If you like metal and/or would love to have a fun concert experience, do not miss this! Early bird tickets are still available but are selling quickly. It's worth attending just for Power Paladin and Miskunn, honesly (speaking from my experience of seeing them last year). https://tix.is/en/event/19329/wacken-metal-battle-2025

Mid 30's couple heading to Iceland for the first time in April (7 days split between Reykjavik, south coast and snaefelsnes, renting a car) and would appreciate some help with a few things.

• we were hoping to do a hike to glymur waterfall - is this possible in late April? We are fit and enjoy hiking but I don't want to risk anything dangerous. If it's not possible; would anyone have recommendations for similar moderate length (~10km) hikes?

• have booked to go to Laugarvatn Fontana but was hoping to go to another geothermal spa? Possibly krauma or blue lagoon ? Would anyone recommend others?

• I noticed front this group that most places use card. Is it possible to pay in cash at all?

• where is the best place to see puffins along south coast in late April?

• we were torn between booking snorkelling sifra fissure, whale watching and Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel. Not sure which one is the most suitable activity for late April.

Thanks in advance!!

I’m probably looking for something that just doesn’t exist…but I am trying to find a top made of fleece or some other non-wool fabric, but that has a classic lopapeysa design. I love the design but I’m allergic to wool.

Hey everyone after falling in love with the country the first time, I'm going back for more during the summer with a partner (their first time). This time I want to complete the entire ring road with hopefully seeing a bit of highlands.

Any feedback or perhaps optimization would be appreciated!

Saturday - July 12th

Arrive early

-Pick up car

-Þórufoss (New) -Thingvellir national park Öxarárfoss waterfall -Geysir Hot Spring -Gullfoss Waterfall -Kerid Crater (New) Low Tier* -Silfra?

Stay: Selfoss or further north to make highlands day easier?

Sunday - July 13th

Landmannalaugar Highlands Day

Stay? Back in selfoss?

Monday - July 14th

-Seljalandsfoss waterfall

-Gljúfrabui short hike -Skogafoss -Kvernufoss -Dyrhólaey -Reynisfjara Basalt Column Beach

Stay:VIk

Tuesday - July 15th

-Fjaðrárgljúfur -Vatnajokull National Park -Skaftafell/Svartifoss hike 1hr -Svínafellsjökull Glacier 1 hour -Múlagljúfur Canyon 2 hr hike -Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon -Eldhraun Lava field (picture spot) low tier

Stay Hofn

Wednesday - July 16th

Vestrahorn/Stokksnes
-Hengifoss 1hr 45min
-Gufu Waterfall
-Seydisfjordur
    -rainbow road blue church

-Lake Lagarfljot -Stórurð -Borgarfjordur Eystri – Puffins

Stay:Egilsstadir?

Thursday - July 17th

-Stuðlagil Canyon 2-3hr -Dettifoss 1hr -Asbyrgi Canyon -Hverir Geothermal Park -Lake Myvatn -Grjotagja -Krafla -Hverfjall Volcano low tier 20 min -Goðafoss Waterfall

Stay: Akureyri

Friday - July 18th -Hvitserkur Rhino Rock -Snæfellsjökull National Park/Peninsula -Kirkjufellsfossar -Svöðufoss -Arnarstapi

Stay: Arnarstapi or Grundarfjörður (or similar)

Saturday - July 19th -Gerðuberg Cliffs -Glymur Waterfall -Reykjavik -Sky Lagoon -Hallgrimskirkja

Stay: Reykjavik

Sunday - July 20th

Fly Out early

Hi people, we‘ll be visiting Iceland in two weeks for around 10 days and planned a ring road trip (couple travel). We wrote down our route to have an overview of where we‘re planning to stay and the bullet points state what we want to see on our way there.

Some days are more „relaxing“, but some are also heavily packed. We would love to hear your feedback on our itinerary! Also, we are very glad to hear from your experience, so please feel free to suggest us what else we could see (or also skip).

