The Ultimate Iceland Itinerary

It’s been 3 years since I’ve been to Iceland and it’s still one of my favorite countries! You can start your day by exploring the country and end it by going to a natural hot spring or relaxing in the hot tub at your hotel or Airbnb. There’s just something about it that is so magical. When I planned this vacation, the end of the year was approaching and I was short on vacation days but had just enough left for one more trip. There is so much to see in Iceland but the best part is that it is doable in only 5-7 days. If you’re looking to make a quick trip to Iceland check out this ultimate Iceland itinerary!

You can also book through direct links for the whole trip HERE!

P.S. Iceland is now open to tourists that are fully vaccinated or who have a certificate of previous COVID infection.

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Itinerary Overview

Day 1 – Arrive in the morning then Blue Lagoon.

Day 2 – Horseback Riding. Explore Reykjavik.

Day 3 – Snowmobiling. Secret Lagoon.

Day 4 – Golden Circle and Snorkeling in Silfra.

Day 5 – Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach. Northern Lights Tour.

Day 6 – Dog Sledding then fly home.

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Day 1 – Arrive in Reykjavik early in the morning, pick up rental car, go to the Blue Lagoon, Food shopping, check into our Airbnb for the next 5 nights and relax

Arrive in Iceland, pick up rental car

We took an overnight flight out of JFK Airport and landed at KEF airport at 6:15 the next morning. The flight was about 5 and a half hours which wasn’t bad at all. We even got woken up mid flight by the flight attendants to show us the northern lights from the plane. I will never forget that experience! As soon as we landed we went through customs, grabbed our bags, and went to the Duty Free liquor store before leaving the airport. We did this because we were warned that alcohol in Iceland is quite expensive! In fact, everything in Iceland is quite expensive!

As soon as we left the airport we went to pick up our rental car from Nordic Car Rental – Reykjanesbær, which is about 8 minutes from the airport. View directions here! We actually booked the car through Northbound Car Rentals who also provided these super helpful tips. I would also recommend getting an automatic, 4-wheel drive vehicle that has winter tires. It made it super easy to navigate this ultimate Iceland itinerary.

Blue Lagoon

Once we got the car we made our way right to the Blue Lagoon, the best and most popular site in Iceland! Our reservations were for 10am and you can buy tickets right on their site HERE. Depending on what ticket you buy, your visit will include entrance to the lagoon, a silica mud mask, 1st free drink of your choice (there is a small bar right in the lagoon), a towel, slippers and a bathrobe. You will also have access to the changing rooms and showers. We purchased the premium tickets which was totally worth it. They also have a retreat spa that you can check out as well as accommodations, a steam room, and a gift shop/skincare store. Of course I had to buy some of the masks to take home!

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Check into Airbnb – Free afternoon

The rest of our day was pretty relaxing since we were exhausted from our overnight flight. We went food shopping at a store on the way to our Airbnb and then checked in. I absolutely loved the Airbnb we stayed in! HERE is the link for it again. It was a super cute guesthouse about 30 minutes from Reykjavik which was perfect because it seemed like it was right in the middle of everything we wanted to see throughout this ultimate Iceland itinerary. The best part about it was the private hot tub that pulled natural hot spring water right from underground. It also had great views of the horses that they had on the property. I would 1000% stay at this Airbnb again whenever I go back to Iceland!

Day 2 – Horseback riding near the Airbnb then explore Reykjavik. Have dinner at Fiskmarkadurinn.

Horseback Riding

The next morning we went on a horseback ride after getting some much needed rest. The horses we rode belonged to the owner of the Airbnb so all you have to do is message her to set up a private ride! I should also mention the owners are very friendly people 🙂 The prices varied from a 1 hour, 1.5 hour, or 2 hour ride. We went with 1 hour and it was the perfect amount of time to explore the nearby area on horses.

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Explore Reykjavik

We had dinner reservations in Reykjavik this night so we figured it would be the perfect day to explore the city. A couple places we stopped by were the Hallgrimskirkja Church, the Sun Voyager, the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur Hot dog Stand and the Lebowski Bar (inspired by the 1998 film “The Big Lebowski”) for the famous White Russian. There is also a little town for shopping near the Hallgrimskirkja Church so we stopped in a few stores for souvenirs. They had some cute boutiques for clothes and winter accessories as well! Our dinner reservations were at Fiskmarkadurinn, also known as the Fish Market. We went with the exotic tasting menu for dinner which was definitely a cool experience (see photos below!).

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Day 3 – Snowmobiling and Secret Lagoon

Snowmobiling Langjökull Glacier

This day was probably my favorite! The tour we booked was this Snowmobile and Ice Cave Tour. You can either get picked up in Reykjavik or up closer to the Langjökull Glacier right near Gullfoss (this was the better option for us). Unfortunately we found out we wouldn’t be able to go to the ice cave this day because of weather conditions so we were refunded for that part of the tour. But the snowmobiling was awesome enough! And it was on the second largest glacier in Iceland. This tour was perfect because they provided you with everything from transportation in a super jeep to all the snowmobile gear. Just make sure to bring your own layers. I also highly recommend getting these Sorel Boots. Not only were they great for this excursion, I wore them every day and they kept my feet extremely dry and warm!

