The Best Day Trips from Reykjavik, Iceland

With airlines like Icelandair offering the opportunity to stopover in Iceland as part of a trip from the USA to Europe, we think there’s no better time for a short visit to this stunning country.

With that in mind we’ve put together what we think are some of the best day trips from Reykjavik, for visitors who want to just based themselves in Iceland’s capital city and explore from there.

This means you can find the perfect place to stay in the city, not have to re-pack every day, and then explore the highlights of Iceland every day for as long (or as short!) as you are stopping over.

With the exception of the glacier / ice cave tours, all of the day trips we recommend can be done on your own with a hire car.

If you are looking for a hire car in Iceland, we recommend checking out Northbound here. They focus on Iceland and compare prices across a range of providers. They also give you the option to add on the Iceland specific insurances. Compare prices and book here..

Of course, the majority of these trips can also be booked via a tour company.

If you decide to use a tour company, we have used and are happy to recommend GetYourGuide, Viator, and Iceland Travel.

We recommend tours from a range of operators in this post that we think are a good fit for each of these Reykjavik day trips. Always remember when comparing tours to check what is and what isn’t included on the tour, so you can understand the value.

For further planning, we’ve also written a number of posts about Iceland, including sharing some of our favourite photography locations in Iceland, our tips for planning a trip to Iceland, and detailed 3 day,  5 day and 7 day self drive Iceland Itineraries.

If you’re looking for a longer guided trip, see our guide to some of the best multi-day guided tours of Iceland to give you an idea of what’s available for everything from 2 days two weeks, across a variety of price points.

Finally, as you’re going to be based in Reykjavik don’t forget to spend some time exploring the city itself. There are a number of great museums and other attractions you can see in the city centre.

If you do plan on visiting some of the museums and sights in the city, consider a Reykjavik city card. Available for 1 to 3 days, these city cards offer great value and get you free access to many of the city’s top attractions, as well as free public transport on the city bus services.

Let’s take a look now at our favourite day trips from Reykjavik in Iceland.

Day Trips from Reykjavik

1. Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

Whilst these aren’t in any particular order, I would definitely put a visit to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula near the top of your Iceland wishlist. Situated about a two hour drive to the north-west of the capital, this is a very achievable destination to visit as a day trip from Reykjavik.

Here you will find the incredible and fantastically photogenic Kirkjufell mountain, which sits as the backdrop to the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. This is a unmissable photographic opportunity in Iceland, and made the top of my list of photography locations in Iceland.

There’s more to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula than Kirkjufell though. Other highlights include the incredible Snæfellsjökull Glacier, which can actually be hiked on in the right conditions. There’s the 19th century wooden Búðir Church. There are the Gerðuberg basalt columns – 14 metre high columns that just jut up out of the landscape. There’s also the opportunity to spot seals at Ytri-Tunga beach.

And there’s lots more – including a landscape that inspired Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, more incredible waterfalls, fantastic golden beaches, the Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum where you can try fermented shark meat – the list goes on!

You can easily drive here yourself with a hire car and tour around, and there’s certainly enough to do here to allocate two days if you have the time. Otherwise, there are a number of operators operating tours to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which leaves from Reykjavik.

For example, take a look at this 10 hour tour to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, this 11 hour tour, and this tour option which includes a home cooked meal.

 

2. The Golden Circle

One of the most popular day trips from Reykjavik is the Golden Circle trip, which follows a route to the north east of the city and visits three of Iceland’s most popular attractions, Thingvellir, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysers.

Thingvellir National Park (Icelandic: Þingvellir national park), is a National Park (the first in Iceland in fact) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s interesting for a number of reasons. First, it was the site of Iceland’s first parliament, and meetings were held here as far back ago as 938. There’s a museum you can explore, and a number of sites you can visit on a self-guided walking tour.

Thingvellir is also interesting for its tectonic and volcanic activity, and you can clearly see the action of the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates here, which has resulted in huge rifts and cracks in the ground.

You can actually go snorkelling here in stunningly clear waters and see the continental divide from a unique perspective. This is one of the more popular activities in Thingvellir, so definitely worth booking in advance. Don’t worry – a dry suit is provided to keep you warm in the freezing waters!

There’s also a beautiful waterfall in Thingvellir, Öxarárfoss, which is worth the short ten-minute walk to visit.

After Thingvellir, the next stop on the Golden Circle tour is Geysir. This geothermal area is home to geysers, bubbling mud posts and steaming landscapes, and is in fact the home of the original “Geysir”, where the English word for geyser comes from.

Finally, your Golden Circle adventure will take you to Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most spectacular waterfalls. With an average of almost 5,000 cubic feet of water tumbling over the two stage falls every second, it’s an incredible sight that you are not likely to forget.

As you can see, there’s good reason that the Golden Circle is a popular day excursion from Reykjavik. Again, you can drive yourself (check hire car prices here), or you can take a Golden Circle day tour. All the Golden Circle tours depart from Reykjavik.

There are a number of variants of this popular tour, including a private Golden Circle tour, a Golden Circle tour that includes Kerid Crater and a Golden Circle Express tour which is a quicker tour.

If you also want to do the Blue Lagoon, there are a number of tours that include the Blue Lagoon with the Golden Circle, such as this one.

For more on the Golden Circle, see our complete guide to visiting the Golden Circle, which has a map, suggested itinerary, and more.

 

3. The South Coast

Iceland’s South Coast is home to some of Iceland’s most iconic sights. It’s here you’ll find the sixty metre high waterfall you can walk behind (Seljalandsfoss), the absolutely spectacular Skogafoss waterfall, and the beautiful black sand beaches and basalt columns at Reynisfjara, near the picturesque town of Vik.

Continuing beyond Vik you’ll find the unusual Svartifoss Waterfall which tumbles over black columnar rock formations, the Svínafellsjökull Glacier that you can get so close as to almost touch, and the otherworldly Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.

It is certainly possible to do the majority of the highlights of south Iceland as listed above as a day trip from Reykjavik, just be prepared for a very long day (it’s about five hours driving each way from one end to the other in a car, not counting any stops!). If you are keen on seeing the highlights of the south coast, then we would suggest trying to stretch it over two days if possible.

Of course, there are group day tours that offer the south coast in one day. We have a number of suggestions for you to consider, depending on your stamina and group size preferences.

First, the year round South Shore adventure tour. This takes around 10 hours, and covers all the highlights all the way out to Vik, including the main waterfalls and the black sand beach.

In the summer, you can do also a 14 hour tour which travels all the way to the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, and which includes a boat ride on the lagoon itself, something that isn’t possible in winter.

 

4. The Blue Lagoon

If all of the exploring has taken it out of you (or just sounds like too much work), then a day trip to the Blue Lagoon might be exactly the cure for you.

Situated relatively close to Iceland’s main airport, this is a popular stopping point for visitors who are arriving or departing Iceland, but it also easily accessible from Reykjavik.

The Lagoon is a large complex, with the main draw of course being the huge, geothermally heated outdoor lagoon itself, which is a beautiful blue colour. Here you can relax all your cares away, enjoy a drink at the swim up bars (the smoothies are excellent!), and enjoy smearing mud on your face.

As well as the lagoon itself, there are spa facilities and on-site restaurants, so you could make a day of it, although we think about half a day would probably work for most people, with the average visit lasting a couple of hours.

Pre-booking your visit is required, with various packages available. We’d recommend the Comfort level as this includes a towel and a drink, which is definitely convenient. You can also arrange transport to the Blue Lagoon as part of the ticket booking, or you can drive yourself.

There are also a number of tour companies that offer transport to the Blue Lagoon, although you still need to book tickets to the Lagoon itself, which you can do online here.

If you really want to have a full day, you can combine a Golden Circle tour with a trip to the Secret Lagoon. This is a less visited spot than the Blue Lagoon, but will let you combine two adventures (the Golden Circle and a thermal bath) in one full day.

Another more recent hot spring option is the Sky Lagoon, which is much closer to the city centre. This offers a lovely hot spring experience on the edge of the ocean. You can book tickets for that here, and entry with transport here.

One last tip if you’re on a tight budget but still want to experience the wonders of the Icelandic thermal waters: why not visit one of the city pools in Reykjavik instead of the Blue Lagoon?