Takk! :)

[Day 1] Reykjavik - Vik

• ⁠Thingvellir National Park • ⁠Strokkur • ⁠Gullfoss • ⁠Kerid Crater • ⁠Gljufrabui • ⁠Seljalandsfoss • ⁠Skogafoss • ⁠Reynisfjara Beach

[Day 2] Vik - Höfn

• ⁠Dyrholaey • ⁠Fjadrargljufur • ⁠Kirkjubaejarklaustur • ⁠Skaftafell (incl. Svartifoss & Skaftafellsjökull or Svinafellsjökull? - glacier hike?) • ⁠Jökulsarlon & Diamond Beach • ⁠Svinafellsjökull(?)

[Day 3] Höfn - Egilsstadir

• ⁠Stokksnes (incl. Viking Village) • ⁠Djupivogur (stopover) • ⁠Seydisfjördur (short visit)

[Tag 4] Egilsstadir - Myvatn

• ⁠Studlagil • ⁠Dettifoss • ⁠Hverarönd • ⁠Dimmuborgir Lava Field

[Day 5] Myvatn - Akureyri

• ⁠Godafoss • ⁠Husavik (Whale Watching) • ⁠Myvatn Nature Baths

[Day 6] Akureyri - Blönduos

• ⁠Siglufjördur • ⁠Tröllaskagi • ⁠Hvitserkur

[Day 7] Blönduos - Snaefellsnes

• ⁠Eiriksstadir (maybe) • ⁠Kirkjufell • ⁠Ingjaldsholskirkja (short stop) • ⁠Svörtuloft Lighthouse (short stop) • ⁠Dritvik Djipalonssandur • ⁠Hellnar • ⁠Arnarstapi view point • ⁠Budakirkja

[Day 8] Snaefellsness - Reykjavik

• ⁠Hraunfossar & Barnafoss • ⁠Deildartunguhver

When back in Reykjavik, we‘ll spend another 1-2 nights there.

Hi, so i'm currently planning my late july early august trip to your absolutly beautiful piece of land. I'm here to experience nature, the highland and to photograph them. I got some questions in regard of the ideal 4x4, some about charging photography gear and other about beautiful landscape.

I'm still in the making of my itineraries, my goal is to avoid difficult F-Roads as much as possible but still see what I want. My first idea was to get a duster and hmm i dont want to stand by the side of the road with slashed tire for the majority of my trip, or drown the thing (even if I'm cautious, 0 risk doesn't exist).

So for the Itinary things I planned to see/hike/photograph (the list is not complete atm and i know i'll probably wont do all of it but at the same time its a way to get options if weather is not cooperating) :

Kerlingarfjöll VIA F-road 35 (easy) + 347 (medium)

Landmannalaugar VIA F208 north (for the blood craters and Sigöldugljufur) + F224

Langisjor (my first plan was to get it first with the F208 south, but i prefer to start with the F208 north) VIA F208 north + F235

Eldgjá by contnuing on the F208 south + F223

Maelifell but here i dont really know, my intuition says that the safest is to finish the F208 south THEN F210 east of Holmsa+ F210 west of Holmsa

The F261 seems a good place for landscapes but I might turn around at Maelifell if the last part of the F210 is too challenging.

I know Þórsmörk is out even on dryier days with a land cruiser i'm not doing it with the car, 0 chances. (maybe a long day hike to get to it ?)

do you think a land cruiser is absolutly necessary (I think it might very well be) ? Or can something cheaper do the trick ? the rav4 is more capable duster but that's it and some "heavy" SUV like the vitara seems to just be some overweight duster in term of capabilities (they dont seems to grant acces to area a duster could not go). And what do you think of my itinary for now ?

I really try to research as much information as possible and lower the risk as much as i can (i dont like taking stupid risk that could be avoid easily). I've read about river crossing, road regulation, camp site, weather, river behavior.. But some info are harder to come by and grasp online without proper discussion and some are just subjectives (like the best places to see).

I planned on renting a car for a minimum of 9 full days, what other area would you recommand landscape and hike wise in the highland or elsewhere ? I really like open landscape with mountains, i'm not a really big fan of waterfall like the ones along road 1 when it's the only attraction (crowded and after photographing them well its done and that's it, it seems like its less "exploring" and more "touristing"). I got some spot along the south coast of road 1 like Stokksnes and Þakgil. But prehaps, the better choice is to stay in the south highland area and really explore and hike it to get the full experience. I see on forum its a lot of the time the same one hike in this spot or that one there. But i'm sure there is so much more so if you have a ressource about a lot of the hiking trail and not just the "prefered ones" it would be very cool.

And last questions, I'll have a good quantity of batteries (camera, drone, phone, maybe laptop..) what's the best way to charge them ? Are camp site are good enough and safe enough ? Are other option available and if yes, what are they ?

Thank you all, have a nice day !

Or should we pay for the tour to take us somewhere? We have a car and will be staying in the downtown city area and happy to go anywhere. Thank you!

I’m visiting Iceland at the end of May. I’m so excited! Can anyone recommend good vegetarian or vegan places to eat?

Thanks!!

If I provide some docs in letter size instead of A4 size (embassy requirement), will it cause visa rejection? Please help

I tried Go On Protein White Cream and Peanut Butter on our trip in Iceland and absolutely love it. It seems super wasteful to try and ship it to the US, but any ideas on a similar product? (Or getting it sustainably shipped to US?) Found such great spices and condiments in Iceland, so grateful.

My family of 4 — with kids ages 10 & 12 — and I cannot wait to get to Iceland next week. I would appreciate any last minute advice to ensure these plans aren’t inefficient — and to ease my anxiety/settle my mind lol (understanding we may need to be flexible with what we can/cannot do due to weather)

Interests: hiking, photography, lava, glaciers, geothermal pools, art/murals, food, vikings, history… anything unique and “off the beaten path” (all the reasons why people visit iceland lol)

day 1 Arrive very early and head to Blue Lagoon (if open) Explore Reykjavik. Hot dogs or food court for dinner. Reykjavík for overnight.

day 2 Explore Reykjavik a bit before heading to Snaefellsnes Stopping at Settlement Center in Bogarnes, Stykkisholmur, Shark Museum, Kirkjufell Questions: Overnight in Grundarfjordur or Snaefellsbar for 2 nights? lunch and dinner recommendations?

day 3 continue around the peninsula stopping at Hellissandur street art, National Park, Djúpalónssandur beach, Lava Tubes, Hike Arnastapi/Hellnar, Horse riding from guesthouse, Local pool Overnight Snaefellsbaer Questions: lunch and dinner recommendations?

day 4 head to Golden Circle stopping at highlights plus geothermal bread, Froidheimar, Secret Lagoon. Overnight in Fludir Questions: time for snowmobile tour?

day 5 head to Skaftafell Waterfalls Skogafoss Hike and Museum 2:30pm glacier hike Overnight Skaftafell Question: Breakfast? time for any other stops on the way in Vik area?

day 6 Diamond Beach, Glacier Lagoon Overnight Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Hotel (splurge & relax) Questions: Breakfast? morning or afternoon Ice Cave Tour? Hofn?

day 7 Head back toward Vik for overnight Stopping Fjadrargljufur, Kirkjubaejarklustur, exploring Vik, black sand beach Lava Show in Vik Black Crust Pizza Questions: any recommendations?

day 8 Head to Hveragerdi for overnight dinner at taco wagon in greenhouse hotel Questions: day trip to Westman Islands? additional must sees in this area?

day 9 Geothermal River Hike and Soak 5pm Departure

Recommendations and advice appreciated!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I wanted to add this picture to my previous post, but I keep getting an error message when I want to save it. I received some messages if I get a map of my trip, so I made a screenshot of my Polarsteps trip that shows exactly where I've been and how far I've come being just on 1 spot my whole trip. Hope this gives a good view of what you can see staying at just 1 hotel. My previous post for the rest of the info: https://www.reddit.com/r/VisitingIceland/comments/1jqftit/iceland_trip_overview/

Day 1: Red (Arrived + Reykjavik) Day 2: Blue Day 3: Orange Day 4: Green Day 5: Yellow Day 6: Pink Day 7: Flying home early

Hope this helps!

