September 17, 2018 / for photographers my life travel
Iceland Road Trip Itinerary & Travel Tips
In this post I would like to share with you my complete Iceland Road Trip Itinerary & Travel Tips. I hope you find it useful while planning your adventure in the Land of Ice and Fire. Enjoy your trip!
Day 1 – September 17, 2018 // Arrival in Reykjavik
Preferred accommodation: Reykjavík (Maria Helena’s Airbnb Downtown New Design Studio)
Main Attractions: Keflavik International Airport, Blue Lagoon, Reykjavík
Distance / Time: 73 kms – 1 hour 4 minutes
We picked up our car at the Keflavík Airport, Iceland’s only international airport and main port of arrival for almost all travelers to the country. The Blue Lagoon, the world-famous spa on the Reykjanes Peninsula, is located in the route between airport and Reykjavík, but we decided to leave it for our last day in the country and drive directly to Iceland’s vibrant capital city. After settling in at our Airbnb, we explored Reykjavík oldtown, grabbed a coffee at Reykjavík Roasters & visited Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík’s immense white-concrete church, from where you could have an unmissable view of the city.
We had some hotdogs for dinner, which seems to be the preferred food of the people or maybe it’s the cheapest food.
With the average lunch costing $2,000 isk (more than $20 usd), a $4 usd (420 isk) hot dog is a bargain. Believe me, I had never eaten so many hotdogs in a week. If you are looking for some cheap options to eat in Reykjavík, follow this >>> link <<<.
If you want to save some money, there are Bónus supermarket all around Iceland (32), so we made sure to grab some food supply whenever we are near one. Please don’t miss the opportunity to bring home the secret of Icelandic hot-dogs: pítusósa vegetable sauce, pilsusinnep sweet mustard, remulaði (a mayonnaise based condiment somewhat similar to tartar sauce), and fried crispy onion. Yeap! I felt in love with hotdogs!
Day 2 – September 18, 2018 // Golden Circle and South Coast
Preferred accommodation: Vík (Nicehostel Seljaland)
Main Attractions: Reykjavík, Þingvellir national park, Geysir, Gullfoss Falls, Kerið, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss
Distance / Time: 311 kms – 4 hours 28 minutes
In day 2 we visited some of the best-known natural phenomena in Iceland via the sightseeing route known as the Golden Circle, which should not be confused with the Ring Road, which wraps around the entire country and takes a week or more.
Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park, which is situated on a tectonic plate boundary between North America and Europe. This area plays a huge role in Iceland’s history; parliament was founded here in 930 AD, and it is also where Iceland declared its independence from Denmark and converted to Christianity.
We saw one of Iceland’s most famous tourist attractions, the geysers Strokkur and Geysir located in the Haukadalur Geothermal Region. Strokkur puts on an unforgettable display every 10 minutes or so, erupting to heights that exceed 20 m (66 ft). By this point we had already realized the large number of tourists visiting Iceland, and how difficult it would be to get those photos we see on Instagram and we all died to take.
Not so far from Geysir is located Iceland’s most iconic waterfall, Gullfoss. You can get a real sense of the incredible power of these spectacular double cascade.
Another very popular sight of the area is Kerið, a beautiful crater lake, which rocks are coloured rusty red and fiery orange, and the water that permanently sits within its basin is an incredible, vivid green-blue.
Unfortunately our day ended and we were couldn’t visit a couple of places that were on the way to our hostel, which we decided to visit the next day.
Day 3 – September 19 // Plane Wreck – Vík – Skaftafell Glaciers – Diamond Beach
Preferred accommodation: by Jökulsárlón and Höfn (Hrafnavellir Guest House)
Main Attractions: Plane Wreck , Dyrhólaey Arch, Vik, Skaftafell / Vatnajökull National Park, Svartifoss, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, Höfn
Distance / Time: 386 kms – 5 hours 21 minutes
DC-3 plane wreckage is one of the most impressive sights on Sólheimasandur, to reach it requires a 40 minutes walk across nothing but endless black sand. We decided to get there even before sunrise to avoid the crowds. Although we were the first to arrive, we didn’t have the plane skeleton for ourselves alone for more than 3 minutes. A photo and video production team arrived and it was so frustrating for us not being able to take our photos despite getting up so early.
