The Ultimate Icelandic Road Trip
Where do I even start?! This Island was stunning beyond words, from waterfall after waterfall to hiking glaciers next to lagoons. Let me start from the beginning and don’t worry I’ll give you all the tips and tricks for the perfect road trip. First, renting an SUV is a must for the roads, some hikes you may have to go on pebble paths or through some big puddles, so I definitely recommend a bigger car if you plan on doing those types of activities.
Heading to the Blue Lagoon early in the morning is the way to go (7AM kind of early)! You miss the crowds and can have more space to yourself for a relaxing swim and facial. The Blue Lagoon has shown that the water prevents premature skin aging and improves the skin barrier.
Reykjavik, Iceland
The city has some great restaurants, shops and site seeing. Honestly any place you walk by will have great food and atmosphere on the main road or right by the marina. If you are looking for a good breakfast and bakery spot then go to Sandholt, as the food was amazing and the space was so cute. After some breakfast, I highly recommend some thrifting while you are there, as they have some great vintage shops. I found the coolest windbreaker at Spúútnik!
A great look out point was at Hallgrimskirkja, which is on top of the church and the tickets were very cheap!
Skaftafell, Iceland
The Svartifoss waterfall is surrounded by dark lava columns. This hike was an uphill walk of about 45 minutes one way. There are 3 waterfalls on the way so depending on all your stops, it may take longer. The FossHotel was also a great pit stop and had a sauna overlooking the view.
Reykjadalur Valley, Iceland
This valley trail leads to Hot Springs! If you decide on hiking this trail bring a bathing suit, hydropak and small towel!! If you go to the very end of the trail and then keep going past the boardwalk off the beaten path, the water is much hotter and there will be less of a crowd.
skogafoss
Westman Islands
Take the ferry over to Westman Islands if you can, specifically Vestmannaeyja! This island was absolutely stunning. The heimaklettur hike was definitely a crazy adventure. This hike was straight up a mountain, having to climb steep ladders, stairs and tiny winding paths all the way up. I only made it about 2/3’s of the way up before having a panic attack, but I heard the views above were magical. I was perfectly fine chilling with the mama sheep and her babies.
Places to eat around Town:
Dining spot for Brunch, lunch of dinner
(pictured below)
Fresh homemade pizza
local brewery and taproom owned by 4 brothers
Seljavallalaug
The famous yet very Hidden Pool. The pool is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland and was built in 1923. The airbnb was across the street which was ideal as you should head to the pool very early (sunrise) in the morning if you want to have the pool to yourselves. Circling back to the airbnb, the host was a horse breeder so their were dozens of horses on his property! He made breakfast and gave some amazing spots that I haven’t even heard of like the Gljufrabui hidden waterfall. It was right next to the seljalandsfoss waterfall, but I loved this one so much because it was empty of tourists and you can go inside of it!
Another great airbnb nearby was on a lot of land that also had some great breakfast and stories by the hosts!
Vik, Iceland
Halsanefshellir cave is a favorite for many site-seers as the Black Sand Beach that surrounds the cave is a breathtaking view. Take a walk past the cave and over the rocks for some mini caves and marine life in tidepools.
Get some food at the restaurant connected to the Skaftfellingur Museum. It will not disappoint, I think this was actually one of my favorite dishes I’ve had in Iceland. The creamy pasta was a dreaaaam.
Glacier Lagoon
Going on a boat ride in the lagoon is a great way to get close up to the glacier walls and sea life! It was absolutely gorgeous and the views were stunning. After a boat ride, be sure to hike the glacier, this was a very cool experience, to actually be on top of a massive ice glacier. If you do, Troll was a great tour guide. Across the causeway was a beautiful black sand beach (Black Diamond Beach) with hand sized chunks of the glacier. The Glacier Lagoon flows through a short waterway into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving chunks of ice on the black sand beach.
This trip took around two weeks and seven places to stay around the Southern rim of Iceland. I can’t wait to be able to visit again and go up North!
