This 5 days in Iceland itinerary pairs Reykjavik with the most spectacular stretch of the Ring Road: a first day in the capital's harbour and hot pools, the Golden Circle's geysers and rift valley on day two, the South Coast's waterfalls and Reynisfjara black sand on day three, a push east to Jökulsárlón's icebergs and Diamond Beach on day four, and a slow return with Þingvellir snorkelling or the Sky Lagoon on day five. Five days is not enough to drive the full Ring Road well — but it is exactly right for the south, where Iceland's headline landscapes sit within a few hours of each other. You'll want a rental car; almost everything here is a roadside marvel.
June to August gives you near-endless daylight, every road open and the highland F-roads accessible — and the highest prices and crowds. Late May and September are the sweet spot: long light, softer prices, and the first northern lights returning in September. October to March brings aurora season, ice caves and a magical low sun, but short days (four hours in December), storms and real winter driving. Whatever the month, plan around the weather forecast, not the calendar.
Rent a car — the South Coast is a road trip and buses won't get you to the good stops. A small 2WD is fine in summer for the Ring Road (Route 1) and the Golden Circle; take a 4x4 with winter tyres from October to April, and add gravel and sand-and-ash protection to the insurance. Check road.is and vedur.is every morning; closures and wind warnings are routine. In Reykjavik itself, walk — the centre is tiny — and use the Strætó buses or a taxi for the harbour and pools. The Flybus connects Keflavík airport to the city in 45 minutes.
Morning
Tower ISK 1,400; coffee & pastry ISK 1,200–2,000
Start at Hallgrímskirkja, the basalt-column church on the hill, and ride the tower lift for a rooftop view over Reykjavik's coloured tin houses and out to Mount Esja. Walk down Skólavörðustígur — the rainbow street lined with design shops and wool — into Laugavegur for coffee and a cinnamon bun at Reykjavik Roasters or Braud & Co's sourdough bakery. Detour past Tjörnin pond and the little Alþingi parliament house on Austurvöllur square.
Hallgrímskirkja, Hallgrímstorg 1, ReykjavikAfternoon
Whale tour ISK 11,000–14,000; lunch ISK 2,500–4,000
Head down to the Old Harbour for fish and chips or a lobster soup at the shacks by the pier, then walk the seafront path past the mirrored Harpa concert hall to the Sun Voyager sculpture. If the weather is kind, take a three-hour whale-watching trip from the harbour (minke and humpbacks are common April to October); if not, the Whales of Iceland exhibition and the Perlan ice-cave-and-planetarium museum are excellent indoor alternatives.
Old Harbour (Gamla höfnin), Geirsgata, ReykjavikEvening
Pool ISK 1,300; dinner ISK 4,500–9,000
Do what locals do and soak: Laugardalslaug or Sundhöllin cost about ISK 1,300 and have hot pots at different temperatures — shower thoroughly without a swimsuit first, it's the rule and it's non-negotiable. Then eat well before the road days: lamb, arctic char or the fermented-shark-and-brennivín dare in the old centre. Pick up your rental car this evening if you can, and stock a supermarket bag of breakfast supplies for the mornings ahead.
Laugardalslaug, Sundlaugavegur 30, ReykjavikMorning
Parking ISK 1,000
Leave Reykjavik by 08:30 and drive 40 minutes to Þingvellir, where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart and Iceland's parliament met from 930 AD. Walk the Almannagjá gorge from the upper car park down to the Öxarárfoss waterfall — an hour, mostly downhill, with the lake and lava plain spread out below. Parking is ISK 1,000 and paid at the machine or online; there are no entry fees.
Þingvellir National Park, IcelandAfternoon
Free; Secret Lagoon ISK 3,800; soup ISK 2,500
Drive on to the Haukadalur geothermal field, where Strokkur erupts every 5–10 minutes to 20 metres — stand upwind and wait for a couple of bursts. Grab a bowl of lamb soup at the visitor centre, then continue ten minutes to Gullfoss, the two-tier canyon waterfall that throws spray over the whole viewing path. Take the lower walkway if it's open; the scale only lands from down there. Add the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir or the Kerið volcanic crater on the loop back.
Gullfoss, Bláskógabyggð, IcelandEvening
Guesthouse ISK 20,000–35,000 double; dinner ISK 4,000–7,000
Rather than returning to Reykjavik, push south onto Route 1 and overnight near Hvolsvöllur, Hella or Vík so tomorrow's South Coast starts ahead of the day-tour buses. It's a beautiful evening drive under Eyjafjallajökull with horse farms either side. Eat at your guesthouse or in Hvolsvöllur, and in aurora season (September to March) check the vedur.is forecast before bed — the rural sky here is dark enough for the lights.
Hvolsvöllur, South IcelandMorning
Parking ISK 900–1,000 per stop
Start at Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind — take a rain jacket, you will get soaked — and then follow the path a few hundred metres north to Gljúfrabúi, hidden in a slot canyon and missed by most visitors. Continue 30 minutes east to Skógafoss, a 60-metre curtain of water with a rainbow on sunny mornings and 527 steps to a viewing platform above it. Both are roadside; parking is ISK 900–1,000 each.
