Iceland
A complete guide on how to see Iceland in 11 days
I recently completed an 11-day trip all around Iceland. Here’s everything that my friend and I did + some helpful tips.
Day 1: Reykjavík to Snæfellsnes Peninsula
We landed at KEF around 7:30am, and picked up our rental car from Sixt (Mitsubishi Crossover Eclipse). From our research, we got sand & ash protection. In retrospect, we should’ve gotten a 4WD and one that doesn't eat so much gas (av. filling $60-80USD daily). We didn't originally take unlimited mileage, 2.2k was included. Would have taken unlimited from the beginning because it was a lot more expensive when we called later to change it within 24hrs).
Immediately drove to Blue Lagoon. We ran late for our 8am reservation, but they let us in anyways (almost 9:30am by the time we got there). The tech here is super unique & functional. Definitely nice to do right after a flight. Probably would never do it again. Pretty expensive, face mask kinda burned, got stupid crowded really fast, robes not included. Green juice and some other vegetable cleanse juice were included and yummy but the experience was not totally worth the price tag. Instead, according to TikTok, Sky Lagoon is a better option.
Drive to Reykjavík to pick up groceries from Bonus (local store, love them - good fresh sandwiches and not ridiculously priced)
~2.5hr drive to Kirkjufell. We saw some wild horses and stopped, but quickly drove away because they looked like they were going to attack us. Kirkjufell looks incredible in pictures, especially with the mountain in the background, but it was probably the most underwhelming fall on the trip and honestly ok to skip if there's not enough time.
We had some time, so we decided to drive around and saw some geysir-looking things exploding in the distance. It turns out that it was actually just no massive waves crashing against the rocks. We parked the car on an off-road and hiked 1.5-2km to the coast (on unpaved/unmarked land, but it was pretty flat). Also saw a really creepy house and decided to run the other way.
We spent the night in Freezer Hostel. This was our first time in a hostel, and the concept is great. We cooked our first (of many) ramen dinners and got ready for bed. The beds were nasty. Common area was… quirky. Kitchen/bathroom was fine. Upside is that they had free laundry. The bar for future hostels is pretty low.
Day 2: Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Myvatn
Sunrise at this time of year is around 7:50/8am and roads are pretty clear. We drove to Godafoss. Walk to the viewing point was no more than 15 minutes. We decided to go to the lower viewpoint as well (definitely worth it). This was another ~20 minutes & we moved the car closer.
Drive to Akureyi. Originally, the plan was to eat and stay here overnight, but we thought the town was pretty mid so we kept driving to Myvtan.
Explored Hverir Geothermal Vents. These were pretty cool. You’ll see a lot of different hot springs in Iceland, but these were definitely worth seeing if you're in the area.
Krafla Volcanic Caldera. The drive up was tough because of the snow. It was all covered and not that nice. Would not do if it's below freezing + snowy outside.
Eldá Guesthouse. We found this place to be extremely cozy and reasonably priced.
Day 3: Myvatn
We drove to Detifoss first thing on day 3. There are two parking lots - one is at the beginning of a 1.5-2 hour hike and one directly leads to a view point. Because of road closures, we ended up (unknowingly) doing the longer hike. I wou ld not recommend it if you are not comfortable hiking up steep areas and up/down rocks. The good thing is that the trail is marked with poles, so don't deter from them or else you'll likely never make it back.
On the way back, we stopped at Grjotagja cave (one of the GoT spots). The cave was really cool to look at, but even cooler to swim in. The signs say you can't swim, so I’d recommend going early in the day or late. The water supposedly can get too hot (I’m assuming in the summer) so be wary of that.
We ended our day pretty early back at Elda Guesthouse because it had been a long, tiring day.
Day 4: Doggos at Myvatn to Egilstadir
Mushing on Lake Másvatan/near Lake Myvatan. These people are incredible!!!! Book this WAY in advance— like almost as soon as you know when you're going because it fills up super fast. The sledding part was cool and all, but it was so cold (they provided a lot of gear) & windy that the better part was taking pictures and playing with the dogs before/after.
On our way to the east coast, there were some road closures and we (unknowingly) ended up taking an F-Road 936. There aren't a ton of F-roads outside of the highlands, so making a mental note of the existing F-roads is important & especially you want to avoid taking them at all costs because we ended up falling in and getting towed. 112 is the emergency line (we didn't have service so this was the only number we could call). They connected us with search and rescue who picked us up roughly 2 hours later. S/O to them— search and rescue is made up of volunteers throughout Iceland. S&R will NOT take your car, they won't even touch it. They will find you and take you to a safe location which we chose to be Lyngás Guesthouse. Definitely recommend this guesthouse- was pretty cheap and clean & quiet with plenty of individual bathrooms, showers, and common space.
