The Ultimate One Week Iceland Itinerary
I’ve already gone into detail about snorkeling between tectonic plates, ice climbing on a glacier, seeing the Northern Lights, and visiting Blue Lagoon, but our 8-day trip to Iceland was epic every step of the way. We quite literally had a once-in-a-lifetime experience every single day of the trip! I learned a lot about traveling to this beautiful country by car. This one week Iceland itinerary is the last blog post of the Iceland series (until I go back one day!) but hopefully will be the most helpful if you’re planning a trip there!
Visiting the Land of Fire and Ice in late November meant we only had ~6 hours of daylight each day, from about 10:15AM to 4:15PM. Thus, we had to be really strategic with our timing to ensure we saw as much as we could, especially given the amount of driving we had to do to get from place to place around the island. I meticulously planned this trip out in advance but then also had to be flexible in the moment as the weather changed our plans.
We chose to self-drive around Iceland instead of booking a group tour to allow ourselves more flexibility. I would 100% choose this option again! We got to see everything we wanted at our own pace and go places the bus tours didn’t go.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
General Tips
- If you are going to spend any time in a hot tub, hot spring, etc., make sure to stay hydrated! It is very easy to become dehydrated and feel faint if you don’t take care of yourself. I always bring LMNT packets with me to make sure my electrolytes stay balanced.
- You pretty much never need cash in Iceland. We pulled out the minimum amount we could from an ATM when we landed in case we needed any for paid toilets. But the only paid toilets we ran into only took coins (or credit card), so the paper money we had was useless.
- Gas is pretty expensive in Iceland. We were driving a big car and filled it whenever we got down to about ¼ of a tank. Each fill up cost over $125 USD each time. So much of Iceland runs on renewable energy that cars are pretty much the only thing they use gas for!
- All along the main road I had LTE service on my phone. However, once we left the main highways, it noticeably dropped down to 3G. Regardless of where you’re traveling, I always recommend downloading Google Maps for offline use just to be safe.
- If you’re visiting Diamond Beach or the black sand beaches, be very cautious of the waves and never turn your back to the ocean. Sneaker waves can happen at any time and can be deadly.
- When looking at the weather forecast, know that the weather in Iceland changes quickly, so bad weather may not last as long as you think.
- If you’re renting a car, I recommend opting for the insurance that covers windshield damage. We didn’t get it but a rock hit our windshield early on in the trip and caused a small crack. Thankfully, we weren’t charged, but I think we just got lucky.
- There are no Starbucks or McDonald’s in Iceland. However, we did spot American chains including Subway, KFC, Dominos, and Joe and the Juice.
- Make sure to pack a voltage converter as well as an adapter for your high power electronics.
Day 1
Flying into Reykjavik
We flew direct from Chicago to Reykjavik on a red eye flight on Iceland Air, landing at 6:30AM. The flight was only about 6 hours and we were provided with pillows and blankets in economy. However, food was not included like it is on most long-haul economy flights. You could purchase it, but we’d made sure to pack sandwiches and snacks for the plane. Also, my carry-on bag was weighed and although we were told it was the correct size, it was too heavy for the overhead bin and had to be checked, luckily for free (not a big deal because we already had to check Thomas’s suitcase anyways).
After we landed, got our bags, and made our way through customs, we grabbed a snack from the airport and picked up our rental car. We rented an automatic, 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser through Hertz because we weren’t sure how snowy/icy the roads would be. We ended up not needing the 4WD but the automatic transmission was nice to have. The only real downside of the car was how massive it was on the small roads.
There are 2 airports in Reykjavik – one for domestic flights and the other for international. The international airport (Keflavik) is about a 45-minute drive from the city. We made our way in the dark to the city and stopped at Reykjavik Roasters for some coffee to fight the jet lag. Then we headed to our hotel to drop off our bags, parked the car, and set out exploring the city.
All the biggest sights in Reykjavik are within walking distance. We went on a short walk and saw the Sun Voyager, Hallgrimskirkja church, and Harpa Concert Hall.
Food Tour
We booked our food tour through The Reykjavik Food Walk and met our guide at the Harpa Concert Hall. From there, we went to:
- Stop 1: Fjallkonan (translation: Mountain Woman) for meat and fish appetizers: lamb shoulder on flatbread, lightly cured artic char fish with salmon roe and horseradish
- Stop 2: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur for lamb hot dogs with everything on them (vegetarian option was everything but the hot dog). The stand has been around since 1937!
- Stop 3: Messinn Fish– 2 types of fish: pan fried artic char + fish mash and rye bread (which was very sweet almost like cake). We could order beer or drinks but it was not included in the tour.
- Stop 4: Icelandic Bar: lamb soup, vodka & grapefruit soda on tap (included) or beer. We also tried a bite of fermented shark but I couldn’t even swallow it (the shark is poisonous until it’s fermented in its own urine – so gross).
- Stop 5: Café Loki for coffee and dessert- rye bread ice cream mixed w/ chocolate shavings and topped with whip cream and rhubarb syrup (12/10 amazing!). Also had an Icelandic donut that was just ok (especially compared to the ice cream).
This food tour included a massive amount of food! In fact I just had a couple of snacks for dinner several hours later because I was still full. I was really glad we went to the hot dog stand and Icelandic Bar, as they’d been on my list and I got cross them off.
On this tour we learned that beer has only been legal for 33 years since prohibition ended. Iceland legalized wine in 1921 and hard alcohol in 1960s, beer was not legalized until 1989. Now open carry of alcohol is legal in Iceland.
Center Hotels Plaza
We stayed at the Center Hotels Plaza for our first 2 nights. The biggest downside to staying in the city is that this hotel didn’t have any parking, so we had to find a garage to park our car overnight. Not every garage was open 24/7, and the closest one we could find was next to The Icelandic Phallological Museum (yes this is a whole museum of penises). It wasn’t too far of a walk, but a bit annoying, especially when we were carrying bags to/from the car.
The view from our room was great. We had a room on the top floor and could see out to the water. The location of the hotel was my favorite part, as it is right on the main square in Reykjavik and when we visited in November, they had just started setting up all their Christmas decorations.
The one thing we weren’t used to was having separate duvet covers. We’d seen this at our hotel in Munich, but it was pretty much standard across our hotels in Iceland (with the exception of our last hotel). If you’re always fighting over the covers, this is actually a big upgrade.
The hotel also had breakfast included – it was a standard buffet, nothing crazy.
Perlan
Located just outside the city center is Perlan, a museum and planetarium with interactive exhibits all about Iceland. It even has an indoor ice cave made of ice from actual Icelandic glaciers! I was really glad we went here on our first day because it was a great introduction to all that would come the rest of the week. However, if we’d saved it for the end we might have been bored. On the top floor you can go outside and get 360 views around the observation deck. In the summer, there’s even a zipline you can take from there.
Day 2
Golden Circle
We made sure to get an early start on our second day. We hit the road and made our way to Þingvellier National Park, about an hour away from our hotel. Our first stop was to snorkel between tectonic plates in Silfra (read all about that here) and afterwards we spent some time exploring more of the park. There was a path to the top with a lookout area (where the gift shop and café are located) and then we made our way to the Öxarárfoss waterfall. If you’re coming to the park in the cold months, be careful as the path was icy and slippery even though it was above freezing outside. I almost slipped several times.
We then drove for about an hour to Strokkur Geysir, which has ample free parking, a restaurant, free restrooms, gift shop, etc. The geyser is only about a 5-minute walk from the parking lot and goes off approximately every 10 minutes. We lucked out that it went off right after I had turned my video on to start recording! All around the geyser are hot pools of scalding hot water, so be careful not to touch them. The smell of sulfur hangs over the area, which isn’t the best scent but it’s tolerable.
