Iceland · Europe

Iceland

Waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes and northern lights – Iceland is a journey to another planet.

Best time to goJune to August (midnight sun) or September to March (northern lights)
Recommended duration8–10 days for the south, 12–14 for the Ring Road
Price levelhigh

Why Iceland?

Nowhere else have I seen so much landscape in so few miles: the Skógafoss waterfall thunders 60 metres down, and beyond it lie black beaches, glacier tongues and the icebergs of the Jökulsárlón lagoon – all along a single road.

Iceland is expensive, but nature is free. With a hire car and a tent or simple guesthouses, the budget stays within reason. Petrol and food are the biggest items.

The Icelandic horses by the roadside are curious and trusting – a stop is part of the trip. But please don’t feed them, however pleadingly they look at you.

How I book Iceland

Iceland is a self-drive country, but that doesn’t mean you have to piece everything together yourself. I have done best with specialist operators who know Iceland: they put together hire cars or campervans, hotels and tours at fair prices, and you have someone on the ground to call when the weather changes your plans. These are the operators I recommend – the links take you straight to their offers:

Tours & excursionsGuide to Iceland – self-drive tours with hotels and car, plus glacier hikes, ice caves and whale watching. Car hire from KeflavíkDiscover Cars – all rental companies compared, full cover with zero excess available as an add-on. Hire a campervanNorthbound – every Icelandic campervan rental on one page, from vans to 4x4 motorhomes. HotelsBooking.com – free cancellation; you’ll find my six Iceland hotels further down.

If you would rather put it all together yourself, you can of course do that too: choose the route, book the hotels one by one, pick up the car at the airport. It takes a little more time but works well – the hotel tips below and the car-hire comparison will help. The only thing I would steer clear of are the anonymous package sellers charging double for the same hotels and cars.

Tours I recommend

If you would rather not drive yourself: these are the most-booked Iceland tours on TourRadar – all from Reykjavík, with guide, hotels and breakfast, the Ring Road in six to eight days.

Around Iceland Adventure – 6 days
Photo: operator / TourRadar
Jökulsárlón – my photo
Jökulsárlón – my photo
Around Iceland Adventure – 6 days6 days · from Reykjavík · Arctic Adventures · small group up to 18 · ★ 4.6 / 548 reviewsThe whole Ring Road in a week: Golden Circle, south coast, Jökulsárlón, Eastfjords, Mývatn, Akureyri. The most-booked Iceland trip on TourRadar.from approx. CHF 1,750
Around Iceland – 8-day minibus tour
Photo: operator / TourRadar
Diamond Beach – my photo
Diamond Beach – my photo
Around Iceland – 8-day minibus tour8 days · from Reykjavík · Troll Expeditions · small group · ★ 4.8 / 23 reviewsThe same loop with two extra days – for hikes, whale watching and detours.from approx. CHF 2,350
Guided Iceland Circle – 8 days
Photo: operator / TourRadar
Kerið – my photo
Kerið – my photo
Guided Iceland Circle – 8 days8 days · from Reykjavík · GJ Travel · ★ 4.4 / 44 reviewsThe classic guided coach tour with comfortable hotels, the benchmark for Iceland round trips for decades.from approx. CHF 2,550
Small group with premium hotels – 8 days
Photo: operator / TourRadar
South coast – my photo
South coast – my photo
Small group with premium hotels – 8 days8 days · from Reykjavík · Snæland Travel · ★ 4.7 / 6 reviewsFor anyone who wants a good hotel at the end of the day: same route, better accommodation, small group.from approx. CHF 1,800
Self-drive winter tour – 8 days
Photo: operator / TourRadar
Iceland in winter – my photo
Iceland in winter – my photo
Self-drive winter tour – 8 days8 days · from Keflavík · Marina Travel · hire car included · ★ 4.8 / 6 reviewsThe Ring Road on your own with pre-booked hotels and a 4x4 hire car – northern lights season October to March.from approx. CHF 1,900

Prices are indicative, converted from TourRadar prices (as of November 2026, per person in a double room, rate 1 US$ = 0.82 CHF); TourRadar shows the exact price in francs when you click, free cancellation depending on the operator. Operator photos from TourRadar, the other pictures are my own. Affiliate links: if you book through one of these links I earn a small commission – the price stays the same for you, and sometimes you even get an extra discount.

Live selection from TourRadar – prices in your currency, updates automatically.

My photos from Iceland

I took all the pictures myself – on the road with a hire car around the Golden Circle, along the south coast to the glacier lagoon and in Reykjavík.

Strokkur geyser – an eruption every few minutes

Strokkur in the Geysir area on the Golden Circle shoots a column of water up to 20 metres high every 5–10 minutes – best to wait for a few eruptions.