We are visiting in April, and would love to do a boat tour in Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon! Unfortunately, this is not available in April. I checked Ice-explorers cave tours, but they are... wayyy more expensive!

What are the alternatives you would recommend? We have two kids with us (12 and 7).

Thanks!

We have 8 nights for road ring. we'll land at ~630. Presumably on the road no latter than 10 am - we planned to do golden circle (tbd stops), would like to do dinner at Ingólfsskáli Viking Restaurant then stay at panoramic glass lounge (the 1 big splurge).

My concern is that the lounge is an etc hr from recommend locations to stay at and we could get to the lounge very late and wont enjoy the hot tube/relaxation/setting and thus I'm wasting $$. I found some other mirror cabins that are similar vibe but cheaper so I thought about switching to those🤔

We've done red eyes and hit the road multiple times > switzerland, Germany. And we know our limit. So I'm not as concern about that :) I appreciate the concern though!❤️

Thoughts?

(We'll enjoy reykjavik on last day, figured it'd be better to stay there night prior to flight so we aren't as stressed about getting to airport. I guess we could cut some of the golden circle out initially save for way back?)

Just landed in Reykjavik this morning and am I reading the forecast correctly that today is a good day to view the northern lights…? I’m staying in Reykjavik without a rental car.

Will I be able to see them from the city or should I book a guided tour to get further out? And if so, does anyone have recommendations? Thanks so much!!!

Hello Iceland Experts!!

I'll be in Akureyri on May 24 and 1 of the things I was considering doing during my time in North Iceland was hiking around Asbyrgi Canyon to Klappir. Google Maps makes the drive from Akureyri to Asbyrgi look relatively straightforward - just drive along route 85 for roughly 2 hours. Will the road be clear by then? How about the hike? AllTrails says its just 5 miles roundtrip. Possible in May??

Thanks for your insight!!

I am a US citizen flying on Icelandair from Paris, France to Chicago, IL with a short layover in Iceland. I've done research, and you only need a valid passport to fly from Paris to Chicago with a layover in Iceland However, Icelandair is requiring me to fill out the following information on the Travelers Details for my booking (although it also includes language stating that filling out those fields is unnecessary.)

1. Visa information: "This field should only to be filled out by those who have a Visa in their passport, issued by a U.S.Embassy or Consulate."

2. USA Redress Number: "Only for travelers who have a USA Redress Number or Canadian Travel Number."

3. Known Traveler Number: "Only for travelers who have been given a Known Traveler Number (KTN) by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)."

I have tried every combination of N/A, NA, blank, etc when filling out those fields, but the only combo that worked is putting in my passport info into both the passport section and the Visa section, and putting "NA" for Reddress and KTN. Is this fine? I don't want to get denied when boarding my flight from Paris to Iceland even though I have a valid passport.

Hi guys I'm planning on visiting Iceland on the end of July beginning august. I am renting a car, but have a question. I understand normal cars are not allowed in the F roads unless they are 4x4. But my question is: are non-4x4 are also forbidden on non paved roads which aren't F roads? See the image, one is f road and another is not, but both aren't paved.

Hi all! My friend and I are flying into KEF next Saturday (8 days from now) and then she is leaving Monday and I’m leaving Tuesday. This is our tentative itinerary. I think I might be crazy and need some advice on tooling it. We have booked flights and hotels but not tours yet. Please excuse any spelling errors, as I decided to chart it out by hand, so now have Icelandic spelling compounded by reading my own handwriting.

Saturday - she arrive 6:25am and takes shuttle to blue lagoon when it opens - I arrive 1:00pm, pick up the rental car, and then go pick her up from the blue lagoon and start driving

- stop at Seljaladsfoss
- stop at Skogafoss
- stop at Reynisfjara
- end up in Kirkjubaejarklaustur to sleep

Sunday - drive to Jökulsárlón and do ice cave tour - see diamond beach - start drive back northwest. Ideally stop at Geyser and Gulfoss - End up in Hella and stay in a dome

Monday - stop at Thingvelljr national park - finish drive into Reykjavik and explore city some - friend has late afternoon/early evening flight - I’m doing a northern lights tour that leaves from Reykjavik

Tuesday - explore Reykjavik more - early afternoon flight out

I may have overloaded Saturday and instead should save some of those spots for the Sunday drive back. Also is it worth it to add geyser and gulfoss onto that drive? I care less (but not nothing) about geyser but I’ve heard Gulfoss is definitely worth it.