Only a 10-minute drive from the geyser, our last stop on the Golden Circle was Gulfoss. Just like the geyser, there is ample parking, restroom, and food and souvenir opportunities. There are a few places to view the waterfall, but the path to the very top of the falls may be closed if it’s too snowy/icy (luckily it was open when we went). There were also signs suggesting crampons but we didn’t end up using the ones we’d brought. Gulfoss was certainly one of the largest and most impressive waterfalls we saw all week.
Dinner at Fish Company
Only a few days before our trip, I’d made a reservation for dinner at Fish Company in Reykjavik, not really knowing what to expect beyond the good reviews online. This restaurant turned out to be much fancier than I’d expected. Thankfully, we were dressed appropriately in our wool sweaters (Iceland is a very casual country when it comes to fashion).
We ordered the 4-course “Around Iceland” menu of cod, salmon, lamb, and desert, with each dish coming from North, South, East, or West Iceland. The food was fantastic, but took nearly 3 hours from start to finish even though Thomas got up and asked for the check multiple times.
Day 3
Skógafoss
After breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and drove 2 hours and 15 minutes to Skógafoss waterfall. Parking is free but the restrooms cost 200ISK (and only take coins). However, when we were done with the waterfall, we ate lunch at the restaurant next door and used their restrooms for free.
Skógafoss is an impressive 197-foot waterfall that can be enjoyed both from below and above. You can walk up close to the base, but you’ll get wet if you venture too close. You can also take a hike up the stairs on the right of the falls up to the top. I’ll warn you that this is a pretty intense set of stairs (according to my Apple Watch it was about 27 flights of stairs). We are in good shape and made solid time without stopping, but we passed a lot of people huffing and puffing while taking breaks. At the top, you’re rewarded with a unique perspective on the falls and can get close to the edge (maybe too close in my opinion, especially on a windy day). There is also a hiking trail from the top that goes along the river, but we didn’t have time for that.
For lunch, we ate at Hótel Skógafoss’s Bistro Bar, where we had a view of Skógafoss in the distance and sheep grazing in the foreground. This was also one of my favorite meals of the trip! The leg of lamb we ordered (the “Skógafoss Special”) just fell right off the bone and was full of flavor.
Glacier Hike + Ice Climbing
It was only about a 15-minute drive from Skógafoss to get to our meeting point for our glacier hike and ice climbing excursion. For a full review on this awesome experience, read my previous blog post here.
Hotel Vik
Our stay in Hotel Vik was perfectly fine but also not really noteworthy. Full sized L’Occitane en Provence toiletries and heated bathroom floors were the highlight. The hotel has a great modern aesthetic and sits at the base of a cliff, but we were only there when it was dark out so we didn’t get to enjoy the views. Also, we had booked an ocean view room but so many buildings have gone up between the hotel and the water that you really just get a view of the town – I think the cliff view would be cooler. This hotel did have real keys to the rooms, which did make me a bit nervous that we’d lose it! They also offer a Northern Lights Wakeup Call service where they’ll ring your room if the auroras are visible – we signed up for this but it was cloudy during our stay.
Dinner at Soup Company
Vik is a small town with only about 300 residents, but there are a shockingly high number of restaurants in the area. We decided to grab a quick dinner at Soup Company not far from Hotel Vik. Thomas ordered the “Lava Soup” that came in a black bread bowl and I got the trio sampler of the other 3 soups. The Lava Soup was listed as “spicy” in the description, but we quickly learned that Icelanders’ version of spicy isn’t spicy at all (even to me and I have no spice tolerance). Of the 4 soups we tried, the Lava Soup and the vegan Indian soup were the best.
Day 4
We booked a horseback riding tour on this day, but it was cancelled due to high winds and rain. When we woke up and saw the weather, we totally understood. They did fully refund us and let us come to the stables (which were only a minute from our hotel) and pet the horses and learn about them.
ATV Tour
After our horseback riding tour was cancelled the day before, we scrambled for a replacement activity and booked an ATV tour through GetYourGuide. We knew there was a chance it would get cancelled too due to weather. When we arrived, they said the tour was on if we still wanted to go. They outfitted us in boots, helmets, and electric orange jumpsuits which helped keep our clothes clean and dry during the tour.
