Iceland 10-Day Itinerary
Cross Country in a Rental Car
Day 1
Full travel day
Day 2
Land in Reykjavik at 0900, pick up car rental
Explore Reykjavik
Eat snack at Braud and Co.
Visit Hallgrimskirkja Church + get tickets to climb to the top of the church for city views
Visit Reykjavik Rainbow Street, explore Laugavegur shops
Visit The Handknitting Association of Iceland
Walk to The Sun Voyager
Drive to Omnom Chocolates
Grab snacks for on the road at Bonus Iceland
Dinner at Reykjavik Kitchen
Stay at: Icelandic Apartments
Day 3
0800 Blue Lagoon Premium Reservation
Lunch at LAVA Restaurant
Drive 2 hrs to Kirkjufell
Drive 1 hr to Svortuloft Lighthouse
Drive 41 mins to Arnarstapi
Dinner at Café Loki
Stay at: Icelandic Apartments
Day 4
0800 Sky Lagoon Reservation, breakfast at Sky Café
Drive 1 hr to Laugarvatn Fontana for a Geothermal Bakery Tour (Rye Bread)
Drive 23 mins to Strokkur Geysir
Drive 10 mins to Gullfoss
Drive 35 mins to Hrunalaug Hot Spring
Dinner at Sjavargrillio
Stay at: Icelandic Apartments
Day 5
Grab pastries for on the road at Braud & Co.
Brunch at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Drive 1 hr 55 mins to Seljalandsfoss
Drive 33 mins to UMI Hotel
Grab quick bite to eat at UMI Hotel
Drive 11 mins to Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool
Drive 20 mins to Skogafoss Waterfall
Drive 7 mins to Kvernufoss
Drive 30 mins to Dyrholaey
Drive 19 mins to Reynisfjara Beach
Dinner at UMI Hotel
Stay at: UMI Hotel
Day 6
Breakfast buffet at UMI Hotel
Drive 2 hrs 50 mins to Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Dinner at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
Drive 27 mins to Hotel Smyrlabjorg
Stay at: Hotel Smyrlaborg (stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon if availability)
Day 7
Breakfast at Hotel Smyrlaborg
Drive 1 hr 18 mins to Laekjavik
Drive 2 hrs 26 mins to Vid Lonid Guesthouse
See Rainbow Road, explore Seydisfjordur
Lunch at Fancy Sheep food truck
Explore city
Dinner at Nord Austur
Stay at: Vid Lonid Guesthouse
Day 8
Breakfast Hotel Aldan
Drive 1 hr 30 mins to Studlagil Canyon
Drive 1 hr 45 mins to Myvatn Nature Baths 1530 Reservation
Lunch at Myvatn Café Kvika
Drive 6 mins to Hverir Geothermal Area
Drive 11 mins to Viti Crater Lake
Drive 2 hrs to the Arctic Henge
Dinner at Hotel Nordurljos
Stay at: Hotel Nordurljos (Hotel Northern Lights)
Day 9
Breakfast at Hotel Nordurljos
Drive 7 hrs 45 mins to Reykjavik
Dinner at DILL Restaurant
2100 Blue Lagoon Comfort Reservation
Stay at: Icelandic Apartments
Day 10
Flight home
Rental Car:
-Northern Lights Car Rental is who we booked our rental car through. The key fob had a discount associated with it so when we got gas at any N1 gas station, the discount was applied (for 10 days driving the entire country, we spent a total of $300 USD in gas). N1 gas station pumps are available 24/7.
-Make sure that your rental is a 4WD and automatic.
-Do not speed, there are frequent cameras and the fines supposedly are in the $2000-$3000USD range.
-Sheep are literally everywhere on the road, beware not to hit them.
-To pay for gas, you need a credit card with a pin or a debit card.
Must bring items:
-Flip flops for hot springs/lagoons
-At least 1 pool towel (Hrunalaug & Seljavallalaug but do not recommend swimming in Seljavallalaug)
-Water bottle
-Eye cover for sleeping due to 24 hrs of daylight
-Mophie in case your phone dies
-Rain jacket, waterproof pants if you have them
-Winter jacket/sherpa
-Warm layers
-Hat
Additional incredible spots:
-Brúarfoss
-Landmannalaugar
-Fjadrargljufur Canyon
-Ice Cave tour
Favorites!!
-The Blueberry Licorice roll from Braud & Co is to die for!! We picked up a handful of rolls/pastries there every morning that we could.
-The Rye bread and Rye bread ice cream from Cafe Loki is 1000/10!
-The hotdogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur are *chefs kiss*!! Fun fact: in 2004 Bill Clinton got a hotdog from BBP. BPP is an outdoor hotdog stand with a few surrounding tables that have cool hotdog holders built into them.
-Nord Auster in Seydisfjordur had incredible sushi. Seydisfjordur was probably our absolute favorite town in Iceland and our guesthouse, Vid Lonid Guesthouse, was our favorite place that we stayed!
-The Blue Lagoon was magical and beyond perfection!! I believe you cannot go to Iceland and NOT go to the Blue Lagoon.
Tips:
-Since there was 24 hrs of daylight (July), we did visit a lot of our destinations from 11pm-5am so that it would not be as crowded. The Midnight Sun was from 11pm-3am and allowed for the prettiest photographs.
-Before entering any lagoon, you must bathe naked at their facility (it is illegal not to do this). Try to get to the Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon as early as possible to avoid large crowds!
-Maps on iPhone did not bring us to the correct location multiple times in fact it brought us 30 mins PAST our location, Google Maps was significantly better.
-At Hrunalaug you will either need ISK cash or PayPal for the entry fee.
-You can refill your water at any cold moving water source aka waterfall/stream. If you don’t have a bottle, I recommend buying a water once and refilling that same bottle.
-Put lots of conditioner (they provide it) in your hair before entering the Blue Lagoon or do not get your hair wet. If you choose to get your hair wet (its hard not to), then don’t be surprised when your hair is super hard and tangle-y for the next 2 weeks.
-At Reynisfjara Beach, DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK TO THE WATER. Keep a safe distance. There are occasional sneaker waves that have claimed the lives of multiple people/tourists. Please research videos of these sneaker waves at Reynisfjara so you are aware of what to expect. Luckily, we did not see any but that is not always the case.
-I booked all nearly all of our stays through Booking.com because they have great discounts and the more you book through booking, the greater discount you receive!
-I paid next to nothing for our flights because we use our Chase Sapphire Credit Card + use our travel points through Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel. If you are not familiar with this or do not have this card + you travel often, I HIGHLY recommend this. It has saved us SO much money. DM me for a referral link that will allow you to receive a large amount of bonus points that equates to around $1000! This has been the greatest thing that has allowed my husband + I to travel so often for a good price.
*There are so many more pointers & suggestions that I have, but it is too much to write down. If you have any questions, just want to know my favorite places that I recommend/wouldn’t recommend, or if you just want to have a conversation about my experience, please send me a message!! I would LOVE more than anything to help you!! 😊
@anissajaworski