Seljalandsfoss, South IcelandAfternoon
Glacier hike ISK 13,000–18,000; viewpoints free
Take the short detour to Sólheimajökull, where a glacier tongue reaches down almost to the car park — walk the 15-minute path to the ice edge, or join a guided glacier hike with crampons (book ahead; never walk onto the ice alone). Then climb to the Dyrhólaey promontory for the view along the black coastline through its famous stone arch, with puffins nesting on the cliffs from May to August.
Sólheimajökull glacier, South IcelandEvening
Free; dinner ISK 4,500–8,000
Finish at Reynisfjara, where hexagonal basalt columns rise behind black sand and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks stand offshore. Read the warning signs and stay far back from the water: sneaker waves here have killed visitors, and there is no safe distance close to the surf. Then check in at Vík, a village of 300 under a red-roofed church, and have dinner with a view of the stacks — this is the base for tomorrow's long drive east.
Reynisfjara Beach, Vík í Mýrdal, IcelandMorning
Free; fuel ISK 6,000–10,000 per tank
It's about two and a half hours from Vík to the glacier lagoon, so start early and break the drive. Cross the Eldhraun moss-covered lava field left by the 1783 Laki eruption — the largest lava flow in recorded history — and stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur, a 100-metre-deep serpentine canyon with a clifftop path (closed periodically to protect the moss; check before you turn off). Fuel up in Kirkjubæjarklaustur; services are sparse further east.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, South IcelandAfternoon
Boat tour ISK 8,500–12,500; lagoon free
This is the day's payoff: a lagoon of blue icebergs calving off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and drifting out to sea, with seals basking between them. Take an amphibious or zodiac boat among the bergs (May to October, book ahead), then cross the road to Diamond Beach, where the ice washes back up on black sand and glitters in the light. Nearby Fjallsárlón is smaller, quieter and equally beautiful if the crowds are heavy.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Southeast IcelandEvening
Parking ISK 1,000; ice cave tour ISK 20,000–30,000
On the way back, stop in Skaftafell (Vatnajökull National Park) for the hour-long walk to Svartifoss, a waterfall framed by black basalt columns. Then either overnight around Höfn or Skaftafell for a shorter drive, or return to Vík for the night. In winter, this is ice-cave country — tours depart from the lagoon area between November and March and are the single best add-on to this itinerary.
Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park, IcelandMorning
Free
Drive back toward Reykjavik with one last slow stop: Kvernufoss, the quieter waterfall behind the Skógar museum that you can also walk behind, or Seljavallalaug, a 1923 swimming pool built into a hillside and reachable by a 20-minute walk up a valley. Either gives you a final Icelandic scene with no tour buses in it. Allow three hours of driving with stops, plus time to refuel and clean out the car.
Kvernufoss, Skógar, South IcelandAfternoon
Sky Lagoon ISK 12,900–19,900; Silfra snorkel ISK 19,000
Finish with the thing Iceland does better than anywhere: warm water in cold air. The Sky Lagoon in Kópavogur has an infinity edge over the Atlantic and a seven-step ritual, ten minutes from the city. The Blue Lagoon sits near the airport and suits a pre-flight soak (book a timed slot weeks ahead). For something wilder, the Silfra fissure at Þingvellir offers drysuit snorkelling between the tectonic plates in 100-metre visibility.
Sky Lagoon, Vesturvör 44, Kópavogur, IcelandEvening
Hot dog ISK 800; dinner ISK 5,000–12,000
Back in the capital, eat somewhere good — Icelandic lamb, langoustine from Höfn or a new-Nordic tasting menu — and then do the obligatory pylsur from Bæjarins Beztu, the harbour hot-dog stand that has been feeding Reykjavik since 1937 ('eina með öllu', one with everything). Walk Laugavegur for a final beer at a bar with live music, and if the aurora forecast is up, drive ten minutes out to Grótta lighthouse for a dark sky over the sea.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Tryggvagata 1, ReykjavikMid-range estimate: a guesthouse or mid-range hotel, a rental car share with fuel, a restaurant dinner plus supermarket breakfast and lunch, and a couple of paid experiences (lagoon entry, glacier lagoon boat). Iceland is genuinely expensive — self-catering from Bónus or Krónan supermarkets, guesthouses with shared bathrooms and skipping guided tours can nearly halve the food and activity lines.
Estimated daily total
ISK 35,000–70,000 (US$250–$500) per person, per day
| Season | Typical range | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Apr–May) | 2–10°C / 36–50°F | Fast-lengthening days, fewer crowds; snow can still close mountain passes. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 8–15°C / 46–59°F | Midnight sun, all roads open, peak prices; pack rain gear regardless. |
| Autumn (Sep–Oct) | 3–11°C / 37–52°F | Northern lights return, autumn colour in the highlands; storms begin. |
| Winter (Nov–Mar) | -2–4°C / 28–39°F | Aurora and ice caves, but 4–6 hours of daylight and serious driving conditions. |
SmartVoyage shows the live forecast, or seasonal averages for far-off dates, next to every day of a generated itinerary.
SmartVoyage generates a personalized Reykjavik & the Ring Road, Iceland itinerary with your budget, interests and live weather — your first one is free, no account needed.
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