5 Days in Iceland

Itinerary

Itinerary

Traveling to Iceland has been a surreal experience. Iceland is home to a dramatic terrain of volcanic craters, geysers, and ice-capped glaciers that quite literally make you feel like you are on a different planet… not just a different country. Beyond the natural wonders, the warm hospitality of Reykjavik, with its vibrant culture and cafes, adds a charming contrast to the unique landscape. As long as you are able to sacrifice a warm weather vacation, Iceland quite literally will not disappoint.

Full Iceland Guide Here.

Day 1: Reykjavik

• Land in Keflavík International Airport - Just a short 5 hour flight from the east coast, Iceland is a destination that holds many European layovers. Many of the flights into Iceland land around 5:00am, no matter the chosen airline. I ended up flying Play Airlines again which is a new Icelandic based airline that also flys all over Europe. My flight cost over the holiday weekend, with added baggage cost and picking a seat came to a total of $600. We ended up in the emergency exit row which provided ample leg room. While I am unsure of how the rows differ on the variety of planes, I can say that we were row 36 if you are looking for extra legroom.

• Rental Car - If you receive any suggestion from anyone about traveling to Iceland this is the one you need to listen to. RENT A CAR! Iceland tourism and scenery is too incredible to sit in one city the entire trip. Whether you rent a car, or camper van, it is highly suggested from almost everyone who visits Iceland. You do not need an international license and driving in Iceland is basically the same as the United States, besides the fact speed is shown in kilometers instead of miles. Depending on the time of year and where in Iceland you plan to visit you may or may not need 4 wheel drive.

  • ACE Rent a Car - I booked this car on Priceline for a total of $300. The company provides a shuttle from the airport to the rental car pickup every 10-15 minutes, and the driver meets you inside arrivals hall to show you to the shuttle. I purchased the rental car insurance on Priceline and denied additional service from the company.

• Drive to Reykjavik - 45 minute drive from Keflavík International Airport.

• Breakfast in Reykjavik: Hotel VON

• Explore Downtown Reykjavik:

  • Skolavordustrigar street

  • Hallgrimskirkja 

  • Sun Voyager

  • Harpan

  • The Reykjavic EDITION

• Lunch in Reykjavik: Old Harbour House

• Whale Watching - Booked on Get Your Guide.

• Check in to Airbnb - Make sure to include parking if you are renting the car. When I was searching for places to stay I found that Airbnb was the cheaper option unless you were doing a hostel. City parking in downtown Reykjavik is hard to find and can get pricey. The city is extremely walkable. There are also scooters and buses available for quicker transport.

• Dinner in Reykjavik: Reykjavik Fish Restaurant

• Drinks in Reykjavik: The Dubliner

Day 2: Golden Circle

Although the Golden Circle is one of the most popular tourist activities in Iceland, I believe it is well worth it. Driving the ring road and seeing the outstanding sites along the way is something you do not want to miss out on. It is truly the perfect day trip. While reading the below itinerary please note that you can start from either direction, however, I found that to avoid the most crowds doing the route backwards from what everyone else does is the way to go. Below is the “backwards” route.

• Breakfast in Reykjavik: Braud and Co - This place is very popular for good reason. I highly recommend the Vanillusnúður. Which is basically like a vanilla cinnamon roll.

• Drive the Golden Circle:

  • Keri crater

  • Icelandic Horses

  • Secret Lagoon

  • Lunch option 1 - Freiheimar Tomato Greenhouse

  • Gullfoss waterfall

  • Geysir Geothermal Area

  • Lunch option 2 - Geysir Visitor Center

  • Bruarfoss

  • Thingvellir National Park

  • Walk between the tectonic plates at the Silfra Fissure

  • Pingvallavatn Lake Overlook

  • Oxarafoss 

  Dinner in Reykjavik: Rossopomodoro

Day 3: Hiking and Hot Springs

I originally had a guided active volcano hike booked this day, but unfortunately there was a last minute cancellation. Many guided hikes can have last minute cancellations due to weather, air pollution from the volcanic ash, or new volcanic eruptions. Although I didn’t know what caused my cancellation at the time, I found out that is was cancelled due to a new eruption that was expected soon. I decided to replace this hike with another which was just a 45 minute drive from downtown Reykjavik.

