7-Day Iceland Itinerary
Svínafellsjökull Glacier
Want to visit the land of Fire and Ice but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry ya girl has done it for you!
My friend and I turned 30 in the same year - on the same date, but 2 months apart. So we thought a 30th-birthday trip would be the best way to celebrate our #dirtythirty 🎉 My birthday is February 12th, hers is April 12th, so of course we went in March 💁♀️ And if you’re wondering, yes - it is still FREEZING in March, but also SO BEAUTIFUL.
The period betwen February and April is supposed to be a great time to visit Iceland for two main things: the Northern Lights and ice caves! Read on…
Driving in Iceland
The Ring Road in Iceland is the one major road that goes all around the island. The island is small enough that you could drive around the Ring Road in about 4-5 days, although I would suggest 7 in order to see all the major sights. Also, since most of the main points of interest are located on the Southern part of the island, I’d recommend driving East the hit those sites first. This is what we did, and we found that we had to skip some of the other sights on the Northern part of the island due to time.
The Ring Road is easy to drive - basically straight, flat terrain the whole way. The only thing you might need to worry about on the road is wintery conditions and the rare wild life appearance, which you may encounter during Winter and early Spring months. We didn’t come across any animals on the road (luckily) but definitely had some wintery road conditions…
But don’t worry - the road markers on the sides of the road will guide you even if you can’t see the actual road! Also, pretty much all of the rental cars in Iceland come equipped with tire studs so you don’t slide on the ice.
The 7-Day Iceland Itinerary
Day 1 - Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon
Points of Interest Day 1:
☆ Central Reykjavik
Lodging: Central Reykjavik OR Grindavik (where Blue Lagoon is located)
⤊ Airbnb: Central Reykjavik
Reykjavik - The center of Reykjavik is small but charming and very colorful! Take some time to visit the cozy bars and restaurants and if you’re adventurous, try the Icelandic delicacy hákarl, aka fermented shark 😳
Also, don’t miss the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, and if you have time you could even see a live show.
Blue Lagoon - The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located close to Reykjavik airport, but is not actually located in Reykjavik. It’s a MUST SEE and makes for a very convenient stop either before or after your flight, due to its proximity to the airport.
For this itinerary you’ll definitely need to rent a car, but if you don’t have your own mode of transport you can book a round-trip bus ticket from Reykjavik to Blue Lagoon (including admission into the lagoon) here.
We arrived into Reykjavik in the late morning and picked up our rental car at the airport, then drove into Reykjavik to eat lunch, check into our Airbnb and drop off our stuff and change. We booked an evening ticket to the lagoon (entry around 5pm) which I highly suggest because seeing the lagoon during sunset is pretty magical!
Day 2 - waterfalls and black beach
Points of Interest Day 2:
☆ Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
☆ Skogafoss Waterfall
☆ Solheimasandur Plane Wreck (time permitting)
☆ Dyrholaey Lighthouse
☆ Reynisfjara Beach
Lodging: Vik
⤊ Hotel: Icelandair Hotel, Vik
Seljalandsfoss - The Southern part of Iceland has the most impressive sights, and the waterfalls on this day are INSANE! Leave early (around sunrise!) and drive about 1 hour 45 minutes to Seljalandsfoss, the first stop. You’ve probably seen this waterfall all over Instagram and offers great views from ground level as well as from above (there is a trail that leads towards the mouth of the waterfall). We didn’t attempt to go to the top because the trail seems pretty frozen, but during warmer months the short trek will be easier and definitely worth the effort!
Skogafoss - Skogafoss was actually my favorite waterfall… it is absolutely immense and you can hear the water crashing from the road. Be sure to take the stairs up to the top of the waterfall and follow the path to the right for some more insane views.
Solheimasandur Plane Wreck - The famous Solheimasandur Plane Wreck is apparently amazing, but unfortunatly we had to skip this stop. The stop on Google Maps designates a parking lot, but then you must walk 30 minutes to the actual plane. The view is pretty stunning though especially with the Northern Lights behind it, as captured by my friends @dashleyworldtour. If you have time, I’d definitely recommend it!
Dyrholaey Lighthouse - The lighthouse is on the top of a winding road… slightly daunting to drive in the snow but just go slow :) at the top is a pretty amazing view of the lighthouse, the Dyrholaey arch and the Southern black beach coastline. There’s a parking lot up at the top so you can get out and take in the view.
Reynisfjara Beach - Another famous thing about Iceland are the black sand beaches, and Reynisfjara is no exception. Not only is the sand jet black, but there are geometric rock formations jutting out of the sea that seem as if you’re on another planet. You’ll also see the basalt columns lining the beach, where parts of Game of Thones was filmed.
Day 3 - Glaciers and Ice caves
Points of Interest Day 3:
☆ Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
☆ Svínafellsjökull Glacier
☆ Vatnajokull National Park & Ice Caves Tour
☆ Diamond Beach
Lodging: Hofn
⤊ Hotel: Hotel Hofn
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon - The Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, which is about an hour drive East of Vik, was recently closed, so unfortunatly we couldn’t see it! This is the stunning canyon made famous by the Justin Bieber music video “I’ll Show You”. Apparently after this was released everybody and their mom wanted to then climb the narrow walls of the canyon just like the Biebs, and Iceland decided to close the site due to overcrowding. Crazy! As of June 1 2019, the canyon seems to be reopened and accepting visitors, and I’ve heard it’s pretty amazing to see!
Svínafellsjökull Glacier - Travelling from Vik, you’ll arrive at the Svínafellsjökull Glacier, which might have been my absolute FAVORITE part of the trip! The drive to Svínafellsjökull is fine until the last 20-30 minutes or so, which is basically unpaven terrain and winding roads (no cliffs though so don’t worry!) The final 15 minutes of the drive are EXTREMELY BUMPY so you’ll definitely need to go slow and have a car with 4WD (and don’t try this with a full bladder… that part was pretty uncomfortable haha).
You’ll eventually reach a very unofficial ‘parking lot’ on the left, after which you’ll walk for about another 15 minutes to the actual glacier. You’ll know it when you see it - it was the most amazing landcape I’ve ever seen. There is a small hike up to the viewpoint for the glacier which was basically completely iced over in March, and there also aren’t any guiderails or any man-made infrastructure to mark the edge of the path, so PLEASE be careful not to fall in! But despite the tricky drive and the unmanaged terrain, this stop is definitely unmissable!
Vatnajokull National Park & Ice Caves Tour - This was the only formal tour we took during our trip to Iceland and it was well worth it! The striking blue ice caves you’ve seen online are located within the Vatnajokull glacier, and you MUST use a tour to visit them. We took a 2.5 hour tour with Local Guide which was excellent - the tour (which is typically a small group of around 10-12 people) is led by an experienced guide who will lead the group in a short hike across the Vatnajokull glacier - so cool! Local Guide also provides you with crampons to help your shoes stick into the ice so you don’t ride down the glacier on your butt 😅 Honestly, I felt like such a hiking pro with crampons on my feet…
The real beauty of the tour is, of course, the famous blue ice caves! We visited a blue and a black ice cave during the tour, which were both extremely impressive. The ice caves are only visitable during October-March, since the temperatures are typically low enough to prevent the ice caves from partially melting and caving in. Another good reason to have a guide - they know which caves are structurally safe!
I’ll add that you should definitely dress VERY WARM for this tour, since you’ll basically be surrounded by glaciers and ice for about 3 hours straight!
Diamond Beach - Diamond Beach is a volcanic black sand beach sprinkled with huge chunks of electric blue glacier ice that has drifted on shore. It is conveniently located about 5 minutes’ drive from the Vatnajokull National Park parking lot, and is something straight out of Frozen (I was so close to dressing up as Elsa for a pic here but it was just too damn cold 😂). We took our Ice Cave tour around 2:30pm, which meant that we were able to see Diamond Beach right at sunset, which is truly magical. But BE CAREFUL of the Icelandic tides, since they are known to be VERY violent and unpredictable and some people have even been swept away!
Day 4 - Thermal Caves & Waterfalls
Points of Interest Day 4:
☆ Seyðisfjarðarkirkja Church
☆ Dettifoss Waterfall
☆ Grjótagjá Cave
☆ **Northern Lights**
Lodging: Mývatn
⤊ Hotel: Laxá Hótel
Seyðisfjarðarkirkja Church - Day 4 involves a lot of driving, but luckily there’s a cute little stop in the town of Seydisfjordur to break up the drive (although we overslept this day and had to skip it!). Seydisfjordur is known to be a lovely little town and is most famous for the town church with the rainbow path.
