Exploring Iceland: A 7-Night Adventure
Iceland had been on my travel bucket list for years, and this winter, I finally made it happen with three of my friends. Our main goal was to witness the Northern Lights and explore the breathtaking landscapes Iceland is known for. We spent 7 nights and a half day exploring glaciers, soaking in hot springs, chasing waterfalls, and eating our way through the country.
While planning, I leaned heavily on Amanda Wanders Iceland itinerary (shoutout to her for the amazing tips!), tweaking it to fit our schedule and preferences. If you're looking for a detailed guide to Iceland, definitely check out her blog here. We budgeted up to $3,000 per person, covering flights, accommodations, food, and activities.
Quick Overview of Our Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavik – Sky Lagoon, downtown exploration, and souvenir shopping
Day 2: Golden Circle road trip – Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss
Day 3: South Coast – Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Dyrholaey, and Vik
Day 4: Eastward journey – Skaftáreldahraun, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Glacier Lagoon, and Northern Lights
Day 5: Ice Cave Tour, Diamond Beach, Fjallsárlón, and returning to Vik
Day 6: Reykjavik-bound – Thrift shopping, distillery tasting, and city exploration
Day 7: Blue Lagoon, museums, and Reykjavik nightlife
Day 8: Flea market shopping and heading home
Now, let’s get into the details!
Day 1: Arrival & Reykjavik Explorations
We landed in Reykjavik at 6:30 AM, groggy from sleeping on the plane but excited to start our adventure. After picking up our rental car, we drove into the city and lucked out with an early hotel check-in (a win when you’ve been traveling overnight!). After freshening up, we found a cozy breakfast spot, Kaktus Espressobar, where we grabbed fresh delicious food and coffee.
We had our 12:30 PM reservation at Sky Lagoon, a geothermal spa just 20 minutes from downtown. We had booked our time slot in advance, and it was totally worth it—soaking in the warm waters with an ocean view was the perfect way to kick off the trip and was much needed after traveling for 18 hours.
Afterwards, we grabbed a late lunch, wandered Downtown Reykjavik’s main road (Laugavegur), explored souvenir shops, and called it an early night to recover from our long travel day.
Where we stayed in Reykjavik: Hotel VON
What we ate: Kaktus Espressobar
What we did: Sky Lagoon
Day 2: Golden Circle Adventure
We started the day with breakfast at The Laundromat Cafe before hitting the road. Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park, where we walked between tectonic plates. Next, we visited Geysir to see steaming geothermal eruptions, followed by the jaw-dropping Gullfoss Waterfall. The power of the falls was unreal! All of these sites had short hikes, and we spent about an hour at each one. The cool thing is they are all free entry, with just a parking fee of 1,000 Kr, which is about $7.50 USD. I’d suggest downloading the PARKA app because it makes it super easy to pay for parking at each stop.
After a long day of sightseeing, we stopped for dinner on our way to Selfoss, and then finally arrived at our hotel super late, ready to crash.
Where we stayed in Selfoss: Hotel Selfoss
What we ate: The Laundromat Café, Restaurant Mika
Day 3: Waterfalls & Vik
Our hotel included breakfast (yay for saving money on meals!), so we ate before stocking up on snacks at a local grocery store. Then, we hit the road towards Vik, making several incredible stops along the way:
Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfrafoss – A stunning waterfall you can walk behind and a hidden gem tucked inside a cave. I’d recommend your waterproof clothes for this one because the spray from the waterfall gets you pretty damp!
Skogafoss – Another powerful waterfall that also had a really cool hike where you could get a birds eye view of it.
Dyrhólaey & Reynisfjara Beach – Black sand beaches and dramatic basalt columns.
In Vik, we experienced a Lava Show, where real lava was reheated—it was so cool and I highly recommend it! Afterward, we grabbed dinner at a local pub, enjoyed drinks at our hotel bar, and called it a night.
Where we stayed in Vik: Black Beach Suites
Where we ate: Ströndin Pub
What we did: Lava Show
Day 4: Glacier Lagoons & Northern Lights
We grabbed breakfast and at the Lava Café. On the way to Höfn, we stopped at a moss-covered lava field, Skaftáreldahraun, which felt like something out of a fantasy movie. Next, we hiked Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, stopped at Fagurhólsmýri Glacier, and arrived at Glacier Lagoon for sunset—hands down my favorite stop of the trip! The icebergs floating in the lagoon were mesmerizing. This day was a lot of driving, and I accideintally booked a hotel deep into Höfn that was about an hour away from Glacier Lagoon, which was kind of inconvenient since we had to be back at Glacier Lagoon the next day for our Ice Cave Tour, but it was worth it because of the restaurant we went to for dinner.
