“What’s the best way to spend one week in Iceland?”
This is one of the questions readers ask me most often. I’ve answered it by email or on Facebook many times by now, so here I’d like to sum up what I would recommend for a 7-day trip to Iceland. Let’s go…
What you shouldn’t do
If you don’t have months of time, you’ll want to narrow things down. So when planning, try to cut out anything that doesn’t interest you or that you simply wouldn’t enjoy. Listen to your gut and ask yourself about everything: Would I really enjoy this? If you’re not the active type, you’ll probably find a glacier hike not much fun. If you hate cold water, diving in Iceland might not be the right thing for you. This way you can quite easily free up a few days you might otherwise have spent on something you had no real interest in. Just because everyone does it, or someone tells you “You simply HAVE to do this & that in Iceland!”, doesn’t mean it applies to you!
What you should do
Google a bit, maybe have a look at one or two Iceland trip reports and read a book or two (you’ll find a few in my list of gift ideas for Iceland fans). That way you can get an overview and write down the things that interest you most, so you can plan them in detail later.
But now on to my concrete suggestions for one week in Iceland…
7 days in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik
Fans of city trips who take a whole week for the capital are in no hurry. The city isn’t as big as other European capitals and can be explored really well within seven days. I would start with a walking tour, which you can either do on your own or by joining a group from Citywalk Reykjavik. The main tour is basically free, but the guides make their living from the participants’ donations. If you’d rather head out on your own, just make your way towards the sea and at some point you’ll hit the path along the harbour walls. I find the harbour beautiful and love strolling around there; on the way back into town I then take some random route through the side streets to look at all the small houses. Especially if you walk west from the northern end of the harbour, you’ll find some lovely murals on the house walls, and the side streets are at times quite drab but often gorgeous. Typical Reykjavik — this is where you get a very authentic impression of the city!
Museums in Reykjavik
Reykjavik has lots of museums you can visit. Fairly new is the exhibition Whales of Iceland, where you can marvel at models of the whales that roam the waters around Iceland. Right in the city centre you’ll also find the settlement exhibition Reykjavík_871±2, which explains how the settlement of the island came about. The National Museum is located south of the big pond in the city centre. Depending on where you’re staying, you should take the bus or a taxi. And with Árbæjarsafn, Reykjavik even has an open air museum to offer — getting there by taxi is recommended.
But even the biggest museum fan will surely get bored of them at some point, and if you want to get out a bit, you can take one of the many, many day tours that start in Reykjavik. I find the tours to Snæfellsnes (tours), to the South and of course the Golden Circle (tours) especially worth recommending. There are other operators besides RE, but I’ve had good experiences with them.
For fans of nature and all things living, I would recommend a whale watching tour. The leading operator in Reykjavik is Elding, but you can book these tours practically anywhere. Pro tip: Do this at the beginning of your trip, because you often get a voucher for a free second tour if no whales show up. If you love horses, you’ll feel right at home at the Laxnes Horse Farm. You can get picked up at your hotel.
Hot springs in Reykjavik itself mostly come in the form of pools. The local swimming pools are well worth a visit in any case; if you prefer something a bit more natural, you can for example visit the geothermal beach or the steam valley Reykjadalur. Even though there is a way to get there by public bus, I recommend renting a car for this.
You see, seven days in Reykjavik will certainly not get boring if you also look around a bit beyond the city limits.
One week around Iceland as a road trip
Opinions differ on this one: I can already hear some voices saying “Seven days is far too little for a round trip in Iceland!”. Sure: the more time you have, the more you can see. But for a good first impression, this amount of time is plenty.
A first round trip is probably best done along the Ring Road, but it doesn’t have to be. Route 1 is still recommended because it is in good condition and is regularly checked, maintained and upgraded. Many of Iceland’s sights are located along the Ring Road or are easy to reach from it.
Listing all the options here would go far beyond the scope of this article, so I’d like to limit myself to a few general tips: Don’t let anyone tell you how you have to travel, and do it at your own pace. If at some point the landscapes don’t do much for you anymore — yes, after 2-3 days you do get used to a certain scenery — then just drive through briskly. It’s your holiday, and just because someone likes slow travel doesn’t mean you have to like it too! Take your time in the places and for the things that matter to you. If that’s the Golden Circle, then that’s just how it is. Sure, millions of people have been there before you, but that’s no reason to let anyone talk it down for you. Everyone started out on the tourist trail, and let’s be honest: very few have ever really left it!
waterfallsPersonally, I didn’t like the areas in the north-east as much as those in the south or north, for example. Sure, they have their charm: they are lonely and relatively untouched, a bit off the tourist trail and very natural. But that wasn’t what I was in the mood for, so I didn’t plan a longer stay there. Maybe I missed out on something, but that’s just how it goes.
On everyone’s lips these days: the Westfjords. Everyone talks about them, but only few have ever actually been there — why is that? Well, many people drive the Ring Road counterclockwise, and then the Westfjords would be the last stop. By that point, though, most have spent more time somewhere than planned, and so they head straight back from Akureyri to Reykjavik. On top of that, many underestimate the roads in the Westfjords: there are lots of unpaved roads here, and in winter they are very often impassable. Maybe someday I’ll dedicate an entire Iceland trip to the Westfjords — until then, I’m not going to stress about it.
Update: In October 2017 I took a trip to the Westfjords in Iceland.
Adventure trip Iceland – one week of thrills
Now it’s getting interesting: for the adrenaline junkies among you, I’d like to write down a few things that probably only few people think of when it comes to a holiday in Iceland.
Skydiving! In Hella, just under 100km away, Skydive.is operate — they fly you up to dizzying heights in a Cessna 206 and then throw you out. Either in tandem, strapped to an experienced skydiver, or on your own if you decide to go for an AFF licence (the latter takes a few days, though).
Surfing! Yes indeed, you can ride waves in Iceland too. The guys from Arctic Surfers take you to the best spots on multi-day tours and show you the local waves. You shouldn’t be a beginner though — the whole thing is only recommended for experienced surfers.
Heli skiing & snowboarding! Doing winter sports in Iceland isn’t actually that far-fetched. But it wouldn’t be Iceland if it weren’t a little extreme. Arctic Heli Skiing and Vikingheliskiing take you by helicopter to the most extreme ski areas in Iceland (and Greenland), where you can shred the slopes.
Rafting! Since Iceland is full of rivers small and large, which often carve their way through mountains, it’s perfectly suited for whitewater rafting. Arctic Rafting takes you to the best spots and guides you through the rapids.
Diving! Maybe not that extreme for many, but believe me: in three months on the island I’ve seen Viking men shiver at Silfra! Anyone who still has enough motivation at sub-zero air temperatures to go diving in Iceland is a true adventurer. If you don’t have a diving licence, you can also go snorkelling.
Bubble football! I bet you haven’t heard of this one yet: Bubble Football Iceland
Just watch the video. Go there and please say hi from me! 🙂
Conclusion
My conclusion: one week in Iceland is enough to get to know the country. Whether you do a round trip, stay in the capital or are out for adventure — for all of these cases I hope I’ve given you a good starting point above.
If you have other interests, there are of course other ways to travel and other operators, other destinations and so on.
What they all have in common, in my view, is that you should generally prepare well. Hopefully other articles on this site will help you with that, and of course the Iceland app.
I wish you a wonderful time in Iceland and always look forward to your comments!
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