I can’t tell you how much I have talked about wanting to go to Iceland! Then, COVID got in the way and with living in Australia, it was a looong journey to get to this beautiful country. We spent just over a week in Iceland (though it was definitely not enough time and we will 100% be coming back in the future!)and is easily one of my favourite countries I’ve ever visited.
Here’s the 7 day itinerary, where we explored as much as we could in The Golden Circle, South Coast and Snaefellsnes Peninsula. I’ll be sharing a separate post about all you need to know before visiting Iceland, including useful apps, parking and costs soon.
P.S we did not do the full Ring Road but would have if we had more time!
To save you from endless scrolling, here’s the summary below.
Otherwise, keep reading to know more about what I would have skipped given the limited amount of time we had and what were some of our highlights.
Quick summary
| Day | Itinerary |
| 1 | Arrive and explore The Golden Circle Flew in on the first flight, picked up rental car from Blue and load up on groceries & visit: – Thingvellir – Bruarfoss – Geysir – Gulfoss – Kerid Crater |
| 2 | Drive the South Coast (waterfall day) & visit: – Seljalandfoss – Gljufrabui – Skogafoss (and Fimmvorduhals trail) – Kvernufoss |
| 3 | Drive the South Coast (canyon/glacier) & visit: – Reynisfjara Beach – Gigjagja – Mossy Lava Fields – Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon – Svinafellsjokull Glacier – Mulagljufur Canyon – Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon – Diamond Beach |
| 4 | Glacier hike at Vatnajokull Take it easy in the morning, visiting Svartifoss Trail |
| 5 | Drive back towards Reykjavik & revisit any favourite places a) Visit Solheimasandur plane wreck, Hrunalaug, Reykjadalur OR b) See Hallgrimskirkja, stroll Rainbow Street and eat at Braud & Co bakery |
| 6 | Drive Snaesfellsness Peninsula & visit: – Bjarnarfoss, – Ytri tunga seal beach – Budakirkja church – Hellnar |
| 7 | Drive Snaesfellsness Peninsula & head back to Reykjavik: – Visit Kirkufjell & Porufoss – Relax in Reykjavik |
| 8 | Say goodbye and fly off |
Day 1: Arrive and explore the Golden Circle
Giggling with excitement, we were on the first flight out from London to Reyjkavik. Once we landed, we picked up our rental car from Blue Car Rental (get 5% if you book through this link!), which I highly recommend – easiest pick up and drop off we’ve ever had yet. Given Iceland’s unpredictable weather, we also got the full insurance for peace of mind.
With Iceland being an expensive country to visit and since we would mostly be on the road, we stocked up on groceries at the nearest supermarkets – Kronan and Bonus, which were the biggest chains that you’ll find.
🍴Tip: I did a lot of research on Reddit prior to going on this trip and everyone recommended this particular smoked salmon and egg salad sandwich that became the staple of our lunches. It definitely did not disappoint, so do give it a try if you come across it.
We then head off and started visiting the Golden Circle:
Þingvellir National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, walk in the rift valley between the two (North American and Eurasian) tectonic plates and learn about Icelandic’s unique geological history. You can also swim or snorkel in icy waters between the two tectonic plates here, which we didn’t get the chance to do.
Brúarfoss
Iceland is home to over 10,000 waterfalls! So we were stoked to go see our first ‘foss’ (waterfall) of the trip. A relatively hidden gem with gorgeous blue waters to start us off.
Geysir & Strokkur
As we have seen a number of geysers throughout our travels and with the crowds around, we simply made a very quick pit stop to see this geyser duo shoot up to the sky.
Gullfoss Waterfall
This was our first big waterfall, a double cascade one where you get to walk up close to it. We had fun getting sprayed on, but like many of the main sights in the Golden Circle, this was full with tourists so we didn’t stay too long.
Kerið Crater
A volcanic crater lake, which I must admit was personally a little underwhelming for us. The parking fee for this stop was steep too, compared to the other sights.
Although a number of these are geologically unique – if I could do it again (and especially if you’re tight on time), I would probably have skipped these altogether. As we come to realise later on, the further out you go from the Golden Circle, the more breathtaking the scenery becomes.
Day 2: Drive the South Coast and do a waterfall day!
We were keen to get away from the crowds and decided to start the day earlier (at first light). This was my personal favourite day in Iceland, the weather was perfect and we had back-to-back showstopper waterfalls, within a short drive of each other.
Seljalandsfoss
Chances are you’ve probably seen photos of this iconic waterfall and it did not disappoint. A short walk from the car park, this was such a good one to start the day. We were happy to be drenched as we walked behind this waterfall (Tip: bring a good waterproof jacket and pants!)
Gljúfrabúi
Don’t leave the area just yet. Take the little trail to the side of Seljalandsfoss, keep following it and you’ll find this hidden waterfall inside a canyon. You’ll have to walk through a tight space with a stream to get to it, but It was so fun and definitely worth a visit!
Skógafoss
Another iconic majestic fall with a solid crowd (for good reason). As a big fan of the movie ‘Secret Life of Walter Mitty’, I was jumping with joy to finally see this in person. Again we were happy getting drenched and got closer to the falls, which meant there was no one in sight.
Fimmvörðuháls Trail
Don’t miss this trail just above Skogafoss. Take the set of steps on the right, climb up and you’ll be at the start of the Fimmvörðuháls Trail, it’s a beautiful 25km hike with several falls along the way. Given the time constraints, we only did the first few kms and headed back, but even then it was well worth it and such a different perspective to where you were in Skogafoss.
Kvernufoss
I almost don’t want to share this one, this waterfall tucked in between canyons was so quiet, with no one else there the two times we visited (yes we went back a second time towards the later part of the trip, that’s how much we love this place).
We then ended the day staying at/near Vik, a charming little town which we then strolled around before hitting the sack.
Day 3: Canyons, beaches & glaciers
Another big day where we started early, leaving Vik at sunrise to visit:
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
The famous black sand beach with basalt columns, which gave Game of Thrones vibes. There’s multiple warning signs of the powerful waves that sneak up on you, so be sure to not go too close to the water!
Gígjagjá (Yoda Cave)
If you’re a Star Wars fan, this will be a fun one to visit. What was even more unique was the drive to this little cave, we were the only car driving to this cave, isolated and with landscapes that felt like you’re on another planet (to be fair, most of Iceland felt like that), it was definitely memorable.
Eldhraun Mossy Lava Fields
Another ‘am I on Mars’ spot that you’ll drive past, be careful to stay on the path and not step on any of the moss as they are fragile!
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
I had seen pictures of this canyon which I thought was probably photoshopped, turns out it really did look like that in real life. It’s a little hike up the hill to get to the multiple viewpoints of the canyon. This beautiful place left the handful of people, including us whispering the entire time, though there was no need for us to be quiet, but it felt special enough where we had to!
Svínafellsjökull Glacier
Our first taste of Iceland’s glaciers, this was an easy walk to the glacier’s tongue and we were able to see the glacier up close.
Múlagljúfur Canyon
So special I want to gatekeeper to Truly of my favourite places in the world now, I won’t share the exact details but please be mindful of the fragile nature around you. It’s not very straight forward to get here, with a long gravel road that our 2WD really shouldn’t have gone on. Please be mindful of the fragile nature around you, if you intend to visit.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach
We ended the day at this popular spot, walking around both the black sand beach and glacier lagoon. The contrast of icebergs washing up on the black shore was very interesting. We also took our time, sitting by the glacier lagoon where we were lucky enough to spot some seals!
Day 4: Svartifoss & glacier adventure
Svartifoss trail
This was another big day and we decided to sleep in abit before heading to Skaftafell National Park. The national park had several trails to choose from, but we settled on the shorter Svartifoss Trail to see the famous waterfall that’s framed by basalt columns.
Glacier hike at Vatnajökull
We then made our way to join a guided tour to do a glacier hike on Europe’s largest glacier – Vatnajökull. This was a bucket list experience, having to put on crampons and used an ice axe for the first time. It was so fun and insightful to learn about how global warming is affecting these glaciers.
And despite the windy and rainy weather (we were told this was the ‘normal’ for Iceland), it was truly unforgettable and safe to say we were exhausted by the end of it and called it a day.
Day 5: Leisurely drive back west
Knowing that we would have had jam packed days before, we had planned out a few options for this day and decided to take it easy in the end (with Option A & C), after being sore from the glacier hike and based ourselves close to the Snaefellsness Peninsula at the end of this day.
- Option A: Revisit any favorites from the south coast
- Option B:
- Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck – A crash site on a black sand beach (but it would have been a long walk!).
- Hrunalaug Hot Spring – Hidden and cozy natural hot spring
- Reykjadalur Hot River Hike – A 3km hike to soak in a naturally warm river
- Option C: Explore Reykjavik – visit Hallgrímskirkja, stroll Rainbow Street and get some souvenirs, try some local food and grab cinnamon rolls at Braud & Co
Day 6: Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Today, we headed to explore Snæfellsnes Peninsula, often called the ‘mini Iceland’ as it packs so much of what makes Iceland unique into this area. As we had such limited time to explore this area, we aimed for sights that were on the same route we were intending to be on:
Bjarnarfoss
This waterfall was just by the roadside and we could have easily driven past it without realising it. We also underestimated how steep the climb up to this falls was, so consider this a heads up! It was very windy too, so we took it slow but the view from the top was worth it.
Ytri Tunga
A beach best known for its friendly locals – the seals! We took our time seal-watching and was so happy to have watch them sunbathing so close to shore.
Búðakirkja (Black Church) and Hellnar
We stopped at this famous little black church, for a quick photo and spent the rest of the day exploring Hellnar, a tiny village on sea cliffs with coastal views.There’s also a coastal walk you can do from Arnarstarpi to Hellnar if you have time!
We ended the day staying close by to the famous Kirkjufell, which we were hoping to see at sunrise the next day. But the weather had other plans for us though..
Day 7: More of Snæfellsnes Peninsula & Reykjavik
Kirkjufell/Kirkjufellsfoss
After having seen Kirkjufell in so many wallpapers and paintings over the years, we were keen to see it at sunrise. But instead of golden hour, we were met with really strong winds of 40-50km/h and heavy rain. The skies were grey and with no sunlight in sight, we had a slow breakfast but eventually it was clear that this storm wasn’t going anywhere.
Eventually, we decided to just go for it and made our way there. It was a wild experience, having the wind and rain hitting us. But often the crazy experiences are the most memorable and bonus point – we had this very popular place all to ourselves.
Þórufoss & Ikea!
With the bad weather, we proceeded to just drive straight back to Reykjavik after, but did make a detour to this unexpectedly gorgeous waterfall Þórufoss and spent the afternoon spontaneously checking out Iceland’s IKEA, which was a delight by itself to find local freshly baked pastries served here!
Viking hotel
We spent our last night walking around Reykjavik and stayed at a viking hotel which felt like a mini museum by itself, which was very interesting.
Day 8: Saying goodbye
We returned our car in the morning and bid farewell to this beautiful country, with a promise to come back to explore more of the north and east side of Iceland someday!
Bonus: we woke up almost every night to spot the Northern lights/Aurora Borealis and managed to catch it just by looking out the window of our accomodation – twice!. We used an app to track the solar activity and weather each night, which I’ll share in detail soon.
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