how to travel iceland in a week
iconic. immaculate. inspiring. that’s how i would describe iceland. while it’s become a booming tourist mecca, i still believe it’s largely underrated. sometimes i felt as if i were on a different planet, not just a different country. in the span of an hour i saw the rugged & lush countryside change into an arid space-like landscape. i want to go back so, so bad.
although many may say it’s not possible, traveling around iceland’s ring road is very doable in a week - if you have a plan. (my family & i spent 9 days in iceland but we spent three days in reykjavik and two in akureyri.) i spent a lot of hours researching the must see spots, local cuisine & lodging accommodations. with virtually zero crime, iceland’s people open their doors to anyone. often times, we would see signs for a street with an image of a bed next to it, signaling that travelers could stay there. while we didn’t sleep with the locals, it was cool to see how much they encouraged travel & making connections with complete strangers.
the first thing you’ll need is a reliable car to get you around the island. because parts of it are unpaved, a four-wheel drive vehicle is a must. we rented a land rover defender and that got us everywhere. (if you can’t drive a manual though, many rental companies have automatic too!) make sure to bring a map as well. cell reception is spotty, especially with an out-of-country phone.
it’s a little overwhelming at first but pick one or two big things to do a day, and you’ll see a lot. to make it in a week, you’ll need to travel about 2-3 hours (sometimes even longer) a day to get to your next location. we stayed in various icelandair hotels, foss hotels and even an air bnb. all are super accommodating & easy to get to. there’s only one road once you get out of reykjavik so it’s hard to get lost! (continental breakfasts aren’t included with your stay so be sure to add it before you reserve your room, too.)
a few highlights of our trip:
svinafellsjokull - a gigantic glacier that you can walk right next to. it was a humbling experience. (plus, parts of game of thrones was shot here!)
whale watching - we actually saw a few whales surface & it was the coolest experience. there’s a lot of companies that will take you to see whales, puffins & more.
blue lagoon - even though it gets pretty crowded, you’ll never see anything like this again. it was very zen for me & i felt so relaxed. we got the comfort package which included a complimentary drink & mud mask.
gullfoss waterfall - this stunning two tiered waterfall is on the golden circle, only about an hour and a half from the capital.
viking systir - the best beer i had there!
for help planning, visit iceland’s tourism website here.