Day 5: Egilstadir to Skaftafell
Because we had a rental car, most private towing companies refused to tow our car (liability issues). We had to call Sixt to ask them who they partner with in the area. We called around 6:30am and the tower picked us up to take us to the car. They WILL scam the shit out of you. He charged us 120ISK (~$850USD) for the job. Haggle if you are in this situation because it’s a small private company. It took us a little under 2 hours to get our car out.
After a short break, we drove to Jokularson for the Jokularson Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. If you're visiting around early March, there are no “diamonds” on the beach. No need to stop here because you’ll see plenty of black sand beaches. The Glacier Lagoon was definitely pretty, but supposedly even better in the summer because you can kayak in it. Don't taste the water, it tastes like shit.
On our way to Svartifoss, we stopped at Hofskirkja (grass church). It was kinda funny looking. We didn't try to go inside. We parked at the campsite and did the (quite steep) hike up to the falls. It took about 45 minutes. Views were definitely worth it.
We car-camped here at the Skaftafell campsite and did FREE laundry. Hot water was ample and the bathrooms were very clean and maintained.
Faint, but we saw northern lights on this day!
Day 6: Skaftafell to Vik
The last excursion we had booked was a Glacier Climb up the Vatnajökull Glacier. The package we got was into the Glacier & Glacier hike. It lasted 4 hours and was the more expensive package. However, around this time, the cave had started melting and didn't have a roof so it was extremely unimpressive. Earlier in the year, it might have been worth the extra cash.If I were to redo this experience, I’d get either the easier/shorter Glacier hike or the 5.5 hour hike that goes even further up the Glacier. Eat up because it's long and tiring. We broke a piece off the Glacier and ate it - it was very fresh!
We then drove to Fjaorargljufur canyon. This hike was roughly 30 minutes one way. Views were stunning.
The Gigjagja (yoda cave) wasn't originally on our itinerary, but our Glacier tour guide said it was her favorite place in the city. It was honestly worth stopping at, even if you're not a Star Wars fan.
Drive to Vik (fun fact- “Vik” means bay). Vik might be my favorite city in Iceland. The houses there are so nice + the coffee shop had really yummy coffee.
We checked in at The Barn, which is by far the nicest hostel I’ve seen. The kitchen was *chef’s kiss*. Literally so high tech.
Day 7: Vik to Laugarvatn
We started our day at Reynisfjara beach. There were a ton of photographers there early to see the sunrise, and I’d recommend going there around that time as well (if it isn’t too cold or windy). If you want to spend time taking a lot of pictures at the DC3 plane (and climbing the plane), go before 11am. The lighting of the pictures is impeccable and there is usually no one around either. After 10:30/11am, it gets pretty crowded and someone is bound to be in the back of your pictures.
Next, we went to see Skógafoss. The waterfall (like all of them) was very pretty. We didn’t do the hike to the top viewpoint because it’s definitely way cooler to see the falls from the bottom.
After, we went to see Seljalandfoss and Gljúfrabúi. Seljalandfoss is the more popular one because in the summer you can go behind it. I thought (because it was winter time so we couldn’t experience it) it was awfully mid. However, Gljúfrabúi was by far my favorite waterfall. You can’t see it right away, but after *very* carefully stepping on stones, you’ll see why it’s the best. Very important to have waterproof shoes for situations like this (mine were tied incorrectly and my socks got very, very wet).
Next, we went to Gullfoss. We parked at the lower lot and walked maybe 2 minutes. It was really pretty, but we didn’t stay long because of the weather.
Close by is Geysir / Strokkur. Strokkur erupts every 8-15 minutes, which is definitely worth seeing.
We slept at Héraðsskólinn Historic. Pool table, no kitchen. It did the job for the time being.
Day 8: Laugarvatn to Reykjavík
Early in the morning, we headed to Thingvellir National Park. There were quite a few things to see (and in the summer they offer swimming between the plates and it’s the clearest water on Earth - wish we could’ve done this). Full list of things in the national park here, but we chose to do the walk between tectonic plates, fissure, and waterfall.
If you’re going in the winter, you can definitely skip Kerid, It was frozen and looked so, so mid.
Next we decided to hike Hveragerdi hot springs. Hike probably took 4ish hours roundtrip (and was pretty steep). This was really fun - we bathed in the hot spring water. The park had a few (open) stalls to change. Bring a bag to put wet clothes in and wear a swimsuit under your hiking clothes.