• Breakfast in Reykjavik: Braud and Co - Yes… again… it’s that good!

• Reykjadur Hot Spring Thermal River

  • A scenic 45 minute drive from Reykjavik will take you straight to the parking lot of this hike.

  • You will park at the trail head, and pay for your parking at the kiosk or by app after your hike and before you leave.

  • Hike! This hike is about 1.8 miles with a hike time 45 minutes-1 hour each way. Plan to spend at least an hour if not more at the natural hot springs located at the middle of your hike. The 1st half of this hike is mostly uphill and then eventually begins to even out and tread then tread downhill on your entire way back. Thankfully, the natural hot springs are an amazing reward. Although there are changing stations conveniently located to give you somewhat of a barrier, for the most part you are out in the open when it comes to changing in and out of your bathing suit.

  • There is also a convenience store/cafe located at the trailhead if you are looking for a post hike snack and beverage.

• Lunch in Reykjavik Part 1: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur - Iceland is famous for its Hot Dogs and this is the famous spot! There are many locations situated around Iceland.

• Lunch in Reykjavik Part 2: Reykjavík Chips - Also a must try spot. Basically just fries and then you pick your dipping sauce. Good, quick, easy lunch.

• Shop: Walk around Laugavegur street until it connects to the famous “Rainbow Street”. This is where most of the local and non-local shops are.

• Blue Lagoon: About an hour drive from Reykjavik, make sure to book your tickets in advance. The Blue Lagoon was included by National Geographic as one of the Water Wonders of the World. This place is a tourist trap, but honestly… I really enjoyed it. I recommend the “Premium” option where you will recieve a robe, 2 beverages and face masks to use while you are relaxing in the blue lagoon. The blue lagoon is located extremely close to recent volcanic eruptions and closes every so often if the eruption is getting close. Between the different booking options I would recommend the “Premium”. If I had more time in Iceland I would have also gone to the Sky Lagoon which is located right outside of Reykjavik.

• Dinner - Svarta Kaffið - A classic Icelandic spot. They basically only serve two things. Soup in a bread bowl and Beer.

• Drinks - The Irishman - This pub was THE BEST. Live music and great people!

Day 4: Southeast Waterfalls

This day is basically another road trip day where you will be driving and stopping at scenic items along the way. I would recommend you drive straight to Vik and then work your way back to Reykjavik.

• Breakfast in Reykjavik: Emilie and the Cool Kids

• Drive to Vik - About 2.5 hours from Reykjavik

• Lunch in Vik: Ströndin • Pub

• Reynisfjara - Black Sand Beach.

• Dyrholaeyv - Overlook

• Solheimmasandur - Plane wreck in the middle of no where. This is an hour walk each way. Make sure to prepare for any type of weather.

• South Coast Waterfalls

  • Kvernufoss - My personal favorite. There were virtually no people here compared to all of the other waterfalls we saw during our trip to Iceland. Not to mention this is easily one of the most beautiful.

  • Skogafoss

  • Irafoss

  • Seljalandsfoss

  • Gljufrabui - The “secret” waterfall.

• Dinner in Reykjavik: Public House Gastropub

Day 5: Travel Day

Although our flight wasn’t until 3:00pm it is important to get to the airport extremely early. International airports, especially located in other countries can be a bit confusing as far as the process goes. I flew Play Airlines, which still requires paper boarding passes. In this instance, we had to wait in line for 1.5 hours just to get our boarding passes printed. Thankfully, we did not need to check any bags, or the wait would have been even longer. Iceland requires a separate screening process where they will stamp you out on your passport and clear you before you can get to the international terminal. When it comes to domestic flights, I will show up to the airport as my flight is boarding, but as far as International flights go I prefer to be there at least 2-3 hours before my flight. Looking for more airport content? Click here for ways to pass time while you are waiting for your flight.