Exploring Beautiful Iceland in Only 8 Days!

Iceland is a beautiful country full of hundreds of waterfalls, black beaches, geothermal hot springs, and glaciers.  You could easily spend a whole month exploring the entire island.  We only had one week!  And we wanted to see as much as we could.  This is where we stayed, what we ate, and the sites we visited in one breathtaking whirlwind of a week in Iceland!  We got a lot of our information from Rick Steve’s Iceland book.  You can find it on Amazon here. It was really helpful as we planned our adventure.  We also used the websites Nordic Visitor and Go Campers for additional information and itinerary planning. So enjoy how we did Iceland in 8 days!

Day 1

Arrived at Reykjavik airport.  The plane landed and parked just off the landing strip and we had to get on a shuttle to take us to the main part of the airport.  We got a rental car through Hertz and headed to our hotel in downtown Reykjavik, about an hour drive from the airport.  On the way, we made a stop at one of Iceland’s most famous geothermal hot springs.  The Blue Lagoon. 

What We Did

The Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik

I was surprised at the location of this famous hot spring.  It was in the middle of black rock fields that spread for miles in every direction.  I had expected to step off the plane and see lots of green and mountains, but instead it felt like I was on another planet.  We found the Blue Lagoon and were fortunate enough to be able to walk right in.  Our trip was in September, on the fringe of the tourist season.  From what I have read, getting reservations is highly recommended, but we got lucky.  This tourist attraction is very popular and expensive, about $100 per person.  But it is also one of the most recommended things to experience in Iceland and so we came prepared, knowing that we were going to spend the money to do it.  And it was so fun! 

The water was warm and a otherworldly milk blue color.  Included with the basic package is a mud mask (everyone does it, even the men) and a drink from the bar.  We got a green smoothie.  We ended up staying there for a couple of hours, walking around in the chest high water, relaxing in the various saunas, and breathing in the steamy air.  The steam is so thick around the pond, you can only see a little bit in front of you.  It makes the whole experience feel more private even though you are surrounded by a bunch of other people.  Despite the high cost, we would recommend this experience to anyone going to Iceland.

Where We Stayed

Foss Hotel was a nice hotel just outside of the main downtown hub, but within walking distance of everything we wanted to do.  We found free parking on the street, unloaded our bags and took a much needed nap after having flown over night and not slept very well on the plane.  Our room was a basic small room with a queen bed and small bathroom. 

One interesting fact we learned while there is that all of the hot water comes from the geothermal springs underground.  The lady at the front desk warned us that there might be a slight sulfur smell when we showered.  And the cold water from the tap was clean and safe to drink.  Icelandic water is one of the purest, cleanest waters there is!  Another great thing about this hotel was that breakfast was included.  This is not always the case when you are traveling abroad. 

What We Did and Ate

After getting settled we headed out to explore what we could on foot.  Some highlights were Laugavegur, the city’s main walking street full of dozens of tourist shops and restaurants, The Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church, and getting hot dogs from a street car called BBP.  Iceland is famous for their signature hotdogs.  We got them a couple of times because we liked them so much and even tried our own variation at home.  It’s a soft white bun and beef hot dog smothered with raw onions, French fried onions, a mustardy sauce and a mayo type sauce.  A little bit different flavor than a traditional American hotdog, but so yummy!

We got a small cup of gelato ice cream from a shop along Laugavegur and then later we got dinner from 2 Guys Burger.  Everything we ate this day was delicious, but be warned, it was also expensive.  We had read that food in Iceland was pricey, but I think we weren’t prepared for how much.  Everything was about double what you would pay in the US.  A burger meal was easily $50 for the two of us.  

We decided that we needed to find another way to do food and so thanks to Rick Steve’s suggestion, we went to a local grocery store and bought a few items for our lunch the next day.  We bought a baguette, some cheese, and a couple of bananas.  This became a common occurrence.  We ended up going into grocery stores in every town we stopped so that we could buy a picnic lunch for the day.  We saved hundreds of dollars by doing it this way.

