12 Best Places to Visit in Iceland
After what feels like a lifetime of wanting to travel to Iceland… I finally did it! And it was everything I could have imagined, AND MORE. Seriously though, there is no other place like it on the planet. Truly one of a kind. Waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, black sand beaches, volcanoes and of course cute Icelandic ponies. They don’t call it ‘the land of fire and ice’ for nothing.
I have honestly been wanting to visit Iceland ever since The Blue Lagoon went viral. A magical, healing, geothermal pool that quickly became one of the natural wonders of the world. And of course I wanted to visit the country after binging the entire Vikings series on Netflix. Ragnar, I love you…
Anyway, in the last few years, my Iceland bucket list kept growing and growing. I knew I had to see it all.
I received a ridiculous amount of messages after posting our entire trip on Instagram. On this post, you’ll see why! This is the bucket list you never knew you needed. I’ve listed 12 of the best things you must see when visiting this incredible, friendly, safe, mind-blowing country. Enjoy!
1. Blue Lagoon.
In my opinion, not visiting the Blue Lagoon while in Iceland, is the equivalent to not seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Regardless to common reviews, (it’s a power plant, it’s too crowded, it’s overpriced) all of those opinions couldn’t have been further away from how we felt. It truly is a magical, once in a lifetime experience and one of the best places I’ve ever been to. The temperature outside was below freezing and the wind was insane, however the water was so warm, we didn’t feel cold at all! Oh, and the swim up bar was definitely a highlight.
Prices range from £50-£90 per person, depending on the package. We paid £60 each and were given face masks, drink vouchers and towels. Plus, you can stay all day if you wish!
2. Thingvellir National Park.
Thingvellir National Park is just over an hours drive away from Keflavik airport and 40 minutes away from Reykjavik. It was actually the first stop of our road trip. There’s plenty to cover at the national park including waterfalls, hiking trails, and seeing Iceland’s largest lake, Thingvallavatn. Of course not forgetting that Thingvellir is famous for having two separated tectonic plates running through it, pictured here. You can actually walk between them - or better yet, scuba dive between them in the Silfra fissure! The water is icy cold, but also insanely, crispy clear. It’s one of the only places in the world where you can touch two tectonic plates at the same time - pretty cool!
The Thingvellir National Park is free and open 24/7, however there is a parking charge at the visitors centre.
3. Geysir Hot Springs.
The Great Geysir is a famous hot spring in the geothermal area of Haukadalur Valley. Although Geysir itself is unactive these days, there are plenty of other geysers and hot springs to see. The most active geyser in the area is Strokkur, pictured here. Every few minutes, boiling hot water shoots up into the sky, sometimes up to 40 metres high! We watched the water eruption atleast 10 times, and with each explosion our excitement grew.
Once again there is no entrance fee to see the hot springs, so you have freedom to roam around the area. Keeping in mind that most of the pools of water along the paths are around 100 degrees, so watch your step! We had the most incredible lunch at the Geysir Glíma restaurant - we fueled up on coffee and pizza!
4. Gullfoss.
Oooof, in my opinion, one of the most incredible places on Earth - Gullfoss! From the car park and visitors centre, it’s only a two minute walk until you can start to feel the sheer power of the falls. I still remember the feeling I had, climbing the few steps leading up to the main viewpoint. Your senses go crazy in that moment - you can hear and feel the falls but you can’t see them. Then suddenly, wow wow wow, you’re in total awe. There are a couple of paths you can take along the falls. You’ll feel yourself not being able to take your eyes off them.
If you didn’t already fuel up at Geysir, then Gullfoss has an equally excellent restaurant and visitors centre (only 10 minutes from Geysir). There was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground when we visited so a hot tea was needed to warm up!
5. Seljalandsfoss.
If you hadn’t guessed by now, ‘foss’ means waterfall in Icelandic. And there’s an abundance of them in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss is iconic for being able to walk behind the falls, and yes you get wet. Very wet. The spray is incredible so it’s worth it! There are steps up the falls which can be slippery and muddy, but it’s pretty dry once you’re behind them.
You can see Seljalandsfoss for miles along the main Route 1 ring road, so for sure you won’t miss it. An absolute must-see in Iceland.
