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Travel advice for Iceland
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Iceland
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written by Rebecca Hallett
updated 14.03.2023
From its pocket-sized capital to the vast landscapes of its interior, Iceland overflows with inspiring spots. The only real trouble is narrowing down what you want to do. Head out to sea to scour the grey waters for whales? Scramble over slick rocks to marvel at a waterfall? Or soak up the rays on a volcanic beach? To help make your choice easier, here are our best picks for things to do in Iceland.
The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Iceland, your essential guide for visiting Iceland.
Iceland: A Game of Thrones Road Trip
This themed road trip will take you around Iceland, home to many filming locations of the hit TV series, Game of Thrones. Travel around the country's coastline, past the many dramatic glaciers and cliffs, relax in geothermal spas, and spot whales in the rough seas. Warning: Spoiler alert!
customize ⤍Iceland's Wild West
Welcome to the road trip of a lifetime, which will bring you to some of western Iceland’s wildest and most remote spots. On this adventure, you will pay unforgettable visits to Hraunfossar Waterfalls, as well as the Barnafoss and Deildartunguhver hot springs, and much more!
customize ⤍Iceland's Highlights from East to West
Take a flight to the East where you get to enjoy the enchanting Eastfjords before you drive south. If you are looking to focus on a few regions with a mix of the most popular sights and something off the beaten path; and to avoid backtracking with a one-way domestic flight, this is the perfect trip.
customize ⤍Discover North Iceland and Snaefellses
Discover the best of North Iceland and Snaefellsnes! The area around the volcanic Lake Myvatn is surrounded by impressive geological sights, stunning waterfalls and mighty canyons! The Snaefellsnes peninsula is known as “miniature Iceland” for the diversity of landscape it offers.
customize ⤍Best of the West
Take the road less travelled around the Westfjords and Snaefellsnes peninsulas. Visit places unspoiled by humans and see the wonders and creativity of nature at their very best! The wild Westfjords feature a stunning landscape of towering mountains, deep blue fjords, and thundering waterfalls.
customize ⤍East to West with the Westmand Islands
Drive around the Lake Lagarfljot and visit Hengifoss waterfall and the Hallormsstadur forest. Continue to the South Coast with its beautiful waterfalls, glacier lagoons and black sand beaches. Take a detour to spend a day in the stunning Westman Islands and end your trip with the Golden Circle.
customize ⤍All of Iceland in 13 days
In just under 2 weeks, explore the highlights Iceland has to offer. From the popular Golden Circle, follow the Ring Road and explore waterfalls and lagoons on your way around the island. This itinerary leads you all the way to the North and the Westfjords of Iceland.
customize ⤍Incredible Iceland in 12 days
This driving trip trip will take you to some of Iceland’s most incredible sights and natural wonders. Drive through glacial valleys and across towering mountains as you gaze over stark landscapes of shining silver steaks and marble lava fields patched with emerald green moss...
customize ⤍West & Arctic Coast Way Highlights
The area around the volcanic Lake Myvatn is surrounded by impressive geological sights, stunning waterfalls and mighty canyons. Visit the 'capital of the North' Akureyri before continuing to the Snaefellsnes peninsula, known as “miniature Iceland” for the diversity of landscape it offers.
customize ⤍Exploring the South Coast and Snaefellsnes
Glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, lagoons - Iceland offers stunning landscapes to explore. This itinerary allows you to discover the south in your own rental car. Drive the famous Golden Circle and discover waterfalls along the way.
customize ⤍The rúntur – which translates to “round tour” – is a weekly pub crawl, in which locals head from one spot to the next, drinking at every stop. Booze doesn’t come cheap in Iceland though. Head to a vínbúðin to pick up your pre-drinks, an integral part of the night for Icelanders and broke travellers alike.
The long days and light nights of the summer months make rúntur even more fun in summer when you can stay in denial about how late it is for a few more hours.
Start planning your trip to Reykjavik now, by checking accommodations here.