Day 2

What We Did

The Golden Circle

After a nice breakfast in the hotel, we packed up and got going knowing that we had a full day ahead of us.  We were going to do one of the most famous drives in Iceland, the Golden Circle.  There are several famous sites along the way and this is also the most crowded area because of its popularity and proximity to Reykjavik.  

Pingvellier

Pingvellir was our first stop.  We parked at P2 (parking lot 2) which was close to a large waterfall and then a 1/2 mile walk to the gift shop.  The gorge here is especially dramatic because you can literally see the slow separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  Some people choose to snorkel in the crystal clear water of the nearby river.  We did not do this because of shortness of time (and it sounded absolutely freezing to me!).  

We bought ourselves a couple of Icelandic wool hats in the gift shop.  We could tell right away that we needed something a bit warmer.  Iceland was cold!  We came prepared as well as we could, but the beanies we bought were a step up and really helped take the bite out of the wind.

Geysir

The stop at Geysir was recommended in the guidebook, one of the touristy spots along the Golden Circle.  If you have ever been to Yellowstone, this site will feel very familiar.  It is basically a large geyser that erupts frequently.  It blasts a stream of water about 50 feet into the air.  Lots of people stand around the perimeter waiting with their cameras trained at the site.  It’s cool, but not that grand if you have seen Old Faithful. 

There are some nice walking trails around the site to some other hot pools of water and a nice overview if you want to hike up a steep hill to the top.  There is a hotel and gift shop across the street which also has free bathrooms (not all bathrooms are free in Iceland).  We ate our picnic lunch in the car (sandwiches, fruit, and chips from the grocery store) while we watched our church via zoom.  So nice we could tune into that from so far away!

Gullfoss Waterfall

The last major site along the Golden Circle, was a very impressive waterfall.  This was probably our favorite stop.  The name means “Golden Falls” and this is what give the Golden Circle its name.  It has two stages of falling water and two different viewing points.  Try to get to both if you can.  The upper part is a rocky, gradual fall and the lower is a large drop that fall sideways off the cliff.  It was windy and misty at several points along the slick walks to the viewpoints.  We were glad to be bundled in hiking shoes and water proof jackets.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

We then continued our drive, leaving the Golden Circle and heading toward the Southern Coast of Iceland.  The sun was beginning to drop in the sky and we knew we needed to hurry to see the last sights before it got too late.  We made a quick stop at this waterfall.  As we got out of the car, we noticed a lot of people getting in rain gear in the parking lot and had read that you could go behind this waterfall.  So we slipped into our rain paints and jacket and walked along the path leading to the falls.  The path was open and we were able to hike along the uneven and slippery terrain to a path that went underneath a large overhang, the waterfall pounding to the side of us.  The spray was steady and we were so glad we had brought waterproof clothing. 

After enjoying this waterfall, we continued the path that looped back toward the parking lot, but saw a side path indicating other falls.  We followed this path and discovered three other waterfalls, the hidden one at the end being the most impressive.  Gljufrabui is a smaller waterfall that drops into a hollow within the rock.  You can’t see it from the path.  You have to carefully make your way across rocks placed in the river to the opening of the hollow and the waterfall cascading down.  It was pretty spectacular.

Skogafoss Waterfall

Our last stop of the day was a final waterfall.  Skogafoss.  We only had time for the lower viewing area, as the sun was down and it was getting dark.  It was large, loud, and a beautiful end to  a day of amazing sights.

Where We Stayed

Volcano Hotel was a small hotel with only a few rooms.  It didn’t look very impressive from the outside, but our room was comfortable and quite nice.  We paid for a room with a private bathroom with a beautiful mountain view.  We ate a simple meal of a baguette and cheese that we had bought the previous day at the grocery store.  The hotel even had Netflix!  We were able to watch a little show together before getting some much needed sleep.

DAY 3

The Southern Coast

What We Did

The next morning, the Volcano Hotel had a nice breakfast.  It was small, but had a pleasant variety of sliced meat and cheese, scrambled eggs, fruit, bread, and juice.  We checked out and prepared for a cold, wet day.  The weather was terrible!  I felt very grateful that we had packed warm clothing, waterproof outerwear, and good hiking shoes.  And we were on a schedule, so we moved forward with our plans for the day despite the biting rain and howling wind.

