Iceland

Places on the map

• Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Iceland — The small, walkable capital and the bookends of the loop. Climb Hallgrimskirkja for the view over the colored roofs, wander Laugavegur for food and wool, and ride a scooter out to Grotta lighthouse at night to watch for the aurora away from the streetlights.
• Apotek Hotel, Austurstraeti 16, Reykjavik — A former apothecary turned design hotel right in the old center, a short walk from Hallgrimskirkja and the harbor. A comfortable, central first and last night, with a good restaurant downstairs if you land hungry.
• The Reykjavik EDITION, Austurbakki 2, Reykjavik — A sleek harbor-front hotel next to the concert hall, with a rooftop bar worth a drink on the last night. A step up in price and polish for the end of the trip, when a hot shower and a proper bed feel earned.
• Sumac, Laugavegur 28, Reykjavik — A loud, warm Levantine and North African kitchen on the main strip, all sharing plates and good cocktails. The best meal of our first night and a reminder that Reykjavik eats far better than its size suggests. Book ahead.
• OX, Laugavegur 28, Reykjavik — An eleven-seat chef's counter hidden behind a speakeasy bar on the main strip, the same address as Sumac. You pass through the dim little bar (worth a drink on its own) and into a tasting menu cooked an arm's length away. The best meal and the best room of the trip. Book the moment seats open.
• Dill, Laugavegur 59, Reykjavik — Iceland's first Michelin star, a tight tasting menu of New Nordic cooking built on what the island grows, forages, and lands. The splurge dinner of the trip, booked weeks ahead and worth the strict seating. Go hungry and let them drive.
• Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, Tryggvagata 1, Reykjavik (and Keflavik Airport) — The little red hot-dog stand that has been feeding Reykjavik since 1937, with lamb-heavy pylsur best ordered "eina með öllu" (one with everything) — raw and crispy onions, ketchup, sweet mustard, and remoulade. Cheap, fast, genuinely great, and there is a branch at the airport to catch one on the way out.
• Thingvellir National Park, Thingvellir National Park, South Iceland — The first stop on the Golden Circle and the most loaded with history, where the old parliament met and the continental plates pull apart in plain sight. Walk the rift between North America and Europe early, before the buses. Free to enter; you pay only to park.
• Gullfoss, Gullfoss, South Iceland — The thundering two-tier waterfall that anchors the Golden Circle, where the Hvita river drops into a canyon you feel in your chest. Pair it with Thingvellir and the Strokkur geyser for a full first loop out of the city. Busy by midday; go early.
• Geysir and Strokkur, Haukadalur, South Iceland — The geothermal field on the Golden Circle that gave the world the word geyser. The old Geysir mostly sleeps now, but Strokkur next to it blows a column of water every few minutes, so you only wait, camera ready, for the next one. Mind the wind and the boiling runoff.
• Kerid Crater, Grimsnes, South Iceland — A 3,000-year-old volcanic crater near Grimsnes with red rock walls and a still, teal lake at the bottom. An easy add on the Golden Circle loop, right by where we stayed. Walk the rim, then the path down to the water. A small fee at the gate.
• Fridheimar, Reykholt, Blaskogabyggd — Lunch inside a working tomato greenhouse on the Golden Circle, where almost everything on the menu starts with the fruit grown around your table. The tomato soup with fresh bread is the move. Touristy, busy, and genuinely good. Book a table.
• Valhalla Yurts, Borg, Grimsnes, South Iceland — Heated yurts on a quiet farm near the Golden Circle, a good base for the night after Thingvellir and Gullfoss. Simple and warm, with the open sky right outside for the lights if the clouds break.
• Thorsmork Super Jeep Tour, Thorsmork, South Iceland — A guided day in an open super jeep up into the Thorsmork valley, fording rivers no rental car should attempt, with short hikes once you are in. The one tour we would not skip; the only sane way to reach this valley without your own monster truck. Booked through Midgard.
• Nauthusagil, Nauthusagil, near Stora-Mork, South Iceland — A narrow slot-canyon gorge you wade and scramble up, chains bolted into the rock, to a waterfall tucked at the back. A short, adventurous detour off the road toward Thorsmork. Wear shoes you do not mind soaking and mind your footing on the wet rock.
• Landeyjar Horse Farm, Landeyjarvegur, South Iceland — A working horse farm down on the flat south coast, near Midgard Base Camp and the Thorsmork jeep tracks, and the place we first caught the northern lights, right over the paddock. The kind of stay where the hosts and the horses make the night. Good base for the super jeep day.
• Midgard Base Camp Restaurant, Dufthaksbraut 14, Hvolsvollur — The restaurant and bar at the base camp in Hvolsvollur, the obvious dinner after a day on the Thorsmork jeep tracks. Hearty, unfussy plates and a rooftop hot tub if you book a room. A warm landing on the south coast.
• Seljalandsfoss, Seljalandsfoss, South Coast, Iceland — The waterfall you can walk behind, dropping off a mossy cliff on the first stretch of the south coast. Bring a real rain shell; the path that loops behind it soaks you through. Small parking fee. Pair it with Skogafoss a little farther east.
• Skogafoss, Skogar, South Coast, Iceland — One of the big south-coast waterfalls, a 60-meter curtain you can walk right up to, with a long stair climbing the cliff beside it for the view from the top. Come on a bright morning for the rainbow in the spray, and climb the stairs to leave the crowds at the bottom. Free.
• Reynisfjara, Near Vik, South Coast, Iceland — A black-sand beach under basalt columns, with sneaker waves that have caught people out. Stand well back from the water and watch the sea stacks instead.
• Skool Beans Cafe, Klettsvegur 1, Vik — A coffee shop run out of a bright yellow American school bus on the edge of Vik, good espresso and pastries for the long drive along the south coast. A fun, quick stop between the waterfalls and the glacier lagoon.
• The National Park Center, Hellissandur, Snaefellsnes — A genuinely surprising find out on the northwest tip of Snaefellsnes, at the National Park Center in Hellissandur. Plated, modern Icelandic cooking this far from the city was the last thing we expected, and one of the better meals of the trip.
• Skaftafell Glacier Hike, Skaftafell, Vatnajokull National Park — A five-hour guided hike out onto a glacier tongue at Skaftafell, crampons on, with a guide reading the ice for crevasses. Not in our original plan and the best thing we added, walking on something that is quietly always moving. Booked same-week with Troll Expeditions.
• Hundafoss, Skaftafell, Vatnajokull National Park — A tall, slender waterfall on the climb up to Svartifoss in Skaftafell, usually passed on the way to the more famous basalt falls but worth the pause for the contrast of white water against the dark cliff. It sits right on the main trail; no extra detour needed.
• Mulagljufur Canyon, Mulagljufur, off Route 1 west of Jokulsarlon — A hidden moss-green canyon with waterfalls dropping into it and a view back toward the glacier, reached by a steep, unmarked climb from a gravel pullout off the ring road. One of the most beautiful hours of the whole trip and almost no one there. Go in dry weather; the path is slick and exposed.
• Diamond Beach, Breidamerkursandur, Southeast Iceland — The black sand spit just below the glacier lagoon, where stranded chunks of clear glacier ice sit on the sand and catch the light like their namesake. Cross the road from Jokulsarlon and time it for low sun. Slippery, cold, and unlike anywhere else.
• Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, Hnappavellir, Southeast Iceland — A big, modern hotel out on the southeast plain, well placed for the glacier lagoon, Diamond Beach, and the ice cave tours. Not characterful, but the location buys you early starts and a warm dinner after a cold day. We stayed two nights.
• Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Jokulsarlon, Southeast Iceland — The glacier lagoon where icebergs calve off and drift to the sea, and the launch point for the blue ice cave tours in the cold months. We did the morning ice cave trip with a local guide; standing inside the glacier is the picture that stays with you. The lagoon itself is free to walk.
• Hraunfossar, Hraunfossar, Borgarfjordur, West Iceland — A mile-long run of clear water seeping straight out of a lava field and fanning into the Hvita river, with the churning Barnafoss a short walk upstream. A quick, flat boardwalk stop that breaks up the long drive west toward Snaefellsnes. Worth the detour off the ring road.
• Kirkjufell, Grundarfjordur, Snaefellsnes — The pointed, much-photographed mountain on the north side of Snaefellsnes, with the small Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall set up to frame it. Touristy for good reason. Catch it in low light when the tour vans thin out and the whole scene goes quiet.
• Gerduberg Cliffs, Gerduberg, Snaefellsnes Peninsula — A long wall of near-perfect hexagonal basalt columns rising straight off the flat land as you come onto the Snaefellsnes peninsula. You can walk right up to the base and along the top. A quick, free roadside stop that most people blow past on the way to Kirkjufell.
• Hotel Budir, Budir, Snaefellsnes — A black timber hotel standing alone on the Snaefellsnes coast, with a famous little black church beside it and the glacier behind. The most romantic stop of the loop, and the restaurant is worth the booking. We stayed two nights and wished for more.
• Snaefellsjokull National Park, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland — The glacier-capped volcano at the tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, the one Jules Verne sent his travelers down. Lava fields, sea cliffs, and black beaches around its base, with walking trails for every level. A whole quiet day at the end of the road.
• Botnsdalur (Glymur hike), Botnsdalur, Hvalfjordur, West Iceland — A four-hour loop at the head of Hvalfjordur up to Glymur, one of the tallest waterfalls in the country, with a log-and-cable river crossing and a steep, rooty climb. The best leg-stretch of the trip on the way back toward Reykjavik. Wear real boots and check the crossing is in.
