Iceland is just as incredible, if not more, than all the pictures you have ever seen. Pristine landscapes, endless waterfalls, glaciers, and volcanic activity scatter the landscape — every part of the island is unique and unforgettable, so be ready to try endless outdoor activities to immerse yourself in the beauty that is Iceland. It is the most expensive place I have ever been, and I live on the coast in California, so be prepared for everything to cost three to four times what you'd expect. Just don't forget your wallet or your camera — both are essential. This was a family trip, with another family, so we went at the end of July into early August to enjoy warmer weather and a little darkness at night.
Nine people, two cars, 16 days, and one unforgettable journey around Iceland. Traveling with another family and our kids, we set out on a fast-paced Ring Road adventure determined to experience as much of the country as possible. Whether traveling as a family, with friends, or as a couple, Iceland offers an incredible mix of adventure, scenery, and culture. For larger groups, rental homes are the best option, but they book quickly, so plan four to six months in advance.
Reykjavík
Our multi-family trip began flying from SFO to JFK to KEF. We had eight hours between flights in New York City, so we took the subway into the city to see the 9/11 Memorial, then grabbed dinner at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. Attempting to sleep on the next flight, we arrived at KEF exhausted and excited.
After getting our rental cars we checked out the Bridge Between Continents before going to the Blue Lagoon to soak away the soreness of traveling. We stopped at Costco on the way to the rental house for all the snacks and non-perishable food we'd need throughout the trip, plus an easy dinner for that night.
After an early night, we woke up refreshed and spent the day exploring downtown Reykjavík — starting with delicious pastries from Brauð & Co, then enjoying panoramic city views from the top of Hallgrímskirkja church, shopping the rainbow streets, descending the stairs to the Punk Museum, and admiring the glass and angles of Harpa. In prep for the trip we'd watched a lot of travel shows, and Somebody Feed Phil pointed us to Le Kock for incredible burgers and bagels. It was now time for some fun for the kids, so we rented a dart board at Skor Bar before heading back to the buzz on Laugavegur Street.
Hallgrímskirkja's panoramic city views; the glass and angles of Harpa; Reykjavík's rainbow streets.
We wandered into Hús Máls og Menningar — "the Old Bookshop" — after spotting two stories of books through the glass, only to discover it turns into a bar with live music every night. The band played American hits all night, two stories packed with people dancing and singing along. Later we headed a few doors down to Lebowski Bar for a few too many White Russians before an Uber home through the still-bright skies.
The next morning our families went separate ways. We drove through light rain to Silfra to snorkel the fissure. After struggling into dry suits, we plunged into the 35°F water — shocked awake, and awestruck by the crystal-clear waters and brilliant neon blues, greens, and yellows below. With a brief stop for lunch and a family swap, we were on our way to go inside a volcano. We hiked two miles to the top of dormant Þríhnúkagígur, then loaded into a cable car and descended 198 meters — taller than the Statue of Liberty — into the only known magma chamber in the world open to visitors. Afterward we warmed up with lamb soup while an adorable fluffy grey arctic fox wandered outside.
Snorkeling Silfra's neon-blue waters; the hike up to Þríhnúkagígur; the only known magma chamber in the world open to visitors.
After breakfast the next morning we packed up, double-checked the kids hadn't left anything behind, and jumped in our cars — excited to begin our adventure around Þjóðvegur, also known as Route 1 and the Ring Road.
Vestmannaeyjar (Heimaey)
Our first pit stop on the drive to Vestmannaeyjabær was the geothermal park in Hveragerði, where we saw our first active geyser. Farther down Route 1, we walked the crest of Kerið Volcanic Crater, looking down at red slopes meeting milky aqua water. Before the ferry, we had just enough time to see our first Icelandic waterfall, Seljalandsfoss — walkable all the way around, but incredibly crowded. The next two down the road were just as impressive without the crowds: Gljúfrabúi, then a short hike up to Sauðárfoss, surrounded by pristine, tourist-free hills.
Kerið Volcanic Crater; Seljalandsfoss — beautiful, and the busiest waterfall we saw.
It was time to catch the Herjólfur ferry from Landeyjahöfn to Vestmannaeyjar. It felt like boating into Jurassic Park, but the cliffs were covered in puffins instead of dinosaurs. After settling into our rental house, we walked downtown and ate dinner at The Brothers Brewery with delicious local seafood to go from Gott, talking to locals about what to check out.
The next morning I hiked the Eldheimar trailhead up Eldfell Volcano, enjoying panoramic views of the entire island. Once everyone was up, we started our quest to find puffins — walking the coastal track for our first sightings, then driving out to Stórhöfði peninsula, the windiest place in Europe. Hiking through tall grass filled with yellow flowers, we hit the puffin jackpot: colorful little beaks everywhere, some walking around with their catch hanging like a long mustache. After lunch, we walked to the Beluga Whale Sanctuary and watched Little White and Little Grey swim around.
Stórhöfði peninsula, the windiest place in Europe and an absolute puffin jackpot; a puffin with its catch.
South Coast → Jökulsárlón & Höfn
After taking the ferry back to Landeyjahöfn we had an exciting day ahead on the drive to Höfn. After a few pitstops at amazing waterfalls, driving past the Sólheimasandur plane wreck and grass-roofed homes, we reached Reynisfjara beach. The black pebble beach was surrounded by towering cliffs of basalt columns — like those at Giant's Causeway — and caves like Hálsanefshellir. Sitting on the beach you could hear the rocks tumbling as the waves washed over them. One of the most unique beaches I've ever seen.
Reynisfjara's basalt columns, like a black-sand Giant's Causeway; Hálsanefshellir Cave.
We arrived in Vík and enjoyed breakfast before going to the Lava Show. Not only do you get to see molten lava so close the room gets hot, you also learn the history of volcanoes, Iceland, and Vík itself. We grabbed fantastic beers and lunch to-go from Smiðjan Brugghús — we had 2.5 hours until our next activity, which was exactly the drive time. We got lost in the scenery: stunning waterfalls, green rolling hills, table mountains, lava ridges, glaciers, and snowcapped peaks.
We arrived at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in time to split up for kayaking and boat tours. Loaded into tandem kayaks, we spent the next hour paddling around icebergs jutting from the water — I couldn't recommend this once-in-a-lifetime experience more highly. We walked under the bridge to Breiðamerkursandur, "Diamond Beach", where paragliders flew above as waves crashed over sparkling ice chunks. We watched wild horses grazing, then arrived in the cute coastal town of Höfn, where we found a grown-up dinner of local seafood at Pakkhús. Worth every minute of the wait.
Diamond Beach; wild horses grazing along the drive into Höfn at sunset.
Eastern Fjords & Skorrahestar
We had a slow, relaxing start with breakfast at the local diner Hafnarbuðin and a round of mini golf. We then drove through the eastern fjords toward our bed and breakfast, Skorrahestar — through some of the longest tunnels we've ever seen. We drove past a lake full of swans, the striking orange Hvalnesviti lighthouse, sheep walking down the road, and stopped in the tiny fishing village of Stöðvarfjörður to check out Petra's Stone Collection — thousands of stunning stones collected throughout one woman's life.
The eastern fjords; Hvalnesviti, the striking orange lighthouse at Hvalnes.
We arrived at the family-run farm in the early evening. Doddi and Thea (Þórður and Theodóra) got us checked in, then gave us treats to feed their sheep and horses — we walked the green pastures hand-feeding all the animals. After a homemade dinner and some accordion playing and singing by Doddi, we ended the day soaking in the hot tub looking across the stunning fjord.
The next morning, after breakfast from Thea, we saddled up for a private guided horseback tour with Doddi. We learned how Icelandic horses have a unique extra gait due to their size, called a tölt, learned about Eastern Iceland and its culture, and joined in on some traditional horse dances and songs — everyone had a blast, and we all miraculously stayed in our saddles.
Hand-feeding the farm's sheep and horses; our private guided tölt lesson the next morning.
We headed into the small town of Neskaupstaður to walk a pathway through flowers, waterfalls, and streams in the country park. Famished, we stopped at Beituskúrinn Bait Shack for lunch and unobstructed views of Norðfjörður. We drove over to Egilsstaðir via the mountain pass, and a few minutes outside town, in Fellabær, made it to Reindeer Park just before closing — the staff are incredibly kind and let you hand-feed the reindeer.
Neskaupstaður's country park; hand-feeding reindeer near Egilsstaðir.
Studlagil Canyon → Mývatn → Akureyri
We were sad to leave Doddi and Thea's family farm, but it was time to explore northern Iceland. We headed northwest through rolling green hills full of horned sheep and waterfalls to Studlagil Canyon — a stunning milky aqua river cutting through towering basalt columns, and a really fun hike down for the views. We were now as close to the center of Iceland as we'd get; locals told us the US trained astronauts here for moon landings back in the 1960s and 70s — folklore or fact? The terrain quickly shifted to a lunar landscape of dirt and rock as far as you could see.
Studlagil Canyon; the lunar terrain locals say NASA once trained astronauts on.
The landscape turned green and lush again approaching Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. We drove up the east side while the other family took the west — the west road is better maintained but more crowded; the east side is rough but far less crowded, with more rainbows above the falls in the afternoon. Either way, this epic waterfall was absolutely worth the drive — every sense awestruck by the force of it crashing down and throwing mist back into the air.