6. Skógafoss.
Surprise, surprise another waterfall, but in my opinion, the best in Iceland! Just look at it! We couldn’t believe our luck when we first saw the rainbow as it’s rare to see one here. We even had two appear at one point. My mum thought it would be a good idea to actually stand in the rainbow, and she did it! But of course, she got completely soaked. There are steps at the side of Skógafoss which takes you to a high viewpoint, which is another incredible way to see the falls.
Skógafoss is only a 25 minute drive away from Seljalandsfoss, so you can easily see them both one in day. We had a picnic here, and it’s for sure one of those magical moments in life I’ll never forget.
7. Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.
Well this was a first for me - a black sand beach. And it really is black! Iceland’s landscape was formed from thousands of years of volcanic eruptions, so the sand at Reynisfjara is actually cooled down lava. Everything about this beach is dramatic, from the humongous, powerful waves, to the edgy, intense rocks and caves. There’s really no other place like it. I wouldn’t say it’s the location to sunbathe or have a picnic, but for sure it will be a memorable experience.
The Black Beach restaurant is fab. We visited there twice as they provided us with the best coffee of the trip, and also shelter from the intense rain on our last day.
8. Svartifoss Black Falls.
Svartifoss is a waterfall in Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park. In comparison to the other waterfalls listed in this post, it’s the most difficult to get to. In April there was still snow on the ground so the path was non-existent in places. To access the falls, you have to park up at the Skaftafell camping ground then follow the steep Svartifoss trail. The hike will take atleast 30/40 minutes, depending on weather and path conditions. You can easily spend a day here exploring the various paths and enjoying the incredible views. Svartifoss is dramatic and rugged, and totally worth the hike!
There is no fee to access the National Park, however there is a parking charge at the camping ground.
9. Svínafellsjökull Glacier.
It’s not every day you come across a glacier, right? We didn’t realise that the best way to experience the glacier was by booking a guided tour, which takes you on a hike over the ice. However, that didn’t stop us from finding one of the most incredible places we’ve ever been to. I noticed on Google Maps ‘Svínafellsjökull Parking’ and thought that it might be a good place to stop, and for sure it was! There was nobody else there which made us nervous at first, but after a short 10 minute walk from the car park, we were at the foot of the glacier. I mean, we saw HUGE blocks of ice, towering mountains and a landscape that was just out of this world. From here you can see the highest peak in Iceland, Hvannadalshnúkur. Even though we were surrounded by ice and snow, the sun was beaming down and it felt pretty warm. The whole place was magical!
10. Icelandic Ponies.
I can’t decide who’s cuter, my sister or this little guy. You can find the Icelandic ponies pretty much every where across the country. I lost count of the amount of times my sister shouted ‘ponies’ as we were driving along. We stopped at the side of the road, in between the geysers and Gullfoss, and it was impossible to get my mum back in the van after that.
11. Golden Circle Route.
Most people that visit Iceland, want to explore the Golden Circle. Some of the places I’ve listed in this post can be found along this route. Including, Gullfoss, Thingvellir National Park and Geysir. Other places to mention are Selfoss, Kerid Crater and the Secret Lagoon. The Golden Circle is a 190-mile, circular route from Reykjavik which can be completed in a few days. If you have more time then for sure you can add more destinations to your trip.
12. Aurora Borealis.
This isn’t a ‘place’ to see, however you do have to be in the right place, at the right time, to see the Northern Lights. One of the main reasons people travel to Iceland is to witness the Aurora, and we were no different. Every day I was checking the Aurora app on my phone and luckily on the last night, we had a 90% chance of seeing them. We couldn’t believe it! However, the campsite lights were incredibly bright which diminished our full potential view of the Aurora. They say your surroundings must be total darkness, although just by looking at the sky, we could see that the lights were there.
The best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is between October and April.
On this trip, we gratefully experienced every destination on our Icelandic bucket list - without any hiccups from bad weather or unreliable transport. We covered all the above places within 6 days.
I’ve put together a list of extra places to see, if you’re travelling to Iceland for a much longer period: Vik, Reykjavík, Hallgrímskirkja Church, Sun Voyager Statue, Rainbow street, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Jökulsárlón Lagoon, Diamond Beach, Sólheimasandur plane wreck, Selfoss, Hvannadalshnúkur peak, Kerid Crater and the Secret Lagoon.
There is also whale watching, snowmobiling and Northern Lights tours you can book throughout the country.
Please note that all of the places I’ve mentioned on this post are located in South Iceland. All within a 5/6 hour drive from Reykjavik.
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