Iceland in a week, a map and a travel itinerary!

Planning trips, namely routes, always takes a very long time. Therefore, this ready-made, 7-day Iceland trip route is what you need! There are a lot of places to visit in Iceland, and it's hard to choose the best ones, but this route will give you the opportunity to get to know and see the most beautiful and popular places in Iceland.

Iceland travel itinerary in 7 days:

• General information and a route map with attractions
• DAY 1 | Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon
• DAY 2 | Iceland's Golden Ring, waterfalls and Solhaimasandur plane crash site
• DAY 3 | Skaftafetl National Park and Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon
• DAY 4 | Puffins, Eastern Fjords and Lake Myvatn
• DAY 5 | North Iceland, Godafoss Waterfall and Whale Safari
• DAY 6 | Hvitserkur Troll Rock and seal beach and maybe western fjords
• DAY 7 | Kirkjufell Rock, Helnar and Reykjavik
• conclusion  | About a trip to Iceland in 7 days!

General information and a route map with attractions

If you decide that this route is what you need, then we recommend taking a 4WD car, so you will feel more comfortable ;) But it is also possible to drive this route in a non-four-wheel drive car, with the exception of the Western Fjords.

How to rent a car in Iceland and what to pay attention to read:

Before the trip, be sure to stock up on maps and consider the possibility of Internet access. It can be a local SIM card or a SIM card from any of the European countries. At the moment, there is no roaming in the EU countries and you can use, for example, a Polish SIM card in Iceland without additional payments. And of course, no one canceled international SIM cards such as travel sim.

If you have Internet access, you can use the map that we have prepared for you or export it to another of your favorite navigation applications

A 7-day route map of Iceland

A couple more tips for independent travel in Iceland:

• If you are going to exchange money for local Icelandic crowns, then change a little or not at all. In Iceland, in 99% of cases, you can pay with a card!
• Save your route on safetravel.is and tell someone of your friends or relatives, so they will know your location. And also on this site there is always the most up-to-date information about the weather and not only.

Other options for traveling around Iceland by car for a period of 3 to 9 days can be found here:

DAY 1 | Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon

Iceland's Keflavik International Airport is located on the Reykjavik Peninsula, and along with it there was a place for a couple more world-famous attractions:

• Blue Lagoon Thermal Spa
• Gunnuhver Geothermal Zone
• The ancient lighthouse of Reykjavik
• a bridge between Europe and America

Having rented a car, you can immediately head to the Blue Lagoon, or you can go along the 42nd road and stop by to see the fault and the bridge between the tectonic plates on which Europe and America are located, as well as the Gunnuhver thermal zone and the lighthouse. Do not forget that the Blue Lagoon is a very popular place and if you have not booked tickets in advance, then there is a high probability of not getting there :(

Read more about the Blue Lagoon here:

After relaxing in the thermal waters, it's time to meet with the capital of Iceland - Reykjavik. 

Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and the largest city in the country. Although it is the largest city in Iceland, it is still not too big, and you can explore almost anything you want during the day. Cafes, souvenir shops, try crab soup, visit the observation deck on the roof of the Hallgrímskirkja church and much more.

Accommodation in Reykjavik is worth booking in advance, we usually use airbnb and advise you. Register using our link and get a small bonus (25 euros) for your first booking www.airbnb.com

DAY 2 | Iceland's Golden Ring, waterfalls and Solhaimasandur plane crash site

This day will be the most ambitious day of the trip, as we plan to visit 6 interesting places. You shouldn't stay too long in Reykjavik because we have so many plans! 

The first one on our way will be the Golden Ring of Iceland.

The Golden Ring consists of the Tingvellir National Park, geysers in the Haukadalur geothermal zone and Gulfoss Waterfall. This is one of the most popular tourist routes in Iceland. Of course, it is better to leave more time for this route, but we only have one day, so you can drive the Golden Ring of Iceland in the express version:

1. walk along the road between tectonic plates in Tingvellir Park
2. see the eruption of the Strokkur geyser
3. take a walk in a spray cloud at Gulfoss Waterfall

After the Golden Ring, your path will run through the green hills of Iceland and most likely you will be able to see the cutest Icelandic horses there.

The next stop is at the Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls.

Both waterfalls are about 60-70 meters high and it is impressive. You can follow the trail behind the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall and climb up the Skogafoss Waterfall. Make sure you're wearing a waterproof jacket and pants, because you'll get wet sooner than you might think. If your camera is not protected from water, then you should think about where you will hide it from the spray of the waterfall.

After the waterfalls, head to the wreckage of Solheimasandur's plane. The four-kilometer walk to the crash site takes 1-1.5 hours, but it's worth it. If you walk a little further, you will find yourself on one of the black beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.

You can stay overnight at one of the campsites, or at a hotel in one of the nearest villages.

DAY 3 | Skaftafetl National Park and Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon

On this day, there will be many attractions on the way and you will have to choose where to go and where not to go. 

The first rocks to meet on the road are Durholey rocks and the village of Vic. They say there are many dead ends on the cliffs of Durholy, but we, for example, were unlucky and we did not see any. It is also a good option to stop at Reynisfjara beach, walk along the black volcanic sand surrounded by basalt columns.

If the weather does not favor visiting the beach, then go straight to the Skaftafetl National Park. Along the way you will pass old lava fields covered with moss. Organized viewing platforms with information will meet in several places.

Just do not try to walk on moss - it is very cherished in Iceland, because it recovers very slowly.

The next point of the trip is Skaftafetl Park and glacier Vatnayokoodle.  In order to get to Skaftafetl National Park, you need to turn left from road number 1 and drive only a couple of kilometers. You will be greeted by a whole tourist village that has grown up around the tourist information center. After all, it is from here that you can go on a tour of the Vatnajokull glacier.

But if you only have a couple of hours, then you probably won't make it to the glacier, but it's worth a walk to the Svartifoss waterfall. A beautiful powerful stream surrounded by basalt hexagonal columns.

The trip to the waterfall and back will take no more than 1-1.5 hours.

After a walk to the waterfall or glacier, head towards the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. The photos of the glacial lagoon are among the first that can be seen while browsing information about Iceland. Icebergs are blocks of blue ice sliding into the water, a glacier and seals frolicking in the water.

Of course, the number of ice blocks depends on the season. But even at the end of summer, you can see small icebergs. 

DAY 4 | Puffins, Eastern Fjords and Lake Myvatn

This day will be very long and you will have to drive quite a long distance.

In the morning, the path runs towards the eastern fjords and the town of Bakkagerdi, it is next to it that you can observe puffins (puffins) - the symbol of Iceland. And most importantly, it is one of the few places in Iceland with dead ends that can be reached by land.

Then return to the first road and continue north. You will meet the Dettifoss Waterfall turnoff, and it's worth a stop there! But keep in mind that there are two roads, one of which is old and may be closed, use the more western one - it has only recently been updated and it is almost perfect. From the huge parking lot at the end of the road, a path begins leading to the gorge in which the river flows. A little upstream, you will see how the river falls into this gorge.

As soon as you return to the road number 1, just a few kilometers away there will be a turnoff to the Námafjall geothermal zone. It doesn't take very long to inspect it. The main paths that run between boiling pots of mud can be traversed in 30-40 minutes.

It is worth staying for the night near Lake Myvatn, if you do not want to stay in a tent, then do not forget to book accommodation - this place is very popular among Icelanders and foreign tourists. The lake itself and its surroundings are simply filled with sights. If you have more time than a week, then it's worth spending a couple of days here to explore the area. It is also nice to bask in the hot thermal springs on a cold Icelandic evening. Lake Myvatn has the second largest thermal springs after the Blue Lagoon:

DAY 5 | North Iceland, Godafoss Waterfall and Whale Safari

On this day, you can go on a whale safari from the northern town of Husavik. Husavik is called the best place for whale watching in Iceland, and for good reason. From here, a variety of boats and speedboats go out to the open sea to watch whales. But keep in mind that there are a lot of people who want to and the tour needs to be booked strongly in advance. And many companies have discounts on online bookings.

After a few hours at sea, head west along the first highway, but don't forget to turn off to the world famous Godafoss Waterfall. After all, according to legend, pagan idols were dropped into it and Iceland adopted a new religion.

After the Godafoss waterfall, we move further west. You can stay in one of the villages or, conversely, choose a secluded northern shore.

DAY 6 | Hvitserkur Troll Rock and seal beach and maybe western fjords

Today, in the morning, we go to the famous Hvitserkur troll rock - they say that it is a water-drinking troll frozen at dawn from the first rays of the sun.

If you drive further along the 711 road, you can get to the beach, where seals usually rest. Of course, these are wild animals and their presence on the beach depends on many factors. The day we were on this beach, all the seals were sitting in the water and only occasionally stuck out their cute faces.

If you rented a four-wheel drive car and did not spend all your time watching cute seals, then you can go to the Western Fjords, there you can see untouched nature, observe the birds and animals inhabiting this region, chat with locals who are not yet very spoiled by the attention of tourists.

DAY 7 | Kirkjufell Rock, Helnar and Reykjavik

This will be the last day of our trip to Iceland. But in order to reach Reykjavik by evening, you need to hurry up. 

First of all, stop by the beautiful Kirkjufell rock. Kirkjufell - translates as mountain-church (mountain church). Be sure to walk to the small waterfalls nearby to take great photos with the rock.

They say that you can climb the mountain and it will take about 1.5 hours, but we decided to leave this hike for another time.

The road to Reykjavik is not close, so it's up to you to use the tunnel or drive along the shores of the fjord.

conclusion  | About a trip to Iceland in 7 days!

Iceland is a very beautiful country, I want to come back here again and again.

Iceland can offer not only breathtaking landscapes, but also an opportunity to look into the life of the northern fauna. Of course, 7 days is quite a bit for such a country, you can spend two weeks, a month or two here and still you will not be bored. The first acquaintance has happened and you will catch yourself thinking more than once that you want to come back here... To see the 15 best sights of Iceland.

If you are not ready to think over your route and do not want to deal with booking and thinking through the little things, then you can ask for help from professionals. There are many companies that will arrange a tour of Iceland for you for a week, but you will be driving, which means you decide where and when to stop, and trusted people will do everything else - you can find examples of such tours for 7 days here.

Share in the comments what other attractions you would definitely include in a week-long trip!

And if you are too lazy to choose the season and plan yourself, you can always join a group of the same adventurers. where everything has already been planned and thought out.