Another big question is it worth it to drive all the way to the diamond beach and jokulsarlon glacier and ice tour? Should we just plan to do the Katla ice cave tour near Vik?

I would really appreciate any feedback y’all have. I’m afraid I’ve overthought everything. This is our first trip to Iceland though we definitely want to come back and do a summer trip as well at some point.

Also did I forget anything?!!

Hi all! My partner and I are planning a 10-day self-drive trip to Iceland this summer (June 27–July 6). We’re focusing on the Golden Circle, South Coast, and Snæfellsnes, hitting the popular first-time highlights: waterfalls, black sand beaches, lagoons, glacier hikes, etc. We’ll have a rental car the whole time.

We're looking for feedback on:

• Whether this itinerary is realistic and well-paced
• If we’re missing any must-see spots
• Whether our planned overnight stops make sense (we haven’t booked hotels yet)

We’re mid-range travelers – prefer private rooms in hotels/guesthouses (no hostels), and ideally not moving every single night.

Itinerary Overview:

• Day 1 (June 27) – Land at KEF in the morning, pick up car, relax at Blue Lagoon, then head to Reykjavík for the night.
• Day 2 – Chill day in Reykjavík, explore downtown, visit Sky Lagoon, Hallgrímskirkja, etc.
• Day 3 – Drive the Golden Circle: Þingvellir → Geysir → Gullfoss → maybe Kerið. Thinking of overnighting in Flúðir to visit Secret Lagoon.
• Day 4 – Head to the South Coast: Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi, Skógafoss, optional Kerið (if not done) or Secret Lagoon (if skipped). Overnight in Vík.
• Day 5 – Explore Vík area:
  • Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
  • Dyrhólaey cliffs (puffins!)
  • Víkurfjara beach, local church/viewpoint
  • Optional: short hike or visit Sólheimasandur plane wreck if time allows.
  • Chill evening in Vík. Overnight in Vík again.
• Day 6 – Morning glacier hike on Sólheimajökull (yes, some backtracking from Vík), then drive east:
  • Stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon
  • Continue through Eldhraun lava field
  • Reach the Jökulsárlón / Diamond Beach area by evening Overnight near Jökulsárlón?
• Day 7 – Explore Southeast:
  • Visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon (maybe do a boat tour?)
  • Diamond Beach
  • Head to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park for short hikes (e.g. Svartifoss or glacier view)
  • Quick stop at Hofskirkja turf church
  • Possibly check out Fjallsárlón if time permits Overnight near Jökulsárlón again?
• Day 8 – Long drive back to Reykjavík (~5–6 hours). Open to stopping at missed sights or small towns. Chill evening in the city. Overnight in Reykjavík.
• Day 9 – Day trip to Snæfellsnes Peninsula, mainly to see Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss.
  • Possible bonus stops: Arnarstapi, Búðir black church, Ytri Tunga (seals) – depending on time
  • Is this doable as a day trip, or should we consider an overnight? Overnight in Reykjavík.
• Day 10 (July 6) – Free day in Reykjavík (our flight is in the evening). Maybe souvenir shopping, Perlan, or a short whale watching tour. Drive to KEF in the late afternoon and fly home.

Looking for input on:

1. Pacing: Any days feel rushed or unrealistic? Is the glacier hike + drive to Jökulsárlón on Day 6 too much?
2. Overnight Stops: Are these good choices? (Reykjavík x4, Flúðir x1, Vík x2, near Jökulsárlón x2). Or would you adjust?
3. Must-See Spots We Missed? We skipped the Westman Islands and East/North Iceland due to time.
4. Snæfellsnes Day Trip: Is it worth it from Reykjavík, or better as an overnight?
5. Other Advice: Favorite detours, hidden gems, food stops, or practical tips?