These have the same geothermally heated water as the Blue Lagoon, but are available at a fraction of the price. Plus, if you pick up a Reykjavík City Card while you’re in the city, these can be visited entirely for free!

 

5. Reykjavik Itself

We think it’s a shame that so many visitors come to Iceland and spend their time exploring Iceland but not really experiencing Reykjavik – a city which has plenty to offer.

We would definitely recommend that you spend at least half a day, if not a full day, seeing some of the many sights that the city has on offer.

We would definitely recommend taking in Hallgrimskirkja, Iceland’s tallest church and the beautiful Sun Voyager statue.

Then, depending on your interests, you may also want to visit the National Museum of Iceland, The Settlement Exhibition, The Saga Museum, The Árbaer Open Air Museum, to name but a few of the many worthwhile things to do in Reykjavik. There are also numerous shops, bars and restaurants, plus the city itself is picturesque for wandering in.

 

6. Game of Thrones locations

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, the chances are that you will have heard of the Game of Thrones TV show. What you might not know is that the fantasy land of Westeros, and in particular the snowy scenes shot “north of The Wall”, are actually filmed for the most part in Iceland.

This is excellent news for fans of the show, as it means you can visit many of the key locations from the show as a Reykjavik excursion, including one of the wildling camps and the pass to the Eyrie, both of which were filmed at Thingvellir national park.

For more ideas, see our guide to all the GoT filming locations in Iceland.

 

7. Into the Glacier

One of our favourite experiences in Iceland was a tour called “Into the Glacier”. This involves driving across Europe’s second highest glacier (Langjokull) on a monster 8 wheeler former NATO missile launch truck, followed by a walk inside the man-made Langjokull ice tunnel.

Even though the weather wasn’t fantastic when we did this, it was still a lot of fun.

In addition, if you do this as a day trip from Reykjavik, the tour also affords you the opportunity to visit other highlights of this less visited area, including the incredible Hraunfossar waterfalls, amd Europe’s largest hot spring area (Deildartunguhver).

Of course, you can also make your own way out here and book the tour with departure from Husafell, should you prefer to travel under your own steam.

It’s worth mentioning that this ice cave is a man made tunnel on the glacier. Whilst this means it can be visited whilst other ice caves cannot, it isn’t quite the same as visiting a natural ice cave. For those, see the entry further on in this guide under ice caves.

 

8. Northern Lights (autumn to Spring)

If you’re visiting Iceland outside of the summer months, a trip to see the Northern Lights should definitely be on your list. Ok, so calling this a day trip might be a stretch, as obviously you’re going to want to do this one at night!

Taking a guided tour to see the northern lights is going to give you the best chance to see them, as local guides will have the best idea of the local weather conditions as well as the best spots to see them without light pollution.

Northern Lights viewing is one of the most popular activities in Iceland, and as such there are a wide range of Northern Lights tours departing from Reykjavik, including these on GetYourGuide.

Some we suggest you include in your shortlist are this small group tour, or this well reviewed and good value coach option.

Obviously, all of these tours are offered subject to the weather, and can be cancelled if conditions are not good. They also usually come with a guarantee that if the tour goes ahead but no northern lights are seen, then you will be issued a free ticket for another attempt. So with that in mind, we highly recommend you book your tour as early in your trip as possible.

If you are planning on trying to see them, we suggest reading through our guide to how to photograph the northern lights, which has tips and ideas for all types of cameras and will ensure you are prepared!

 

9. Landmannalaugar

The day trip from Reykjavik to Landmannalaugar is one of the most popular day trips from Reykjavik, and for good reason. Landmannalaugar is an otherworldly landscape of colourful mountains, smoking hillsides and bubbling mud pots, accessed across vast ash covered plains.

Here, you can see the splendour of the Icelandic Highlands, and take a trek through a truly fantastical landscape. The trek takes around an hour to ninety minutes and does require a bit of a climb through lava fields. It’s also really important to dress appropriately – we visited in June and we got snowed on, with temperatures just above freezing!

So layers and waterproof and windproof clothing is essential. See our guide to what to pack for Iceland for some tips.