We returned to get some breakfast at Nicehostel, grab our luggage, and head up to the next sights of the area: Seljalandsfoss & Skógafoss.
From the Ring Road we saw Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall on Iceland’s South Coast, which you can walk all the way around for some great photos behind its curtain of water. This place is amazing, and you will get wet for sure! So bring a good raincoat and protect your camera.
A little further down the road is the breathtaking and mightily powerful Skógafoss, a 62 m high waterfall with a width nearly half its height.
After lunch we were getting closer to our original plan and driving to the village Vík. But first, we took a slight detour to stop and admire the black volcanic beach Reynisfjara and Dyrhólaey rock arch. Be really careful with the ocean, you could see a lot of warning signs showing people swept away by unpredictable and dangerous waves.
This is super important >>> I would recommend to check Icelandic Meteorological Office and the Road and Coastal Authority websites daily (or even multiple times a day) to be sure that the area where you’re traveling doesn’t have any warnings or weather advisories. As first-time travelers to Iceland we were surprised by how windy it can be.
Although we had already decided to go to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach until the next day, it was not possible to get to our next accommodation and we had to return from Vík to the hostel.
A very heavy fourth day was waiting for us. We would have to drive the distance we had planned for a couple of days, which basically means we would have to travel half of the entire country from south to north in just one day.
Seljavallalaug swimming pool and Svartifoss were not longer in our plans. (Maybe next time)
Day 4 – September 20 // The Eastern Fjords
Preferred accommodation: by Egilsstaðir (Vogar Travel Service)
Main Attractions: Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Dettifoss
Distance / Time: 390 kms – 5 hours 41 minutes
This day would be really different from what we planned since the beginning. Now we should drive more than 700 kms and 10 hours and we decided to stop only at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and some other sight that would catch our attention from the road.
Without a doubt, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is one of the most incredible places in Iceland. We saw floating icebergs of all shapes and sizes sailing across its waters, some of them will leave the lagoon and end on the shore of the Diamond Beach.
On the road, we saw impressive lava fields covered with green moss and the greatVatnajökull glacier on the west as we were making our way north
We traveled under very bad weather across the East Fjords, and suddenly the temperature began to drop drastically, no other vehicles were seen on the road, and it began to snow. We were stuck in the first winter storm of the season. Stress seized us, being our first time driving under a snowfall, but finally after 12 hours we arrived to our destination at Lake Mývatn.
Day 5 – September 21 // A Day at Lake Myvatn
Preferred accommodation: by Akureyri (Brekkugata 33 Guesthouse)
Main Attractions: Lake Myvatn, Hverir, Grjótagjá Cave, Akureyri
Distance / Time: 137 kms – 2 hours 8 minutes
We tried to visit Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall, but unfortunately the roads to the waterfall were closed due to the severe snow storm.
The Lake Mývatn area is simply stunning. It is known for its another world landscapes of spluttering mud spots, steaming fumaroles and volcanic craters around a lake. You can read it like a cliché, but really, I would never have imagined this place.
We also visited Grjótagjá, a tiny lava cave best know as where Ygritte & Jon Snow make love right after one more “you know nothing, Jon Snow”. Do you remember that cave? The scene appeared in”Kissed by Fire” the fifth episode of the third season of Game of Thrones.
Later on, we headed to Akureyri, ‘the Capital of the North’, a beautiful town of around 18,000 people where you can see red traffic lights with a heart shape.
Day 6 – September 22 // Húsavík Whale Watching
Preferred accommodation: by Blönduós (Gladheimar Cottages)
Main Attractions: Húsavík, Siglufjörður, Hofsós, Blönduós
Distance / Time: 374 kms – 5 hours 4 minutes
For this day we had only planned a whale watching tour at the nearby village of Húsavik, a small town known as the whale-watching capital of Europe. The weather played against us (again), and the captain of the boat considered that there were no conditions to go out to sea in search of whales. Since the trip was planned in these dates considering that the climate will not be so extreme, and that there will be the possibility of seeing whales as well as northern lights, this was very disappointing.
