reykjavik, there’s really no other way to get around. The main ring road is well maintained, though, so we found driving to be a breeze (windy weather aside near Jökulsárlón). One thing to note – seemingly every attraction around Iceland has paid parking. On one hand, it’s nice to have maintained parking. On the other hand, free parking would be nice every once in a while. Most lots take credit card or mobile payment, so cash is hardly necessary.
- Where to Stay in Reykjavik: Reykjavik is a small enough town that you can really stay anywhere. If you want a fully walkable, central location though, we would recommend staying near Rainbow Street. Within 15 minutes we could walk to several good restaurants and almost all of the city’s main attractions. There was also plenty of street parking nearby.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan
