I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland, it was high on my list of places to visit. So being 15 weeks pregnant seemed a good time to do it! As we were likely only going to visit once, we decided we might as well see the whole country. So we did a loop around the island and saw all weather types possible on the way. We stayed for 11 days and started and finished in Reykjavik. We started this trip with three people, our friend joined us on the trip until Akureyi.
The Trip
- Day 1: London – Reykjavik, Drinks at Lebowski Bar
- Day 2: Reykjavik & Blue Lagoon + Golden Circle
- Day 3: Reykjavik – Grundarfjörður, Driving in a Snowstorm
- Day 4: Grundarfjörður – Akureyri
- Day 5: Akureyi – Mývatn via Húsavík and Dettifoss
- Day 6: Mývatn: Grjótagjá Cave, Geothermal area of Hverir, Hverfjall Crater, Dimmuborgir Lava Fields, Pseudocrators
- Day 7: Mývatn – Höfn, via Stuðlagil Canyon
- Day 8: Höfn – Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Glacier Adventure at Falljökull
- Day 9: Kirkjubæjarklaustur – Reykjavik via Fjaðrárgljúfur, Reynisfjara, Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gljufrabui
- Day 10: Reykjavik city day
- Day 11: Reykjavik – London departure
Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavik
Drinks at Lebowski Bar – a fun first night out in Reykjavik
We arrived in Reykjavik at 8.30pm. The drive from the airport to our Airbnb, in the city centre, was 48m. We got there around 10pm and decided to head out for a drink in town, ending up at Lebowski Bar where we stayed until it closed at 1am. After a day of travelling were tired and have a lot planned for the next day, so a good end of the first evening.
Day 2: Blue Lagoon & Golden Circle
Today we planned to go to the Blue Lagoon in the morning, but first we headed to our (now) favourite bakery in Reykjavik, Brauð & Co. The outside of the building looks great, full of rainbow covered graffiti and they have something for all! They do amazing sweet stuff, but are also good for savoury lovers (me).
Morning at Blue Lagoon – warm mineral waters and iconic Iceland spa time
We got to the Blue Lagoon for 10am, it was a 47m drive from Reykjavik, and honestly had the best time. The water is so relaxing and warm. They recommend not to put your hair under water as it will get really dry from it. The iconic colour is beautiful in real life.
Þingvellir National Park – walking through history and dramatic landscapes
After we left the Blue Lagoon we drove round the Golden Circle to see Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Geysir Geothermal Area & Gullfoss Waterfall. Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park, which was 1h11m drive from the Blue Lagoon and is the site of Iceland’s parliament from the 10th to 18th centuries. On the site you can see Þingvellir Church and the ruins of the old stone shelters. There are a lot of information boards along the way, explaining what has happened there and the history of the place, very interesting!
Strokkur Geysir & Gullfoss Waterfall – geothermal marvels and powerful falls
We drove on to Geysir Geothermal Area, a 47m drive from Þingvellir National Park. I had never seen – or smelled – it before. When exiting the car the smell is immediately noticeable, but it’s not unbearable. It becomes stronger in certain areas. The Great Geysir hasn’t erupted since 2016, but Strokkur Geysir, next to it, erupts every 4-10 minutes. We just missed one, so waited for it to happen again. It’s pretty impressive. thinking this happens so often, and it goes high too!
Around the area is also a cute shop and a place for food and toilets, so we roamed around the shop for a bit, before we drove off to Gulfoss Waterfall. The waterfall is only a 10m drive from Geysir Geothermal Area.
Gullfoss Waterfall is incredible, so beautiful. As were all waterfalls we’ve seen in Iceland to be honest. But however many you will see on your trip, they really never disappoint. I was going to upload a picture, but I think only this video does it a little justice. The walk to the waterfall is super easy, it’s a less than 5 minutes walk from the parking space. We stayed here for about an hour, just taking in the views and walking round the place from different angles and heights to get the best views. When we were done we drove back to Reykjavik, which took 1h41m, to get ready for dinner and a night out. The whole Golden circle, including the blue lagoon, took us about a 4.5h drive. Obviously with all the stops in between it takes much longer and is a day well spent. As we were leaving Reykjavik the next day we did it all (Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon) in one day, but I am sure you could spend more days here if you wanted to and have the time.