Life would reward us a few minutes later when we found an amazing spa next to the Húsavík Lighthouse. We spent the next 2 hours at Geosea, drinking local beer, submerged in hot seawater at 38 – 39 c, while snow fell on our heads.
We arrived late night to our cabin at Blönduós, a small settlement in Iceland’s north-west, which serves as an excellent place to rest between Akureyri and Reykjavík for those traveling the ring-road. There was just one open gas station to buy something for dinner, when I noticed some clouds moving strangely above us. Those were not clouds, we were witnessing northern lights, but they were not clearly appreciated because of the city lights. We grabbed our cameras and went out to hunt aurora borealis outside the town. The trip had been worth it.
The Aurora Pro App will show you the best locations for northern lights sightseeing and upcoming days forecast.
Day 7 – September 23 // Snaefellsness Peninsula
Preferred accommodation: in Borganes (Hótel Hafnarfjall)
Main Attractions: Grundarfjördur, Kirkjufell, Stykkishólmur, Buðir
Distance / Time: 380 kms – 5 hours 18 minutes
We headed to Búðir’s, once a prosperous fishing village. All that remains of this former community is the black wooden church Búðakirkja.
Then we visited the little town of Grundarfjördur, which most iconic view is Kirkjufell, one of the most photographed spots in the country. Ironically, this was the only place in Iceland where I was alone and I had all the time in the world to take a picture.
Our trip was coming to an end.
Day 8 – September 24 // Landscapes of the Ring Road
Preferred accommodation: in Reykjavík (Sandgerdi Cottages)
Main Attractions: Borgarnes, Reykholt, Fossatún, Borgarfjarðarbraut, Reykjavík
Distance / Time: 199 kms – 2 hours 49 minutes
Before our way back to Reykjavík, we took a short break at Borgarnes and found some Icelandic turf houses.
We enjoyed the afternoon in Iceland’s capital walking and doing some last minute shopping.
Please visit Icelandic Street Food and try both the traditional lamb or shellfish soup served on a bread bowl. You wouldn’t regret it!
We would spend our last night in Iceland in a cottage located in the Reykjanes Peninsula, just 25 kms. away from Keflavík airport.
Day 9 – September 25 // Farewell to Iceland & Departure
Preferred accommodation: None
Main attractions: Reykjavík, Blue Lagoon, Keflavik International Airport
Distance / Time: 73 kms – 1 hour 4 minutes
We were lucky enough to be taking an afternoon flight, our plan was visiting the world-famous Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, which we didn’t and I’m not sure if it was because of we didn’t reserve, we were too tired or just to have the perfect excuse to return to Iceland.
Before dropping off our car, we explored the Reykjanes Peninsula, we found some lighthouses and fish drying racks.
Enjoy the Slideshow!
Additional Info
- Iceland is an almost cashless society. You could exchange some money to Icelandic Króna at the airport, I would recommend getting few cash and the rest in a precharged card. CONVERT ISK TO USD
- Purchase a local SIM card for your mobile if you’re staying a while. Roaming might be expensive. Add the wifi option to your car rental.
- A 2WD vehicle will get you almost everywhere in summer. Driving into the highlands and on F roads requires 4WDs. We rented a Dacia Buster 4×4 (extra driver, wifi, premium insurance package) at Go Iceland for 110,000 ISK (870 USD / 8 days)
- We spent an average of $7,600ISK (60 usd) per person per day on accommodation.
- According to the mileage of the vehicle, we traveled more than 4,100 kms, spending $54,500 ISK (430usd) in 240lt of diesel.
- Some food costs (ISK)… Appelsin Soda $315, Water $225, American Coffee $395, Espresso $325, Capuccino $445, Bottle Beer $900, Isey Skyr $269, Hotdog $420, Breakfast $1495, Lamb Soup $1750, Fish & Chips $1990, Burger $1990, Fries $695.
Resources
- Visit Iceland
- Guide to Iceland
- Lonely Planet
- Icelandic Meteorological Office
- Road and Coastal Authority
- My Route Map