Iceland

Need To Know

  • Everything is expensive, get used to it.
  • Everyone speaks and understands English, you will not need Google Translate.
  • If you drive in Iceland (you should) there are EIGHT things you absolutely need to know –
    1. Know how to tackle 2 lane roundabouts (the inner lane has right of way!!). Watch some videos to understand. This one is great. Its not that difficult – you will get a hang of it pretty quickly.
    2. Know how to navigate single-lane bridges. The car that approaches first has the right of way. Watch a video to understand. Single lane bridges are mostly south of Vik – traffic is pretty light there, so this should not be a big deal.
    3. When filling up gas in Iceland the Green pump is for gasoline, and the Black pump is for diesel (this is opposite of what the color code is in the US)
    4. Some gas stations require that your Credit Card has a PIN. Do not wait until the last moment to set this up on your CC. You cannot set this up online or on the phone. Your bank will snail-mail you the PIN. So do this well in advance of your trip.
    5. Turning right on a red light is illegal
    6. There are no yellow lines on the roadway to separate lanes of oncoming traffic. All lines are white. Always assume two-way traffic. Solid lines and dashed lines mean the same as in the US – dashed line on your side means its OK to pass.
    7. You wont see traffic cops, but that does not mean you have a license to speed. There are speed cameras in many places, best to drive at the speed limit, or at the speed of the traffic.
    8. You have to pay to park pretty much everywhere. Install the Parka app and register the license plate of your rental car with the Parka app. After that you can conveniently pay for parking using the app. Iceland uses a very “big brother” method to track cars and parking. Cameras are everywhere and they scan your license plate every time you enter and exit a parking lot / paid parking streets. Don’t forget to unregister your license plate after your trip.
  • EVERY place takes Credit Cards – set up Apple Pay with 3 cards (2 Visa, 1 Master) and you wont even need to touch your wallet. Cash is absolutely not needed, and you will not even see cash during your time in Iceland
  • Most hotels include breakfast, and its pretty good. Kronan (grocery store chain) has pretty good ready-to-eat sandwiches that are very reasonably priced. If you plan well, you can pick up lunch in the morning and eat a picnic lunch at lunch time. And then eat dinner in a restaurant. This way you can be efficient with your time, and also control costs.
  • Gas stations also carry decent food. Most gas stations are pretty clean and safe.
  • If you visit in the Summer, it never gets dark. There’s “evening light” throughout the night. Carry a sleep mask. If you are not the sleep mask type, carry some binder clips and painters tape. Most accommodations will have blackout curtains, but the gaps between the curtains result in the room never really getting dark. Binder clips and Painters tape can fix that.

Must See/Must Do

We only did Reykjavik and the South + Golden Circle. We left these for the next visit: East, North, Highlands, Snæfellsnes peninsula

