About this blog: It is a 10 days Iceland Itinerary for your ready reference. This blog will help you planning a trip around the major attractions along the iconic Ring Road of Iceland. We planned it minutely and did it in 12 days including flying in and flying out. This Iceland Itinerary is perfect for spring winter (we did it in mid- March). For a summer trip to Iceland, which is the ideal time to do Ring Road, you may add a few extra hikes.
The Ring road of Iceland can be done clockwise or counter clock wise. The very famous Golden Circle is a 4 hours day trip from Reykjavik. You can save it easily for the last leg of your trip. If you do not have time for he complete ring road, and stopping at Reykjavik for a couple of days, please consider a tour around the Golden Circle. It is a pretty well rounded introduction to the intriguing landscapes of Iceland.
Day 1 of Iceland Road trip- Reykjavik
The capital of Iceland and the northernmost settlement of a sovereign state, Reykjavik is home to 250,000 people. It is serviced by Keflavík International airport airport (KEF).
Most of the Red eye flights reach KEF at the break of dawn. By the time you have finished immigration and have reached the Exit to Iceland sign, you see the Sun gleaming brightly at the door.
In winter months, the sun sets early and days are smaller. However, visiting Iceland in Summer gives you a chance to witness midnight Sun. There will never be a complete blackout. Iceland is one of the countries to experience midnight sun. Similarly there will never be a complete polar night ie, 24 hours of darkness in Iceland.
Our hotel (Reykjavík Natura) would let us check in after 3 pm. You can opt to go for taking a plunge at Blue Lagoon meanwhile.
Laugaveger is the high street of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The street takes its name from the famous hiking trail of Landmannalaugar that opens to the Glacial valley of Thórsmörk, Yes, the name refers to the Norse God Thor!
Things to do in Reykjavik
You will see enough of Reykjavik on your way in or out of the Ring Road, or even a shorter southern coast trip to Iceland.
Hallgrímskirkja , a Lutheran Church
Home to Hallgrímskirkja church, one of country’s largest buildings and a Lutheran church, Reykjavik is a beautiful European town. Pretty houses pop up against the stark contrast of milk white mountains as you stand atop Hallgrimskirkja.
Visiting the top of the Hallgrimskirkja is an absolute must for a ticketed entry at ISK 1000. The 73 meter tall tower lets you view the expanse of Atlantic stretching west to the Greenland and America with the Icelandic Mountains and Glaciers at the East.
The 90 year old church takes its shape after the rugged landscape of Iceland. The thunderous waterfalls, the craggy mountains, the ancient glaciers on standstill, all elements of Iceland’s breathtaking nature find a way on the wall of Hallgrimskirkja.
Chasing the Northern Lights
If you are not self driving in Iceland, make sure to book with a few Northern lights hunting companies during the polar nights from September to March. If you are not in amood to drive you can go to Grotta Lighthouse by the waterbody on a clear dark night. However everyone and their grandmother visits this place and parking is a nightmare. We did see the lights but we would rather drive at any direction for 15 minutes for a calmer and prettier experience. The best parts of the northern lights is they are found in abundance on the sky, if and when the show happens!
Explore Laugaveger and the Old City
Reykjavik is one of those cities that comes alive around one hyped up street, Laugaveger in its case. There is endless shopping, countless cafe, few iconic halls, pretty muralled walls perfect for Instagram photoshoot.
Walking towards the waterbody in Reykjavik, you will come across the glass facade of the concert hall named Harpa. If you are a Black mirror Fan you have probably seen the concert hall in Netflix series Black Mirror (episode: Crocodile).
Walk a little further until you come across the steel boat skeleton named Sun Voyager, an ode to the promised yet undiscovered land, of new hope. Catching the setting sun at Sun Voyager’s backdrop remains my favorite memory of Reykjavik.
A little stroll inwards the Old City, you will come across Lake Tjornin, literally translated to “The Pond”. A waterbody that helps nest the winter birds of arctic as well as the early settlement of the southern peninsula of Iceland.
Helicopter tour over Reykjavik
Imagine witnessing the rare volcanic eruption and geothermal activities of the land of ice and fire! that is Iceland peaking in my opinion. I got a glimpse of it was travel back from Reykjavik with Icelandair. For a closer, longer and more intimate adventure, I would definitely recommend taking the helicopter route, especially if you are in the city on a day of eruption (which is happening rather frequently off late).
Like other European city, Reykjavik is best enjoyed while walking. You may indulge in other activities like whale watching, national Museum (Perlan), Icelandic Phallological Museum etc. But you need longer time in Reykjavik to indulge in these activities.
To eat in Reykjavik
- Cafe:Loki (Loved their Fermented shark), Mokka (Oldest cafe in Town)
- Dinner: Fishkmarkadurinn (The Fish Market) for amazing sea food, Grillmarkadurinn (I loved their spread), Three coats (French style, if you want to indulge in a whale steak), Shalimar (Pakistani Restaurant for amazing Desi menu).
Relax at Blue Lagoon/Sky Lagoon
One great way to start the Ring road trip in Iceland is by taking a plunge at one of the famed geothermal spa of the city. You will see a lot of the hot baths as you progress through ring road. However there is something about the Blue Lagoon or the infinity pool at he Sky Lagoon. Bonus point if you go during the winter night and lady Aurora decides to make an appearance. Believe me she does more than what you can expect!
You have two choices for the hot plunge in lagoon really, the blue and the Sky. Blue lagoon can cancel your prior appointment if the neighborhood friendly volcano makes an uncalled for visit. I loved Sky though. On a clear sky day Sky Lagoon gifts you an unforgettable experience. The 7 step ritual will wake you up from all the exhaustion of road-trip. I loved it all the more as we did it on the last day. It stripped away all tiredness from the trip and rejuvenated instantly!
Home to the most scenic part of the road-trip, Golden Circle of Iceland is the best introduction to the rest of the Iceland. The landscape if full of surprises at every turn of the road.
Day 2 at Selfoss – Exploring the Golden Circle of Iceland
Day two in this Iceland itinerary is about heading towards the inland for the famed Golden circle. For the rest of the Ring Road, you would stick to the Route 1 running parallel to the Atlantic coast.
There are three major attractions of the Golden circle in Iceland. The Kerid crater, the Strokkur geyser and the mighty Gulfoss waterfall. In my opinion, Gulfoss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls of the world! Although these 3 are standard stops along the Golden Circle for any tour group, I found few other interesting stops enroute.
Many take the trip and return to Reykjavik. I say go ahead and rest the night at Selfoss. It is a smaller town and sets your Ring Road journey ahead by a few hours for the next day. One of the cutest cabins at Selfoss is Ásahraun Guesthouse.
You will have to be back to Reykjavik for the last leg of the trip so the capital city would wait!
Golden circle is best enjoyed on a clear sky day. Surprisingly, all the time we were close to Reykjavik, weather was super nice to us! For the rest of the route, we experienced hailstorms, blizzards, rain and what not. In an instance we heard a Canadian couple complain about the road condition. That tells something!
There are multiple tour companies from the city that can drive you around for the highlights of the tour. I would suggest book with one company if you want a relaxed day when your eyes are not glued on the road.
Stops at Golden Circle
The stops you need to make on a Golden Circle Tour (some of it I found along the way which takes a little detour)
1) Thingvellir national Park- Home to the famed Almannagjá george which marks the rift between North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Those eager to hike can go for a 2.5 mile easy loop leading upto Öxarárfoss water fall to experience the terrain formed with lava rock. Silfra is the dive site between these two tectonic plates that drives a number of photo enthusiasts. Please remember, Almannagjá is a historic place where locals would gather annually in thousands while authorities would read out laws of the land. Yes, this was the oldest parliamentary seat of the country. “I am standing between North America and Europe!” I screamed while standing at the George. More than visual notes, this place sends chill for its geographic positioning and historic value!
2) Strokkur Geyser: Located inside the Geyser Geothermal Area with a bunch of other active and dormant Geysers, Strokkur is the most amazing and FREE thing to do in Iceland! It erupts every 4 to 10 minutes, reaches up to a height of 100 feet occasionally and never fails to amaze onlookers! Much of Icelandic Volcanic hotspot can bring mayhem to mankind however a few pitstops like Strokkur makes the show enjoyable! The area smelt like rotten eggs due to heightened Sulphur acid activity.
3) Gulfoss waterfall/Langjokull: Remember I said Strokkur was the best free thing Iceland had on offer? Well, let me take back my words and give it to Gulfoss politely! This is nature’s extreme might, well we could not reach Dettifoss so whatever I have seen so far! Parts of the waterfall was frozen. Parts of the trail was off limits to visitors. There were at least 10 shades of blue in this multi tiered waterfall, aquamarine, topaz green and pearl white icicles. Gusts of wind will try to topple you down across the railings. At a distance Langjokull glacier stands somber. You can walk the trail that takes you closer to the water of Hvita river, weather permitting.
4) Kerid Crater: the 6500 old Volcanic crater with glacial blue waters reminded me of the lakes we saw on our way to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Very few people actually head to the interiors to see Kerid. But there is an easy trail that takes you close to the weather.
5) The Tomato Farm (Fridheimar): I did not bother visiting Fridheimar since my friends spoke ill of the experience and we wanted to head back to Reykjavik for a good dinner however, Fridheimar is one of the few family run greenhouse horticulture farm. The place’s claim to fame is to grow ripe tomato even during the dark winter months using energy released from Geothermal activity of the area. I feel this could be a good learning experience for your children.
6) Secret Lagoon: While not as swanky as the Blue Lagoon or the Sky lagoon, the Secret Lagoon of Golden Circle Iceland (which is not so secret anymore) is one of the few au natural hot pools of the area. For a fraction of price, you can take a dip in the pool here. I suggest skip this stop if you are planning for the entire Ring Road experience. You will come across many nice pools as you go further from the capital city.
7) Brúarfoss waterfall: The Bluest of Icelandic waterfalls, this is a pretty nice spot with a stunning mountainous backdrop! the path leading to it was single lane gravel road. More tourists are heading for the unfenced bank of the river which makes me wonder it is only a matter of time stricter rules would be implemented to visit it. I recommend a stop here!
You may head to the Golden Circle route at night to view aurora if you are traveling on a full moon night. the falls being further from popular tourist spots make it a pretty sought after photo op.
Day 3 at Vik- Icelandic South Coast
The day has come when you arrive at the iconic south coast of Iceland. This is where magic began!
Many do not have the time to go around the island and they explore the south coast instead, may be 4 to 5 days. It is well worth with plenty of scenic spots and otherworldly black sand beaches around.
From Selfoss to Vik, you will stop at a bunch of spots, including the famous waterfalls and beach spots. Some of it requires you to hike for a few hours.
1)Seljalandsfoss/Gljúfrabúi: At sunset, the fall reflects fleeting rays of the setting sun making it an ethreal sight to behold. It is one of the tallest falls of Iceland. A bunch of narrow falls accompany the majestic Seljalandfoss. It is very easy to access. As of 2024, accessing the fall from behind was closed for visitors. Walk for a km on the right hand side and reach Gljúfrabúi. Most people leave after seeing Seljalandsfoss, but give Gljúfrabúi a chance and pack your waterproof boot. Walk through a narrow canyon to witness the magic of Gljúfrabúi. Standing at the mouth of the george, you would not have imagined what awaits you inside!
2)Skógafoss/Fimmvorduhals Trailhead: Less than an hour’s drive from Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss waits. Walking some 500 steps will take you on top of the falls. I would rate it as one of the top 5 falls of Iceland (and the country has many stunning falls). From the bottom, you can take that famous picture of a tiny human against the backdrop of a majestic waterbeam. Walking to the bottom of the falls has almost zero elevation. Close to it sits Kvernufoss Waterfall, hidden from the plain sight. I suggest do not skip this on your journey!
If you have a day to give to this area, I highly recommend you go for the Fimmvorduhals trail, which lets you see 26 waterfalls, 1 volcano, 2 glaciers. We did not know about it and instead went o see the plane wreck which was a flop in March!
3) Solheimasandur Plane Wreck: We had seen SRK romancing Kajal on top this military plane wreck in a Bollywood film. A bunch of aurora lit pictures alluded us to visit the spot. We started this long arduous 7 mile walk on a plane land, only to head back within 15 minutes. It was a March evening with unforgiving wind. Later, we have learnt a couple of tourists had ceased on exist on this very trail due to hypothermia. Aparently a shuttle runs the course that transports tourists to the wreck however we did not see any trace of it. I am not a fan of this spot. instead, spend time at the Dyrhólaey beach where we headed to next!
4) Dyrhólaey Lighthouse: Driving the icy road on the sea level that leads up to Dyrhólaey Lighthouse remains one of the my most favourite memories from Iceland. For a brief moment, I could not fathom if we are driving on the flimsy ice sheet covering the Atlantic or it is a real road! Once we reached the lighthouse, the area was covered with a fresh downpour of snow. A few seagulls were flying a top. The sea manaced. At a distance Reynisfjara beach stood stand. Dyrhólaey was haunting yet picturesque. This was also the first night we drove in a snow blizzard.
At Vik, we stayed at Hotel Kria. We wanted to stay at Hostel Barn, for its location is perfect. However it was sold out on our days.
