Between the endless waterfalls, otherworldly black sand beaches and epic glaciers, southern Iceland will quickly become one of your favorite travel destinations. In this complete one week southern Iceland road trip itinerary, you’ll see all of the best things the South Coast has to offer.
Day One: Arrival, Reykjavik, Seljalandsfoss + Skogafoss
Reykjavik
On day one of your southern Iceland road trip itinerary, you’ll probably fly into Keflavik, Iceland’s major international airport located just outside of the capital Reykjavik. After you pick up your rental car (read my guide here about renting a car in Iceland), make a stop in Reykjavik to grab a coffee and organic Scandinavian pastry at Braud & co., and/or a bite to eat on Skolavordustigur Rainbow Street. This is also where you’ll see the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church, which is certainly worth a stop. There’s a good amount of parking around Hallgrimskirkja church as well, so I would plug Hallgrimskirkja into your GPS straight from the airport and find parking from there.
Seljalandsfoss + Gljufrabui
Next, you’ll drive down to the South Coast. As you fight jet lag on day one, keep busy by making stops at a few different waterfalls. The farther south you drive, the better the views get, so the views alone will help you stay awake too. The first two waterfalls you’ll stop at are Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss is a massive waterfalls that impresses you immediately from the road. There is a hiking trail behind the waterfall, too, so definitely take the short hike around the backside of the waterfall. Come prepared to get wet, though! Definitely wear rain pants and a thick rain coat. (Check out my full summer Iceland packing list here.)
Gljufrabui waterfall is a flat half mile walk down from Seljalandsfoss and absolutely worth the trek. Here, there’s a waterfall tucked inside a cave, bringing you on a miniature adventure walking through the falls’ shallow little stream to get inside the cave. Again, prepare to get wet! You only have to pay for parking at the main Seljalandsfoss parking lot to see both Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui. There’s a QR code to easily pay for parking on your phone.
Skogafoss
Finally, before arriving at your hotel in Vik, make one final stop at Skogafoss waterfall. Skogafoss is the huge widespread waterfall that you see in most Iceland travel ads and photos. You have to pay for parking here too, but, like the previous waterfalls, the waterfall itself is free to visit. By the way, I highly recommend you stay in Vik for this southern Iceland road trip itinerary. We stayed at Vik Apartments, which is part of the Hotel Vik i Myrdal, and it was a perfect location — across the street from restaurants, the grocery store, coffee shops and our tour meeting spots.
Day Two: Vik i Myrdal, Black Sand Beach, Dyrholaey Peninsula + Plane Wreck
Vik i Myrdal Church
Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, you’ll start your southern Iceland road trip itinerary easy with your first full day in Vik. Feel free to have a slower morning if you want. Then, you have some flexibility for your first stop. We chose to pop by the Vik i Myrdal church first because it was conveniently right next to our accommodations.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Then, we made our way to the legendary Reynisfjara Beach, AKA the basalt column black sand beach. Here, you’ll witness not only a rare volcanic black sand beach but a huge collection of octangular basalt columns as well. Procede with caution, though, as this beach is extremely dangerous and notorious for “sneaker waves.” Like the name suggests, sneaker waves are strong waves that “sneak” much farther up the beach than expected. Sadly, these sneaker waves pull tourists out to open ocean and lead to drownings every year. So, be smart, follow the beach hazard guidelines and do not get close to the water — even if other tourists are close to the water.
Dyrholaey Peninsula
Alternatively, you could visit the Dyrholaey Peninsula first for your best chance at seeing puffins. Puffins are most active at dawn and dusk between the months of June and July. So, if seeing puffins is on the top of your Iceland bucket list, then you might consider stopping at Dyrholaey Peninsula first. Although, we visited midmorning after both Vik i Myrdal church and Reynisfjara Beach, and we still saw multiple puffins.
There are a couple different viewpoints on the Dyrholaey Peninsula. I personally think the Endless Black Sand Beach viewpoint is the best, which is a little further up the peninsula from first main viewpoint parking lot. Plug Endless Black Sand Beach into your GPS, and your GPS should take you there. Here, you get the iconic black sand beach view that you see in photos. This is also where you can get the best vantage point for puffin spotting.