In summer, it’s the perfect place to enjoy the warmer weather with a seaside stroll; in winter, curl up with a thermos of hot chocolate and watch the sunset fill the sky.
The ducks are the real draw, with all of Iceland’s species coming here to rear their young. Look out for the pop-art plumage of the harlequin duck, the chic all-black scoter, and the striking monochrome Barrow’s goldeneye, the star of the show – this is the only place where it nests in Europe.
For sheer power, though, Dettifoss can’t be matched this is the most powerful waterfall in the whole of Europe. You can get here by car, but hiking through the wilds of Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is much more rewarding. On foot, you’ll be able to appreciate the roar of the falls growing ever louder as you approach, until finally upon them, staring into the canyon below – a sight and sound you’ll never forget.
Whether the story’s true is beside the point – as you lie in the steaming water, Tindastóll looming to one side and the sea stretching out to the other, the invigorating effect will make you feel as strong as a Viking. Stay until nightfall for the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights from the hot spring.
One of the most awe-striking things to do in Iceland is a bracing walk west along the south coast of Dyrólaey which features towering basalt columns. This natural beauty inspired the design of the stunning modern Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík.
The trip gives you a remarkable insight into how glaciers function, but it would be worth it just for the visuals – the ice looks perfectly clear in places, cloudy white in others, and in others still startlingly blue, and has to rank among the best things to do in Iceland. Strap on your crampons, head into the ice, and marvel at the power of the glacier.
You can go on a whale-watching trip from Reykjavík too, of course, but only from Húsavík can you see blue whales. They’re not the only cetaceans you might spot, either – with orcas, minke whales, fin whales, sperm whales, and humpbacks in these waters, too, you’re almost guaranteed a sighting.
Icelanders think of it as a rural idyll, and visitors too can enjoy coming here and enjoying many things to do- such as stroll through the fields of buttercups, admire the scenery, perhaps take a leisurely boat trip – and not worry about anything else.
Ready to start planning your trip to Iceland? Check out our guide for the best places to stay.
It’s a fun, friendly affair, led by the kids of the town – and if you can look at a happy child tenderly scooping up a lost puffling without cracking a smile, your heart must be stonier than Heimaey’s coastline.
Planning to travel to Iceland in the summer? Check out our list of the best Icelandic places to visit in the summertime.
In particular, the Blue Lagoon is famous for its silvery-grey slit- a silica mud that is known to cleanse and tighten skin, as well as treat many skin conditions.
Start planning your trip to the Blue Lagoon now by checking out accommodations here.
Explore the area with a guided coach tour, create a self-guided tour by renting a car, or stay the night along the Golden Circle to spend more time exploring this iconic area. Let us help with the details! Our tailor-made travel service offers fully customisable trips to the Golden Circle planned by a local expert.
Thanks to Hornstrandir’s exposed location on the edge of the Greenland Sea, the weather is especially unpredictable, and hiking here needs plenty of careful planning. Deep snow often lies on the ground until July and snow showers are not uncommon even in July and August.
The land northeast of Reykjavík is scarred by one of the world’s great geological boundaries, the rift valley of Thingvellir (Þingvellir) marks where the North American and Eurasian continental plates are physically tearing apart. Although this rift stretches right across Iceland, nowhere else is it so expansively evident.
Skaftafell’s blend of highland plateau, summer meadows and ice-blue glaciers are best explored by hiking, biking or climbing.
Ready for a trip to Iceland? For inspiration, use the Iceland itineraries from the Rough Guide to Iceland and our local travel experts.
Inspired by our list of things to do in Iceland? If you're thinking of planning a trip, we can help! Try our tailor-made travel service and enjoy a fully personalized trip planned by a local expert.
We may earn a commission when you click on links in this article, but this doesn’t influence our editorial standards. We only recommend services that we genuinely believe will enhance your travel experiences.
Top image: Vik beach © kovop58/Shutterstock
written by Rebecca Hallett
updated 14.03.2023
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