If you have the luxury of time, I suggest give Vik a whole day, explore nearby attractions, Katla Cave, ride a horse, explore the old town. Vik is one of the popular tourists towns of South Coast. Many people who travel the South Coast of Iceland for 5 to 6 days, base themselves in Vik and explore the surrounding area. Especially if you are hiking at all the stops along the way, you must stop at Vik for at least a couple of days, especially in Summer.
Day 4 at Hali- Visiting Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach: The sky glistened under the first rays of sun as we made way towards the beach. it is the iconic black beach from the popular series, game of Thrones. It has a few limestone rocks hoist their head as a number of seagulls compete with drone from the travel photo enthusiasts. A pretty unique beach with towering black Basalt comulns, R is a place that lives upto its fame. However I saw a number of tourist bus make way to the spot as the day unfolded. I doubt if you will find the place as pleasant with a hoard of tourists. By no means, you can take a swim here. In fact, it is often touted as one of the most dangerous beaches of Iceland. Please be careful of the waves crashing against he balck sand . They do hunt tourists occasionally.
We had it easy driving the roads as a mower worked hard right in front of our vehicle. On the way back, I cought some fleeing glimpses of Vik town. We may come back for the beautiful town another time, and slow down for a bit. I promised myself!
Katla Ice Cave: We did not visit katla as we had planned for Vatnajokul Glacier Trek for the next morning. But Katla is wildly popular among tourists for its unique round shape glass! You can book for a tour to Katla from Vik. These glacier tours needs to be booked with group tour providers for various safety reasons.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon: The next stop on the way was Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. The canyon appears at its best form during spring as narrw streams roll down aginst a thick blanket of Moss. It requires you to embark on a rather easy hike of 2 mile. However, in March, the entire landscape was covered with a thick layer of snow. We struggled a bit to pave way. It looked very different than what what we saw in Instagram, thanks to seasonal characters. I remember the silver swath of waterbody glimmering at a distance as we made way to the top.
Skaftafell: Like the Basalt columns we found in morning near Reynisfjara beach, we discovered a waterfall too little ahead, that had a uniue structure. Little did we know, we would come across a bunch of similar basalt colum structures as we move further along the ring road. It is not the most majestic waterfall of Iceland, yet Skaftafellfoss had a unique shape.
Svínafellsjökull Glacier The glacier’s claim to fame was appearance on the film Intersteller. Nolan thought Svínafellsjökull is befitting the otherworldly labdscape of Mars and I do not blame him! It is a long hike, not very pressing, lets you go close to the ice sheet. Unlike other glaciers of the region, Svínafellsjökull was a tough sheet of ice, withstanding the heatwaves of a world that is increasingly treading towards global warming!
Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon One of the canon experience from the entire Iceland ring road journey was our stop at the Jokursarlon Glacier Lagoon. The ice bergs, the mellow history of them breking down, the impending climate crisis and the havoc it is creating on the largest ice caps on Europe, the mouth of the river where it meets the ocean, the baby seals playing peek a boo with tourists- Jokursarlon is what they paint heaven like! In summer months, you can book for a boatride in the glacier lagoon. Although I hear Glaciers are melting fast and summer months in Iceland does not have much on offer at the Glacier lagoon any longer.
Diamond Beach: the famous Icelandic beach where you will fill your pockets with diamonds and then will have some more scattered around your feet! Fragments of the glaciers as the lake empies into ocean right next to the black beach. it is one of the most scenic places to be on a clear sky day!
Vatnajokul Glacier
Crampon on, hiking sticks in hand, skull secured with a healmate, we walked inside the Vatnajokul glacier like a warrior. And why not?
Rising air temperature has pushed the mouth of the glacier inward at least by 2 KM. Every year, come spring summer, the glacier retreats further. Its blue crystal melancholic ice looses its sheen. The shapes change. The course of the glacier becomes more liquid.
Part of the reason we visited the Goacier was to learn about this wonderful natural phenomenon. Vatnajokul keeps Europe cool, not just Iceland. The largest icecap can be viewed along a vast part of the right road that takes you the expanse of eastern Iceland.
We stayed at Hofn the night before, at Hali hotel.
Hali hotels opens to the sea on one side, the highlands on the other. It is here we tried delicious Icelandic lamb for the first time. And Cod. There was plenty of them.
Vatnajokul national park is a large land mass. Ice cave exploration is just a part of it. You can do an inch of other activities in the area.
If you are going for the Ice caves, it’s $250 per person, please tag along with a tour. It’s extremely unsafe to walk on those fragile ice. There are only a few opening inside the glacier which are befitting a walk. Guides know of the openings, the ladders and inside glacier waterfalls (no lie).
Given you can see the glacier from a distance and even may be walk on them in cooler season do I recommend the ice cave walk?
Yes of course.
The guided walk is one of a kind experience where you will see the course of the mass of Ice over the years. Ironically it made me remember the Antelope canyon near Page Arizona.
The waves leave behind similar trails, be it on the sand or be it on ice.
Do not forget to find diamonds inside the cave.
Free things to do in Vatnajokul
- Mulaglijogur
- Svinafelljokur
- Skaftafell
All these area except Sivnajokul need you to hike for a bit and be in good shape.
We stayed at Hali for just one night but I would definitely recommend at least two nights stay in the area if you plan to see all of them.
From Vatnajokul we went for Egilstaddir and spent the night there.
Enroute we stopped at Hofn for an amazing lunch.
Pakistan at Hofn is one of the best meal we had not just of Iceland but of entire Europe till date. It served us a delicious Horse steak.
Horse steak is served among the locals as a festiv meal. We had no idea it would turn out so good.
We did not find horse meat available everywhere. It was just one time we had Horse. Later we tried Raindeer in Norway which was good but Horse meat tops the chart.
However for a pescatarian like me, Pakistan is memorable for the serving of Lingustine!
Lingoustine are also known as Norway libster, found in the specific part of North Sea along Scandinavia. Contrast t lobster they are filled with intense aroma and white supple sweet meat!
We had a brief stop at Vestahorn, part of the northeastern fjiords of Iceland.
Sromness at Vestrahorn is one the finest places in Iceland. Dramatic jagged mountain peaks rising straight from a black sand beach half of which was submerged with marshy sea water. Atlantic roaring at a distance. No matter how far you reach, your heart feels filled with a sense of solitude.
In Iceland this is the closest you can come for an article sunrise. If you can make it at the break of the dawn on a clear sky day, the pictures will be drool worthy.
Nearby there is a Viking village. Film crews came and built the village for a film that never got to be completed. Recent Netflix release the Witcher used the abandoned set. There is a Viking skip look alike named Drakar set at the entry of the village.
Vestrahorn mountain ridge was one of the highlight of our Iceland ring road journey.
Day 5 at Egilsstadir
We had a long day at road the previous day and walked couple of hikes. the fifth day had us drive for the longer period, except heading for an adventure in the morning!
Jokulsarlon/ Diamond beach at Sunrise: the previous day, we went for the diamond beach at Sunset however, the sun was nowhere to be seen on an overcast day. We attempted for the next day however it dismayed us. The best pictures around the Diamond beach comes only if you are blessed with a bright sunny sky at the golden hour, which is a lofty ask in iceland!
Glacier Cave: however, the Glacier walk was outstanding! We got into a 4*4 car and drove on the rough terrains nearing Vatnajokul, the largest icecap of Iceland, in fact that of Europe. We were given snow boots and cramps to walk on the slippery slope. Our heads were covered with a head lamp and a helmet. We walked through the crevices and ice to enter an ice cave. Parts of it were melting. Parts of it were grey and grim. It is a possibility that a chunk of it could break any point of time. The Glacier changes its shape every season. It is rapidly retreating as well with each passing year. Walking in the Galcier Cave is a typical winter activity in Iceland. I recommend you do this at least once!
Vestrahorn/The Viking Village: Imagine walking on a black sand beach over black sand dunes! That is Vestrahorn for you! Atlantic Ocean roared at a distance as we walked on the dunes. Tidal waters inundated the beach reflecting the cragged peaks of Vestrahorn. This is an ideal spot for flying a drone and capturing those pictures! Right next to the visitor center, you will enter a replica of a Viking village. legend says this is the place where many Viking ships had crashed in the dark stormy nights. Vestrahorn is the first landfall of Viking in this land as well.
From vestrahorn, we took a deour and stopped at Hofn, at the Pakkus restautant for a hearty meal with linguistines and Horse steak, which is a delicacy of Iceland!
The rest of the night had us drive long distance until we reached Egilssadir.
Day 6 at Egilsstadir: a day for whale watching
As they call it, the Whaling capital of the world, Husavik is very close to rctic circle and an ideal place to chase the gentle giants of Ocean.
Day 7 at Akureyri- the Diamond Circle of the North of Iceland
Dettifoss
Myvtan
Akureyri
Blondous- Day 8
Godafoss
Akureyri
Snaef- Day 9/10
A day to relax
Reykjavik- Day 11
The Sky Lagoon
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