Golden Circle and south coast

Kerið – the crater lake on the Golden Circle, red lava around turquoise water.
Kerið – the crater lake on the Golden Circle, red lava around turquoise water.
Eyjafjallajökull – the volcano that grounded air traffic in 2010; the visitor centre is right on the Ring Road.
Eyjafjallajökull – the volcano that grounded air traffic in 2010; the visitor centre is right on the Ring Road.
Black lava beach on the south coast – the waves here are dangerous, never stand with your back to the sea.
Black lava beach on the south coast – the waves here are dangerous, never stand with your back to the sea.
A break on the lava rock at the black beach.
A break on the lava rock at the black beach.
Lupins as far as the eye can see – in June and July they turn half of Iceland purple.
Lupins as far as the eye can see – in June and July they turn half of Iceland purple.
Signpost in Skaftafell National Park – the starting point for glacier hikes.
Signpost in Skaftafell National Park – the starting point for glacier hikes.
In front of the Svínafellsjökull glacier tongue.
In front of the Svínafellsjökull glacier tongue.
Jökulsárlón – icebergs drift out of the glacier lagoon into the sea.
Jökulsárlón – icebergs drift out of the glacier lagoon into the sea.
Diamond Beach: the chunks of ice from the lagoon wash up on the black sand.
Diamond Beach: the chunks of ice from the lagoon wash up on the black sand.
Puffins nest on the cliffs in summer – very close, but please keep your distance.
Puffins nest on the cliffs in summer – very close, but please keep your distance.
Puffin on the cliff edge – they are here from June to early August.
Puffin on the cliff edge – they are here from June to early August.
Inside a turf house – this is how Icelanders lived for centuries.
Inside a turf house – this is how Icelanders lived for centuries.
Blue Lagoon near Grindavík – milky-blue thermal water in the middle of a lava field.
Blue Lagoon near Grindavík – milky-blue thermal water in the middle of a lava field.

Reykjavík

Hallgrímskirkja – Reykjavík’s 74-metre landmark; the façade echoes the island’s basalt columns, and the tower offers the best view over the city.
Hallgrímskirkja – Reykjavík’s 74-metre landmark; the façade echoes the island’s basalt columns, and the tower offers the best view over the city.
The rainbow street Skólavörðustígur leads straight up to Hallgrímskirkja.
The rainbow street Skólavörðustígur leads straight up to Hallgrímskirkja.
Colourful Reykjavík – hardly a house without colour.
Colourful Reykjavík – hardly a house without colour.
Street art on Laugavegur, the capital’s shopping street.
Street art on Laugavegur, the capital’s shopping street.
Café Babalú – a small, quirky café on Skólavörðustígur; the cakes and soup are excellent.
Café Babalú – a small, quirky café on Skólavörðustígur; the cakes and soup are excellent.
Blue wooden house in the old town – typical: corrugated iron, boldly painted.
Blue wooden house in the old town – typical: corrugated iron, boldly painted.
Red wooden house with a garden in the middle of Reykjavík.
Red wooden house with a garden in the middle of Reykjavík.
Black wooden house in Reykjavík.
Black wooden house in Reykjavík.
Ingólfur Arnarson, Iceland’s first settler, on Arnarhóll hill above the harbour.
Ingólfur Arnarson, Iceland’s first settler, on Arnarhóll hill above the harbour.
Scallops – fresh every day in Iceland, but much smaller than the ones we know at home.
Scallops – fresh every day in Iceland, but much smaller than the ones we know at home.
Fish and chips with cod – the standard dish, good everywhere.
Fish and chips with cod – the standard dish, good everywhere.

Nature, animals and seasons

Icelandic horses by the roadside: curious, trusting, everywhere.
Icelandic horses by the roadside: curious, trusting, everywhere.
Snow-capped mountains in the north – even in June it can still be white here.
Snow-capped mountains in the north – even in June it can still be white here.
Icelandic horses in the snow – they stay outdoors all year round.
Icelandic horses in the snow – they stay outdoors all year round.
Birch forest with lupins – one of the island’s few forests.
Birch forest with lupins – one of the island’s few forests.
Willow catkins in the Icelandic spring.
Willow catkins in the Icelandic spring.
Icelandic sheepdogs – the island’s old herding breed, friendly and curious like the horses.
Icelandic sheepdogs – the island’s old herding breed, friendly and curious like the horses.

My tips for Iceland

  • A 4x4 hire car if you are planning highland tracks (F-roads); a normal car is enough for the Ring Road.
  • Check the weather hourly (vedur.is) – it changes faster than you think.
  • The Blue Lagoon is lovely but pricey. The Sky Lagoon near Reykjavík or the local swimming pools are the more relaxed alternative.

Where to stay?

Six hotels along the Ring Road where I have stayed myself – clockwise from the Blue Lagoon via Reykjavík, the south coast and the Eastfjords up to the north. All can be booked directly on Booking.com; in summer, reserve months ahead.

Northern Light Inn
Grindavík (near the Blue Lagoon) · hotel with spa · 42 rooms · Booking 9.2

Two kilometres from the Blue Lagoon, 20 minutes from the airport – the perfect first or last night in Iceland.
Hotel Reykjavík Saga
Reykjavík · 4 stars · boutique hotel with spa

130 rooms on the historic Lækjargata, right in the centre – spa with rooftop terraces and an open kitchen in the restaurant.
The Greenhouse Hotel
Hveragerði · 4 stars

45 minutes from Reykjavík in the geothermal town of Hveragerði – with a food hall in the building and the warm river Reykjadalur on the doorstep.
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
Hnappavellir (Öræfi) · 4 stars superior · 125 rooms

Between Skaftafell and the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón – hot tubs, sauna and a sky without light pollution.
Fosshotel Eastfjords
Fáskrúðsfjörður · 3 stars · historic building from 1903

The former hospital of French fishermen from 1903, today a hotel with museum – and European Heritage Award 2016.
Hotel Rauðaskriða
Aðaldalur near Húsavík · 3 stars · family-run · Booking 9.0

Family-run country hotel 20 minutes from Húsavík – hot tubs, Icelandic dinner with lamb and char, horses on the doorstep.

Find accommodation in Iceland

I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.

See accommodation in Iceland Compare on Hotels.com Holiday rental on Vrbo
Affiliate links: if you book I earn a small commission – the price stays the same for you, and sometimes you even get an extra discount. Hotels.com is worth it for comparing prices and for the loyalty programme (every tenth night free), Vrbo for holiday homes and apartments.
← All destinations