Best Things to Do in Iceland for First-Time Visitors
We went to Iceland in July of 2016, a year before we moved to Europe. Instead of our usual average budget trip, we went a little overboard. I booked a helicopter tour that i thought was way cheaper than it was. We went snowmobiling on a glacier and spent an entire day driving the Golden Circle and South Coast. We took a trip like we were rich.
It started with an email Lisa got for a $99 round trip fare on a brand new airline called WOW air. WOW charged extra for everything, including seats and bags, so the $99 felt a lot less real by the time we actually paid for the ticket. The airline went out of business months later and stranded people in Iceland afterward, ha. Lesson learned either way: a cheap flight does not mean a cheap trip.
We based ourselves in Reykjavik, rented a car and used it as home base for the Golden Circle, the South Coast, a glacier and the helicopter tour. We still argue about what order some of these days actually happened in. It doesn't really matter.
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Is Iceland Worth Visiting?
Yes. Even after living in Europe and traveling much more since this trip, Iceland still feels different from anywhere else we have been. We drove through black lava fields, green farmland, waterfalls, geothermal areas and glaciers, sometimes all in the same day.
We also found Iceland easy to do on our own. We stayed in Reykjavik, rented a car and used the city as our base for most of the trip. The roads we drove were straightforward, English was widely spoken and we never had much trouble getting around.
The part you do need to plan for is the cost. The flight that got us there was cheap, but the rest of the trip was not. Food, gas and activities added up quickly, especially once we started booking things like snowmobiling and the helicopter tour.
For us, it was worth it. Ten years later, we still talk about going back.
Reykjavik: Our Home Base
We stayed in an Airbnb right in the city, two big bedrooms, a full kitchen and dining room. Parking was easy enough that we never parked more than a block from the door. One night Dylan fell asleep in the car and had to be carried inside. Reykjavik might be the cleanest city either of us has ever been to.
One thing we weren't ready for: we went in July, so it never got dark. The apartment had blackout shades. GEven with blackout shades, getting used to the constant daylight made sleeping difficult.
Reykjavik itself is small, and for us it worked more as a base for day trips than somewhere we spent several full days exploring. For where to actually sleep, see our Where to Stay in Reykjavik guide.
The Blue Lagoon
We landed after a long overnight flight and drove straight from the airport to the Blue Lagoon since it sits right on the road to Reykjavik. It was a very good way to start the trip. The steam and cloudy blue water made it feel completely different from anywhere we'd been before.
We had to buy Dylan a bathing suit at the gift shop because we'd forgotten his. The suits they sell run small and tight, a European cut. He was eight, old enough that he couldn't go in the women's changing room with us anymore but young enough that we weren't thrilled sending him into the men's alone. A man in the changing room told us he'd make sure Dylan got back out to us, and he did.
A few practical things worth knowing. The water will make your hair go straw-stiff if it gets wet. It washes out fine, but if that bothers you, put your hair up before you get in. There are two stations where you can put on a mineral clay face mask for free, plus a bar where people sit in the water all day and drink. Dylan had to wear a flotation device because he wasn't tall enough to touch the bottom and you can't see through the cloudy water.
We loved it enough that we wanted to go back before we'd even left, and there are apparently other geothermal spots out in the countryside we still want to try.
Driving the Golden Circle and South Coast
We spent one very long day driving through southern Iceland, mixing stops on the Golden Circle with places farther along the South Coast. I don’t remember the exact order of every stop anymore, but we were in and out of the car for eight to ten hours and covered a lot of ground.
This was the day that gave us the best sense of how different Iceland looks once you get outside Reykjavik. We stopped at waterfalls, watched the geyser erupt, pulled over for photos whenever something caught our attention and eventually made our way to Gullfoss toward the end of the day. Some of the things we remember best were not planned at all, including a traffic jam caused by a herd of Icelandic horses and getting pulled over for an alcohol check on a road where we had barely seen another car.
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is the waterfall you can walk behind, which was the reason we wanted to stop. As you follow the path to the back of the waterfall, the sound gets incredibly loud and the spray comes at you from every direction. You are going to get wet, but that is really the point. Dylan hated this part.
The path was slippery, so wear appropriate shoes and bring a rain jacket. There are also smaller waterfalls tucked into the cliffs nearby, so walk a little farther before getting back in the car.
Skogafoss
Skogafoss was much more impressive to us from the ground. It is huge, loud and throws off enough spray that you feel it well before you get close. So, again, wear a raincoat. We were soaked.
There is a long, steep staircase beside the waterfall that takes you to the top, and we climbed it. Did I say steep? The view was great, but my legs and lungs questioned the decision.
