Start your trip through Iceland in Reykjavik

A city is probably not the first thing you think about when visiting Iceland, but Reykjavik is a perfect way to start your trip. It is not the most thrilling capital in the world, but there are some good sights to see and do:

• The eye-catching Hallgrimskirkja, the biggest church of the island
• Sun Voyager, a great piece of art at the see
• Höfði house, the place where the Cold War (see picture above)

• Harpa, the shining concert hall (see picture above)
• Whale watching, however there are better locations to do so

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: Flying to Iceland is easy from Europe and North America.

How much time needed: 1-2 days is enough in the capital.

See the original Geysir

Iceland is the country of geysers, and it has the geyser named Geysir, which gave the name to the geysers in the world. The original Geysir is almost totally inactive, but there are some other active ones. It is very cool as the water goes very high. Take care that you don't get wet. The water rises about every five minutes, so be ready as the moment does not take long. Stay in the marked areas for your own safety. The Geysir is part of the Golden Circle.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The drive is around 2 hours from Reykjavik

How much time needed: 1 hour

Enjoy the view of the Gulfoss

Besides the Geysir, Gulfoss is also part of the Golden Circle. There is a great view of these impressive waterfalls. There are two layers of waterfalls, which makes this a fantastic sight. It is the most famous waterfall in the country and an absolute must-do when in Iceland. You can get very close to the waterfall, and you can have a great sight up hill. Do it both to have the best time here. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The drive is around 2 hours from Reykjavik, and Geysir is 10-15 minutes away. 

How much time needed: 1 hour

Walk to the great Thingvellir national park

Thingvellir National Park is a fantastic national park, one of the three of Iceland. It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2004. The most special thing is the fault line between the European and American continents. You can go snorkelling or diving, and this is truly special. You also have the biggest lake in Iceland and a nice waterfall in Thingvellir, often at the end of a day driving the Golden Circle.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The drive is around 1.5 hours from Reykjavik, and Geysir is 30 minutes away minutes away. 

How much time needed: 3 hours, but it is best to stay the night. 

Enjoy some time at Goðafoss (Godafoss)

Godafoss is another waterfall in Iceland. This is not the best waterfall you will encounter in this country, but it is a nice stop. The waterfall is very wide, but not very high, and located in the north of Iceland. The fun part is that there are some small jumps to do around the waterfall, but take care; I slipped in the mud. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: The drive is around 45 minutes from Akureyri, and Reykjavik is far, around 5 hours. 

How much time needed: 3 hours, but it is best to stay the night. 

Experience whale watching in Husavik

Seeing whales is a unique experience you have to do during your lifetime. Husavik is the best place in Iceland to find them, and we saw a beautiful humpback whale! You can also do this in Reykjavik, which is also great, but in Husavik there are better chances, and it is a way more authentic experience. Whales are mostly present between May and September. This is my highlight of Iceland.

Price: Depending on tour operator

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: Husavik is one hour from Akureyri. 

How much time needed: 3-4 hours

Relax in one of the geothermal baths

Throughout Iceland there are many geothermal baths, where you can enjoy a warm bath in the cold Iceland. This is a fantastic experience in the cold Iceland. You will smell sulphur, which is a bit of a shame. The most famous one is the Blue Lagoon, which is close to Reykjavik Airport, but I did not go there as it was very touristic. I went to the second biggest, which is Myvatn Nature Baths (see picture above), which is in the North. I also went to the very small Secret Lagoon, which was a more authentic experience and is located in the South. Booking tickets in advance can be advisable.

Price: Depending on location, but mostly around kr 5000-10,000

Tourist occurrence: This varies from very low to very high

How to get here: There are geothermal baths throughout the country

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Enjoy some hikes around lake Myvatn

Myvatn is a perfect place to do some good hiking. There are many different hikes with different durations. We did three hikes of around 1-1.5 hours, and they were different. We walked next to the lake (see picture above), in a forest and a rocky area. The lake is the main area to hike, but there are more good ones. In the area are a kind of mosquito, but they were not annoying.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: It is 1 hour and 15 minutes from Akureyri (capital of the North)

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Be amazed by the Dettifoss

South America has the Iguazu Falls, North America has the Niagara Falls, and Africa has the Victoria Falls, but Europe has the Dettifoss waterfalls. This waterfall is the biggest in Europe. It is not the same as the other waterfalls, but you can get very close, which is unique. This is a must-do in Iceland.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: It is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Akureyri (capital of the North) and 30 minutes from Myvatn.

How much time needed: 1 hour

Don't skip Selfoss

Very close to the Dettifoss waterfalls are the Selfoss Waterfalls. You have to stop at the parking lot of Dettifoss and walk 1 kilometre to this waterfall. I would recommend visiting this one first, as Dettifoss is more impressive. The Selfoss feels like a small canyon with waterfalls on both sides. This is not a must-do, but when at Dettifoss, it is weird skipping this sight. The walkway is a bit rough, but everyone can do this. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: It is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Akureyri (capital of the North) and 30 minutes from Myvatn.