• Hvammsvik Hot Springs, Hvammsvik, Hvalfjordur, West Iceland — Natural geothermal pools right at the edge of a sea fjord in Hvalfjordur, the tide changing how warm each one runs. Quieter and wilder than the Blue Lagoon, and an easy soak on the way back toward Reykjavik. Book ahead.
• Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland — The famous geothermal spa. Touristy and worth it once. Book the earliest slot, skip the upsells, and float until your fingers wrinkle.
• Matur og Drykkur, Grandagardur 2, Reykjavik — A Grandi restaurant reviving old Icelandic recipes with a modern hand, the one table we most wanted and could not fit in. Held for the next trip, booked first this time.
• Jungle Cocktail Bar, Austurstraeti 9, Reykjavik — A plant-filled cocktail bar in the center we kept meaning to end a night at and never did. Top of the list for the first evening next time, right after dinner on the same block.
• Slippbarinn, Myrargata 2, Reykjavik — The harbor-front cocktail bar at the Marina hotel, an easy pre-dinner stop we ran past every time and never sat down at. Next trip, a drink here while the boats come in.
• Panorama Glass Lodge, South Iceland — A glass-roofed cabin out in the dark countryside, built to watch the aurora from bed. We shortlisted it and booked the horse farm instead. A strong contender for the splurge night next time.
• Hotel Ranga, Sudurlandsvegur, Hella, South Iceland — The well-known aurora hotel out on the south plain, with wake-up calls when the lights come on and an observatory on site. We priced it and went simpler, but it stays on the list for a dedicated lights night.
• Silica Hotel (Blue Lagoon), Nordurljosavegur, Grindavik — The quieter of the Blue Lagoon's two hotels, with its own private lagoon away from the day crowds. A tempting first or last night by the airport that we skipped to stay in the city. Worth it to do the lagoon at dawn.
• Reykjavik Domes, Near Reykjavik — Geodesic glamping domes a short drive from the city, a softer take on the bubble-hotel idea and easier to reach. On the maybe list for a night that splits the difference between countryside and capital.
• The 5 Million Star Hotel (Bubble), South Iceland (Buubble) — Transparent bubble domes in the woods you sleep in under the aurora, a splurge we seriously considered and talked ourselves out of for the cold-night gamble. Still tempting; we would book it on a forecast we trusted.
• Highland Base, Kerlingarfjoll, Kerlingarfjoll, Central Highlands — A modern base deep in the Kerlingarfjoll highlands, reachable only in the warmer months when the F roads open. Too far off our south-and-west loop this time, and exactly the reason to come back in summer.
• Lava Show, Vikurbraut 5, Vik — A show in Vik (and Reykjavik) where they pour real molten lava into the room a few feet from your seat, the closest you will safely get to the stuff. We considered it for the rainy afternoon and ran out of time. An easy yes next trip.
• Fall Sheep Round-Up, Across the countryside, late September to early October — One of the best fall happenings on the island. Icelandic sheep roam entirely free all summer, sometimes clear across the country, so each fall the rettir gather and sort them back to their farms over about two weeks in late September and early October. The public is welcome to watch if you can find where it is happening.
• The Westfjords, Northwest Iceland — The remote northwest, all empty roads and bird cliffs. It needs three days of its own, which is exactly why we ran out of time for it.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1: Fly out. Fly JFK to Keflavik (11:10pm).
2. Day 2: Reykjavik. Pick up the rental car (Sixt) (9:00am); Reykjavik exploring; Stay at Apotek Hotel; Dinner at Sumac (8:00pm); Scooter to Grotta Lighthouse; Jungle Cocktail Bar.
3. Day 3: Golden Circle. Thingvellir National Park; Strokkur and Geysir; Gullfoss; Fridheimar; Stay at Valhalla Yurts (Borg).
4. Day 4: Thorsmork. Drive toward the southeast; Thorsmork Super Jeep Tour (9:00am); Stay in Landeyjar; Dinner at Midgard Restaurant & Bar (7:30pm).
5. Day 5: Glacier lagoons. Drive to Vatnajokull National Park; Vik and Reynisfjara black-sand beach; Svartifoss and Skaftafell; Hundafoss; Mulagljufur Canyon; Diamond Beach; Stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.
6. Day 6: Ice cave. Ice Cave Tour at Jokulsarlon (9:30am); Stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.
7. Day 7: West to Snaefellsnes. Drive to the Western Peninsula (8:00am to 3:00pm); Hraunfossar and Barnafoss; Gerduberg Cliffs; Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss; Stay at Hotel Budir.
8. Day 8: Snaefellsjokull. Snaefellsjokull National Park; Stay at Hotel Budir.
9. Day 9: Back toward Reykjavik. Hike Botnsdalur; Hvammsvik hot springs; Stay in Reykjavik; Dinner at Dill (6:00pm).
10. Day 10: Fly home. Blue Lagoon (10:00am entry); Fly Keflavik to JFK (7:50pm).