Dyrholaey Promontory

After a winding drive up a large hill, we arrived at an upper parking lot with a short walk to a lighthouse overlooking the ocean with picturesque sea arches, rocks, and black sand.  The wind was blowing so strongly that our visit was quite short here.  We squinted and saw as best we could, but were glad to get back to the car.  We then drove down to the lower parking lot and walked along a couple of other short trails leading to beautiful views of the ocean and rocks.  It would have been a lovely place on a nice day!

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

We hadn’t initially planned on stopping here, but Rick Steve’s recommended it and it wasn’t too much of a detour from where we already were.  We drove up a side road to the far end of the bay, parked, and hiked down to the black sand beach. The “sand” was actually tiny black smooth pebbles of varying sizes.  Fortunately the rain had lessened and we were able to enjoy our explore along this fascinating beach.  Besides the black sand at our feet, the rocky ocean was on one side and large basalt formations were on the other.  They looked like broken, geometric columns all stacked together lining the cliff with occasional caves carved out. 

It was busier here, but we were able to escape most of the crowd by walking farther down the beach to the famous Reynisdrangar sea stacks, remnants of an ancient cliff that are now pinnacles in the middle of the ocean just off shore.  It felt other worldly.

Vik

After the beach, we drove for about ten minutes to the nearby town of Vik, Iceland’s southernmost village.  It was small, with a cute church on the hill, gas pumps, a grocery store, an eatery, and a large Icewear Outlet store.  Icewear is one of Iceland’s most popular clothing brands, using real Icelandic sheep’s wool for sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, etc.  The brand is everywhere, but we found this outlet store had the best selection we saw throughout the trip.  We chose to wait to make some purchases until later on, but wished we hadn’t.  The selection here was exceptional.  Here is the Icewear website!  We stopped at Kronan, the supermarket, and bought some chocolate covered licorice.  This yummy treat is one of Iceland’s most popular foods to try.  We ended up snacking on it the rest of the day.

Skaftafell National Park

This was the biggest disappointment of the day, possibly the trip!  We had decided to forgo lunch in Vik and press on to the Skaftafell, reading that there was a cafeteria with glacier views.  We arrived, parked, found the visitor’s center and adjacent cafeteria and were discouraged to see no appealing options and everything was very expensive.  Even more so than the typical high Icelandic prices.  We decided to skip lunch and just keep munching on our licorice and potato chips.  We weren’t planning on paying for a tour to get up close to the glacier and we didn’t want to go on any long hiking trails because weather was poor and we still had a bit of driving ahead of us.  So we left.  

Jokulsarlon and Diamond Beach

This glacier lagoon was something that we were most excited to see, having seen pictures beforehand.  The weather was still bad with lots of cold rain and wind, but we made the best of it and got out to see the view.  The lagoon was magical.  The dark sea water was speckled with varying sizes of sky blue glacier chunks.  Seals were swimming all around.  Brave people were out on the water amongst the glaciers in boats.  Unfortunately, we waited too long to get tickets for one of these boats, but we were still able to enjoy the majesty of the scene. 

Across the highway, farther down the beach away from the lagoon was Diamond Beach.  The open sea edged with soft sand and dozens of translucent ice chunks.  It was as cloudy day for us, but I can imagine that if the sun had been shining, the ice would have been glistening like diamonds.  Both the lagoon and the beach were breathtaking.

Where We Stayed and What We Ate

Hofn

We drove to a nearby town called Hofn for some much needed food and rest.  We found a quaint pizzeria called Ishusid near the harbor dock and enjoyed a delicious meal of thin crust pizza, breadsticks, and a Nutella calzone.  Our accommodations for the evening were about twenty minutes from Hofn, a private air bnb just off the main highway with beautiful countryside all around.  Towering mountains behind us, open meadows and the sea in front.  Each room was an individual cabin with a bedroom, sitting area, and bathroom.  They were all clean, beautiful, and cozy.  This was one of our favorite places to stay!