Geysir and Strokkur
Neither of us is that into geysers, to be honest. You stand there, wait for it to go off, watch it a few times and then move on. We were glad we stopped, but the waterfalls were much more memorable for us.
One fun fact from the episode: the word geyser comes from Geysir, the famous hot spring here.
Every few minutes, the water bubbles, swells into a blue dome and then shoots straight into the air. Everyone stands around waiting for it, phones ready, and then reacts when it finally goes off with ooh's and aah's. The whole area smells faintly of sulfur, with steam coming up from vents in the ground and bright blue geothermal pools nearby.
You do not need long here. It is an easy stop to make while you are already driving the Golden Circle, but if we had to cut something from a very tight day, this would probably be it.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss was one of the last stops of the day and the waterfall we remember most. It is huge, with the water dropping into a deep canyon and mist coming up from below. You can see rainbows all over the falls from the mist.
Getting there was half the fun. Google Maps sent us down rocky roads that cut through people's farms. It was after midnight and we hadn't seen another car for over an hour, which made getting pulled over for a random alcohol check on the way there even funnier.
We also decided this was the perfect time for the required yoga pose in the middle of the highway.
Reynisfjara and the Black Sand Beaches
Reynisfjara and the Black Sand Beach
We stopped at Reynisfjara near VÃk before lunch, and this was one of the places Dylan liked most because of the basalt columns. He climbed up and down on them while we took pictures, and we ended up spending quite a bit of time there.
The black sand and Reynisdrangar sea stacks make the beach look completely different from the Los Angeles beaches we were used to. The biggest thing to know is that the water is dangerous. Sneaker waves can come much farther up the beach than you expect, so stay well back from the water and pay attention to the warning signs. We didn't know this until after Dylan had already made his way down toward the water. Thankfully, no sneaker wave came in while we were there.
Dylan decided barefoot was the way to go, while Lisa and I were in winter socks and snow boots.
We also stopped above the coast near Dyrhólaey, where we took some of our favorite pictures of the beach and cliffs.
We'd heard before recording this episode that a bad storm caused erosion at this beach recently. What we found is that the reports of the columns being destroyed weren't true, but there was real erosion, the sand line has been pushed back and the beach looks different than it did in 2016. It's still open. Check current conditions before you go, since this kind of thing can keep changing.
The Stops We Didn’t Plan
Some of the things we remember most from that day weren't planned at all. We got stuck in an “traffic jam” behind a herd of maybe fifty Icelandic horses walking straight down the middle of a two-lane highway, no fences, no warning. We'd been driving for half an hour without seeing another car, which is also why, later that same day, one of us did a yoga pose in the middle of an empty highway to get a photo. We got pulled over for a random alcohol check minutes later. Still hadn't seen another car. Plus the many stops at what we call hobbit houses that are everywhere. Still not sure what they are, but they are cute!
Somewhere along the way we also stopped for lunch at a small place just off the road that felt like sitting in someone's living room. Everyone seemed to know each other, and we were clearly the outsiders.
A Note About the Moss
One thing we didn't know until it was too late: the moss covering the old lava fields shouldn't be walked on because it is extremely fragile. It bounces like a trampoline, which is a strange feeling, and it can take decades to grow back once it's damaged. We stepped on some before someone told us not to. Stick to the marked paths.
How Long to Plan
Give this a full day. Eight to ten hours is realistic once you add the South Coast stops. Start early if you can, and give yourself enough time to stop when you see something interesting. Some of our favorite parts of the day happened between the planned stops.
Snowmobiling on a Glacier
None of us had been on a glacier before. We got geared up in thick snowsuits, not an inch of skin showing, and rode snowmobiles across the ice in a group of about twenty people for roughly an hour. Dylan rode with me. You don't go particularly fast, or at least I didn't, but it's a real workout. My arms were sore just from holding on. There was a full snowball fight in there somewhere too, though we don't agree anymore on exactly when.
Our Helicopter Splurge
This was a happy accident. I booked it about a month before the trip, proud of myself, thinking it was around $1,000 total for the tour. It was $1,000 per person. I still don't know how I missed that until the charge had already gone through, and by then it was too late to cancel. So we did it.
It was basically a private tour, just the three of us, the pilot and one other man we still can't place. The whole experience lasted close to three hours. We flew over the area where the tectonic plates meet, landed on black lava fields and stopped near geothermal areas where the water was actually boiling. At another point we flew over bright blue water and then landed somewhere completely green. The scenery changed constantly.
Dylan wore the headset talking into the microphone like a tiny pilot or future Bachelor contestant. Lisa still ranks this among the top five things she's ever done, not just in Iceland. It was ridiculously expensive, but if your budget can stretch to one big splurge, this would be ours.
Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Also yes.
Into the Ice Cave
On a different day we booked a glacier tour that picked us up in Reykjavik, bused us out and fitted us with crampons before we walked into a manmade cave inside the glacier. Our guide explained how it had been created and gave us time to walk around and look at the different crevices and layers of ice.
It was well done and informative, but if we were cutting the trip shorter or trying to save money, this is probably the activity we'd skip first. If it's your only chance to ever see the inside of a glacier, though, it's worth doing.
The Night Reykjavik Watched the Euros
Our last night in Iceland happened to be July 3, the night Iceland played France in the Euro 2016 quarterfinal. Iceland had already knocked England out of the tournament, and when we walked into the city that evening, Reykjavik was packed. It felt like all of Iceland showed up to cheer on their team.
There was a huge screen set up outside in the middle of a park, food trucks and people everywhere. Dylan got the Icelandic flag painted on his face, and because it was July and still completely light outside, it hardly felt like an evening football match.
Iceland lost, but that really isn't what we remember about it. The crowd stayed upbeat, and at one point the Icelandic clap started rolling through everyone watching. Within seconds the entire crowd was doing it together. We were no exception. Even after the loss, we still remember the sense of community we felt and the joy of the team making it as far as they did.
We obviously couldn't have planned our trip around that night, but it ended up being one of our favorite memories from Reykjavik.
A Few Other Things We Did
On our way to the airport at the end of the trip, we stopped at a Viking museum with a reconstructed Viking ship inside. Honestly, what we remember better are the baby goats outside. One walked straight up to the camera and headbutted the lens.
We also did our first two international escape rooms on this trip. We did well enough on the first one that we went back for a second. That was a mistake. It was dark, actually scary and Dylan spent a good part of it in the corner with Lisa while the rest of us tried to solve it.
Where We Ate
I'll be honest, food is not what we remember most about this trip. It was almost ten years ago, and we can't even remember the names of half the places where we ate. Dylan and I ate a lot of burgers and fries, as the food wasn't really our bag. Plus it isn't cheap. Lisa did love how fish forward everything was.
Our biggest food discovery was actually at the grocery store: skyr. Dylan loved it, and this was years before we started seeing it everywhere at home. Skyr is still a staple in our fridge even here in the Netherlands.
For actual restaurant recommendations, including places recommended by friends who have been more recently and places we've researched since our trip, see our Where to Eat in Reykjavik guide.
Where We Stayed
We booked an Airbnb in central Reykjavik with two big bedrooms, a full kitchen and dining room. Parking was so easy that we never had to park more than about a block from the apartment.
It cost roughly $250 a night in 2016, which felt like a lot at the time, but having the extra space and a kitchen worked really well for us, especially with Dylan.
For hotel picks by neighborhood and budget, see our Where to Stay in Reykjavik guide.
Know Before You Go: Iceland
Getting there: We flew WOW air after finding that ridiculous $99 fare that started this entire trip. Of course, once we added seats, bags and everything else, it wasn't really a $99 flight anymore. WOW eventually went out of business in 2019, so obviously you won't be flying them now, but the lesson still applies: look at the total price before getting too excited about a cheap fare. Flying to Iceland on a European or budget airline? Check our European carry-on size guide before packing because baggage allowances vary by airline and fare.
Best time to visit: We went in July, when it barely gets dark. That gave us incredibly long sightseeing days, but sleeping took some getting used to even with blackout shades. For a full breakdown of the seasons and when we'd choose to visit now, see our Best Time to Visit Iceland guide.
Getting around: For the kind of trip we did, renting a car made the most sense. It gave us the freedom to combine the Golden Circle and South Coast, pull over when something caught our attention and spend as long as we wanted at each stop. You can also visit many of these places on organized tours if you don't want to drive.
Currency and cost: Iceland uses the Icelandic króna, and this was an expensive trip even with our cheap airfare. Food, activities and souvenirs added up quickly, and that was in 2016.
Language: Icelandic is the official language, but we never had a problem communicating in English.
Families: Dylan was eight on this trip and did almost everything with us, including the long driving day, snowmobiling and the helicopter tour. The dark escape room was another story.
Listen to Our Iceland Episode
Want to hear how we actually remember this trip ten years later? In our Iceland episode of The GetAwayZ podcast, we talk about the $99 flight that started it all, the Blue Lagoon, our very long Golden Circle and South Coast drive, glacier adventures and some of the things we still disagree about. We broke it into 2 episodes because we had so much to talk about.
Short on time? See our One Day in Reykjavik itinerary for an easier way to explore the city.