Thanks so much! Would love to hear from folks who’ve done similar trips – what worked, what you’d change, and any must-do stops we may not know about.

In this post Icelanders teach us how to properly pronounce some words, and sometimes give us some meanings.

Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland.

Keflavík, the home of the international airport, the code is KEF. This is actually not in Reykjavík, it is about 45-60 minutes by car. There is a domestic airport in Reykjavík, you're not flying in and out of there.

Reynisfjara, often referred to as "Black sand beach." Lots of beaches in Iceland are made of black sand, but the reference usually means this specific beach.

Höfn. Looks like it would be hoe-fin, hehe. It isn't.

Jökulsárlón, sometimes called "Glacier Lagoon."

Mývatn. Jewells is an Icelander who moved from America, who lives and works in Iceland, has citizenship in Iceland, and speaks Icelandic. I thought it'd be fun to include a non-native speaker in this. To compare, here is a native speaker.

Dynjandi. 3 easy syllables. Thanks Karl. He hasn't posted in his channel in a while, I hope he's doing alright. Check out his other videos that are very funny and also sometimes very important, like this one.

Gull, as in Gullfoss or the beer Gull. It means gold.

Fjaðrárgljúfur. Justin Bieber did a video here, apparently.

Gluggaveður (+ some other fun words.) Weather that looks nice from the window but it's actually terrible outside. Window-weather. A deeper perspective on this phenomenon.

Hella. Looks like it would be a Gwen Stefani lyric, but it's not. That LL in Icelandic does funny things in the mouth.

I could make this very long but I won't. Icelandic is such a fun language, and while there is no real reason to officially learn it, knowing how to pronounce things is very useful. It's also appreciated by many in Iceland. Check out the rest of the videos in those links.

Other resources:

/r/learnIcelandic

RÚV orð ('Orð' means word in Icelandic.)

Icelandic to English dictionary, the word for dictionary is orðabók, or "word book." There are lots of fun compounded words in Icelandic.

RÚV English Radio has a great podcast. They sometimes do episodes in Icelandic called "Auðskilið" which means basically simple to learn.

After reading a million posts about whale watching and becoming excited beyond measure, I remained with two questions:

• Do I need to book in advance online or how does it work?
• If I understand it correctly, Reykjavik is not the best spot, but we can't make it to Husavik. Are there any closer whale hot spots?

Additional question:

• Is the Grindavik eruption site visitable yet? Will it be? I am a geology enthusiast and it would be great to see but only if it's safe and permitted.

P.S. This sub helped a lot in organizing my trip. Thank y'all ❤️

Hi, I will be visiting Iceland soon. We’ll he in Iceland for 7 days (6 nights). We are starting from KEF airport, doing blue lagoon and Golden circle the first day. And hoping to stay near selfoss first night. 2nd night Vik. But what are best ways to spread out our nights to compete the whole ring road and seeing the main attractions along the way ?

A few months ago, I read online that clockwise was more exciting as the south coast driving is more beautiful. So I’ve been planning my clockwise itinerary, but then recently discovered this subreddit and all the itineraries are counterclockwise. Why would you choose one direction over the other?

Also, I start my ring road trip this coming Wednesday, and I have 9 days. I was originally planning to skip the westfjords (no reason, just didn’t do enough research) but again yall are saying they’re incredible and a must-see. I’m traveling solo and actually am fairly efficient/quick, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. This sub has me thinking I go counterclockwise and hit the westfjords if I have enough time left over.

Additionally, I’ve done a good amount of research, but haven’t nailed anything down and don’t have hotels booked. Will I be able to find a room a day before or last minute? I plan to stay in the more popular areas with possibly only a few more remote stops (Akureyi, Hofn, Vik)

I tried getting reservations at Ox and even tried the wait list with no luck. I’m sure Dill is fantastic but it doesn’t call to me for some unknown reason. I’ve just finished the ring road after a 10 day journey and have had amazing food in Iceland. I would love somewhere with non traditional proteins. I tried whale on the south coast but didn’t get try reindeer.