Holirays

Southern Iceland Itinerary

Iceland is such an amazing country with so much natural beauty to explore. It’s a year round destination, depending on what you’re looking for. The South is best explored by hiring a car. You could base yourself in Reykjavik and take escorted tours, however for those harder to reach destinations and for more time to explore without the crowds I’d highly suggest doing your own driving route.

WHEN TO GO:

This itinerary was from a trip in late October/early November which was a great time to go as it’s not too cold (around 2 degrees celsius) but you can see the Northern Lights (Sep – Mar) and there’s around 8 hours of daylight (9am to 5pm). There’s no snow at this time but you’re also too late for wildlife such as puffins and whales. 

In summer – temp is high teens and daylight hours are very long – this is a great time for longer walks and wildlife – puffins and whale watching. Also good for camping and more activities such as plane tours, snowmobiling and boat tours. 

In winter – it’s very cold but there’s snow and frozen waterfalls so it’s a completely different landscape.

HOW LONG TO GO FOR:

This itinerary is pretty packed, if you want more of a relaxing stay opt for longer. 

DAY 1 BLUE LAGOON & REYKJAVIK

Car hire: we used MyCar.is – shuttle pick-up at the Airport information desk

Stops:

• Blue Lagoon – go straight from the airport to here, book this in advance. 
• Reykjavik for the afternoon/eve:
  • Hallgrimskirkja Church – go up the tower for the views on a clear day
  • Reykjavík’s city pond (Reykjavíkurtjörn, or for short Tjörnin)
  • Old Harbor & Harpa Concert hall

Optional tours (season dependent):

• whale watching
• Sky Lagoon (another hot spring close to Reykjavik)

Total drive time 1 hr

DAY 2 GOLDEN CIRCLE

Drive to the Golden Circle, Iceland’s most popular sightseeing route – the most famous sights – the Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir geothermal area and the Thingvellir National Park.

Stops:

• Thingvellir National Park (45 mins) – take some time to walk through the fissures to the waterfalls
• Laugarvatn hot springs (30 mins) 
• Gullfoss falls (10 mins)
• Geysir (10 mins) – visit the spectacular geysirs at sunset when all the crowds have gone for the day

Total drive time 2 hrs

DAY 3 SOUTH COAST TO VIK

Today is all about the waterfalls:

Seljalandsfoss – a unique waterfall you can walk behind 

Skogafoss – picture perfect waterfall often accompanied by rainbows.

Kvernufoss Waterfall – it’s only a couple of minutes from Skogafoss, but not as many tourists visit it. The walk to the waterfall from the parking lot is about 10 to fifteen minutes and you’ll probably have it all to yourself.

Option to stop off at Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool – a scenic pool is tucked into the mountains. Though it is man-made, it is fed by a natural hot spring. To reach the pool, hike for about twenty minutes from the parking lot. 

For sunset, head to the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara which offer fantastic views of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks and the Dyrholaey cliff. 

Stops:

• Fludir secret lagoon (30 mins) – more authentic than the blue lagoon
• Seljalandsfoss waterfall (1 hr)
• option – hike to Seljavallalaug swimming pool 
• Skogafoss (30 mins)
• Kvernufoss waterfall (5 mins)
• option – path to DC plane (20 mins)
• Reynisfjara and Reynisdrangar (20 mins)
• Vik (10 mins)

Total driving time 3hrs 

In the small town of Vik there’s a good supermarket – recommend you stock up here as there’s not much available on route to Skaftafell. 

DAY 4 SKAFTAFELL & GLACIERS

The landscape of Southeast Iceland is dominated by Vatnajokull, Europe’s largest glacier. Nestled between its glacier tongues is the beautiful Skaftafell nature reserve which offers a variety of hiking options, including the easy walk to the Skaftafellsjokull glacier tongue and a short hike to the picturesque Svartifoss waterfall.Jokulsarlon is the most famous glacier lagoon in Iceland, dotted with icebergs which flow down to the sea and are then washed up on the popular “diamond” beach.

Stops

• Kirkjubajarklaustur (village and picnic spot by waterfall) (1hr) 
• Skaftafell national park (1hr)  – Walk to glacier/Svartifoss waterfall
• Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon (smaller lagoon boat tours in summer) (40 mins)
• Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon (15 mins)
• Diamond beach (5 mins) – recommend visiting in the morning if temp is over freezing as more icebergs are washed up overnight.
• Optional – ice cave tour, boat tour on the glacier lagoon or snowmobiling if you have time

Total drive time 3hr 15 mins

DAY 5 via VÍK to REYKJAVIK

Drive back towards Reykjavik stopping at the lesser visited gems along the South Coast including the Fjadrargljufur canyon, Thakgil and Solheimasandur black sand beach. You can optionally enjoy a hike, choose an activity or visit some of the museums along the route.

• Urrioafoss
• Hveragerdi hot springs (5 mins)
• Kerid crater (20 mins)

– driving time 3 hr 48 mins

DAY 6 KEFLAVÍK

If your flight time allows – Scenic drive through Reykjanesfolkvangar to the Airport (1 hr 20min)

REYKJAVIK RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Café Loki for traditional Icelandic food (if you’re brave)
• Café Rosenberg for a cozy atmosphere 
• Kaffibrennslan for people watching
• Babalú for a drink on the balcony.
• Svarta Kaffið for the tasty soup served in a bowl of bread
• Peterson Suite or Loft Hostel for the views
• Reykjavík Roasters for some of the best coffee in town.
• cinnamon buns from the bakery Braud&Co (including vegan options)
• Grillmarkadurinn (The Grillmarket)
• Kol Restaurant
• Food cellar 
• Fish company 
• Fish market
• Kópar

REYKJAVIK BAR RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Bókabúð Máls og menningar (bookstore with live music)
• Jungle coctail bar 
• Le Kock 
• Islensk barinn 

Check out here for where the happy hours are:

List of Happy Hours

TIPS:

Book blue lagoon in advance & pack a waterproof cover for your phone (expensive if you buy there)

Pack a water bottle/flask as tap water is good to drink anywhere and free

Car hire recommended: www.mycar.is – would recommend a 4×4 if possible, although the roads are very good, if you want to reach some accommodations and smaller sights there are some roads that are only accessible by 4×4.

NORTHERN LIGHTS:

Check out the forecast for activity and cloud cover: https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/ you can also download the app (add notifications) or some hotels will give you a wake up call (Foss glacier does this)

Do some reading on what to look for and go to an area with low light pollution (we saw from Geysir, Black beach suites and Frost & Fire hotel) 

Take a camera and a tripod: https://guidetoiceland.is/the-northern-lights/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights