blue waterfall in Iceland

Ultimate 4 Day Iceland itinerary

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The Ultimate 4 day Itinerary in Iceland

Planning a trip to Iceland and wondering what you should be doing on your epic adventure?  Read on!  Below is the perfect 4 day itinerary for a trip to Iceland.  You will soak in the famous waters of the Blue Lagoon, explore Reykavik and all it’s charm,  visit all the highlights on the Golden Circle, stare in awe at the space between two tectonic plates while snorkeling the Silfra Fissure, follow the path lava once took across Iceland, and explore the rocky and beautiful south coast.  All of this in 4 days!

Before we get into what you should do during your 4 days in Iceland, let’s talk about the basics first.

Flights: The main airport to fly into is Keflavik International Airport.  It is a 45 minute drive to Reykavik from Keflavik Airport.  You will want to book a flight that flies into Keflavik Airport and arrives in the morning.  This allows you to sleep on your flight and be ready to go for the day when you land. Once you have landed and grabbed your bag your next step is to get to the Car Rental counters to pick up your car.

https://www.isavia.is/en/keflavik-airport (Keflavik Airport Website)

Car Rental:  You will want to rent a car for this epic 4 day itinerary.  If you do not want to rent your own car, most of this itinerary can be completed by booking transportation through each tour.  Blue Lagoon, Lava Tunnel tour, and Silfra diving all had their own transportation options.  You can also book your own Golden Circle Tour.  I recommend renting a car to allow you to explore at your own pace and have flexibility throughout your trip.  There are numerous car rental companies you can use.  I recommend Hertz.   Picking up the car was the same as in America.  Find the Hertz counter and check in.

They have manual and automatic cars.   The car had a screen in the car that allowed GPS to be used, they also offered us a Garmin which we paid $60 for.  We did get a refund after the trip as the car already had GPS in it for free.  Ask this before saying yes to the Garmin!  If you know your phone has good coverage and reception you can use GPS on your phone.  Upon landing neither phone was connecting to data and Google maps was not pulling up, so we wanted a back up GPS option. 

https://www.hertz.is/ (Hertz Iceland Rental)

Hotel:  There are numerous wonderful hotels in Reykavik that you can stay at.  Reykjavik city is very easy to walk around and access all locations, so as long as you are staying close to the city center you will be able to access all areas without any problem.  Make sure to find a hotel that allows parking for your rental!  Pick a spot along Laugavegur Pedestrian Street, (between Frakkastígur Street and Bergstaðastræti Street) or Rainbow Road to Hallgrimskirkja Church (Rainbow road starts at the corner of Laugavegur Pedestrian Street and Skólavörðustígur Pedestrian Street, it continues to Hallgrimskirkja Church).  Anywhere in this area or a couple blocks around these main streets will be a great place to stay. 

Day 1: Keflavik Airport – Blue Lagoon – Reykavik

Your first stop after arriving at Keflavik airport, picking up your luggage and getting your rental car will be Blue Lagoon.  A great place to go after a long night on the plane.  The drive is a simple 20 minutes from Keflavik Airport.  You must book a spot before arriving in Iceland.  You can book at (https://www.bluelagoon.com/).  There are a few different packages you can purchase.  Any of the packages will be sufficient and allow you to enjoy the Blue Lagoon.  Choose a check in time about 2 hours after you arrive in Iceland.  This should be more then enough time to make it for check in but allows for late arrival, luggages issues, or car rental hold ups.  If you are early to the Blue Lagoon, they have a cafe and restaurant in the main lobby for you to kill some time before check in.  There is also a path to the left of the front door that allows you to walk around the water and learn some about the lagoon.  Depending on your time, take a quick walk down the path before entering the main lobby.  Once in the main lobby, check in per your instructions on your email and head to the changing rooms.  The basic package does not include a robe.  Feel free to upgrade packages or purchase a robe a la carte.  A robe is not needed, many people are walking around in swimsuits.  If you want to be covered up or are afraid to be cold, a robe is a worthwhile splurge.  There are towels for use outside of the Lagoon, but not available in the locker rooms.  Once in your swimsuit head to the Lagoon and enjoy your first adventure in Iceland!  If you want to learn more about the Blue Lagoon, check out this post.  (Blue Lagoon Post). ‘              

After the Blue Lagoon you will end your day in Reykavik.  Head towards your hotel and get checked in.  Spend the rest of your afternoon and evening settling into your hotel, taking a nap if needed and exploring Reykavik City.   Check out the Reykavik City post to learn more about what to do in this wonderful City.  (Reykavik Post)

Day 2: Lava Tunnel Tour and Golden Circle

After a relaxing first day at the Blue Lagoon and your first taste of Reykavik City, day 2 takes you to the Golden Circle.  The golden circle is a circle drive starting and ending in Reykjavik that takes you to some of the top spots close to the capital.  The drive is about 150 miles and takes about three and a half hours to drive without the stops.   If you rented a car, you are able to go at your own pace on the Golden Circle.  If you choose not to rent a car, there are numerous tours that you can schedule to take the golden circle tour.  The most well known stops are the Kerid Crater, Gulfoss Waterfall, Stroller Geysir and Thingvallir National Park.   All of these stops are worth it, but there are a few more along the way to check out if you are able.  Most golden circle itineraries stop at Thingvillir National park but this park and a snorkeling trip are saved for day three.  This golden circle itinerary has the below stops.

