Road Trippingin Iceland

Depending on where you’re traveling from, chances are your flight will land in Reykjavik in either the early morning or midday. Travel days can take it out of you, so focus on taking it easy and getting things in order for the adventure ahead.

At Keflavik Airport, pick up your pre-arranged rental car and make the 45 minute drive to downtown Reykjavik where you’ll check in to your hotel. My favorite options are Hotel 101, the Apotek Hotel or the soon-to-open EDITION Hotel. Each of these three hotels are within walking distance of one another and perfectly located near Laugavegur, the city’s main shopping street.

Take your first day to get to know the city of Reykjavik. Walk down Laugavegur, stopping in shops and cafes along the way. A great store to visit for Iceland-inspired souvenirs is Viking.

For a quick bite, grab an Icelandic hotdog at the Pylsuhúsið stand. While most hot dogs are made from pork or beef, Iceland’s hotdogs are made from their grass-fed, free-roaming lamb – giving this hotdog a distinctive and delicious taste. Go for the classic Icelandic dog – topped with crispy onions, raw onions and sweet mustard – and then take your treat to the nearby Tjörnin lake, where you can watch resident swans and ducks glide by.

Continue walking to the popular Skolavorduholt, a tower known as Reykjavik’s most beloved landmark. Buy a ticket to go to the very top of Skolavorduholt, where you’ll find the perfect aerial view of Reykjavik and its multicolored houses.

For sunset, stop by the Sun Voyager sculpture and then grab dinner at Dill Restaurant (the first restaurant in Iceland to be awarded a Michelin star) or Fish Company (a Nordic restaurant housed inside a former store dating back to the 19th-century).

Check-out of your hotel early and drive toward the iconic Blue Lagoon, a geothermal seawater spa with milky-blue waters. You can opt for a day visit to the Blue Lagoon, which will afford a towel, silica mud face mask, one drink of choice and entrance to the lagoon itself. Or, you can splurge on a luxury five-hour spa treatment at the Retreat Spa, an experience which includes a private changing room, access to both the Blue Lagoon and a private Retreat Lagoon, spa amenities, treatments and more.

After you’ve spent the morning practicing the fine art of self-care, head toward the Golden Circle. Iceland’s Golden Circle is a 186-mile route that takes travelers to some of Southern Iceland’s most beautiful natural attractions. While there are day-trips and bus tours that visit the Golden Circle from Reykjavik, the best way to enjoy it is by renting a car and exploring yourself.

Head to Kerid Crater (a stunning volcanic crater lake), the great geysir where every few minutes the hot spring erupts and the awe-inspiring Gullfoss Falls.

For lunch, look no further than the family-run Friðheimar, a restaurant that boasts sprawling greenhouses and tomato-based dishes using the produce grown on-site. When you walk into Friðheimar, they have a sit-down restaurant and a standing bar for guests. If the restaurant is full, head over to the standing bar to grab a warm cup of the best tomato soup you’ll ever have as well as a drink.

In the evening, check-in to the ION Hotel Nesjavellir and enjoy an early dinner. (If the ION doesn’t fit your vibe, let me know and I can offer other suggestions for hotel stays).

If you’re up for a late adventure, head to the town of Hverageroi and up the main street of Breidamork to the trailhead to the Reykjadalur Hot Springs for a soak in these natural baths surrounded by unspoiled nature. If you’re lucky (and depending on the time of year) you may catch a glimpse of the elusive northern lights once night falls.

Check-out of your hotel early and go for a morning swim at the Silfra Fissure in Thingvellir National Park, an incredible spot where you can snorkel or swim between two tectonic plates. This is the only place on earth where you can swim directly between the North American and European continents.

Afterward, drive along Iceland’s west coast for 2.5 hours, passing alien-like lava fields and fjords, until you reach the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is home to dramatic landscapes and waterfalls. While here, you won’t want to miss the Gerðuberg Cliffs with their imposing wall of basalt columns, and the Ytri Tunga Seal Beach with its colony of resident seals. There are plenty of hiking trails around  Snaefellsnes, so if you have time, pull the car over and venture into nature.

Before you go, make sure to stop by the Djúpalónssandur Beach (a.k.a. the Black Lava Pearl Beach). This beach was once home to a thriving fishing town and more than 60 fishing boats, but today it is uninhabited. While walking along the beach, keep an eye out for orange-rust colored pieces of iron dotting the black sand. These are bits of the wreckage from when the British trawler, Epine GY7, wrecked east of Dritvík cove in 1948.

From there, continue your drive to the Erpsstadir Dairy Farm (about 1.5 hours away). This dairy farm specializes in homemade ice cream and offers tours of their property. After a day spent exploring, check in to your hotel (my personal favorite is Hotel Budir) and have an early dinner. Whatever you do, don’t skip on the scallops!