I’ve ridden ATVs before but this tour was probably the best example of truly putting “All-Terrain Vehicle” to the test. We crossed so many different landscapes, from black sand beaches to lava fields to streams and roads and rocks and ice/snow. The tour took us to the DC3 plane crash site, which was a US Navy aircraft that went down, was scrapped for parts, and left there (you can also access this site on foot via a long hike and there are usually a lot of tourists there but the bad weather meant we had the place to ourselves!).
There were only two real downsides of this tour. One was that it was so windy we had a really hard time hearing our tour guide at the stops as he tried to explain the history and geology of the area. The other goes for any ATV tour and was that my right thumb was killing me the entire time holding down the accelerator. I was thankful when the tour ended just so my hand could return to normal (but it was worth it for the experience).
Lava Show
Vik is home to the first indoor lava show in the world. (There are only 2, the other is just another location from the same company in Reykjavik). You have to buy tickets in advance because it usually sells out and you actually enter at Soup Company. They melt basalt lava ash to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and pour it into the room, demonstrating how lava flows out of a volcano, melting and cracking as it cools. This show was really cool and gave me a great understanding of how the lava fields and lava tubes we see came to form. They also gave us a piece of lava rock to take home. We had to be careful because it’s really sharp (it also ended up breaking really easily and causing a lot of mess – we ended up just throwing it away).
During the show they also discussed Katla, the volcano not far from Vik. It has typically erupted every ~50 years for the past 700 years. However, it last erupted in 1918, making it 54 years overdue for an eruption. Katla sits under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, so it’s eruption would cause devastating glacial flooding. The waters could be as high as 60 meters, completely decimating the city of Vik that sits in the floodplain. We learned that each Vik resident has go-bags packed at all times and an evacuation checklist by the door to put in the window so search and rescue teams know the house has been vacated. This, combined with the fact that several magnitude 3 earthquakes had occurred at Katla that day, had my anxiety racing with the fear it would erupt that night. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but I didn’t sleep well thinking about it.
Dinner at Strondin Pub
For dinner we ate at Strondin Pub in Vik. I got the basil pesto pasta, a brownie with ice cream, and a Somerby hard apple cider. All the food was perfectly fine but nothing stuck out among the rest.
Day 5
After eating breakfast at our hotel, we encountered a somewhat treacherous road to get from Vik to Diamond Beach at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. It was extremely windy, rainy, and the roads are narrow 2 lane highways to the west of Vik. I was so thankful Thomas was driving because I had a lot of anxiety just being a passenger.
When we finally (and safely) arrived at Diamond Beach, we parked in the overflow parking. From there, we walked under the bridge to get to the main parking area. Due to the weather, there were no beautiful views like we’d hoped for. Frustratingly, the weather also meant that the bathrooms were closed, so we drove about 30 minutes back the way we’d come to use the restroom before our tour (and of course the weather started to clear up a bit during that time and the bathrooms were open again when we got back).
Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour
While some ice caves in Iceland are actually manmade, we made sure to find a tour to see natural ice caves. Checking in was a bit chaotic. It was unclear which tour bus we were looking for and then when we found it, we waited a long time to be told which Jeep to get into. Once that was all sorted out (~30 minutes later than expected), we were on our way, with about 12 people per Jeep. The Jeep took us about 5 minutes further up the highway before exiting, releasing some tire pressure, and then off-roading for another 20 or so minutes. It was like being in a massive ATV, as we crossed rivers and went over massive boulders no normal car could handle.
We parked in the area that used to be the base of the glacier, but much like the Sólheimajökull glacier where we went ice climbing, the Jökulsárlón glacier is receding. Now, it takes about a 1.5-hour round-trip hike to get to/from the glacier. Luckily, it’s a beautiful and fun hike because we unfortunately didn’t get to see the ice cave. When we arrived, we found out that the ice cave had flooded due to the storms. The morning tours got to go inside but for us there was a massive rushing river streaming out of the cave entrance. They said the caves have only closed due to flooding 2-3 times in the past 5 years, but when they do flood, it takes 2-3 days for them to safely reopen.