  • Seljalandsfoss waterfall – walk behind the waterfall (★★★★★). Carry a rain jacket and waterproof pants. This was one of the shooting locations for the Gerua song in the Bollywood movie Dilwale (if you care for that sort of thing)
  • Skogafoss waterfall – (★★★★★). This was one of the shooting locations for the Gerua song in the Bollywood movie Dilwale (if you care for that sort of thing)
  • Solheimajokull Glacier (★★★★★) – small hike for a great view of the glacier
  • Svartifoss – the waterfall with the basalt columns (★★★★★)
  • Fjallsarlon Glacier – walk up the small hill to see icebergs – consider doing a zodiac boat ride here (★★★★★)
  • Stokksnes – beach right next to a tall mountain (★★★☆☆) – its alright. (Skip it if you are short on time)
  • Jokulsarlon Glacier – GREAT views of icebergs right from the parking lot. This is the easiest way to see icebergs. Consider doing an amphibian or zodiac boat ride here (★★★★★). Don’t come back from Iceland without visiting this. This was one of the shooting locations for the Gerua song in the Bollywood movie Dilwale (if you care for that sort of thing)
  • Diamond Beach – Really close to Jokulsarlon Glacier. The diamonds are the ice chunks of the black sand beach (★★★★★). Don’t come back from Iceland without visiting this.
  • Mulagljufur Canyon & Waterfalls – too long of a hike to see the view. We hiked for 1km and then noped back.
  • Svínafellsjokull Glacier (★★★★★) – small hike for a great view of the glacier
  • Fjadrargljufur Canyon (★★★★★) – little bit of an uphill climb for great views of this lush green canyon
  • Dyrholaey Puffins view (★★★★★)
  • Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach (★★★★☆) – its alright. The hype is a little too much. Visit it anyway, but plan a quick stop.
  • Go take a dip in a hot spring. Secret Lagoon is pretty good. (★★★★★). Don’t come back from Iceland without doing this. There are some expectations, like taking a naked shower before entering the pool. (You can then wear your swimsuit. Please don’t go into the hot spring naked 😭) Read about it, or watch a video online before you go.
  • Gullfoss waterfall (★★★★★)
  • Strokkur Geyser and other geysers in the Geysir area (★★★☆☆) – imminently skippable if you have been to Yellowstone and Lassen. It will feel pretty meh. Visit this if you have not visited Yellowstone/Lassen
  • Thingvellir National Park (★★★★★) – see the place where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling away from each other. You can actually walk in the rift valley. You can also dive here (Silfra canyon)
  • Reykjavik –
    • Harpa Concert Hall (★★★★★)
    • Sun Voyager sculpture (★★★★★) – probably the second most photographed site in Reykjavik
    • Hallgrimskirkja church (★★★☆☆) – probably the most photographed site in Reykjavik
    • Lava Show (★★★★☆)
    • Perlan museum (★★★★☆)

Don’t Bother

  • The Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog is pretty popular, and the stand in Reykjavik attracts quite the crowd. It is a very average hot dog. Skip it! Eat some real icelendic food instead.
  • Stokksnes looks great on TV, but left us feeling underwhelmed. Skip it.
  • The Solheimasandur plane wreck is pretty popular online and shows up on every Iceland list. Its a very long walk to see whatever is remaining of the plane. We skipped it, you should too.
  • Blue Lagoon has done great marketing. We decided to skip it in favor of Secret Lagoon. There are tens of other hot spring pools.

10-day Itinerary

This will cover Reykjavik, the South, The Golden Circle and the Snaefellsnes peninsula. This does not cover the East, North or the Highlands.

  1. Depart home city
  2. Arrive Keflavik, night in Reykjavik
  3. Waterfalls and Glacier
    • Check out from Reykjavik accommodation
    • Seljalandsfoss
    • Skogafoss
    • Solheimajokull glacier
    • Night in Vik
    • 3h20m driving this day
  4. Waterfalls and Glaciers
    • Check out from Vik accommodation
    • Svartifoss
    • Fjallsarlon Glacier
    • Jokulsarlon Glacier boat tour
    • Diamond Beach
    • Night near Jokulsarlon
    • 3h driving this day
  5. Glacier, Canyon, Puffins, Black Sand Beach
    • Check out from Jokulsarlon accommodation
    • Svinafellsjokull Glacier
    • Fjadrargljufur Canyon
    • Dyrholaey puffins
    • Reynisfjara black sand beach
    • Night in Vik
    • 3h30m driving this day
  6. Volcanic Crater, Thermal Hot Bath, Waterfall, Geysers
    • Check out from Vik accommodation
    • Kerid Crater
    • Secret Lagoon hot water bath
    • Gullfoss waterfakk
    • Geysers
    • Night in Geysir area
    • 3h driving this day
  7. Tectonic plates, Mountains, Waterfall
    • Check out from Geysir accommodation
    • Thingvellir National Park
    • Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall
    • Night near Kirkjufellsfoss
    • 3h 30m driving this day
  8. Waterfall, Lighthouse, Black Sand Beach
    • Check out from Kirkjufellsfoss accommodation
    • Svortuloft Lighthouse
    • Djúpalónssandur beach
    • Arnarstapi Cliff Viewpoint
    • Night in Reykjavik
    • 4h driving this day
  9. Reykjavik
    • Lava Show
    • Hallgrimskirkja church
    • Perlan
    • Sun Voyager
    • Harpa Concert Hall
    • Night in Reykjavik
    • 40m driving this day
  10. Fly out