In February 2020, just before Covid hit England, we managed to get away for what we didn’t know at the time would be our last escape for almost two years. Iceland had been on our list for a long time and we were so excited to finally visit the land of fire and ice. We rented a car and spent 5 days exploring a little part of this incredible island. Iceland absolutely blew us away and we can’t wait to go back one day! We think it is a place that should be on everyone’s bucket list, so here are the best bits we think are not to be missed for a 5 day trip to Iceland.
Spend a day in Reykjavik
Reykjavik is such a friendly, laid-back city. We enjoyed strolling the streets, wandering in and out of quirky shops and markets and relaxing in cosy cafes. Our favourite cafe by far was Reykjavik Roasters who do the most delicious hot chocolate! It's definitely worth a visit. We also think that any city that is by the sea is automatically 100x better and Reykjavik certainly has this going for it.
Visit Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss
Another thing we loved about Iceland was the incredible waterfalls. Callum claimed he had found his new favourite waterfall about 5 times as each time he thought he had seen the best one it was topped by another one! Skogafoss is great because you can walk behind it but Seljalandsfoss topped this for us as you can see it from below and above. When we were there it also created a stunning rainbow. We definitely recommend visiting both of these waterfalls and you will no doubt drive past many others along the way that you can’t help but stop and admire.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
One of the unexpected highlights of our trip was Reynisfjara Black Sand beach. After we visited Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss, we considered driving home as it was getting towards the evening and we had already driven quite a way. However, we had seen pictures of Reynisfjara and decided we would go the extra hour's journey and risk driving back in the dark. Oh my goodness are we glad we did - Reynisfjara is incredible! From the dramatic stacks out to sea to the thumping sound as the waves crash on the shore. Reynisfjara was like nothing we had seen or heard before and it completely blew us away. It's so worth the long journey from Reykjavik.
Drive the Golden Circle
You can’t really visit Iceland without driving the Golden Circle route. We began with Thingvellir national Park followed by Gullfoss and then the Haukadalur Geothermal Area. Highlights of this were seeng the partly frozen Gullfoss (Callum’s new favourite waterfall!), walking between the two continental plates in Thingvellir and the impressive eruption of the geysers at the geothermal area. The former A-level geography student in Amy was very excited about this!
See the Northern Lights
Before we went to Iceland, we had high hopes of seeing the Northern Lights but when we got there the chances were looking pretty slim according to the Aurora app. Still, we took our chances on the highest possibility night (12%) and drove out of the city into the middle of nowhere, somewhere inside the Thingvellir national park. After driving around for ages we were just about to give up but decided to park and wait 5 minutes before heading home. As we were waiting what, at first, looked like swirly clouds above us started moving and sure enough it was the Northern Lights! We ended up watching them dance above us for over half an hour and it was the most magical, memorable experience.
Relax at Blue Lagoon
I know it’s pricey but Blue Lagoon is absolutely not to be missed. For us it was a great treat to look forward to at the end of our trip and to be honest we would pay to do it all over again if we went back to Iceland. We were impressed by how large it is and despite there being lots of people there it didn’t feel too crowded. With your ticket you get a face mask and a drink which is an added bonus to what is already a lovely relaxing way to spend an afternoon!
Accommodation and transport
There are many options for accommodation in Iceland, from hiring a campervan to staying in a fancy hotel. As we were doing our trip in the middle of winter and on a budget, we opted for a basic but comfortable Air BnB just outside the centre of Reykjavik. We looked into different transport options but as we knew we wanted the freedom to explore further out of the city as and when we wanted, we decided to hire a car from the airport. When in the city centre, we walked everywhere which is pretty easy as it’s not a big city.
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