Welcome to the ZigZag Iceland Travel Guide to help your plan an unforgettable trip!Photos, infos, maps, tips, best things to do, off the beaten track ideas…. All you need to plan your itinerary and discover the land of Fire and Ice.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME IN ICELAND!
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Travel Guide written by Claire, the ultimate Travel Planning Geek
“With the Zigzag Travel Guides, Planning is half the fun of Traveling”
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Best time to travel to Iceland
Wondering when to visit Iceland? My favorite months (to make the most of your time) are:
- September for the Summer time
- February for the Winter time
But if you want to know more about the best time to see the northern lights, the whales, the puffins, the ice caves.. or if you want to compare highlights in Summer and Winter, check out the articles below:
This page contains all the articles about Iceland in Spring, Summer and Autumn. If you want articles about Iceland in Winter, head to this page.
Best places to visit and things to do in Iceland
Where to go in Iceland?
Iceland offers some of the best landscapes I have seen around the world: crazy lava fields, majestic fjords, icebergs on black sand beach… It is difficult to choose some favorite places to visit but I still did it. Discover what I think are the best landscapes, the best stops on the ring road, the top things to do around Myvatn and amazing locations off the beaten track in Iceland. All of that with photos.
Looking for a travel guide that makes planning easy? Check out my 2 ebooks with my pre-selection of the most beautiful places:
Plan your dream trip to Iceland with my guides!
- 8 easy-to-plan maps
- 100+ pre-selected locations
- GPS coordinates
- Useful planning tips
- 130+ large photos
- 2 easy-to-plan maps
- 30 stops, 10 detours
- GPS coordinates
- Useful planning tips
- 70+ large photos
Map of the Iceland Regions
Before I continue with detailed info on planning your trip and how to get to all those amazing locations, below is a map of Iceland with the various touristic regions to visit. Further in this guide, you can see some of the best places to see in those regions.
How to get around?
The Ring Road joins Reykjavik, Vik, Hofn, Egilstadir, Myvatn and Akureyri. It is Road 1 and is an easy road to drive around. More info on the articles about planning your itinerary and driving in Iceland.
Driving times
Quickly to give you an idea, here are the driving times (when not stopping every 5 minutes to admire the scenery):
- Reykjavik to Grundarfjordur (Sanefellsnes Peninsula) – 2h30 drive
- Reykjavik to Vik (South Coast) – 2h30 drive
- Vik to Höfn – 3h15
- Reykjavik to Akureyri – 5h
- Reykjavik to Lake Myvatn – 6h
- Höfn to Lake Myvatn – 5h30
Planning your trip to Iceland
Now it is time to plan and prepare. The following articles will help you with information about transportation, accommodation, clothes to pack, driving, food, itineraries…
- How to plan your trip
- When to go
- What to pack
- Where to stay
- Driving
- Itinerary suggestions…
Itineraries
Choose your Iceland Self Drive Tour(Iceland Travel Packages if you don’t want to book everything yourself)
Accommodations
Need to rent a car in Iceland?
My tips:
- Compare prices on my favorite platform: Discovercars.com – one of the best rated comparison sites!
- Prefer a compact car for the narrow streets in villages
- Consider their full coverage option – it for peace of mind!
- Book early to have a large choice of vehicles!
Other useful Links to book your trip
- Book your accommodations – Book from a large choice on Booking.com (where I book all my accommodations) or Compare prices on hotelscombined.com
- Book your organized tours, visits and tickets via GetYourGuide.com (the one I use the most) and Viator.com
- Get equipment and appropriate clothing… on Amazon
- Insurance – I wish you a very smooth trip, but my policy is: better be prepared. I personally use World Nomads. Get a quote online here
Document your memories
The Iceland landscapes will trigger many emotions inside you.Get an Iceland themed notebook to write down all the memories from your trip!
Snaefellsnes Peninsula & Inland attractions
The Snaefellsnes peninsula is considered as ‘the Iceland in miniature’.
- What to see – It displays many of the Icelandic features in one small area: waterfall, fjords, glacier, lava fields, lava formations; volcanoes… so many places to visit that you could spend your vacation just there. The articles below presents you things to do and places to visit on the peninsula, each location with many photos and tips to plan your trip.
