Iceland itinerary, day by day

The southern loop: waterfalls, geysers, black sand and a lagoon full of icebergs. A road trip day by day, with the map, the stops that cost nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 4, 7 or 10 days📍 4 stops☀️ Best time: June to September (northern lights: September to April)

Islande · Photo Hugo Guillemard / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Iceland in 4 days

3 stops · 13 things to do · ≈ 450 km

1Reykjavik

Days 1-2

The northernmost capital in the world. Painted houses, the Hallgrímskirkja church standing over all of them, and geothermal baths a short drive out.

🎟️ Worth booking

Whale watching3h · from €85
Out of the old harbour into Faxaflói bay, where minke and humpback whales feed through the summer.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Sky Lagoon2h · from €60
A geothermal pool with an infinity edge facing the Atlantic, and a seven-step ritual if you want it.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Hallgrímskirkja church · The Sun Voyager sculpture · The old harbour and its street art

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Bus Hostel Reykjavik (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Borg (€190 a night) · Luxury: The Reykjavik EDITION (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Old Iceland ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2885 reviews · €€€
Reykjavík Kitchen ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2234 reviews · €€€
Matarkjallarinn ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1220 reviews · €€€
Mama Reykjavik ↗ ★ 4.8 · 852 reviews · €€
Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar ↗ ★ 4.7 · 4909 reviews · €€

Photo Jón T Jónsson / Pexels

🚗 Car · 1h · 60 km

2The Golden Circle

Day 3

Three sights in one loop: the rift at Þingvellir where the first parliament met in 930, the geysers at Geysir, and the Gullfoss falls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Snorkelling the Silfra fissure2h · from €120
Floating between the North American and Eurasian plates, in glacial meltwater you can see a hundred metres through.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Gullfoss waterfall · The Strokkur geyser · Þingvellir national park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Geysir Hestar (€100 a night) · Mid-range: Hótel Geysir (€170 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Geysir (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Mia's Country Van - Local Fish & Chips ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1792 reviews · €€
Krousty Factory Boulogne-sur-Mer ↗ ★ 4.8 · 703 reviews
Vinastræti Veitingahús ↗ ★ 4.8 · 326 reviews
Friðheimar ↗ ★ 4.7 · 5338 reviews · €€
Efsti-Dalur II ↗ ★ 4.7 · 2441 reviews · €€

Photo Lukas Lussi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 150 km

3The South Coast (Vík)

Day 4

Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, the black sand of Reynisfjara, and the village of Vík sitting under the glaciers.

🎟️ Worth booking

Glacier hike on Sólheimajökull3h · from €95
Crampons on, roped up, out onto the ice with a guide. The crevasses are the reason you do not go alone.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Seljalandsfoss, the one you walk behind · Skógafoss waterfall · Reynisfjara black sand beach

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Guesthouse Carina (€85 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Kría (€200 a night) · Luxury: Hótel Vík í Mýrdal (€200 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Mia's Country Van - Local Fish & Chips ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1792 reviews · €€
SKOOL BEANS. The original Skool bus cafe & micro roaster… & sometimes a cat! LOCATED IN VIK! ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1741 reviews · €
Crepes.is ↗ ★ 4.9 · 709 reviews
Black Crust Pizzeria ↗ ★ 4.7 · 3681 reviews · €€
The Soup Company ↗ ★ 4.7 · 3123 reviews · €€

Photo Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

Iceland in 7 days

4 stops · 18 things to do · ≈ 1 000 km

1Reykjavik

Days 1-2

The northernmost capital in the world. Painted houses, the Hallgrímskirkja church standing over all of them, and geothermal baths a short drive out.

🎟️ Worth booking

Whale watching3h · from €85
Out of the old harbour into Faxaflói bay, where minke and humpback whales feed through the summer.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Sky Lagoon2h · from €60
A geothermal pool with an infinity edge facing the Atlantic, and a seven-step ritual if you want it.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Hallgrímskirkja church · The Sun Voyager sculpture · The old harbour and its street art

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Bus Hostel Reykjavik (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Borg (€190 a night) · Luxury: The Reykjavik EDITION (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Jón T Jónsson / Pexels

🚗 Car · 1h · 60 km

2The Golden Circle

Day 3

Three sights in one loop: the rift at Þingvellir where the first parliament met in 930, the geysers at Geysir, and the Gullfoss falls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Snorkelling the Silfra fissure2h · from €120
Floating between the North American and Eurasian plates, in glacial meltwater you can see a hundred metres through.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Gullfoss waterfall · The Strokkur geyser · Þingvellir national park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Geysir Hestar (€100 a night) · Mid-range: Hótel Geysir (€170 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Geysir (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Lukas Lussi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 150 km

3The South Coast (Vík)

Days 4-5

Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, the black sand of Reynisfjara, and the village of Vík sitting under the glaciers.

🎟️ Worth booking

Glacier hike on Sólheimajökull3h · from €95
Crampons on, roped up, out onto the ice with a guide. The crevasses are the reason you do not go alone.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Seljalandsfoss, the one you walk behind · Skógafoss waterfall · Reynisfjara black sand beach

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Guesthouse Carina (€85 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Kría (€200 a night) · Luxury: Hótel Vík í Mýrdal (€200 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 190 km (back to Reykjavik on day 7)

4Jökulsárlón

Days 6-7

A glacial lagoon where icebergs drift, left behind as the Vatnajökull retreats. Next door, Diamond Beach catches the ice on black sand.

🎟️ Worth booking

Cruise among the icebergs1h · from €55
An hour on the lagoon, weaving between blocks of ice that broke off the glacier this season.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Ice cave (in season)2h30 · from €140
Inside the glacier itself, in a chamber that only exists in winter and is re-surveyed every year.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The glacial lagoon · Diamond Beach · The Vatnajökull glacier

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Skálafell Guesthouse (€60 a night) · Mid-range: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon (€210 a night) · Luxury: Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel (€220 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Hótel Jökulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon Hotel ↗ ★ 4.8 · 484 reviews
Fancy Sheep ↗ ★ 4.8 · 330 reviews
Friðheimar ↗ ★ 4.7 · 5338 reviews · €€
Hafnarbuðin ↗ ★ 4.7 · 2234 reviews · €€
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon ↗ ★ 4.5 · 2541 reviews

Photo Thibaut Tattevin / Pexels

Iceland in 10 days

5 stops · 22 things to do · ≈ 1 600 km

1Reykjavik

Days 1-2

The northernmost capital in the world. Painted houses, the Hallgrímskirkja church standing over all of them, and geothermal baths a short drive out.

🎟️ Worth booking

Whale watching3h · from €85
Out of the old harbour into Faxaflói bay, where minke and humpback whales feed through the summer.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Sky Lagoon2h · from €60
A geothermal pool with an infinity edge facing the Atlantic, and a seven-step ritual if you want it.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Hallgrímskirkja church · The Sun Voyager sculpture · The old harbour and its street art

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Bus Hostel Reykjavik (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Borg (€190 a night) · Luxury: The Reykjavik EDITION (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Jón T Jónsson / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 180 km

2Snæfellsnes

Days 3-4

The peninsula they call Iceland in miniature: Jules Verne's volcano, puffin cliffs, and Mount Kirkjufell.

🎟️ Worth booking

Puffin watching (in season)2h · from €45
By boat to the cliffs where puffins nest, from May until they leave in August.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Mount Kirkjufell · Djúpalónssandur beach · The Snæfellsjökull glacier

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Kirkjufell Guesthouse (€95 a night) · Mid-range: Kirkjufell Hotel (€150 a night) · Luxury: Hótel Búðir · Suite (€340 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Matarlist ↗ ★ 4.9 · 995 reviews
Hjá Góðu Fólki ↗ ★ 4.9 · 246 reviews
Sjávarpakkhúsið ↗ ★ 4.8 · 926 reviews
Samkomuhúsið Arnarstapa ↗ ★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
Friðheimar ↗ ★ 4.7 · 5338 reviews · €€

Photo Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 200 km

3The Golden Circle

Day 5

Three sights in one loop: the rift at Þingvellir where the first parliament met in 930, the geysers at Geysir, and the Gullfoss falls.

🎟️ Worth booking

Snorkelling the Silfra fissure2h · from €120
Floating between the North American and Eurasian plates, in glacial meltwater you can see a hundred metres through.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Gullfoss waterfall · The Strokkur geyser · Þingvellir national park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Geysir Hestar (€100 a night) · Mid-range: Hótel Geysir (€170 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Geysir (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Lukas Lussi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 150 km

4The South Coast (Vík)

Days 6-7

Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, the black sand of Reynisfjara, and the village of Vík sitting under the glaciers.

🎟️ Worth booking

Glacier hike on Sólheimajökull3h · from €95
Crampons on, roped up, out onto the ice with a guide. The crevasses are the reason you do not go alone.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Seljalandsfoss, the one you walk behind · Skógafoss waterfall · Reynisfjara black sand beach

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Guesthouse Carina (€85 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Kría (€200 a night) · Luxury: Hótel Vík í Mýrdal (€200 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h30 · 190 km

5Jökulsárlón

Days 8-10

A glacial lagoon where icebergs drift, left behind as the Vatnajökull retreats. Next door, Diamond Beach catches the ice on black sand.

🎟️ Worth booking

Cruise among the icebergs1h · from €55
An hour on the lagoon, weaving between blocks of ice that broke off the glacier this season.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Ice cave (in season)2h30 · from €140
Inside the glacier itself, in a chamber that only exists in winter and is re-surveyed every year.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The glacial lagoon · Diamond Beach · The Vatnajökull glacier

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Thibaut Tattevin / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Skyr: thick fresh dairy, somewhere between yoghurt and soft cheese, and full of protein.
Lamb soup (kjötsúpa): what you want after a day outside.
Hot dogs (pylsur): the local street food. Bæjarins Beztu in Reykjavik is the one with the queue.
Fish straight off the boat: cod, halibut, langoustine.
Rye bread baked in the ground, by geothermal heat.

⚠️ What to avoid

Never take the weather lightly. It turns in minutes, and the forecast is not decoration.
Everything is expensive. Shop at Bónus or Krónan rather than eating out twice a day.
Do not drive off-road and do not walk on the moss. It takes decades to grow back, and the fines are real.
Book accommodation and the car far ahead in summer. Late means nothing left.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Iceland guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Iceland, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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