Our friend was nominated to choose the restaurant for the evening, and he decided on La Primavera. It’s an Italian restaurant, but it combines the Italian kitchen with Icelandic ingredients. I didn’t actually take any pictures here, but we did have amazing food and drinks. After dinner we went back to our airbnb, and the boys had some rum they bought at the airport before we headed out again to Kaffibarrin for the night. It wasn’t really busy yet when we arrived, so we sat at a table upstairs at first, but later on it became really busy downstairs and people were dancing, so we decided to join in! Most people in there were from Iceland, so it was a really nice experience as they were all very friendly. We got home way too late, because we were planning on leaving very early the next morning to drive on to Grundarfjörður.
Day 3: Reykjavik to Grundarfjörður
Bakery and coffee stop at Brauð & Co and Kaktus Espressobar – morning pastries and coffee before departure
Today we are driving to Grundarfjörður, but not before we stopped at Brauð & Co to get food for on the way, and grab a coffee from Kaktus Espressobar. Whilst driving to Grundarfjörður, the plan is to stop at Glymur Waterfall and the Snæfellsnes peninsula (the peninsula would make the drive longer, but it’s worth it I read everywhere).
The further we drove towards Grundarfjörður, the worse the weather got. Where in Reykjavik we had blue skies and sun, here we ended up in a really severe snowstorm. We were unable to locate Glymur Waterfall, the snow would’ve made it impossible to see it as we could not see much further than a couple meters.
Road Trip Weather Challenge – snowstorm detour and unexpected adventure
Whilst driving, part of the road we were supposed to follow was closed off due to the severe weather, which made us check Iceland’s website for road closures and weather conditions Road.is. We decided it would not be a smart idea to drive via the Snæfellsnes peninsula and decided to drive back to where we came from and drive to Grundarfjörður the ‘quickest way’ (it would have been the quickest way if we had gone straight up, rather than turned left to drive the peninsula). On the way back there were cars stranded that were unable to drive up the overpass.
If we would’ve driven to Grundarfjodur directly from Reykjavik, it would’ve taken us 2h31m. With taking in the peninsula, it should’ve taken us 3h47m. In the end we drove for over 7h due to the extreme weather conditions. We got to Grundarfjörður in the dark and checked in to our stay for the evening, Grundarfjörður Bed and Breakfast.
Arrival in Grundarfjörður – small-town charm and hearty burgers at Kaffi 59
Grundarfjörður is a very small town in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and in the west of Iceland. It is situated between a mountain range and the sea. There is not much going on in the town but they do seem to have one really well rated restaurant, Bjargarsteinn Mathús. I am unable to give a review myself as we decided to keep it cheap and go to Kaffi 59. It was only a short walk, but by the time we arrived we looked like snowmen. The snow was still very heavy and there was a really strong wind. No fun walking around at all!
We spend a couple hours, firstly warming up, after that playing card games, at Kaffi 59. The boys drank some beers and we also chatted with the girls working there. It wasn’t busy at all, but the vibe was good and it was warm. We ate burgers.
We headed back to our accommodation afterwards before we headed for bed. The weather stayed pretty awful the whole night, with very high winds and lots of snow.
Day 4: Grundarfjörður to Akureyri
We were planning on hiking up Kirkjufell mountain, but the weather didn’t allow for this. Instead we had breakfast downstairs before we headed of for Akureyi. The drive takes 4h57m so we left early to ensure we would have a nice day in Akureyi left.
Snowy Start & Drive North – dramatic, changing landscapes on the way
Whilst driving the weather changed massively, the snow stopped and clear white – and later on not so white – landscapes appeared and they were beautiful!! We stopped at many places just to take in the views and take pictures. There is hardly anyone around and everything feels so peaceful and quiet. It’s such a contrast from any other holiday we have ever done, and also from our lives in London.
TIP (this can save you a lot!!! of money)
In Iceland there are vary strict speeding rules. On paved roads the maximum speed is 90km/h and on gravel it is 80km/h. When driving you easily go a bit faster as there is literally no one on the road. Do not do this… We got stopped by police and got a ticket for (converted) £670…. More expensive than our flights and totally not worth it.
Akureyri Arrival & Chill – relaxing at Hotel Akureyri after a long day
We arrived in Akureyi in the early afternoon and chilled in our hotel – Hotel Akureyi – for a bit (recovering from our traffic fine!) The hotel was lovely, great interior, and I would definitely recommend staying here. After some quiet time we headed out to explore the town and to have some drinks and dinner.
Evening in Town – drinks, games, and laid-back local vibes
We walked through the town, admiring the Hof Cultural and Conference Centre (Menningarhúsið Hof) before we decided to head into Akureyri Backpackers for some drinks and games. Initially we planned on heading somewhere else for dinner, but after a long day in the car we felt rather tired and decided to just stay put and grab some food from their large menu. Our night ended by having some more drinks in our hotel room before going to sleep.
Day 5: Akureyri to Mývatn via Húsavík
Akureyri Breakfast & Farewell – bakery and coffee before heading out
Today we are heading to Mývatn and our friend is leaving the trip (going back to Reykjavik and then back home), but first we walked back into Akureyi’s centre to have a last breakfast all together. We went to Kristjánsbakarí for some food. It’s a small bakery that sell all sorts of things. Then we went to Bláa Kannan Cafe for some coffee.
We have a whale watching tour planned at 1.15pm in Húsavík and we need to be there 30m prior, but before the whale watching we are also driving via Goðafoss Waterfall. The drive from Akureyi is 30m. Goðafoss is another stunning waterfall, which you can view from two sides. We chose to just see it from the right side as we needed to be in Húsavík by 12.45pm to ensure we’d be in time for the whale watching tour. The drive from Goðafoss to Húsavík takes 38m.
Whale Watching in Húsavík – a long sea tour and cold Atlantic winds
It is recommended to dress very warm for the tour, as it’s 3h long on a boat on the sea. We left at 1.15pm on the dot for a 3h sail. It’s been a big dream of mine to see whales in their natural habitat. Before heading off we were told that there is a chance we would not see any, as it wasn’t peek season to spot them yet and if this was the case we could come back and do the tour for free at any time in the future.
Unfortunately for us we did not see any whales this day. My partner was also severely seasick, so the 3h boat tour for him wasn’t actually fun at all.. Even though we did not see whales, the trip itself was nice, but I must admit 3h is long if you do not get to see what you were really hoping for. The boat does offer hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll halfway through the trip, which is a nice extra.
Dettifoss Waterfall Views – striking landscape, powerful fall and perfect photo stop
After our boat tour we drove on to see Selfoss and Dettifoss waterfalls. It makes a difference which side you are going to see (east or west) to what the drive time will be. As we were already getting there late in the afternoon we choose the east side which took us 1h25m. We originally wanted to see both waterfalls, but as it was going to get dark soon we would not be able to make this. We decided to just walk up to Dettifoss, which is Europe’s second most powerful waterfall. It was about a 15 minute walk through the snow and definitely worth it. Even the walk, with the clear blue skies, was worth it. Everything looks so peaceful when it’s covered in snow.
Drive to Mývatn – arriving late to peaceful countryside accommodation
Now it’s time to drive on to Mývatn, the drive from Dettifoss took us another 1h6m and we got there in the dark. I was super excited to stay here as there are a lot of things around this little town that I wanted to see. We are staying here for two nights in a really amazing accommodation. It’s called Birkilauf and I would 100% recommend staying here. The host is super friendly too, and he spoke Dutch so this gave me and him something else to talk about! He himself lives in the basement part of the house. We had our own room with a bathroom, but there is also a large shared livingroom and kitchen. In the kitchen is plenty of food that you can just use. The accommodation is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and staying here really gives you some (even more) peace and quiet
I had booked Kaffi Borgir for the evening for food. It’s a stunning family run restaurant and the meat comes from their own farm. They also serve Geysir bread that they bake in the geothermal ground. We shared the lamb and the burger and both were delicious. Definitely recommend going here! Especially because the only other option for take out is a massively overpriced pizza place (we did fall for it the next evening..). After dinner we drove home and went to bed. This was a full day with lots of driving and walking and we were tired. Plus tomorrow we are up to a lot again so we welcomed some good night rest.
Day 6: Mývatn Nature Explorations
Today we are visiting a lot of places:
- Grjótagjá Cave
- Geothermal area of Hverir (Námafjall Geothermal Area)
- Hverfjall Crater
- Dimmuborgir Lava Fields
- Pseudocrators of Myvatn
Grjótagjá Lava Cave – enter the geothermal cave landscape
We started off by going to the Grjótagjá cave, a 4m drive from our accommodation. It is a very small lava cave back in the day used as a geothermal bath. But the water temperature is very unstable at the moment and can heat up very quickly so it can’t be used for bathing anymore. You can still enter the cave and take pictures, you do have to climb over rocks and through some small holes to do so. Fun Fact: One of Game of Thornes love scenes between Jon Snow and Ygritte was filmed here (they did add a waterfall with CGI which is not actually in the cave)
Hverir Geothermal Area – bubbling mud, steam, and surreal terrain
After the Grjótagjá cave we drove on to the Geothermal area of Hverir, a 9m drive from the cave. The landscape here looks abosolutely stunning, some parts actually look golden. But the smell is very intense. At some parts it honestly made me gag (might’ve also been due to my sense of smell increasing during pregnancy!)
But that really doesn’t take away from the beauty of the area. We took so many pictures here and none of them actually do it justice, but I will try to give an impression.
All these pictures/ video are from the views at Geothermal area of Hverir.
At this part in the video the smell was the strongest, it gave me teary eyes. But still so worth the visit haha!
Hverfjall Crater – snowy ascent for panoramic views
Our trip went on to Hverfjall Crater, a 17m drive from Hverir. The walk up should take about 15m, but some parts of the way were extremely slippery due to ice, so it took us a little longer. When on top you are rewarded with a stunning view of the area and the crater. The black in contrast with the bright blue skies is incredible. You can walk all around the crater on the top which is approximately 1km.
We drove on to Dimmuborgir Lava Fields, but all of our pictures from here are gone..! You can do various walks here that differ in length. We choose to do just a short walk, as we’d been doing a lot and started to get a little tired. Finally we drove past the Pseudocrators of Myvatn before we headed back to our airbnb.
Daddi’s Pizza – the most expensive pizza we’ve ever eaten
As mentioned before we decided to get a pizza, according to our host the most expensive pizza in Iceland. We drove to Daddi’s Pizza to pick them up and they were about £25 each.. Doesn’t sound too expensive maybe but they were, definitely for what you get. Anyway, we still enjoyed them as we were super hungry and ended our night by chilling in the communal living room of our airbnb.
Day 7: Mývatn to Höfn (via Stuðlagil Canyon)
Today we are leaving Mývatn to go to Höfn. The drive will be a long one, 4h33m if we would do it directly but we are stopping at Stuðlagil canyon on the way, which is a 1h43m drive from Mývatn.
Stuðlagil Canyon Stop – basalt cliff views and river valley beauty
Stuðlagil Canyon is a stunning gorge lined with basalt columns. It hasn’t always been a tourist attraction, only in the last 15 years as prior it wasn’t visible yet as the columns were ‘hidden’ under glacial waters. The water colour changes with the season and it truly is a stunning place for pictures. I personally think it would’ve been more spectacular in spring, when there is less snow, but we still really enjoyed the views. We did decide not to do the 2h round hike, as we had such a long drive ahead but were really glad we went and have seen it with our own eyes. I also do think the views from the bottom, when doing the hike, will be totally worth it (seeing all the pictures)
All these pictures are the various angles of Stuðlagil Canyon
Arrival in Höfn – coastal town comfort after a big travel day
When driving Iceland’s ring road, Stuðlagil Canyon is a super easy detour. If you’re into hiking and have the time I would definitely recommend doing what we didn’t. We drove on to Höfn from here, which took us another 3h37m. Guesthouse Hvammur will be our home for the next night.
We did have dinner at a really good restaurant here, it’s called Pakkhús Restaurant and they are known for their seafood. We walked by late afternoon to ask for a reservation, but they didn’t do any. They recommended we would come back in the early evening so we would be guaranteed a table. We both had amazing food, my partner had the cod and I had langoustines (they call them lobster in Iceland). There isn’t much else going on in Höfn, so after dinner we decided to have an early night, getting ready for our glacier walk the next day.
Day 8: Glacier Walk & Kirkjubæjarklaustur
We started our day by having breakfast at a very small place right next to our accommodation, Hafnarbuðin. Afterwards we went to the supermarket in Höfn to get some food for on the way, as we won’t be in a place where we can get food until the evening.
Glacier Adventure at Falljökull – ice cave, crevasses, and glacier hiking gear
Today we are driving on to Kirkjubæjarklaustur, but we will be stopping on the way to do a glacier walk. This was probably (after spotting whales) the thing I was most excited about! The drive from Höfn takes 1h47m. It will be a 4h walk, starting at 14:00 and we need to be there at least 30m prior to get our outfit for the hike sorted. They recommend wearing waterproof trousers – we thought ours would be fine – but when getting there we were told it was best to get a pair from them. You do pay £10 for rental but it would prevent us from being wet and cold for 4h during the walk. You can also rent shoes and jackets, but we had these ourselves so there was no need.
Included in the tour costs are a helmet, crampons, ice axe and climbing harness.
The tour starts at the meeting location, a short drive from where the actual hike starts. When everyone is dressed appopriately, all cars drive to a nearby parking lot where you will be given the rest of the kit needed for the hike.
Due to the large amounts of melted ice, it will take about 20 minutes to reach the Falljökull glacier (walking). It is so crazy to understand that the ice you see here can be up to 1,000 years old.
During the hike you really do have to pay attention to the guide, as parts of the ice are melted and if you step wrong, you can fall into a hole that has formed on the glacier. He gave us a lot of historical information and showed us the most magnificent parts of the glacier (including a blue ice cave) – such as crevasses, moulins, glacier mice (a type of moss), and massive ice falls.
The blue cave they took us to changes every season, as the one we were in will have melted next year. It is really sad to think how much of the ice is melting and has melted over the years, making the glacier to slowly disappear and not be there anymore in the future.
Arrival at Hotel Laki – stunning remote mountain stay and hotel buffet
After our glacier walk we drove onto Kirkjubæjarklaustur where we are staying at Hotel Laki, a stunning hotel again in the middle of nowhere. It is a family run business and it’s honestly a perfect place to stay. We booked our dinner here for the evening, which turned out to be a buffet, but we were so hungry so this was all good for us. The food offer was good and they kept adding new warm food. After dinner we just spend some time in our hotel room, which was super comfortable and went to bed early again. Days in Iceland are so full of activities that we’re just too tired to stay up late!
Day 9: Waterfalls & South Coast
Our hotel room was on the ground floor and opened up to a large grass field/ communal garden. There was a cute dog that wanted to play with all the guests we later found out was the dog of the hotel owners. Very sweet, but once you start playing it will not stop!
We had breakfast in the hotel, which was included in the stay, before we started our day driving back to Reykjavik. But before getting to Reykjavik we have planned a couple visits on the way. Today we will be seeing:
- Fjaðrárgljúfur
- Reynisfjara
- Skógafoss
- Seljalandsfoss
- Gljufrabui
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon & Reynisfjara – dramatic river canyon views andblack sand
Our first stop will be Fjaðrárgljúfur, a 14m drive from our hotel, which is a canyon with a river flowing through. The walls are very steep and up to 100m deep. Very impressive views from the top, which is a short hike upwards but totally worth it.
