Top 10 things to visit in Iceland

This is a list of the things that I loved visiting the most in Iceland. I have left out some “must” or hot spots in this list just because of that reason! Some places are just victims of their own success and felt a bit overcrowded for my taste… so these are my favourite 10!

1. Reynisfjara (black sand beach)- I was actually debating whether to put this one… I have to recognise that it’s a very impressive beach and the sound of the super strong waves has a very relaxing effect! However, I think this was one of the busiest places we went to and the amount of Instagramers trying to climb the rocks was just ridiculous! But overall, special enough to make the cut.

Reynisfjara

2. Jökulsárlón ( the big Glacier) – my absolute fav! When I was planning the trip I was a bit unsure whether it was actually worth going all the way here given how far this was but you know what? It was absolutely worth it! Another thing that I found interesting is that you don’t actually need to do any activity regardless of what you might see everywhere advertise… walking around for me was more than enough and we spent hours here. My advice is that you take your time to walk around the shore of the glacier, take pictures and enjoy!

Jökulsárlón

3. Stjórnarfoss - even though this is a small waterfall compared to some others you’ll see in your trip to Iceland, I thought this one was especially nice given the turquoise colour of the water. Also we were lucky and when we went there, there was only one other couple so it was great!

Stjórnarfoss

4. Fjaðrárgljúfur – I feel this one should make it to every list. This is one of the musts of any trip to Iceland. It is a beautiful canyon with the most amazing views. I think this one probably felt a bit less crowded than expected just because you have to walk around so not everyone is concentrated in the same place.

Fjaðrárgljúfur

5. Kvernufoss – This was my favourite waterfall of all! You have to do a 10 to 15 min walk to the waterfall which is super picturesque and for some reason this doesn’t seem to be a very popular spot ! Here you can walk behind the waterfall as well but the most breathtaking thing is the location… the waterfall is in this small valley surrounded by lush nature which it makes it incredible!

Kvernufoss

Kvernufoss

6. Urriðafoss - This is like a mini Gulfoss, completely unknown or at least that’s how we felt as there was basically no-one there! Super nice quiet spot that you shouldn’t miss.

Urriðafoss

7. Kerið - this is a large crater with a lake at the bottom. I would recommend walking around the top and doing the full circle as you can get different perspectives from there.

Kerið

8. Gulfoss - This is a very impressive waterfall that has a beautiful blue colour and it’s also the most abundant waterfall of Iceland. Probably the most popular spot of Iceland by far. However, it is only fair…! Highly recommended to go even if you generally like to skip the crowded and more instagram kind of places.

Gulfoss

9. Geysir - Obviously you have to see this. Even though it’s super touristic it’s worth having a walk around the area as it is quite special. There is a path that you can follow that will take you around different geysers, even though not all of them can erupt it is quite cool to see. For me the best part was walking around finding the “mini” geysers.

Geysir

10. The Sky Lagoon - The Sky Lagoon is a spa/ thermal pool which is less famous than the blue lagoon but with a similar concept. Even though it is smaller it’s still beautiful as it is right by the sea! I loved the fact that there is a bar by the pool and you don’t even have to go out to get a drink! Also because it is smaller and not that well known it is much cheaper than the blue lagoon (around 47 gbp). Make sure you book your tickets in advance and show up at the appointment time. Once there, you can stay as long as you want but you cannot have more than 3 drinks per person. We stayed 2 hours and half and it was amazing.

The Sky Lagoon

Why Skógafoss, Gljúfrabúi and Seljalandsfoss didn’t make the list? These were for me the most overcrowded places… everyone seems to be taking the same exact picture standing next to each other! And I just found that other waterfalls were more special like the 2 mentioned above, that’s why they didn’t make the cut!