  1. Lava Tunnel Tour
  2. Kerid Crater
  3. Skalhot Church
  4. Faxi Waterfall
  5. Skogafoss Waterfall
  6. Strokkur Geysir
  7. Bruarfoss
  8. Efstidalur Farm

Lava Tunnel Tour – Raufarhólshellir

The first stop on your Golden Circle Tour is a Lava Tunnel Tour at Raufarholshellir.  This is a must do and can not be missed.  This is not a typical stop along the golden circle.  It is located about 10 minutes south of the golden circle loop.  For this stop you should book a tour before arriving.  Pick a time at the start of the day, as this will be the first stop along the way.  You can book tickets at the following website.  https://www.viator.com/tours/Reykjavik/1-Hour-Small-Group-Raufarholshellir-Lava-Tunnel-Tour/d905-44266P2 This tour is approximately 60 minutes.  You get to take a walk inside a lava Tunnel tube that was formed many years ago.  This was breathtaking to see and fascinating to learn about.  Do not miss this tour!  To read more in depth about the lava tunnel tour, read this post.  Lava Tunnel Tour.   

Kerid Crater

The second stop on your Golden Circle Tour is Kerid Crater, a volcanic crater.  You can walk along the caldera or rim of the volcano and hike down to the bottom of the crater and walk along the water.  Kerid crater was formed 6,500 years ago and is a must stop on your golden circle tour.  To learn more about Kerid crater go to https://kerid.is/, to learn more about what to do at Kerid Crater, got to  Kerid Crater blog post.

Skalhot Church

The third stop on your Golden Circle Tour is Skalhot Church.  This is an optional stop.  You can easily skip this and not miss out on too much.  You could spend as quickly as 10 minutes at this church or up to an hour depending on what you choose to do.  If you stop here, take some time to enjoy the beautiful white church against the green background.   Stop inside if the church is open to the public at the time of your visit.  There is also a museum you can explore for a small fee.    

Faxi Waterfall

The fourth stop on your golden circle tour, and another optional stop is Faxi Waterfall.  This Waterfall comes before getting to the well known Skogafoss Waterfall.  It is an easy and quick stop if you have extra time in your day.  This is a beautiful and impressive stop, especially if it is one of the first waterfalls you have seen, but there are other stops along the golden circle that are better in my opinion.  This is a stop that is worth it if you have time but can be skipped without missing out on a must see.  This waterfall isn’t a tall one but is wide, which is unique to see.  There is a parking lot, where you pay a small fee then you can drive next to the waterfall and park.  A quick walk gets you down in front of it and along the side.  Worth the stop if you are able to fit it in!

Skogafoss Waterfall

Strokkur Geysir

Bruarfoss

Efstidalur Farm

Day 3: Snorkeling Silfra and Thingvellir National Park and Reykavik

Day three of this itinerary is dedicated to Thingvellir National Park! Although thingvellir national park is part of the golden circle for most itineraries, I recommend seeing this after Snorkeling Silfra.  First stop for day three is showing up to dive the silfra Fissure. Snorkeling the silfra fissure is an adventure all on its own.  This was an amazing experience and takes up most of the morning.  Book ahead of time on Dive.is.  There were a few other dive companies and all of them appeared to be about the same.  I snorkeled with Dive.is and can recommend them.  After meeting at the designated location, getting your briefing, you walk to the entrance to get in.  There is a designated path to follow while you enjoy looking down on the amazing colors and rocks below. This really is a once in a lifetime experience and one I would recommend doing on your trip to Iceland.  If you would like to read more in depth about my Snorkeling adventure click here.  (Snorkel post)

After your adventurous morning snorkeling between two tectonic plates, it is time to explore the rest of Thingvillir National Park.  There are many things to do throughout Thingvillir but I recommend Thingvellir Church, Oxarafoss Waterfall, Hakid Overlook and Almannagja hike.  All of these stops can be accessed from The visitor center and Parking Lot 1, or you can drive around the park to various parking lots and get closer to each attraction.  (if you want an in depth detail of what to do in Thingvellir click here)

After you have seen the highlights of each stop at Thingvellir, head back to Reykavik and finish out the evening exploring the city.  (everything you need to know about Reykavik)

Day 4: South Coast of Iceland – Reykjavik to Vik

Day 4 is the last day of your Iceland Itinerary and heads south along the coast of Iceland to explore more of what south Iceland has to offer.  To make this trip doable in one day our itinerary stopped at Vik and turned around and headed back to reykjavik by evening (and to get ready to fly home the next day!  The trip from Reykavik to Vik is 2 hours and 30 minutes one way, so it is a full day of exploring.  Below are the highlights and stops between Reykavik and Vik.  You really can do these in any order that your wish.  I wanted to get to Vik around noon for lunch before turning around so planned accordingly.  In Vik we enjoyed lunch at Black Crust Pizza which was insanley good.  Highly recommend stopping there to eat when you make it to Vik.

  1. Seljalandsfoss
  2. Gljufrabui
  3. Sólheimajökull glacier parking lot
  4. Dyrhólaey Viewpoint and Lighthouse
  5. Dyrhólaey View Parking Lot and WC
  1. Reynisfjara Beach
  2. Kvernufoss
  3. Skogafoss
  4. Gluggafoss
  5. Vik

For a more in depth look at the drive down the south coast and information on each stop check out  this post (Epic stops on the south shore between Reykavik to Vic.

Once back to Reykavik for the night enjoy one last evening in the capital before packing up and flying home the next morning.  Hope this itinerary gave you the perfect adventure.  Have fun in Iceland!