Landmannalaugar is also relatively tricky to access, as the roads can be hard to drive, require a four wheel drive vehicle, and, depending on the time of year and weather conditions, a number of river crossings.

So whilst you can do this if you rent a four wheel drive vehicle, generally we’d suggest taking either a tour, or a bus. There are regular buses through the summer months out to Landmannalaugar from Reykjavik, although these take around four hours each way, so do be prepared for a bit of a trek.

Our preferred option would be do the tour as a dedicated day trip. We did it as a super jeep tour, and whilst a super jeep isn’t strictly necessary, it is a lot of fun.

Various operators run super jeep tours to Landmannalaugar, which stop at different attractions, and so the tour you pick should depend on what you want to see. We’d suggest checking out this super jeep tour to Landmannalaugar as a good starting point.

Don’t forget to bring your swimming clothes – there are free hot tubs at Landmannalaugar if you want to soak a bit after the hike.

 

10. Þórsmörk (Thorsmork)

Þórsmörk, or the Valley of Thor (what a name!), is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Iceland. In fact, you can hike from here all the way to Landmannalaugar on an epic multi-day hike, which is one of the most popular things to do in the area.

But, we’re talking about day trips here, and Thorsmork is very much worth visiting just for a day of hiking. It’s a beautiful green valley found under the glaciers of Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull, with the 14km hike up Fimmvorduhals volcano being a popular option.

Þórsmörk is one location that you should really consider taking a specific tour to visit. The reason for this is that getting to the Valley of Thor requires some serious river crossings – usually more than 10 – and no hire car in Iceland is ever covered for damage resulting from river crossings.

Alternatively, there are buses that run here, although, as with Landmannalaugar, these do take a while and will eat into your day.

 

11. Ice Cave Tour

If you are visiting Iceland in winter, one of the most popular things to do is to take a tour of an ice cave. These form inside and underneath glaciers, and the incredible hues of the ice make for a fantastic experience.

Note that this is different to the previously mentioned “into the glacier” tour, as that is a man-made tunnel inside a glacier, whilst these ice tours are of naturally formed ice, which is much clearer.

This is definitely a trip that you need to do as a guided tour. Glaciers are notoriously dangerous places, and you want to be in the hands of an expert when visiting an ice cave to minimise any risks.

There are a number of ice cave tours from Reykjavik such as this one or this one, plus some with departures from other areas that you might find yourself.

For example, there’s this one from Gullfoss to the Langjökull Glacier, this one to the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier from Vik and this one from Skaftafell.

So if you can get yourself to these locations under your own steam, you can save a bit of time and money by booking a tour that leaves from here.

Note, if you aren’t in Iceland in winter, you can get an idea of what an ice cave is like by visiting the Wonders of Iceland attraction at the Perlan in Reykjavik. Here they have a full ice cave recreation display that operates year round, with real ice. It’s very well done (although obviously not the same as the real thing), and is a good alternative.

 

12. Go Puffin or Whale Watching

Many visitors to Iceland want to see puffins and/or whales, two of the more popular wildlife viewing experience in Iceland.

You might be surprised to learn that you can see both of these on trips that depart from Reykjavik. For example, we took this hour long Puffin trip from Reykjavik and saw numerous puffins, making this an excellent value option for Puffin spotting.

There’s also a longer Whale Watching tour departing from the city centre.

If you are interested in seeing Puffins elsewhere in Iceland, check out our detailed guide to Puffins in Iceland, which has everything you need to know, including the best time of year to come to Iceland for puffin spotting.

 

13. Visit an Active Volcano

Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice, and volcanic eruptions are a regular occurrence. Some of these are very dramatic, such as the one which caused worldwide travel chaos in 2010, whilst others are a bit more visitor friendly.

In 2021, volcanic activity began on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, in the Fagradalsfjall fissure zone, which is found around 25 miles from Reykjavik. In 2022, another volcano in this fissure started erupting, and was given the name Merdalir as this is the name of the valley it is in.

Visiting the sites of these active volcanic eruptions has become a popular activity, although it should be noted that an active volcano site can be a dangerous and unpredictable location.

It’s also a fairly active trip, as you have to do at least a couple of hours of hiking each way on uneven and sometimes steep ground. So you will want to be fully prepared in terms of fitness and also clothing (the weather in Iceland can be fickle at any time of year).

You can take a guided tour to visit the volcano eruption sites like this one, or this one which includes the Blue Lagoon.

And that summarises some of our top suggestions for day trips from Reykjavik! If you’re interested in more day tours from Reykjavik, beyond the list above, then do check out more day tours in Iceland on GetYourGuide, Viator, and Iceland Travel.

 

Where to Stay in Reykjavik

Since you’re going to be basing yourself in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, you’re going to want somewhere to stay. We’ve stayed at a number of hotels near the city centre which we are happy to recommend, the Grand Hotel, the Reyjkavik Natura Icelandair Hotel and Guesthouse Galtafell.

The latter is the closest to the center and also likely better for those on a tighter budget.

There are however lots more options for accommodation  See more lodging options in Reykjavik on booking.com here. We recommend Booking.com as they have pretty much everything from hostels to hotels to apartments, and they offer very competitive pricing and usually a great cancellation policy.

We also spent a few days at an apartment rental in the city centre which was a good option.

 

When to Visit Iceland

Iceland is a country that you can visit year round, but there are various considerations to think about when visiting.

If you choose to visit in winter, you need to be aware that there is much less daylight, and wintry weather has the potential to adversely affect your plans, as it can cause road closures. It will also, obviously, be a lot colder in winter, and you’ll need to plan your Iceland packing list accordingly. Some tours are also not offered in winter.

However, winter does bring advantages. It is a much quieter time of year to visit the country, prices are generally lower, and it’s the only time of year for viewing the northern lights. So if a northern lights experience is on your list, you’ll definitely want to visit in winter.

Summer is a much busier time of year to visit, and offers warmer weather, long hours of daylight, and many more tour options. Prices also tend to be higher, and you’ll definitely want to book your tours and accommodation well in advance  (ideally at least three – six months for accommodation, but the further in advance the better) to get something that suits what you want.

 

Further Reading to Help you Plan your Trip to Iceland

We will continuously be updating our Iceland content in the coming months, so this list will be updated as we go. In the meantime, here are some great resources to get you started with planning your trip to Iceland, however long you are visiting for.

• First, we’ve written a detailed planning guide for Iceland, which covers everything you need to know for visiting this beautiful country.
• We’ve also put together a list of some of our favourite photography locations in Iceland from trip to give you some ideas of where to aim to get the best photos – always important!
• If you have longer and want to explore more, Jess has put together a detailed post outlining a seven day Iceland itinerary to give you some route ideas for an epic adventure. We also have a guide to spending five days in Iceland and three days in Iceland, as well as a detailed Iceland ring road road trip itinerary.
• If you’d prefer to take a multi-day guided group tour, check out our guide to some of the best multi-day guided tours of Iceland to give you an idea of what’s available for everything from 2 days two weeks, across a variety of price points
• We have a detailed guide to help you decide what to pack for Iceland in Winter
• We also have a guide to finding the Iceland plane crash, if you’re interested in this unique photography opportunity.
• We have a complete guide to visiting the Golden Circle, which has a map, suggested itinerary, and more.
• If you are interested in seeing Puffins in Iceland, check out our detailed guide to Puffins in Iceland, which has everything you need to know!
• We have a detailed guide to visiting the Blue Lagoon
• The weather in Iceland can be fickle – the best website for real-time cloud cover is this one from the Icelandic Met Office.
• On a budget? Here’s a guide to visiting Iceland on a budget to help you make the most of your trip
• Whilst Iceland is a safe country to travel in when it comes to things like crime, the country itself is home to extreme conditions and all sorts of seismic activity. So to stay safe as you go, check out the safetravel Iceland page
• If you’re not sure what camera gear to take with, take a look at both our guide to picking a travel camera, and our personal travel photography gear
• Finally, if you’re visiting in winter, you’ll want to read through my tips for cold weather photography.

And that finishes up our guide to the best day trips you can take from Reykjavik! We think this includes some of Iceland’s best day trips, and we hope you enjoyed it. Is Iceland on your list? Do you have a favourite day trip from Reykjavik you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!