By the time we got back, the sun had set and we made our way to our hotel.
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
We had decided to splurge on a room with a private hot tub, but when we checked in, we found out that none of the hot tubs on the property were currently operational, which was very frustrating (and we weren’t given any money back for that). We were also only there while it was dark and didn’t get to enjoy the views out to the ocean. The heated floors in the bathroom were a nice touch, though.
There are very few food options around Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, so we decided to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the onsite restaurant. We didn’t realize we had to make reservations though, so at check in we made them for the next available time, which ended up being 7:45PM (2.5 hours after we checked in). The food more than made up for the wait though. We enjoyed a multi course dinner of brie, arctic char, lamb two ways, and a brownie. Thomas also ordered a beer that never arrived, which was fine, but we had to ask for it to be taken off the bill. Dinner took about 2.5 hours total.
Overall, if you’re staying out near Jökulsárlón, this is an excellent hotel, but I wouldn’t bother splurging on anything above a standard room.
Day 6
Breakfast was included with our stay at Fosshotel, but it was sit-down not a buffet, so we decided to skip it and got an early start on our 3ish hour drive to Hella. Along the way, we got to see the beautiful moss-covered Eldhraun lava fields as the sun rose before we stopped in Vik for coffee and breakfast at Lava Café.
Seljalandsfoss
Our last waterfall of the trip was Seljalandsfoss, which is a beautiful waterfall that you can actually walk behind. If you venture this way, make sure you wear waterproof clothing or you’ll be soaked. We had our waterproof hiking boots, ski pants, and ski jackets on and were perfectly fine.
There is a 700ISK parking fee (pay & display) at Seljalandsfoss, but no entrance fee.
Fun fact: Seljalandsfoss was the starting point for the first leg of the Amazing Race Season 6!
Horseback Riding
After the first horseback riding tour was cancelled, we booked a new tour through Icelandic HorseWorld. Icelandic horses are unique from other breeds because they have an extra gait, called the tölt. It’s like a fast walk, but it’s much smoother for the rider than the gallop. I had been wanting to try it and when we the chance, it was even more fun than I expected! Icelandic horses are also much more cuddly than regular horses. They have no natural predators so they aren’t as skittish or likely to kick. They’re also a bit smaller than normal horses with disproportionately large heads. By the end of the tour, I wanted to bring one home. In fact, Icelandic horses may be exported from Iceland, but never brought back into the country. This is how they keep out diseases and maintain a very healthy horse population.
Despite the sun being out, this tour was also the coldest I felt the entire trip. We were outside for over an hour and not really exerting much energy (worth it though!).
Stracta Hotel
Our bitterness with the hot tubs being closed at Fosshotel faded quickly as we checked in to Stracta Hotel, where we’d once again splurged on a room with a private hot tub and this time it was working.
If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, I recommend the Hekla Street Food truck just down the street from Stracta Hotel. The cheeseburger and fries I got were absolutely delicious!
Hella is a pretty small town so it doesn’t suffer from the same amount of light pollution that Reykjavik gets, and we were able to view the Northern Lights that night from our hotel. It was pretty cold and the lights were fading in and out, so we stayed warm in our hotel room watching TV and would run out during every commercial break to see if the lights were visible. We truly thought these auroras were the best we’d ever see, but they were immediately dwarfed in comparison to the display we got on our final night!
Day 7
Kerið Crater
About 45 minutes from Stracta Hotel was our first stop of the day: Kerið Crater. This crater is actually located along the Golden Circle, but we didn’t have time to add it to our itinerary on Day 2. Located on private land, parking at the crater is free, but there is an entrance fee of 400ISK/person. There are no restrooms here.
The crater isn’t as big as the pictures may make it seem. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the top rim, making our way down the steps and then taking the path around the bottom rim by the water. If it’s icy, the stairs going down to the bottom would be very dangerous. Only go to the bottom if it’s safe.