We drove on to Reynisfjara, which is a 1h drive from Fjaðrárgljúfur. They are basalt sea stacks under the mountain Reynisfjall and there is a black sand beach around them. The beach was rated sixth best beach in the world in 2021.
Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui – iconic waterfalls on the south route
Now we have three waterfalls left to see. The first stop is Skógafoss, a 31m drive from Reynisfjara, an incredible waterfall that lets you take the most beautiful pictures. You can also walk all the way to the top (which my partner did but I couldn’t as I badly hurt my foot). He did say the view from the bottom is actually prettier (which made me feel slightly better)
Our last two stops of the day are Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui. They are right next to eachother and a 27m drive from Skógafoss. Again beautiful waterfalls, but especially Gljufrabui, located within a cave, is impressive. The walk between the two waterfalls is only an 11m walk.
After all the waterfalls we are now ready to drive back to Reykjavik and finish our loop around the island. The drive to Reykjavik takes 1h55m. We are staying at Hótel Frón right in the centre.
Return to Reykjavík – dinner at Sægreifinn and relaxed evening walk
After checking in and taking it easy in our hotel room we decided to go for a walk and find some food. We ended up at Sægreifinn (the Seabaron) where they sell fish skewers (the fish differs per day as it depends what they have caught that day) and an amazing(!!!) lobster soup. We went back here the next day too as it’s super cheap, so fresh and delicious food! There is always a line, but it’s 100% worth the wait.
We were planning on going out, but in the end just couldn’t be bothered anymore and after a couple drinks while sitting down, we decided we weren’t up for a heavy night and went back to our hotel.
Day 10: Reykjavik City Day
Hallgrímskirkja Exploration – striking architecture and city views
This is our last day in Iceland, before we fly back tomorrow. Today we are using to walk around Reykjavik and see the city and its incredible Hallgrímskirkja (church). Its stepped concrete facade is an ode to modernism and a reminder of the Icelandic landscape.
We also met Ofelia cat today in one of the shops. She just lays there on top of the blankets waiting to be pet and is super soft! She was one of my Reykjavik highlights <3
There was a football match on today (I don’t even remember who were playing that much I am into football..) and my partner really wanted to see it. So like real tourists we found an English pub that showed it and watched the game here during the day. Afterwards we made another stop at Sægreifinn for lobster soup and fish skewers before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our last evening.
Souvenirs – the most beautiful silver lava stone necklace
Before settling down for a drink we walked a bit more around Iceland and I managed to buy a really nice silver necklace with a lava stone inside. As mentioned before I am big on jewellery and I try to get myself something new on every travel I do (this one I actually got from my partner).
We didn’t make it a late one so we would be all ready to leave early the next morning to catch our flight back to London.
Day 11: Departure Day
Flight Home – ending our unforgettable 11 days Iceland roadtrip
Bye Iceland, you were incredible! I am so happy we finally did this trip as it was on my list for a long time. It’s been so different from all other trips (mainly where we did so much during the day we were always exhausted in the evening). But also often there wasn’t even an option to do anything in the evening, just because we were in the middle of nowhere enjoying the peace and quiet.
100% recommend doing the full loop, as likely Iceland will be a one off (for us it will be I am sure) so you might as well see it all!
Iceland FAQ’s
Is driving around Iceland easy?
Driving around Iceland was mostly straightforward, but weather conditions can change quickly — we even got caught in snowstorms that altered our plans. Planning extra time and checking road conditions helped us stay safe.
How long do you need for an Iceland roadtrip?
We spent 11 days covering the whole island, which was a great pace: not rushed, with time for major stops like waterfalls, glacier hikes and Reykjavík. You could do a shorter loop, but this felt just right for us.
Is Iceland expensive to visit?
Yes, Iceland can be expensive — food, activities and car hire add up quickly. We balanced meals with take-aways and planned ahead for tours (like the glacier walk and whale watching) to keep costs in check.
What’s best time of year for an Iceland trip?
Weather really shapes your trip in Iceland. We experienced snow in places even on a longer loop, which was beautiful but slow. For milder conditions, summer months usually offer easier driving and more daylight hours.
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