Iceland’s dramatic landscape consists of volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, waterfalls, craters, black sand beaches and more. Although it’s a seemingly small country, there’s a ton to see and do. A popular way to see the country is by traveling along it’s Ring Road. This road stretches around the entire island, with recommended stops along the way. To do the whole trip, it takes between 7-10 days. After contemplating my Iceland bucket list, I decided a 5-day trip in March was a great place to start.
Read my blog post on What Time of Year You Should Visit Iceland to help you decide when to go!
To take full advantage of our time in Iceland, I booked Thursday night flights on Icelandair from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). With the 4-hour time difference, we arrived at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) on Friday around 7am Icelandic time.
So you want to go to Iceland – where should you go? Here is a complete guide of my 5 day itinerary to this Nordic island.
Day 1 – Blue Lagoon and Vík
After picking up our car rental at the airport, we drove straight for the famous Blue Lagoon. Many people suggest visiting on the way back to the airport before leaving. Being Type-A, I would have felt rushed knowing I’d have to get to the airport and on a flight right after. I found it was best to do it first. Something else to consider: I’ve heard from friends and reviews online that the Blue Lagoon is packed and can get dirty throughout the day (especially in high season). Being a very popular tourist destination, this can really alter your experience and photos. To avoid any mishaps that will deter your experience, I recommend going when it opens at 8am. We did this and found it very clean and less crowded. It was such an amazing to start our trip!
We stayed in the hot spring until around 10:45am, showered and went to lunch at the Blue Lagoon’s restaurant, Lava. I made this reservation 2 months in advance and made sure we got a seat by the window overlooking the lagoon – it did not disappoint! The ambience was very nice and quiet – some people were even wearing their Blue Lagoon robes at their tables.
After digesting and tummies content, we started our 3hr drive to Vík. This is a remote seafront village in the southern part of Iceland that you’ll definitely want to see.
Tip: if you are driving Iceland in the winter, I highly recommend getting an AWD SUV in case of any snow/icy conditions
The drive to Vík is beautiful with mountains, waterfalls, volcanic rock covered in moss, and the ocean on the right. There was practically no one on the road and I’m pretty sure we went an entire hour without even seeing another car. Route 1 is the main road stretching around the entire island. Interestingly, it’s a one-lane road each way (see below). Not your typical highway!
Tip: on the way to Vík, stop at a Kjarval supermarket in Hella for snacks/food
A good way to break up the 3 hour drive is by visiting some incredible sights along the way…waterfalls! The first one you’ll want to stop for is about 2hrs into the drive, Seljalandsfoss. Note that parking for this waterfall is not free and costs 7 ISK ($4.81 USD) but is good for the entire day. This waterfall is off a tall cliff with a wide cavern behind it. There is a pathway through the cavern and all the way around so you can go behind and get a full 360 view. When going up close, prepare to get rained on!
If you keep walking down the pathway you’ll come across a hidden waterfall behind a cliff, Gljúfrabúi. Get up close and personal by trudging through the stream to get some cool shots!
Just 25 minutes down the road is Skógafoss waterfall. Note: parking here is free. You can get out and climb practically 500 steps to the top of the waterfall and the view is pretty neat. Because of the fall itself, you can bet on seeing a rainbow more times than not.
We checked into Hotel Vik i Myrdal, which is centrally located in the heart of the town. Positioned within walking distance to many stores/restaurants/bars, it made it easy to explore without a car. For dinner, we ate at Restaurant Berg, located right in our hotel. It is an upscale, highly rated restaurant for the area and the food was very good. When in Vík, I recommend trying as much local fish as you can. I had the arctic char and it practically melted in my mouth.
Other restaurants you might want to check out are Restaurant Sudur Vik, Strondin Bistro and Bar, Halldorskaffi or the Black Beach Restaurant.
Day 2 – Glacier Hike, Jokulsarlon and Diamond Beach
7am – rise and shine! We quickly ate breakfast and drove 1.5-hours to our glacier hike at Vatnajökull National Park. We booked the 5.5-hour tour with Arctic Adventures, which I highly recommend. Our guide was super knowledgeable and had a hilarious personality. The level of the hike was moderate for having inclines and a longer distance. People in good health can do this activity without any problems! It was so interesting to learn about how the glacier formed and continues to change shape daily.
Crampons, ice axe, helmet and camera in hand – we made our way to the top of the glacier!
After the hike is a perfect time to go to Svartifoss waterfall, located in the same national park and just a 45 minute hike. This is a popular waterfall to check out because of the dark lava columns surrounding it.
Getting back in the car, we drove 45 minutes to Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and the Diamond Beach just in time for sunset! This was a huge highlight of our trip and I cannot recommend it enough. In the lagoon, the glaciers float by and it is so peaceful. You may even see a seal or two!
As the glaciers drift along, they begin to enter out to the Atlantic Ocean. The waves push some glaciers back towards land where they are marooned on the black volcanic sand. This is where you’ll find the Diamond Beach with icebergs glistening like diamonds. You can even hear crackling as the waves of the ocean hit the larger pieces of ice. These natural ice sculptures vary in size and shape – it’s incredible!
After enjoying the sunset and these miraculous views, we drove back to Vík. We had dinner and drinks at Smidjan Brugghus. It was a quaint brewpub with limited seating, 10 craft Icelandic beers on tap, and yummy food. They are most well known for their burgers, ribs and wings. While eating, we found that there was actually a good amount of locals there – which I personally love #GoWhereTheLocalsGo
Right after we finished our burgers and Icelandic beers, we went outside and saw glimmering of the Northern Lights! I was so excited and had been hoping we’d get the chance to see them while in Vík. Having minimal city light and being on the South part of the island makes for ideal conditions when the sky is clear and the temperature is right. We chased the lights around town and down to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. It was beautiful and I wish I had a better camera with me that could properly catch them!
