Iceland

A quick flight away from London, Iceland was too close to pass up.

After spending some time in London, we decided it was the most ideal time to visit Iceland since we were so close. We hopped on a short, cheap flight and picked up a rental car to hit the road.

Starting in Reykajvik, we drove east along the southern coast where waterfalls, glaciers, canyons and black sand beaches are right off the highway.

Iceland’s wild terrain is unlike anything else and makes for some other worldly features and views.

The small coastal town of Vik, is about as idyllic as you can get, resting on the black sand beaches and filled with colorful little houses.

In the winter weather, the Blue Lagoon was welcome reprieve from the cold temperatures and despite being very popular and expensive, it was worth it.

Iceland is unlike anywhere else and the natural features of the land are the perfect place to explore for those seeking a unique adventure.

See the Map

STAY

AirBnb - We stayed at this cute AirBnb that was newly updated, clean, cozy, and just perfect for two people with a minimal aesthetic. Location was good--close to options in town.
Icelandair Hotel, Vik - Our hotel in the cute town of Vik. It was clean, modern and had a full restaurant which was great because there wasn’t really anything else in town.
Kex Hostel
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon - Stay on the Blue Lagoon!
Ion Adventure Hotel - looks like an epic hotel.

FOOD

Kaffi Vinyl - Small record cafe serving good vegetarian options.
Sandholt - cozy cafe in Reykjavík. Good for breakfast / brunch and pastries.
Braud & Co - bakery with delicious pastries (multiple locations)
Krost
Kopar
Kaffihús Vesturbæjar
Friðheimar (outside Reykjavik)

COFFEE

Reykjavik Roasters - Coffee roaster and cafe (two locations) serving drinks and pastries.

ACTIVITIES

The following were (or could have been) stops along our southern road trip.

Blue Lagoon - In the winter weather, the Blue Lagoon was a very welcome reprieve from the cold temperatures and despite being very popular and expensive, it was 100% worth it. Make a reservation ahead of time.
Seljalandsfoss - waterfall right off the highway.
Skogafoss - another waterfall right off the highway.
Sólheimajökull - Big glacier that you can see from the highway. You can do guided adventures like glacier hiking. We just stopped to see it. We attempted hiking up to it but the weather was so bad and windy that we decided it was too miserable.
Halsanefshellir Cave & Black Sand Beach - Really cool column rock formations on a black sand beach. They are huge!
Vik - The small coastal town of Vik, is about as idyllic as you can get, resting on the black sand beaches and filled with colorful little houses.
Fjadrargljufur - This river canyon was one of my favorite stops--it is truly beautiful.
Eldhraun - a cool looking, moss-covered lava field right off the highway.
Gullfoss Falls - a giant wedge waterfall with a couple of different viewing points.
Strokkur - A geyser--we mostly just stopped here to make coffee in the back of the car.
Sólheimar Ecovillage - didn’t get the chance to stop here, but their mission and ideology are really beautiful.
Solheimasandur Plane Wreck - I’ve heard this is a really long trek (walk) to get to the plane, but it looks really neat.
Jökulsárlón - glacial lake with ice chunks on the beach
Sigöldugljufur - massive waterfall system, difficult to access in winter
Landmannalaugar - colorful mountains, difficult to access in winter