Lunch at Friðheimar
Given the frigid conditions of Iceland, you wouldn’t think of it as a good place to grow tomatoes. But at Friðheimar, they grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, using warm geothermal water heat the greenhouse to 78 degrees and pure glacial water to water the plants, harvesting two tons of tomatoes every single day. They import bees from the Netherlands to pollinate the plants and don’t need to use pesticides as there are no problematic insects in Iceland.
Friðheimar is more than just a greenhouse – it’s also a restaurant where you can eat among the tomato plants. Reservations are an absolute must! This is a very popular spot in Iceland and you’re limited to 60 minutes at your table. Everything on the menu is tomato-based, even the beer (which Thomas somewhat enjoyed). We ordered their famous tomato soup (which is help yourself and all you can eat along with the bread), heirloom burrata, tomato apple pie, and the “healthy Mary” non-alcoholic drink. There is also a basil plant on every table where you can clip fresh basil to add to your food! On the way out they also sell several of their tomato-based products to-go, including tomato sorbet, pasta sauce, etc.
Efstidalur Ice cream
After lunch we headed to Efstidalur for their homemade ice cream. You can eat the ice cream in view of the cow who produced the milk! The ice cream was tasty, not mind-blowing, but it doesn’t get any more locally sourced than this. Efstidalur has been a family farm for 3 centuries and also features a restaurant and hotel on the property.
Raufarhólshellier Lava Tunnel
We had more time than expected in the afternoon and ended up booking a lava tunnel tour about an hour before it started. It looked fun and it was on our way to our next hotel. We’d visited a lava tube when we went to Maui last year, so it was fun to compare the two. After the Lava Show in Vik, it was cool to see the life size version of what was modeled in the show.
This lava tunnel used to be open to the public to visit on their own. As of 2016, you can only access it via a guided tour. They offer a 1-hour tour (which we did) and a 3–4-hour adventure tour that takes you deeper into the tunnel. They gave us a helmet and headlamp and an option to use a hiking pole if we wanted. This tunnel was much more colorful than the one we’d visited on Maui. Iron, sulfur, and copper contribute to the bright hues. When we’d gotten deep into the cave, our guide turned out the lights for a minute so we could experience total darkness. It was a bit scary, but really cool given we so rarely are in total blackout. My hearing definitely heightened and I could hear all the water dripping and people shifting around in the dark.
There are no bats or other living organisms in the cave except for a hydrophobic cave bacterium that needs no sun and no water. It is only found in Iceland and NASA comes to study it because they think they may find a similar lifeforms on Mars one day. The bacteria are completely harmless to humans and look like white speckles on the walls and ceilings.
Silica Hotel
I’ve already written about our stay at Silica Hotel here. It was definitely a good balance between staying far from Blue Lagoon and spending massive amounts of money at the Retreat Hotel. Dinner at Lava Restaurant was definitely a highlight as well.
Day 8
Blue Lagoon
For a full review of our experience at the Retreat Spa at Blue Lagoon, click here. The main pool is iconic and full of tourists. However, the spa is truly a secluded retreat and takes the experience to the next level.
Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar
On our way to the airport, we needed a quick meal and stopped at Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar (which translates to “Thomas’s Hamburgers” so Thomas loved that). The food was good and relatively inexpensive. The restaurant looked straight out of Top Gun. There even happened to be several US Air Force service members with Goose/Rooster mustaches eating there in flight suits (the US has an air base in Keflavik).
Flying Home
When flying home from Reykjavik, leave more time than you think you need. We found ourselves in line after line, from dropping our bags to getting our VAT tax reimbursement to customs, we were cutting it close on time even arriving 2 hours early. I would budget 3 hours to comfortably get to your gate. However, unlike in US airports, there is no seating by the gates, so it’s quite chaotic and crowded. Boarding takes longer than usual as there are no groups, just one long line.
I would recommend Iceland to anyone who has a sense of adventure and loves beautiful, other-worldly sceneries. While we came in the winter, Iceland is a year-round destination. In the summer, you can view the puffins that call the island home during the warmer months. You can and also explore the northern part of Iceland, which is not accessible in the winter.
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