The South
The geothermal park Hverasvæðið, in the centre of town, has mud pots and steaming pools where visitors can dip their feet (but no more). Groups of 15 or…
Must-see attractions in Iceland
The Golden Circle
Around 15.5km north of Selfoss on Rte 35, Kerið is a 6500-year-old explosion crater with vivid red and sienna earth and containing an ethereal green lake…
Borgarbyggð
The easiest lava tube to visit, and the largest in Iceland, 1100-year-old, 1.5km-long Viðgelmir is located on private property near the farmstead…
Icelandic Folk & Outsider Art Museum
North Iceland
This excellent, eclectic museum 12km from Akureyri on Rte 1 (look for the sculpture of a tall blue man out the front) is a beautiful space filled with…
Borgarbyggð
The name of this spectacular waterfall translates to 'Lava Field Waterfall' because the crystalline water streams out from below the lava field all around…
Heimaey
The Aquarium & Natural History Museum has an interesting collection of stuffed birds and animals, videos on puffins and catfish, and fish tanks of…
Ísafjörður
Celebrating the magic of the mundane is the aim of the powerful, creative displays here, where shoes, books and mini-movies each come with personal…
The Westfjords
An enormous and stunning golden-sand beach, framed by rocky cliffs and the turquoise waters of the bay. Certainly one of Iceland’s best beaches, the…
The South
This airy modern-art gallery puts on superb exhibitions. When it's quiet the staff are more than happy to walk guests around the gallery, offering an…
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
The basalt island Súgandisey features a scenic lighthouse and grand views across Breiðafjörður. Reach it via the causeway at Stykkishólmur harbour.
Reykjavík
Laugardalur encompasses a verdant stretch of land 4km east of the city centre. It was once the main source of Reykjavík’s hot-water supply: it translates…
Reykjavík Art Museum – Ásmundarsafn
Reykjavík
There’s something immensely playful about the vast collection of sculptures by Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982) housed in the studio and museum he designed …
Greater Reykjavík
Nobel Prize–winning author Halldór Laxness (1902–98) lived in Mosfellsbær all his life. His riverside home is now the Gljúfrasteinn Laxness Museum, which…
Reykjavík
This perennially cutting-edge artist-run exhibition space is a favourite with locals, and now has an expanded gallery in the renovated Marshall House in…
The South
One of Iceland’s oldest houses, built by Danish traders in 1765, Húsið á Eyrarbakka has glass display cabinets explaining the town’s history, interesting…
Reykjavík
Reserve ahead for a tour (2pm Monday to Friday) at this full-service chocolate factory, where you'll see how cocoa beans are transformed into high-end,…
Southeast Iceland
Adding more eye candy to an impressive road trip, a precipitous 767m-tall palisade of cliffs known as Lómagnúpur towers over the landscapes, begging to be…
East Iceland
At the eastern end of town, where the road runs out, is this lovely nature reserve perfect for short strolls. Various paths run over boardwalks and past…
Seyðisfjörður
This street is supremely photogenic: a rainbow is painted on the pavement, and the Blue Church serves as a sweet backdrop. It features in many advertising…
Reykjavík
Displays works by some of the country’s top modern artists, many of whom show overseas as well.
The Golden Circle
Follow the path to where a circle of people is usually waiting in anticipation. They are here to see this magnificent geyser spurt water up to 40m in the…
The South
Essentially displaying Iceland’s birth story, the LAVA Centre is a full-blown multimedia experience on volcanic and seismic life. Divided into multiple…
The South
One of Iceland's most active volcanoes, Hekla stands at 1491m, and has erupted 20 times since 874, most recently in the year 2000. In a 4x4, it's possible…
The Westfjords
Charming Vigur is a popular destination for day trippers from Ísafjörður. In season it's a nesting site for hundreds of puffins, and the rest of the year…
The Golden Circle
Filling much of the rift plain, Þingvallavatn is Iceland’s largest lake, at 84 sq km. Pure glacial water from Langjökull filters through bedrock for 40km…
Reykjanesfólkvangur Reserve
The volatile geothermal field Austurengjar, about 2km south of Kleifarvatn, is often called Krýsuvík after the nearby abandoned farm. At Seltún, the main…
Southeast Iceland
A sign off the Ring Road indicates Fjallsárlón – this is an easily accessible glacier lagoon, where icebergs calve from Fjallsjökull. There are Zodiac…
The South
Sitting behind a volcanic ledge, right off the road to Landmannalaugar, hides an enormous crater. Hnausapollur erupted around 11,000 years ago, now it's…
Southeast Iceland
Heading east on the Ring Road from Skaftafell, a sign points the way to the glacier Svínafellsjökull. A rough, potholed dirt road leads 2km to a car park,…
The South
Known as Raufarhólshellir, this 11th-century lava tube is 1360m long (Iceland's third largest) and contains wonderful lava columns. Regular one-hour tours…
Reykjanesfólkvangur Reserve
This deep, brooding lake sits in a volcanic fissure, surrounded by wind-warped lava cliffs and black-sand shores. A walking trail runs around the edge,…
The South
This gorgeous glacier is Iceland’s fourth-largest ice cap, covering 700 sq km and reaching a thickness of almost 750m in places. The volcano Katla snoozes…
The South
Vík’s most iconic cluster of sea stacks is known as Reynisdrangur, which rises from the ocean like ebony towers at the western end of Vík's black-sand…
Mývatn Region
Vaporous vents cover the pinky-orange Námafjall ridge, which lies 3km east of Bjarnarflag on the south side of the Ring Road. Produced by a fissure…
Reykjanes Peninsula
Boardwalks allow visitors to get close to the eerie Gunnuhver site, which is filled with vigorously bubbling mud pools and billowing steam. Some…
The South
About 5km west of Hvolsvöllur, unsurfaced Rte 264 winds about 8km north along the Rangárvellir valley to the medieval turf-roofed farm at Keldur. This…
Southeast Iceland
At the Jökulsá river mouth you’ll see ice boulders and bergs resting photogenically on the black-sand beach as part of their final journey out to sea…
The South
Twenty-six kilometres northeast of Árnes along Rte 32, take a short (1km) detour along a signposted track to this delightful waterfall. The azure falls…
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
The farmstead at Bjarnarhöfn is the region’s leading producer of hákarl (fermented shark meat), a traditional Icelandic dish. The museum has exhibits on…
Akureyri
Dominating the town from high on a hill, Akureyri’s landmark church was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, the architect responsible for Reykjavík’s…
