I am utterly in love with Iceland. I almost hesitate to write this because my words will hardly do it justice. But I will give it a try.
Most folks who have a few days in Iceland stick to the Western coast, which has the highest concentration of big sights and hotels. Should you have longer and want a truly epic adventure, take 11 - 15 days to travel around the entire country by car. I adored every major site, impromptu stop along the way and honestly, even every second in the car soaking in the breathtaking landscapes. Everywhere you look you can just feel the history, and not like you see it on a cobblestone road in Europe, but rather on a rawer level, you see so clearly how nature reins and just how scary and magnificent it is. Our trip was quite moving for me, all 1337 miles of it.
I am workin on outlining our itinerary along with some tips.
You will likely adjust to some degree based on how long you have in Iceland, the time of year, who you are traveling with and your particular interests.
We flew out of JFK in New York on a Thursday evening at 8:55pm and landed in Iceland about 5.5 hours later at 6:55am GMT. Yes, we were actually somewhere with was GMT! Maybe I'm a bit geeky but I got a kick out of that.
Because I knew it would still feel like the middle of the night for us, we booked our hotel room in Reykjavik starting Thursday night so we knew we could check in as soon as we got in. Which is what we did. We freshened up a little and then in an attempt to adjust went straight back out to explore. We kept it low key and just walked around.
SOUTHWEST ICELAND
Westman Islands (Puffins and volcanos!)
Icelandic Horseback Riding
Geysir & Gullfoss Falls
Seljalandsfoss (walk behind, food)
Skogafoss Waterfall
Day 1 - Reykjavik
We flew out of JFK in New York on a Thursday evening at 8:55pm and landed in Iceland about 5.5 hours later at 6:55am GMT. Because I knew it would still feel like the middle of the night for us, we booked our hotel room in Reykjavik starting Thursday night so we knew we could check in as soon as we got in. Which is what we did. We freshened up a little and then in an attempt to adjust went straight back out to explore. We kept it low key and just walked around.
Day 2
Westman Islands - Ferry over, Puffin & Volcano Tour, Lunch
Lava Exhibition
Hotel: Aurora Lodge
We booked a 9:30am ferry to the Westman Islands in order to make an 11am Puffin & Volcano Tour.
Day 3
Golden Circle: Geysir, Gullfoss Falls,
Southwestern waterfalls: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skogafoss Waterfall
Hotel: Aurora Lodge
Day 4
Reynisfjara Beach, random stops, glacier views, Diamond Beach, Glacier Lagoon,
Hotel: Milk Factory in Hofn
Day 5
Glacier Tour, drive to our next hotel with random stops along the way
Hotel: Hotel Hallormsstadur (one night)
Read my "Glacier Tour Experience" write-up for a more in-depth overview.
Day 6 Hursey, Turfed house, Hverir, Crater, Pizza, Laxa hotel
Day 7 Godafoss, Husavik, Akureyi, Kea Hotel
Day 8 Sushi Corner, Whale Watch
Day 9 Driving music, Koluglijufur canyon, Icelandic sheep dogs arrive in Reykjavik, dinner at Jamie's Italian
Day 10 Hapa, Viking Horses, Blue Lagoon
Day 11 Blue Lagoon
Day 12 Soak, lunch, depart, flight cancelled
Day 13 Bonus Day! Tiny rental. Ice cave, Joyalto.