How much time needed: 30 minutes

Be surprised in Seyðisfjörður (Seydisfjordur)

Seydisfjordur was our biggest surprise in Iceland. We randomly came here, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The village is located in a fjord, and that makes the surroundings incredible. You can do some kayaking, hiking, and enjoying the scenery. There is a hotel in Aldan with a restaurant, which is the heart of the village. Do not come here on a Wednesday as the ferry arrives here.

Tourist occurrence: Low (except on Wednesdays)

How to get here: It is an 8-9 hours drive to Reykjavik. It is the furthers place from the capital.

How much time needed: 1-2 days, we had a relaxing moment here, so we were here for 2 days.

Enjoy some Icelandic food

People will not associate Iceland with great food, but the seafood is probably the best I have tasted. The best food we had was at Humarhöfnin with its fantastic langoustine fresh from the sea. We even shared an extra plate because it was so good. The second-best food was in Fjöruborðið in Stokkseyri, where we had a great lobster soup (see picture above). Also, do not skip Skyr, a local kind of yoghurt, which is a great taste. It is also made as pies, and that is very tasty. 

Admire ice in a lake in at Jökulsárlón

Although touristy, Jökulsárlón is one of the best sights of Iceland. This is a lake close to the sea with a lot of ice in it. The water is salt, so the ice does not melt. If you are lucky, you can find some of the seals living in the area. We saw around 15 of them and were very happy. You can take a boat cruise or a zodiac, which go around the ice on the lake, and this is absolutely a great thing to do. After the boat ride on Jökulsárlón (wherefore you may have to wait a bit, as it can be crowded), walk a couple of hundred meters towards the beach, where there are also big ice cubes (see picture below).

Price: Boat ride (kr 6,700), Zodiac tour (kr 14,900), and the rest is free, so without a boat, it is free.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: 5 hour drive from Reykjavik

How much time needed: 2-3 hours (including a 1 hour boat/zodiac ride)

Experience being on a glacier

In Iceland, you can have a nice hike on a glacier. There are several locations in Iceland, but I did it at the Vatnajökull, the second largest glacier in Europe. You will go on a tour from Skaftafell. You will get equipment, and you will go with a guide. This was absolutely fantastic to experience, even though the colour was not as white or blue as you would expect. We did some hiking, drinking of glacial water, and climbing in small areas. This was very easy, though, and I felt safe the whole time. 

Price: Depending on organization, duration, and location. Think around €80 - €100 per person.

Tourist occurrence: Low, but you probably will go in a small group, consisting of 10 - 12 people.

How to get here: Vatnajökull/Skaftafell is around 4-5 hours from Reykjavik, while Jökulsárlón is around 50 minutes.

How much time needed: 2-4 hours

Feel weird at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Unfortunately, it was very rainy when we were here, but the black beach of Reynisfara is stunning. There are some great rock formations in the ocean and some other cool rock formations on the beach (see picture above). The fact that the sand is black is also an impressive sight. It is because of volcanic ashes, which colour the sand. There is also a small cave, which is a nice place to hide from the rain.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: 2.5 hours from Reykjavik

How much time needed: 1 hour, but if it is great weather, you can have a more relaxed experience and enjoy a bit longer.

Spot puffins in Dyrhólaey

Spotting puffins was a big reason to visit Iceland, and at some places we saw them far away, but the best place was Dyrhólaey. We went to the parking, and from there you could see many puffins. They are very close, but you should always respect wildlife, so do not disturb them. The season of puffins here is from late May to early September, and entrance in May and June is limited, so you cannot disturb the birds too much. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: 2.5 hours from Reykjavik and 15 minutes from Reynisfjara black Sand Beach.

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Have a classic waterfall experience at the Skogafoss

Skogafoss is a classic waterfall without too many artefacts, but it is a nice stop. For me, it is not the favourite waterfall of Iceland, but worth a stop. The fun part is that there are stairs next to the water so you can see it from above and below. It is very close to Route 1 (as are many sights), so always make a stop here. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: A bit over 2 hours from Reykjavik 

How much time needed: 45 minutes

Get behind a waterfall at Seljalandsfoss

The Seljalandsfoss waterfall is one of my favourite waterfalls I have seen in Iceland because you can literally walk behind the waterfall, which is a unique experience. You can get wet, but that makes it more authentic. Also from the front, it is a nice waterfall as well. It is close to Route 1 as many other sights, so it is a short stop.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: Less than 2 hours from Reykjavik

How much time needed: 30 minutes

Drive around in a motorhome

Driving in a motorhome in Iceland is just fantastic and the most convenient way to experience this country. Often you are totally by yourself, driving on long roads with beautiful sights. In 2015, we could park everywhere without booking in advance, although I do not know if it is still that way. The sights almost every time had a parking lot as well. This way was convenient and fantastic.

Things I did not do, but could be cool

• Landmannalaugar colourful mountains
• Akureyri - capital of the north
• Vestmannaeyjabær - island in the south
• Westfjords - the northwestern area of Iceland

Final thoughts

Iceland is the perfect country to experience by yourself, especially with a motorhome. The country has great nature with unique features like an ice lake, gorgeous mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, and geysers. It has a great route 1, going through the whole country, where you can find the most important sights close by. The sights are different in winter and summer, so check which suits you better. My site was focused on summer. This is a country with unique nature and some nice villages. Nature-lovers, what are you waiting for?

If you want to know a two-week itinerary in Iceland, check out: