Free Iceland 7 Day Itinerary

Day 1: South Coast
 
Our flight arrived very early in the morning, so we opted to grab our rental car from the airport, which was KEF Keflavik International Airport. This is about a 45 minute drive from the capital, Reykjavik. We sprung for a 4 wheel drive, SUV because the snow can fly in September, we were driving a lot and it had  a large cargo space for all of our luggage, groceries and shopping along the way! 
 
There’s a lot of parking fees associated with the destinations and parks, so it’s best to download the app Parka if you plan on visiting some scenic spots on your journey. 
 
Our first stop was Drangurrin, it wasn’t on our original itinerary, but the moment we spotted horses climbing up the side of the mountain with a cave like structure / hobbit house looking thing with a parking lot, we immediately pulled over. To our surprise you can actually go inside of the cave! It was unexpected and free and I highly recommend it, especially if you’re into Icelandic, Elf, Fairy folklore or just want some Lord of the Rings vibes for some photos. 
 
Skogafoss, was our second stop, it’s an absolutely stunning waterfall that we had read so much about in our research. Quick tip: Foss means waterfall, so if you see that tacked on to the end of the name of a place, it’s a waterfall! This location is breathtaking, and it’s one of the most powerful waterfalls in the whole country, so have your waterproof pants and jacket ready to put on. The base of the waterfall is pretty great, with black sand everywhere, and it’s pretty crowded, but the top of the waterfall is where you want to go! The sights are unbelievable from up there. Be prepared, there’s a LOT of steps to get up there, and you’re going to question if it’s worth it. Trust me! It is. The site itself is free, but you must pay for parking. 
 
We stopped for a bite to eat in Vik, a busy little town with some great shopping. If you’re looking to shop and eat lunch at the same time, you might want to check out the Icewear store, since it’s the company’s biggest store in the country and there’s a cafeteria, cafe / bakery and a grocery store all in the same building. 
 
After lunch we hit up the most iconic black sand beach in Iceland, called Reynisfjara Beach. Game of Thrones filmed here and it’s no wonder why. The intensely interesting rock formations popping out of the powerful ocean are a spectacle, as well as the basalt columns along the coastline cliffs. There are cave formations you can walk into as well. This beach is dangerous, keep an eye out for the sneaker waves that have been known to sweep people out to sea. It’s absolutely stunning to see this place in real life and I highly recommend you make this stop a MUST SEE. 
 
Since we wanted to explore as much of the south coast as possible in 2 days / 2 nights, we opted to get an Airbnb around the middle of the southern coast in Kirkjubæjarklaustur which is about an hour east of Vik. By the time we checked in, we were exhausted, but happy that we purchased groceries and wine to have a cozy night in. Our cabin  also had a sauna and hot tub which was the perfect way to relax after a big travel day. 

​Day 2: South Coast

We woke up and went straight to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. This site was created over 9000 years ago by the melting of a glacier and the constant flow of water running over the rocks. There is a spot built out over the waterfalls where you can stand and get the Birds Eye view without disrupting the moss or other natural environments in the area. This is a very special place, and makes you feel like you are in a magical world, not of this earth. I highly recommend seeing this place. The hike wasn’t too bad at all, it’s a hill that you climb as opposed to steps, but the hike along the top will absolutely take your breath away. This is another place where visiting the site is free, but you pay for parking with the Parka app. 

From there we headed further east to the areas where the glaciers take over the landscape. The fact that glaciers exist at sea level blew my mind. I am used to seeing the snow capped glacier mountains in the rockies, and I thought that they could only exist at high altitudes or they would melt. Well they do melt, and that's the craziest part about this next location. You witness what happens when a glacier melts over time. It turns into icebergs, then melts into lagoons or lakes, then feeds into rivers and the ocean. The next 2 stops were mind blowing for us all. We booked a Glacier Lagoon Boat Tour at Fjallsarlon Iceberg Boat Tours which was so much fun and so informative! From there we decided to have lunch at the Frost Restaurant on site and had their delicious tomato soup, with free refills. The first bowl was so huge that none of us went back for more. 

We were ready for our next adventure just down the road at another infamous spot called the Diamond Beach, yet another black sand beach. This place is filled with broken off pieces of icebergs just laying on the beach that have washed ashore. They are fed down through the river, which also just happens to be the home to many cute seals. You must pay for parking here as well. 

We debated on this next leg of our day trip. We knew if we went this far, we wouldn't get back to our cabin until 11 pm, but we knew it was a bucket list item, so we decided to go for it. Off to the Viking Village at Stokknes we went. We planned to do a little photoshoot here and knew we would be a couple of hours. There's a whole rebuilt Viking Village here which was used in the hit TV series The Witcher. This location is home to a beautiful shallow tidal pool which offers a striking reflection of the mountains on it's own black sand beach. Also, the black dunes here, the lighthouse and a spherical radio tower used in WW2 are ALL HERE on this private site. Since it's private, you must pay an entrance fee of about 1100 ISK per person to enter. Trust me again on this one, it's worth it! Plus, where you buy the tickets, there's a cafe with very yummy lattes and cakes to keep you warm (and motivated). 

By the time we got back to our SUV, we were hungry and cold. The wind was wicked at the beach earlier, so we went to grab some really, really, REALLY good pizza at Ishusid Pizzeria on the waterfront in Hofn.  We could see the fishing boats coming and going at the wharf and we all agreed this was a picturesque town, which in ways reminded us of home in Nova Scotia. 

On our way back to our cabin, we started to see the glimmer of the Northern Lights, and sure enough, as soon as we pulled in the driveway at 10:50 PM, the sky was putting on a show for us. We knew we should be able to see them this time of year, as long as the skies are free of clouds and rain. 

Also, if you're new here and don't know this about me yet, my friends and are into folklore, the paranormal, or anything obscure (check out the tab called "My Daker Side" to find out more on that). Shortly after we captured some stunning Northern Lights photos, we had our first paranormal experience in Iceland! It didn't just happen once, it happened in consecutive moments, one after another for about an hour before we decided it was the Huldufolk who might not be happy about the construction going on at the property. 
 

Day 3: The Golden Circle & Snaefellsnes

We checked out of our cabin to head to the west side of the island. We decided to hit a couple of spots along the famed Golden Circle road, that we’ve seen everyone rave about, but first we had a bucket list item to knock off. Now this is one that not everyone would be into, but it was such a great spot to see. There are 2 DC-3 plane crash sites on the south coast, not far from one another. There is a really popular one on the original site of the crash on a black sand beach, which sounds really tempting for photography purposes, but the shuttle cost to go back and forth from the parking lot to the airplane and back to the parking lot was shocking. We could have hiked it, but it’s about a 4 km hike each way. We opted for the lesser known, lesser photographed airplane in Hvolsvollur where we got to hang out with horses, pay for parking (at a reasonable rate) and view the mountains in the background. Only a handful of people showed up while we were there, and everyone we came across was super friendly. 
 
We needed to see more waterfalls, and heard that Gullfoss Falls were incredible. Also, we heard there was a great cafeteria here along with incredible shopping showcasing some of Iceland’s finest designers, so we spent some time here taking in the food and the shopping. 2 of us purchased our favourite items here, and I even found an Icelandic ghost book published in English. Score! We had the chance to hike down by the falls, and this was a much easier staircase than our first foss experience at Skogafoss. We even got to see multiple rainbows at this site. I’m going to say it now, and I won’t mention it again, but please obey the rules and stay within the confined areas at ALL of these sites. This site is top notch and you can tell they really cater to tourism here. We loved it! Expect to pay for parking using the Parka app here but admission is free. 
 
We then headed towards the old Geysir. No one told us how stinky it would be! It smells like sulphur, which is absolutely to be expected, but it still stung the nostrils if you know what I mean. It’s really neat to see water and mud bubbling from the ground, as a not so gentle reminder that the island is comprised of many volcanoes and hot bubbling liquid just pops up anywhere on this land. It’s a natural wonder that I highly recommend you take it. Don’t always expect the geyser eruption to be 50 feet high though. We only witnessed a little puff of hot water and steam that reached a max height of 7 or 8 feet. But again, it was REALLY cool to see. Also, you must pay for parking here too, using the Parka app and admission is also free. We didn’t spend much time here, probably about 30 minutes total. 

Next we headed towards our next cabin, which was also an Airbnb on the coast of Snaefellsnes. We got to drive through Thingvellir National Park, which was so scenic. It was the first time we really got to see autumn colours with rolling hills and lakes and very interesting rocky regions. What else is really historically interesting about this place is that it was the site of the parliament starting in the 10th century here in Iceland. We’re talking saga stuff right there! 

Time for us to stop at a grocery store to pick up ingredients for a night in at a new cabin with yet another hot tub. 

Day 4: Boudir, Snaefellsnes Peninsula & Reykjavik

Since we woke up in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, we had some stops to make before we headed to Reykjavik. The first stop was the black church of Budir, also known as Budakirkja. It’s dark wooden siding against the ocean backdrop and mountains create some pretty stunning photography, but it also has some incredible history and supernatural aspects to it’s story. Búðakirkja was first built in 1703, but as the village faded, so did the church—it was eventually torn down, leaving only stones and memories.
Enter Steinunn Sveinsdóttir. Most would’ve let it go, but not her. After collapsing inside the church and experiencing what she believed was a vision, she became determined to rebuild it. Local officials said no, so she went over their heads—way over. In the early 1800s, this remarkable woman wrote directly to the King of Denmark, back when Iceland was under Danish rule. And against all odds, she pulled it off. We snapped a lot of photos here before we headed to our next spot. 
 
We went further west to the end of the peninsula in search of the world renowned Icelandic Hotdog. We saw someone making them at the gas station in Reykjavik at an N1 specifically and saw that they toasted the buns as well, so we found a very cute little grocery store/ N1 gas station in Hellissandur and we weren’t disappointed. There were a lot of different sauces there, but the kind lady behind the counter told us what each of them tasted like. She also proclaimed that we would like it. And she wasn’t wrong. 
 
We then headed to the orange lighthouse at Svortuloft and were pleasantly surprised at the beaches along the way, but did not love the fact that this was a super bumpy, almost at times, off roading adventure. The drive is about a 15 - 20 minute drive in, mostly down to one lane, so you’re forced to pull over. There also isn’t a proper parking lot when you get to the end of the road, and it can be a bit dangerous if it’s busy. People trying to pull out when people are trying to fit in. But, the views and lighthouse do look incredible and you don't have to pay for parking. There are some really interesting rock formations here and some signage to tell you about the history here. 
 
We had made reservations at the Vatnshellir Lava Cave for a tour, which I would also highly recommend seeing. Make sure you use the washroom before you get here, as there are no washrooms on site. You do not have to pay for parking here.  Again, there are stairs, as you end up going down to 3 different caves and tubes that the lava carved out of the rock, but it’s not exhausting by any means. Our tour guide was very informative and very sweet. She calmed some apprehensive people's nerves before we went in, after all, it’s kind of terrifying to think that the large mountain behind the establishment is an active volcano, but probably won’t erupt for another 800 - 1000 years. 
 
From there we headed to the city of Reykjavik for a couple of nights. We rented an Airbnb that had parking included and it was downtown, so we could walk anywhere. There are so many shops and restaurants to choose from, but we really enjoyed the Islenski Barrin. The food was so good, the atmosphere was fantastic and did I mention the food was soo good?! 

Day 5: Reykjavik

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We spent the whole day and night in Reykjavik. We loved the souvenir shops along the Rainbow Road, we went into the Hallgrimskirkja which was stunningly beautiful, we shopped at Mujk, A LOT, and we also checked out the most delicious cinnamon rolls at Braud. The line to get one of these buns was long, but we waited a little bit to see if the line died down, and it did and we took the plunge. As we stood outside and ate the cinnamon buns, we sold the idea to a few people walking by! We must have really been enjoying them. 

We had a ghost / folklore tour booking with Your Friend in Reykjavik, which was a walking tour before our dinner out. It was so much fun, we learned about raising some zombies from the dead, the elves (Huldufolk) and their elf rocks, as well as the Yule Cat. You bet we all bought Yule Cat glass blown pieces to bring home with us after that! 

Our evening was well spent by checking out the restaurant Tides. We had a view of the harbour and a super yacht as we dined on lobster ravioli, tenderloin and lamb lasagna. What a treat! We then walked home to take it all of the lights and culture of the city, plus it’s such a safe spot and full of tourists, so we felt really comfortable doing so. As we strolled home, we looked in every tattoo shop window and thought about getting tattoos on our trip. (Spoiler alert, we did on our last day!)

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Day 6 & 7: Hvammsvík & Reykjavik

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We headed slightly outside of the city for the ultimate in relaxation. We booked the Lake House at Hvammsvik for the night and got day passes for their hot spring spa. Even though it was raining, we were super excited to pull into the property to see sheep grazing, everywhere! We got some incredible photos of 3 sheep who were eating seaweed at the coastline close to the dock on the property. We had no idea that Icelandic sheep actually eat seaweed as it provides them with nutrients and is good for their gut. There were also a few pieces of seagrass on the beach, and apparently if you look hard enough, you might find some WW2 artifacts on the beach. 

We checked into our house, grabbed some robes and swimwear and headed down to the hot springs area. We heard that the rocks between the pools can be a little rough on your feet, so we were prepared and brought water shoes with us. It was a good call! The pools vary in temperatures, we enjoyed the mid range hot pool the most, and also spent a lot of time in their lounge pool which was still very warm, but the best part was that there’s a swim up bar here! We enjoyed a couple of the Basil, Lime and Gin cocktails here. 

After about 3 hours, we decided it was time to go back to our lake house and make dinner. The kitchen was beautiful and well appointed and we snuggled in and watched some Netflix after a relaxing day.

Day 7: We got organized and all packed up for our journey back to Reykjavik and the KEF airport, but we made it a point to get back to the city for when the tattoo shops opened so we could get some walk in appointments. We already knew what we wanted, so as soon as we walked into Reykjavik Ink, they started whipping up some drawings for us. We were in and out within an hour and a half. I opted for getting some Norse Bind Rune characters, while Chelsey opted for an Icelandic Sheep, while Jenn chose a beautiful, personal tattoo that she’s wanted to get for a long time. 

We shopped around a little more some last minute gifts and headed to the airport. We were all mourning our trip already, but our bodies were telling us it was time to go home! We all cannot stop talking about our trip and have so many photos to share with friends and family. You can follow me on Facebook at Kim Moser and Instagram @kimmosertv to follow along on the rest of my journey and to see some more of the photos we snapped. 

I sincerely hope this itinerary helps you plan your trip to Iceland, I want to hear all about your journey, so feel free to reach out and let me know how it went. 

Blessings! 

Kim Moser