If you visit Dyrholaey Peninsula first thing in the morning, I suggest doing your day two itinerary in this order: Dyrholaey Peninsula, Solheimasandur plane wreck, Reynisfjara Beach, then Vik i Myrdal church. That way, you’ll spend less time back tracking as you drive, especially if you’re staying in central Vik.
Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
Finally, before calling it a night, you have the option to check out the Solheimasandur plane wreck. This famous plane wreck has been featured in a variety of music videos and viral social media posts. If you want to see it for free, you will have to hike a flat, dusty and somewhat boring 4.5 miles out and back. Or, you can pay to take the shuttle bus. We took the shuttle bus, and we thought the shuttle was worthwhile. You can buy shuttle bus tickets here. Honestly, I’m not sure if the plane wreck is worth the 4.5 miles walking without the shuttle, and that’s coming from a family of pilots.
Day Three: Katla Ice Cave
Katla Ice Cave Tour
Katla UNESCO Global Geopark is home to volcanos, glaciers, mountains, black sand beaches and more. Inside the geopark lies the Katla volcano, which gives the park its name. Katla is a subglacial volcano, meaning it lies beneath the Myrdalsjokull glacier. Here, there’s no wondering why Iceland is nicknamed the land of fire and ice.
In Kalta, I highly, highly recommend taking an ice cave tour. The Katla ice cave hike was a trip highlight for everyone in our group. Not only do you get to hike through bright blue natural ice caves, but you also get to hike on an active volcano (Katla). Black sand is scattered around the ice, making for a unique sight of contrasting volcanic black and bright aquamarine blue hues. Note: you have to hike with a guide here. We hiked with Arctic Adventures (linking our exact tour here). But, there are several tour companies you can choose from, all of which include transportation to the cave, a guide, a helmet and crampons for your boots.
Fjadrarglufur Canyon Hike
After your ice cave tour, you’ll have some free time. You can relax at your hotel, walk along the Vikurfjara Black Sand Beach, shop for souvenirs in downtown Vik or go out to eat. Our favorite restaurants in Vik were Strondin Pub (so good we ate here twice — the reindeer burger was delicious), Black Crust Pizzeria and Crepes.is.
Or, if you’re feeling particularly energetic, you can go on a second hike in the Vik area. We opted for the Fjadrarglufur Canyon hike. It had enough elevation gain to get our heart rate up but wasn’t too difficult. At the end of the well-maintained trail, we were rewarded with Icelandic canyon and waterfall views from above. Other popular hikes in the area include the Svartifoss trail (waterfall and basalt columns), Kvernufoss trail (waterfall) and Seljavallalaug wwimming pool (swimming hot spring).
Day Four: Jokulsarlon, Diamond Beach + Fjallsarlon Ice Floating
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Start your day four bright and early and head to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon for a morning amphibian boat tour. We booked our tour tickets here. The amphibian boat will have you face-to-face with jaw-dropping icebergs and bright blue glacial water. Plus, your guide will give you more information about the lagoon, glacier, icebergs and wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for seals! Unfortunately, we were cursed with some pretty relentless rain on our boat tour, leaving us cold, wet and miserable afterward. However, if the weather would have cooperated, this probably would have been another trip highlight. Take it as your reminder to, again, wear rain pants, a rain coat and waterproof gloves even in the summertime.
Moreover, if you’re seeking a little more adventure, you can also see Jokulsarlon by kayak tour or by zodiac boat tour. I would have loved either of these other tours, but we had some less adventurous, non-outdoorsy people in our group, so the amphibian tour was much more suitable. (By the way, I have a whole guide to Iceland for non-hikers here.)
Diamond Beach
After your amphibian boat tour, make a quick stop right across the street at Diamond Beach. Diamond Beach gets its name from the crystal clear icebergs of Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon that have been beached (on a black sand beach, of course) on their way to open sea. The first time we visited Diamond Beach, there were a variety of large beached icebergs. However, on our more recent visit, there weren’t really any icebergs on the beach. So, set your expectations accordingly. Nature changes, and you may be blessed with some pretty icebergs. Or, you may be blessed with just another black sand beach. Either way, it’s worth checking.