Day 4

The Ring Road

Breakfast was included with the air bnb price and it was lovely.  The owner was the hostess and she was a pleasant, friendly woman who enjoyed sharing her homemade jellies, tuna, and breads.  We checked out and continued on our journey up the east coast of Iceland on the famous Ring Road.  This road circles the entire island and passes many of the most famous sites and towns.  We knew it would be a long day of driving since our destination was much farther along at a hotel near Lake Myvatn in the northern/central area of the country. 

And we had a stop that we really wanted to make before that.  We took Rick Steve’s recommended route even though it added a bit of time.  Highway 1 hugs the coast and is a well maintained road with beautiful scenery the whole way.  We saw a rugged coastline, thousands of swans, crashing waves, ice covered peaks, and quaint towns.  After about a four hour drive, we detoured at a town called Egilsstadir and headed over a mountain pass and down into another fjord with the beautiful town at the base.

Seydisfjordur

If you have ever watched the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller, you may remember that he finds himself in Iceland, right before a volcano is about to erupt.  He needs to reach a small town quickly and ends up long boarding down a winding road with waterfalls in the background.  It is a classic part of the movie and we wanted to find that road!  We did some research beforehand and learned where it was filmed.  The road to Seydisfjordur is it! 

We had fun driving down the road and imagining the scene from the movie.  Because we knew we still had a long drive ahead of us, we only spent a short time in this town by eating lunch at El Grillo, a pub with yummy grill options, walking along a rainbow painted road and around a pond, and stocking up at the local grocery store.

Namafjall Geothermal Area

We were on our way to a huge lake called Myvatn in the north central part of Iceland.  There are a lot of sites, activities, and places to stay near the lake.  On our way to the hotel, we stopped  at an impressive and very accessible geothermal area full of mud pots, steaming rocks, and the eggy smell of sulfur.  It was a quick, but fun visit.  Parking was expensive and there were no bathrooms, but there were quite a few people wandering around the site.  We were starting to lose our light by this point and we were exhausted after a full day of driving.  

Where We Stayed and What We Ate

We headed to the hotel, Berjaya Myvatn, and checked in.  Our room felt very fancy and we were lucky enough to be in a corner with panoramic windows filling two walls giving us a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding fields.  We ate our previously purchased dinner of sandwiches and bananas in the room before getting some much needed rest.

Day 5

Myvatn

Our hotel did not have an included breakfast.  Instead of paying for the expensive hotel meal, we opted to eat the donuts and bananas we had purchased from the grocery store the day before.  We were surprised with how much we ended up going to small grocery stores and buying sandwiches, chips, and fruit.  It was much cheaper than eating out every meal and made the food portion of our trip much more economical. 

We stopped at a couple of sites around the lake as recommended from our research:

Dimmuborgir Lava Formations

This was an easy nature walk with mostly paved trails that wound through other worldly rock stacks, natural arches, and lots of vegetation.  If we had brought our kids, they would have loved it here!  We enjoyed exploring despite the light sprinkle of rain.  And parking was free!

Skutustadir Pseudocraters

This was another fun, easy walk.  Graveled pathways led around the crater like formations.  They were formed from giant molten lava bubbles, not actual volcanoes.  Metal steps lead up to the tops of several of the craters and a lovely looped trail walks around the base, along the coastline, and through grassy field dotted with sheep.  This was one of my favorite sites.  It felt like a strange combination of visiting another planet and walking through an English countryside.

Our next final destination was the town of Akureyri, but before we arrived there we had another waterfall to check out.  

Godafoss Waterfall

This was a beautiful waterfall!  It wasn’t tall, but it was wide and shaped like a horseshoe and had an easy paved trail to the upper viewpoint, or a rocky, but still accessible trail to the lower viewpoint.  In about thirty minutes, we were able to do both trails and cross a nearby steel bridge for another far off view.  After, we went into the nearby restaurant and gift shop for a free bathroom visit.  The guidebook then gave us two options of routes to get to our next destination. We chose the free scenic pass route instead of the paid toll tunnel.  We were able to enjoy the views of the coast, the climbing peaks, and the beautiful drop into the town of Akureyri.

Akureyri

I had read about a cute little place to eat lunch in the city botanical gardens, but when we arrived, it had very limited seating, was completely packed, and didn’t have a menu that looked very interesting to us.  I was disappointed because the ambience was appealing, but we just didn’t want to hang around waiting forever.  We were on a tight schedule!  So we drove back down into the central part of town, parked the car, and found another place to eat.  Kuda Kebob.  It was kind of dumpy to be honest, but the food was all right and they had a free bathroom.  We got wraps and fries. 

Afterward, we stopped in at the local grocery store and grabbed our traditional sandwiches and apples in preparation for dinner.  This was becoming the routine.  Out for one meal, picnic sandwiches for the next.  It had been raining lightly all day.  The town was famous for a hot bath called Forest Lagoon, but I was feeling anxious about going in the rain.  But I am so glad we decided to despite the poor weather.  It ended up being one of my favorite activities!  

Forest Lagoon

The Forest Lagoon is a gorgeous, small geothermal bath located on the hillside overlooking the town and surrounded by pine trees (hence, the name).  It was about half the price of Blue Lagoon and not nearly as crowded.  We ended up enjoying the warm water, swimming around, and talking for about two hours.  It was wonderful and I highly recommend it! Here is the website. I keep thinking about this place and wondering how I can go back or somehow duplicate it in my own backyard. I wish!

Where We Stayed

I didn’t want to go, but it was starting to get dark and we still had a bit of a drive to get to our next hotel stop, outside of a town called Blonduos.  We arrived late in the evening at a small country farmhouse situated in a beautiful picturesque valley all by itself.  What would it be like to live somewhere like that?  We checked in with the owners, got settled in the newly remodeled upper room, and enjoyed our sandwiches at the small kitchen table.  It was lovely.  It had been a busy day with lots of sites and driving.  We were tired. Bólstaðarhlíð Guesthouse can be found on major hotel booking sites.

Day 6

The next morning we got up and ready and enjoyed a cinnamon pastry that we had purchased the day before at the grocery store.  Ha ha!

Grabrok Crater

We then drove for about two hours down the west side of Iceland to the Grabrok Crater.  There was free parking and it wasn’t too crowded.  It was a fun, but steep hike up to the rim along a mostly boardwalk and graveled trail.  The rim was easy to get around and had amazing views of the surrounding area. 

Deildartunguhver Hot Springs

This was a really quick stop to see a whole bunch of steam coming out of some colorful rocks.  It was fun and had a lot of people there, but there wasn’t much else to do.  It was just a quick side stop for us along the way to the bigger waterfalls.

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls

These waterfalls were free and easy to walk to from the parking lots.  The first falls were lovely, dozens of trickling falls along the river’s edge, looking like bridal veils.  If you walk a hundred yards upstream, you’ll find the faster moving, more powerful part of the falls gushing through narrow openings and a bridge to cross the river.  It was fun to see two very different falls within close distance to each other.  We ate our lunch of muffins, apples and chips in the car looking at the falls.

Where We Stayed and What We Ate

We then drove to our hotel in Borgarnes hotel.  It seemed kind of junky at first, but it turned out all right and had amazing views!  Before doing any exploring, we took a much needed nap after checking in, and then headed out in the later afternoon.  We went on a fun walk along the coast and through a nearby city park.  Afterward, we had dinner at Grillhusid.  Charlie got a burger of and I got the most delicious Philly cheesesteak sandwich I have ever had.  Of course it was all expensive, but we had been being conservative with our eating out.  This was delicious and the restaurant wasn’t crowded at all.  I think we were seeing some of the benefits of visiting during the fringe season.  Most of the crowds were already gone. 

Day 7

The next morning, we bought breakfast at a local bakery that we had seen the day before.  It was fun to see all of the breads, muffins, and pastries on display.

Coming full circle with our Ring Road adventure, we then drove back to Reykjavik.  We had done it quickly!  We had seen the highlights, but could definitely have spent much more time exploring more places.  But we were grateful to be back in the city safely as we approached the end of our trip.

We did some souvenir shopping and got hot dogs from a food truck for lunch.  Yeah, we just had to do Icelandic hot dogs again!  They were yummy and unique and we knew that we wanted to try and replicate them at home for our kids.

We then did something completely unexpected: We went horseback riding on Icelandic horses with a tour group!  When we booked our trip, we hadn’t planned on doing anything like this (mostly because the tours were pretty expensive and we didn’t know how much time we would have), but after seeing so many horses during our country drives, we decided to try and make it work.  Fortunately, there was an opening (we did book this excursion a few days earlier).  It was so much fun!  Icelandic horses are shorter and stalkier than American breeds.  We went on a fun ride in the lava fields outside of the city and it was a definite highlight of the trip.  

After our excursion, we went back downtown and got dinner at a local bar that served fish and chips.  Yummy!

Sky Lagoon

And finally, we did something else unexpected.  We went to another hot springs.  Sky Lagoon.  It’s a newer facility in Reykjavik, right on the edge of the coast with an infinity pool that seems to disappear right into the ocean.  It is kind of a strange sensation to be in about forty degree weather in your swimsuit, but be completely warm because you are up to your neck in the hot spring. 

Sky Lagoon was different in that they had a whole ritual that you go through: A cold plunge, a super hot sauna, exfoliating scrub, a mister, another sauna, a shower, and finally back to the main pool.  It felt great!  I would do it all again if I could!  We arrived there in the evening, were there for a couple of hours and left when the stars were out and the air was brisk.  We drove to our final hotel near the airport, a Marriott Courtyard, and enjoyed a more traditional style hotel room.

Day 8

And we have finally arrived at our final day.  We ate breakfast in the hotel.  It was great with the traditional foods that we had come to enjoy.  Cold meats and cheese, yummy fresh bread, fruits, and pastries.

We drove to the airport and turned in the car. 

And now this is the worst part of the trip.  It turns out, my door was dented.  I think I know when it happened.  There was a moment of some pretty high wind when we were getting out to see some sites and the door kind of whipped open.  I didn’t notice that anything at happened, but when it was getting checked out, the worker noticed it.  He did give us some advice though.  He said whenever you get a car rental, you should always take pictures or a video of the car before you start driving.  That way, if there happens to be a dent or something already, you won’t get charged for it.  Unfortunately, we had not thought to do this.  And really, I think the dent was my fault.  I just didn’t know. 

The damage was $1,150.  Yikes!  For one little dent.  I felt terrible.  What a horrible way to end the trip.  Charlie said to not worry about it.  That we had insurance with our credit card to cover things like this.  And it all got worked out fine when we got home, but I still felt so bad.  It was just a bummer. 

Fortunately, despite the delay with the car incident, we did not miss our flight.  We took the shuttle bus back out to the runway, got on the airplane and waved goodbye to Iceland.  We got into Chicago about six hours later, had a crazy long wait to get through customs.  My feet were killing me. And then, our flight was delayed back to Kansas City. But we eventually got on, enjoyed a quick flight, and made it home safe and sound.

Final Thoughts about Iceland

What an adventure!  Iceland was a beautiful country.  And it was so different than what I had been expecting.  I don’t know why.  I had done a lot of research beforehand, but for some reason, seeing it all in person was just different.  The land was so much more volcanic than I realized.  Lots of black rock.  Hundreds of waterfalls.  Beautiful coasts.  Thousands of adorable sheep and horses.  It felt like a giant national park. 

Going in September worked well for us.  The crowds were not too bad, restaurants were easy to get into, driving was just fine, and most of the places we visited were free.  I don’t know if it will always be that way. I’ve read that Iceland is considering how to better take care of their natural wonders.  With so many people visiting Iceland each year, there are increased expenses for maintenance, etc.  I’m just grateful that we finally made it.  Iceland has been on our bucket list for a long time.  It was an amazing experience to travel around and enjoy the beauty of such a rugged place. Iceland in 8 days was a success! Let me know if you want any more tips or advice from our travels! Until the next adventure!

~Rachel