Back on Route 1 we couldn't help but stop at Hverir, the most active geothermal park in Iceland — bubbling mud pots, vibrantly colored solfataras, and far too many ridiculous photos in front of the steam vents. It was time to soak: we met the rest of our group at Mývatn Nature Baths, now Earth Lagoon, far less crowded than the Blue Lagoon, with a beautiful infinity edge overlooking the mountains. We then checked out nearby Grjótagjá, an ancient lava cave featured in Game of Thrones, and drove around serene Lake Mývatn before arriving in Akureyri around 7pm.
Mývatn Nature Baths (Earth Lagoon); Grjótagjá — a Game of Thrones filming location.
Grímsey & Akureyri
The next morning our group split — we were taking the ferry to Grímsey Island, and the rest whale watching. We headed to Dalvík to catch the ferry Sæfari, so excited to reach the Arctic Circle. On the top deck a minke whale breached right next to the boat, and we saw white-beaked dolphins swimming all around. Arriving on the island with two hours to explore, we grabbed famous Icelandic hotdogs, then hiked the Blue Trail to the Orbis et Globus marker to stand in the Arctic Circle itself — cliffs covered in yellow wildflowers and an insane number of puffins. We hit the motherload.
Standing in the Arctic Circle at Grímsey's Orbis et Globus marker; the island's puffins.
After dinner back at the rental house, the two of us went for a perfect date night: drinks while soaking in the gorgeous Forest Lagoon, tucked into nature overlooking the fjord, then into town to catch the end of a great solo acoustic show at Græni hatturinn, enjoying Icelandic beers with a room full of locals.
The next day we explored town, starting with the colorful tiled walk up the hill to Akureyri Art Museum, where we even got to make our own art and put it on the walls. We went inside the stunning Akureyrarkirkja church, grabbed lunch at the food trucks while browsing a Commerce Day craft fair, and walked over to the absolutely incredible Akureyri Botanical Garden — one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, filled with plants and flowers from around the world.
Akureyri Art Museum; Akureyrarkirkja church; the Botanical Garden — one of the most beautiful we've ever seen.
Glaumbær → Bifröst
After breakfast and packing up, we were on the road again, heading back to western Iceland. We stopped at the beautiful and historic Glaumbær, walking — some of us very hunched over — through the connected underground buildings of this turf farm dating to the 1700s. Driving through northwest Iceland we enjoyed rolling green hills, rivers, mountains and fjords, and historical stops like Þingeyrar church along the way.
Glaumbær's connected turf buildings, dating to the 1700s; historic Þingeyrar church.
Two-thirds through the drive to Kolugljúfur Canyon, we got a flat tire — but it was Commerce Day, so every local shop was closed and we had to call emergency service, which cost $1,000 to bring us a tire plug. Fortunately we were stuck across from a great restaurant, North West, so we got an early dinner while dealing with it, then slowly finished the drive to our stunning rental house near Bifröst, resetting in the hot tub overlooking the Norðurá river.
Langjökull Glacier & Lava Caves
We bundled up for a day of chilly adventures. First, Víðgelmir, Iceland's largest lava cave — an incredible 90 minutes walking deep into stunning colors and rock formations. Then we drove to Húsafell for our next adventure: onto and into the Langjökull Glacier itself. We changed into thick rain jackets and boots, and loaded into a snow truck to drive onto the second-largest glacier in Iceland. Walking through glowing blue ice-walled tunnels, we drank pure glacier water and saw the layers of ice up close. A once-in-a-lifetime experience I highly recommend.
Ninety minutes deep in Víðgelmir lava cave; the snow truck onto Langjökull Glacier.
Driving down the glacier past incredible rainbows, we got back to Húsafell for a great dinner at Húsafell Bistro, talking in awe about going into a lava tube, onto a glacier, and into a glacier all in one day. We warmed back up in the rental house's hot tub for a lovely, relaxing night.
Reykjavík Finale
Not wanting to leave the rental house, we begrudgingly packed up and headed to Reykjavík for our last day in Iceland. We drove to Borgarnes for breakfast at the famous Geirabakarí, but it was closed, so we ate at Kaffi Kyrrð instead, shopping for souvenirs and books on Icelandic folklore. Going through our last crazy-long tunnel, we arrived downtown at our last beautiful rental house.
After settling in, we checked out local shops like JS Watch Company and picked up the last of our souvenirs, including a fantastic raincoat from Reykjavik Raincoats. We grabbed craft cocktails and local beer at Bastard Brew and Food before our last dinner together in Iceland. That night, we ended the trip the way we started it: back at Hús Máls og Menningar for more cover music and a lively crowd, then walked the quiet streets checking out Hallgrímskirkja lit up at night — it was finally getting dark before midnight.
The next day we picked up our delicious Brauð & Co baked goods one last time and enjoyed them while we packed up to journey home, over Greenland to JFK to SFO. We had an amazing time and so many once-in-a-lifetime experiences on this incredible trip through Iceland.