Plus, stopping at Diamond Beach — as well as walking along the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and eating lunch at the nearby FROST restaurant — will help you kill some time before your next exciting southern Iceland road trip itinerary stop. If you do choose to eat at FROST, know that tour buses stop here too (it’s the only nearby restaurant), so making reservations is recommended.
Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon Ice Floating
In the afternoon of day four, you’ll take a bucket list adventure you’ll never forget: ice floating in Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Fjallsarlon neighbors Jokulsarlon, and the Fjallsarlon tour check-in tent happens to be right around the corner from the FROST restaurant. While there are a variety of tours offered at Fjallsarlon, such as a boat tour and glacier hike, we all agreed that the Fjallsarlon ice floating excursion (booked here) was the best part of our entire trip. In fact, both of my parents agreed that ice floating was one of the most fun experiences of their entire life.
In the summer months, you are carted out on a zodiac boat to a private area of the glacier lagoon. (This is a year-round activity. In the winter, you simply stay closer to the check-in tent.) You’re given a comically giant thermal suit to wear over your base layers, which keeps you totally warm and also acts as your personal flotation device. Then you’re given permission to enter the glacier lagoon, swim wherever you want (so long as you’re in a safe line of sight of the tour guide) and literally float among the icebergs. This is an experience we will never forget, and we couldn’t believe more people weren’t signing up for it. There were dozens of full zodiac boat tour groups, yet we were the only ice floating group that day! Ice floating is an absolutely must-do.
Pro tip: the Svartifoss hike is located near these glacier lagoons, so if you have the time, energy and desire to hike to Svartifoss, this would be a great southern Iceland road trip itinerary day to do so.
Day Five: Silfra + Golden Circle Or Glacier Hike
Next, you have a couple different ways you can spend day five. First, you can snorkel between tectonic plates in pristine water clarity at the Silfra Fissure near the Golden Circle. This is an extremely popular thing to do in Iceland. This is how we spent day five. Nearby, we also planned a few additional Golden Circle spots like Strokkur Geyser, Bruarfoss waterfall and Caves Of Laugarvatn (the caves were a waste of money to be frank).
However, in hindsight, even though snorkeling at Silfra was cool (literally and figuratively), it was also insanely busy, crowded, and not nearly as impressive as the things to do closer to Vik. If I were to do this southern Iceland road trip itinerary day over, I would skip the Golden Circle and instead book this guided glacier hike in Vatnajokull National Park. Toward the end of our day in the Golden Circle, I found myself thinking, “Meh, I’d rather be in Vik.”
That being said, if snorkeling at Silfra is on the top of your Iceland to-do list, you should totally still book it. I just wanted to be honest about my personal experience.
Day Six: Ziplining + Free Time In Vik
An excursion that was worthwhile, on the other hand, was ziplining in Vik. We ziplined with Katlatrack Adventures (booked here), although there are a variety of tour companies that do guided ziplining tours on this same zipline track. You zipline right in Vik through Grafargil Canyon, over streams, across waterfalls and surrounded by the green mountains of Vik. Toward the end of the tour, you also get to experience the surprise they coin the “Leap Of Faith.” (Don’t worry, it’s more fun than scary!)
Pro tip: the meeting point for Katlatrack is in the same building as the Black Crust Pizzeria I mentioned earlier. So, if you want to have the iconic black crust pizza on your trip, this is the perfect South Iceland itinerary night to have it. They serve the cheese pizza with jam according to Icelandic tradition, and it was surprisingly delicious. I definitely recommend tasting it. You’ll also have some free time this day to shop for souvenirs, conquer another hike or relax before departing.
Day Seven: Departure
Lastly, on day seven of your one week Iceland road trip itinerary, you’ll check out of your hotel, drive back to Keflavik and depart (sad, I know). If you have enough time before leaving Vik, stop at the viral Skool Beans coffee shop and micro roaster for a coffee from inside a yellow American school bus. I thought this coffee shop was going to be a bit of a tourist trap, but the menu was super unique (think lavender London fogs and year-round pumpkin spice lattes) and my early-June PSL was actually delicious. Lava Cafe was another delicious coffee shop that we frequented on our trip. If you go to Lava Cafe, do yourself a favorite and order a cinnamon bun.
Et, voila! Your southern Iceland road trip itinerary is complete. Want to know what to pack for your Iceland trip next? Read my free Iceland packing list here.
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