Day 3 – Golden Circle
Iceland’s Golden Circle is a popular tourist route from Reykjavik with fantastic scenery and rich landscapes. The route is made up of 3 main stops: Geysir Geothermal Field, Gullfoss Waterfall, and Thingvellir National Park. However, there are many stops you will want to take along the way. After checking out of our hotel, we made our way towards the Golden Circle with a final destination of Akureyri. 20 minutes out from Vík, you can stop and walk the path to the DC3 Plane Crash. We opted to not do this since its a 2 mile walk each way and would have added too much time onto our already busy day. Though, I have heard it’s a cool spot.
We kept driving to the Kerid Crater, which is a volcanic lake on the Golden Circle. Scientists think that 3,000 years ago, Kerid was a cone-shaped volcano that exploded and exhausted its magma chamber. Thus, causing it to fall in on itself and make it the crater it is today. To see the crater and walk around, there is an entrance fee of 400 ISK ($4 USD) and parking is free.
20 minutes north is a perfect spot to stop for homemade ice cream on the Golden Circle. Efstidalur II is a family farm with accommodation, a restaurant, horseback riding and homemade ice cream made from their own cows. We tried vanilla bean, chocolate, amaretto, and white chocolate. I secured a seat right by the window of the cafe, which gave a perfect view of the inside of the barn. We could actually see the cows who helped make our delicious ice cream possible!
The next stop along the our trip of the Golden Circle was Geysir Geothermal Field, located in Haukadalur valley. The area resembles a park with hilly walking paths you can take to get various views of the area and geysers. We made sure to stop at Strokkur, a fountain-geyser that erupts every 10-15 minutes. The boiling water and steam can shoot up over 65 ft in the air!
The last place to stop in the area is 7 minutes down the road at Gullfoss Waterfall. It was breathtaking – but actually took my breath away because it was THAT windy. In some of the videos of our visit there, you can even see the plants in the background shaking like crazy lol. So hold onto all of your belongings (maybe even each other) but this is a must see on your trip.
We stopped at Gullfoss for an hour or so, grabbed some dinner at the cafe there and made our way up to Akureyri. The drive to Northern Iceland from this point is about 5 or so hours. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to see that part of Iceland or drive that far, but I highly recommend it! When we finally got up there (after driving through a legitimate blizzard), we went right to bed at Icelandair Hotel Akureyri.
Day 4 – Akureyri and Silfra Fissure
The #1 appeal of visiting Akureyri is Godafoss Waterfall, also known as waterfall of the Gods. This waterfall is one of the largest in Iceland and is absolutely dreamy. If you’re doing Iceland’s Ring Road (a 7-day drive around the island), this is one of the stops! I tried taking so many photos of this waterfall but none of them seem to do it any justice.
Back in Akureyri you can explore, soak in the town’s geothermal swimming pool, or even go skiing at Hlidarfjall Ski Resort. We chose to head back down towards Reykjavik (specifically to Thingvellir National Park) for snorkeling at the Silfra Fissure!
Silfra was an unforgettable experience. It is the only place in the entire world where you can snorkel between two tectonic plates (North American and Eurasian). The water comes from the Langjokull glacier and is filtered by lava underground. The melted glacier water is incredibly clean and allows underwater visibility up to almost 500 feet! You can’t see that far down anywhere else. Another cool feature is the water is so clean it is drinkable. While snorkeling, they urge you to take off your snorkel tube and drink up!
Tip: dress in layers – even though you’re in a dry suit, the water is 35-39°Fahrenheit year round (aka not the warmest)
While in the National Park, visit Oxarafoss waterfall. It is a must-see waterfall for any Game of Thrones fans out there… it’s where they filmed the Bloody Gate!
Thingvellir National Park is just 50 minutes or so outside of Reykjavik. Once we got to the capital, we checked into our hotel: Grand Hotel Reykjavik. This luxurious 4-star hotel is a short walk from the center of Reykjavik, which meant we didn’t really have to drive or worry about parking.
We were going to try the tasting menu and wine paring at Dill (a one-star Michelin restaurant). They are closed on Tuesdays so we opted for it’s sister restaurant, which was still fantastic. With so many great food options in Reykjavik, I created a list of places to try when we go back.
Day 5 – Reykjavik
To kickstart our last day in Iceland, we went to Te & Kaffi. I like to think of this as Iceland’s version of Starbucks and wow was it GOOD. I ordered the Swiss Mocha, and it was so delicious that I still wake up some mornings pining for it! They have nine locations around the capital, all with different vibes. With coffees in hand, we walk to Hallgrimskirkja. This church is not ornate or intricate like most European churches. It’s beautiful in it’s simplicity and embodies Icelandic architecture. On the windows of the church is what looks like maps of constellations, which I thought was really neat!
Also, don’t forget to check out the famous Sun Voyager Sculpture and Harpa Concert Hall while in Reykjavik.
To wrap up our time in the capital, we enjoyed a brunch at Snaps American Bistro (make reservations if you can). The food was very yummy – I highly recommend getting the French Onion soup (pictured below) and any of their salads. The atmosphere is very nice and they have potted plants around the restaurant.
All in all, Iceland was an incredible trip! Even though we spent 5 days here and saw everything we wanted, I still felt like there was so much more to see and do. Next time we go (because we definitely want to go back), we’re thinking of getting a camper van and doing the whole Ring Road!
Drop a comment below on your Iceland experience. Never been? Tell me which part of this itinerary you’d love to do most!