Secret Lagoon

We picked the perfect afternoon to go to the Secret Lagoon. It was a nice to relax and grab a drink after our adventurous morning. The secret lagoon is 25 minutes from where we got picked up for the snowmobile tour. And it is the oldest natural pool in Iceland! The easiest ways to get there are by either driving yourself or by booking a tour with a travel agency that provides transportation. Although I do highly recommend renting a car in Iceland and driving yourself! Reservations for the Secret Lagoon are also recommended. You can purchase tickets here. This gives you access to the pool, locker room and showers (it is required to shower before entering the pool). You can rent a towel or swimsuit if needed, and there are also drinks and snacks available for purchase. It was a great time!

Day 4 – Golden Circle and Snorkeling in Silfra 9-6

Golden Circle

We booked another tour for today’s adventure. The tour we booked was the Golden Circle & Snorkeling in Silfra Combo Tour. The tour started at 9am and ended at 6pm, so be prepared for an all day excursion. The pick up location was in Reykjavik so we drove to a hotel that was on their pick up list. You can email the tour operator and let them know where you will be getting picked up. This way they can add you to the list so that they don’t miss anyone! The first part of the tour was visiting the Golden Circle. We saw the Gullfoss Waterfall and the Geysir geothermal area. Both are must sees when in Iceland! We also stopped at the Geysir Center which had food and a great gift shop. This part of the excursion was a great way to see the best sights in the Golden Circle.

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Snorkeling in Silfra

The second part of the tour was snorkeling. The Silfra in Iceland is located in Thingvellir National Park. It is a rift that was formed between the North American and Eurasian continental tectonic plates. It has the freshest natural water on Earth and is unbelievably clear! Which makes it one of the most unique snorkeling sites in the world. The temperature of the water is between 2-4°Celsius all year around, or 35-39° Fahrenheit. Yes, that is cold! But they do provide you with a wet suit that if used properly, shouldn’t get any water in. I must have not used it properly because water got in the gloves and my hands were frozen!! But other than that, it was an amazing experience and definitely something to check off the bucket list!

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Day 5 – Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach. Northern Lights Tour

Waterfalls

This was our last full day of the ultimate Iceland itinerary and there was a lot left that we wanted to see. As I’m sure you know, Iceland is known for their waterfalls. The ones we wanted to see were the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall and the Skógafoss Waterfall. They are about 2 hours from Reykjavik which is another reason I recommend renting a car. But they are only 25 minutes from each which makes it easy to knock out both.

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Black Sand Beach

The Black Sand Beach is also right near the 2 waterfalls, only 10 minutes from Skógafoss Waterfall. But be careful because there are 2 black sand beaches. The one that is only 10 minutes from Skógafoss is probably not the one you are thinking of. This one had a very, very long walk way down the beach where you will find an abandoned plane. The walk was about 2 miles one way which took almost an hour to get to. We had no idea what we were walking to! In my opinion, this was far too long of a walk just to see an abandoned plane! The black sand beach we actually wanted to see was 20 minutes further up the road in Vik. To see everything on google maps, look here.

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Northern Lights Tour

We really wanted to see the northern lights while in Iceland, as I’m sure everyone does! We read reviews on our Airbnb that said you could see them from the hot tub, but no luck for us. Since this was our last night of this ultimate Iceland itinerary, we wanted to increase our chances of seeing them so we decided to book this Northern Lights Super Jeep Tour. In order to see the Northern lights it is best to have dark and clear skies. Make sure to check out the cloud coverage online. There are many websites that track this to help inform your chances of seeing them. You have the best chances of seeing them between October and March. We were there in November, so we were hopeful!

The pick up location for our tour was in Reykjavík again. You get picked up in a super jeep and drive around until they find a good location to hunt the northern lights. Once they decide where to settle, you will get out of the jeep and let the journey begin! It was cold so make sure to dress warm. The tour company also provides hot chocolate and biscuits. And they have a camera and photographer to make sure everything is captured. After patiently waiting, we finally got to see the northern lights! It was truly magical! They stayed out for quite a bit so we each took turns getting our pictures taken by the photographer. He was also able to adjust the settings on my camera to capture them on my own. I’m so glad we booked this tour last minute, it was the perfect ending to our trip!

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Day 6 – Dog Sledding before flying home

This was the last day of our ultimate Iceland itinerary but since our flight wasn’t until 5pm we wanted to fit in one last excursion before heading to the airport. We bought our dog sledding tickets from THIS website. The tour was about 30 minutes north from Reykjavik and was on our way to the airport. Since we were there in November, we booked the dryland/snow tour. Unfortunately it ended up being on almost all dry land because there wasn’t any snow when we were there. That definitely did not take away from the experience though. The huskies were so cute! This was another great experience and one more thing checked off the bucket list from this ultimate Iceland itinerary!

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