We then drove to Reykjavik and stopped for food at Svarta Kaffio (soup in a bread bowl. Super cool concept of one vegetarian and one meat soup daily in a fresh bread bowl. It was $22ish, but well worth it. We then went to Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, which is the famous hot dog place. It was supposedly super mid and tasted like a normal hot dog.
Because it was a Saturday night, we decided to check out a bar. Iceland supposedly has some really great night life. We checked out Lebowski Bar, but it was still pretty early and because of the weather, it didn’t seem like many people were going out. We ended up going home for the night at Dalur Hi Hostel. (P.S. they have free laundry here).
Day 9: Reykjavík
The first thing we did was a FREE walking city tour. We learned so much about Iceland’s history from a local. It didn’t feel like it was catered toward tourists and cliche and it was genuinely really interesting and entertaining. 1000% would recommend this.
Then, we checked out the basic touristy things like Sun Voyager, Hallgrims, and the rainbow road. None were mind-blowingly impressive. Tip for Hallgrims, only go up the elevator (we didn’t do this) if the sky is clear and if you can make it before 4:30. It gives a pretty good view (supposedly) of the city.
We shopped at COS and H&M. Was cheaper than here (but I couldn't buy much because of space in luggage).
If you’re into thrifting, there’s a flea market on Saturdays and Sundays until 5pm.
Some food we tried on this day included the famous Braud & Co (go to the main location in the city center and get their cinnamon rolls). We tried Saegraifinn (the soup that they’re known for is mid). We heard 101 Reykjavík Street Food is good too, but we didn’t try it. I tried Mama Reykjavik. Would not go there again. They took too long and the food was below mid.
For dinner, we decided to splurge a little bit at The Fish Company. It didn’t seem full, but it’s one of the better and fancier restaurants in the city, so I would recommend making reservations (we got them day-of). Their bread + granola + brown whipped butter combo - I literally day dream about this everyday. Their food, wine, and presentation was definitely worth experiencing (and didn’t really break the bank)!
Day 10: Reykjavík to Fagradalsfjall and Back
We went to Fagradalsfjall to see the volcano. We did the shortest hike (1km) to reach the lava. It was pretty cool to be able to see the hardened lava and the hot steam coming out because some parts were still flowing despite the eruption happening over a year ago. We probably would’ve done the longer hike if the volcano had recently erupted and there was fresh lava on the ground.
We then explored the Reykjanes peninsula. Our favorite thing was Brimketill, a naturally carved pool. Other things weren’t necessarily worth exploring.
The rest of the day we did laundry at Dalur Hi Hostel, cleaned, reflected, and relaxed.
Day 11: Go Home
Not much here besides returning the car (arguing with Sixt for some stupid charges) and sitting at the airport for several hours before a quick flight back to NYC.
Misc. Hacks and information
Reykjavik has free parking on Sundays, so go early and try to do your city day on a Sunday.
Shop at Bonus or Kronan. Bonus has more variety + better protein shakes (24g) where Kronan has better fresh sandwiches.
With your rental car, you’ll likely get a tag that will give you discounts at certain gas stations AND stores.
Download the F-road maps and memorize which roads not to take.
Use Google maps instead of Apple maps. If you miss a turn, zoom out of the map and see if it’s eventually going to make you make a U-turn, because it can’t tell you to make an illegal U-turn, so it’ll just add a ridiculous amount of time to your total.
Bring a USB charger for the car (not USB-C).
Bring a mini speaker for long hikes.
For Northern lights, use this website or this one to see cloud coverage and likelihood of seeing the lights. You’ll be able to see them at a 3, but higher the better. Download “hello aurora” app for crowd-sourced information on them.
A lot of Iceland smells funky. Like black salt.
Look for open campsites to do free laundry. It helps with packing light and staying clean and they have free showers.
Non-negotiable packing items: gloves (waterproof layer if possible), snow pants, hiking/waterpoof boots, many pairs of socks, microfiber towel.
Food is expensive, bringing things like ramen or “just add water” meals is very helpful when you’re staying in the middle of nowhere.
The gas stations and stores have pretty unconventional hours (open/close late/early), so just double check that when making plans around them.
Do not rent with Sixt - they have notoriously bad reviews for a reason.
Don’t bring too much liquids/makeup/skincare because they do the 1L bag rule at the airport.
Bring at least 2 tupperware boxes to store food that you cook at hostels.