We had dinner at Pakkhus Restaurant which was pricey but worth the splurge. I got a starter, dinner, and dessert and spent around $75 USD. After checking into our hotel, we checked the Northern Lights forecast and drove a few miles away to an area with less light pollution where we saw the Northern Lights. Höfn had clear skies which helped us to see them because all the other nights had been pretty cloudy.
Where we stayed in Höfn: The Milk Factory
Where we ate: Lava Café, Pakkhus Restaurant
Day 5: Ice Caves & Diamond Beach
Our hotel had breakfast included so we ate a quick breakfast and then drove back to Glacier Lagoon early for our ice cave tour, which took us into a breathtaking cave beneath a glacier. Before the tour, we stopped at Diamond Beach, where massive ice chunks washed up on the black sand beach. It was surreal!
After our tour, we drove back to Vik for another night and stopped at another glacier, Fjallsárlón, on the way! This glacier also had a lagoon with floating icebergs all around, and it was much less crowded than Glacier Lagoon, and worth the short walk. This stop was recommended by our ice cave tour guide—I highly recommend talking to your guide and other locals because they always have the best recommendations. When we got into Vik, we had dinner at a local brewery, and ended the day with a visit to Vik’s famous hilltop church. Fun fact: this church is the emergency meet up spot in the event that the nearby volcano, Katla, begins to erupt!
Where we stayed in Vik: Black Beach Suites
Where we ate: Smidjan Brugghus
What we did: Ice Cave Tour
Day 6: Thrift Shopping & Distillery Tasting
Before heading back to Reykjavik, we did some shopping in Vik, including a stop at Skool Beans, an adorable coffee shop inside a school bus.
On the way, we hit a thrift store in Selfoss, Venus, where I found the coziest Icelandic sweater. Back in Reykjavik, we went straight to our distillery tasting at Eimverk Distillery, trying various Icelandic whiskeys and gins. We also made sure to grab an Icelandic hot dog before checking into our hotel. Dinner was at a Vietnamese restaurant, followed by a relaxing night in.
Where we stayed in Reykjavik (2 nights): Grandi by Center Hotels
What we ate: Skool Beans, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (famous Icelandic hot dogs)
What we did: Venus Thriftshop, Eimverk Distillery Tour
Day 7: Blue Lagoon & Reykjavik Nightlife
We woke up early for pastries at Brauð & Co., a famous bakery, before driving an hour to the Blue Lagoon. While the lagoon was beautiful, it felt a bit like a tourist trap—personally, I preferred Sky Lagoon!
After returning to the city, we grabbed lunch at Le Kock, then checked out the world’s only penis museum (yes, you read that right). A nap later, we got ready for our final night out:
Complimentary drinks at our hotel
Kaffibarinn - recommended by our ice cave tour guide
Lebowski Bar for snacks
Hús máls og menningar — a hidden gem with live rock music
Ended the night at a karaoke bar called ELLÝ
Safe to say, we made the most of our last night!
Where we ate and drank: Brauð & Co, Le Kock, Kaffibar, Lebowski Bar, Hús máls og menningar, ELLÝ
What we did: Penis Museum
Day 8: Flea Markets & Flying Home
With our flight at 5:30 PM, we had time to sleep in and grab breakfast at our hotel’s café, Hygge Coffee & Microbakery (one of my favorite meals!). We visited the Reykjavik flea market, which is only open on Saturdays, before heading to the airport.
Where we ate: Hygge Coffee & Microbakery
What we did: Reykjavik Flea Market
This trip was one for the books—from witnessing the Northern Lights to exploring glaciers and soaking in lagoons, Iceland exceeded all my expectations. If you’re planning a trip, I highly recommend budgeting time for unexpected stops, booking excursions in advance, and layering up for the cold.
Would I go back? In a heartbeat. ✨
Other important information:
We got super super lucky with the weather. It wasn’t that cold when we went in mid-march, and it didn’t rain that much or have too much wind. Iceland weather can be unpredictable, so you need to be prepared for cold weather, wind, snow, and rain. It’s also important to take crampons with you and have them available for hikes. You will absolutely need them if there is snow and ice on the ground because it makes it very slippery. We were lucky because all the snow melted from the week before, so we didn’t need the crampons we packed. I bought my crampons from Amazon and returned them since I didn’t use them
We also had a northern lights tour booked for Day 6, but since we found them ourselves we cancelled the tour and got our money back. I think you should plan on trying to find them yourself, it’s pretty easy and you can check the forecast, but maybe if you’re unsuccessful you can plan for a tour later in the week.