Dettifoss Waterfall - Dettifoss is a mighty waterfall that is fed from the Vatnajökull glacier, the largest ice cap in Europe (and also the one you would have hiked on Day 3 above)! Like most waterfalls in Iceland, you can get super close to it and the view from the top is particularly impressive! Most people spend around 2 hours here, but stay warm because the splashing water freezes almost instantly on your skin!
Grjótagjá Cave - If you have time, you could also visit the Grjótagjá Cave made famous by Jon Snow and Ygritte’s love scene in Game of Thrones. Grjótagjá is a small lava cave and has attracted visitors for its blue geothermal hot spring down below. Like most lava formations you’ll need to be careful decending into the cave since the rocks can be very uneven!
**Northern Lights** - The North part of the island is supposed to offer the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, due to its lower levels of habitation and light polution. We stayed at Laxá Hótel, located on the small Mývatn lake, which we were told would have less light polution and possibly views of the Northern Lights. We went out at 2:00am and drove to the darkest point on the lake and just… stared… at the sky for about an hour 😂 We actually DID briefly see the lights! They were just a little weak and didn’t last long enough to take a photo.
Unfortunately the Northern Lights are known for being unpredictable and inconsistent, but you can try to hedge your bets with this Northern Lights forecaster. In reality, you’ll have the potential to see the lights at any point on the island, but the conditions must be right (clear skies, low temperatures, high Aurora activity). Read this short blog for basic info on the Northern Lights.
Some people have said that taking a Northern Lights tour allowed them to see the lights, and most tours offer a free follow-up tour if you are unable to see the lights on your first trip. Many of these tours depart our of Reykjavik, but I found this Northern Lights tour that leaves from Akureyri in Northern Iceland, which you could add to your initinery for Day 5 (below).
Day 5 - more waterfalls & secret hot springs
Points of Interest Day 5:
☆ Goðafoss Waterfall
☆ Ljósavatn
☆ Fosslaug Secret Hot Spring
☆ Reykjafoss Waterfall
☆ Kolugljúfur Canyon
Lodging: Hvammstangi
⤊ Hotel: Bessastaðir Guesthouse
Goðafoss Waterfall - Goðafoss Waterfall or ‘Water of the Gods’ is probably one of the most impressive waterfalls in Northern Iceland. The falls cascade over a horseshoe-shaped rock which makes for a pretty amazing view. Once you park, I suggest crossing the bridge and walking around to the mouth of the waterfall for a unique view, which most people miss. I will say that this was probably the absolute COLDEST I’ve ever felt in Iceland (probably due to the little drops of water in the air that instantly feeze on your face), so really be sure to bundle up here!
Ljósavatn Lake - This lake was a cool stop for us since the entire lake is frozen over! It was my first time walking onto a frozen lake… and yes I was slightly scared 😆 But I saw plenty of footprints on the surface so I had to try!
Fosslaug Secret Hot Spring - Another one of my favorites! The Fosslaug Hot Spring is slightly difficult to find but well worth the effort! I read a few different blogs about where to find this place and it helps to have the official coordinates of the hot spring: GPS: 65°29’44.6″N 19°22’55.6″W.
How to get there: Drive down road 752, then turn left on road 753. You’ll cross a small bridge then keep going straight until you see a small dirt parking lot next to some cute Icelandic horses. There is a gate that you’ll need to open to keep the sheep from crossing, so pass through it and just be sure to close it behind you. You’ll then cross a small hill and you’ll see another small gate with a blue ‘Fosslaug’ sign; cross through it and just across another small path of field you’ll reach the hot spring on your right!
Fosslaug is 100% natural, so the ground is muddy and the water pumping in is very hot, but we found it to be just the right temperature if you sit in the middle! I’d suggest bringing some Icelandic beer and changing into your swimsuit beforehand since the hot spring is in the middle of a field and there are no bathrooms! We stayed here for about an hour just relaxing in the spring with nobody else around, and best of all it was free!
Reykjafoss Waterfall - The impressive Reykjafoss waterfalls are just a 3-minute walk from The Fosslaug hot spring. It was amazing how close you could get to the waterfalls and still there was NOBODY around! Just be sure not to slip on the icy rocks and fall into the river below 😅
Kolugljúfur Canyon - If you continue to drive West you’ll come across the Kolugljúfur Canyon, which has some pretty intense views and yes, another waterfall (hope you’re not tired of them yet)!