- Main towns – Sigoldugljufur and Grundarfjordur
- Reykjavik to Grundarfjordur (Sanefellsnes Peninsula) – 2h30 drive
- Driving – Easy drive around, unsealed car to off the beaten path in the center
- Plan 1 to 3 days
South West of Iceland: things to do + Golden Circle
Reykjavik is the capital city of Iceland. Many people decide to base their holidays here.
- What to see – Many places can be reach on day trips including the famous Blue Lagoon or the golden triangle with Geysir, Thingvellir and Gullfoss. Here are things to do and places to visit to discover in the area with detailed guides to plan your visit.
- Main towns – Reykjavik, Keflavik, Selfoss
- Reykjavik to Geysir (Golden Circle) – 1h30 drive
- Driving – Easy access to Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon, some unsealed roads towards the South Coast
- Plan 2 to 3 days
South Coast of Iceland: things to do + map
South Iceland is one of the most visited regions of Iceland and If you are limited in time, this is the region I would recommend exploring.
Simply driving along road 1 is wonderful, but here are some places you can stop at and visit along the way:
- What to see – it includes some of the most famous natural wonders of Iceland such as Jokulsarlon lagoon and the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, as wall as National Parks around glaciers
- Main towns – Vik and Höfn
- Reykjavik to Vik (South Coast) – 2h30 drive
- Vik to Höfn – 3h15
- Driving – Road 1 all along the coast with easy access to all attractions
- Plan 3 to 5 days
North Iceland: things to do
Although it is missing the icebergs of South Iceland, I think North Iceland is my favorite region.
- What to see – The fjords next to Akureyri are hypnotic and the post-apocalypitic landscapes of Lake Myvatn transport you on another planet. A very unique region with many places to visit!
- Main towns – Akyreyri, Reykjahlid (at lake Myvatn), Husavik (North Coast)
- Reykjavik to Akureyri – 5h
- Reykjavik to Lake Myvatn – 6h
- Höfn to Lake Myvatn – 5h30
- Driving – Road 1 takes you to Lake Myvatn and Akureyri, some good roads to the North Coast but others are not sealed
- Plan 5 to 7 days
Central Highlands destinations
Central Highlands is the one of the least visited areas as it can be only access through hiking or 4WD.
- What to see – The untouched area has some of the most magical and colorful landscapes in Iceland.
- Main towns – /
- Driving – 4WD access only from June to September (opening dates depend on conditions) – some river crossing required
- Plan 1 to 5 days
East Fjords and West Fjords
I have not written articles on these regions at this time. Sorry
East fjords
- What to see – Highlights include stunning fjords, magnificent waterfalls, charming seafront villages
- Main towns – Egilstadir
- Höfn to Egilstadir – 3h30 drive
- Driving – Road 1 to drive along the East fjords – you can drive down some of them (mix of paved and unsealed roads)
- Plan 1 to 3 days
West fjords
- What to see – Highlights include stunning fjords, magnificent waterfalls, charming seafront villages
- Main towns – Reykjavik to Isafjordur – 5h30 drive
- Driving – Narrow winding roads, sometimes unsealed
- Plan 2 to 5 days
GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS
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Thank you so much for all your help planning our trip to Iceland. I have used your website frequently the last months and since we are close to finishing the planning I wanted to state my gratitude. Thank you so very much! Great, just absolutely great work! This is our 2nd time to Iceland, but this time we are there for 10 days and travelling a lot more than the last time, so we have spent considerable time planning. Thanks again! Hilde/Norway.
Hi Hilde
I am so happy you found this guide useful. Thank you so much for your comment.
I wish you a wonderful trip.
Cheers
Claire
Claire, thank you so much for the terrific effort you have put into these guides. My wife and I are about to take our first trip to Iceland, driving the full circle over ten days. This site has been a treasure trove of helpful information. There are definitely places we will go to visit on your recommendation that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
Great job!
Marcus,
thank you so much for taking the time to leave a message.
I am really happy you found my guide useful to prepare your tour.
I wish you and your wife a wonderful trip. Every centimeter of Iceland is beautiful so I am sure you will 🙂
Claire
Claire, just coming back from a fantastic Iceland trip. Some amazing places I would have not discovered without your great website – thank you so much for sharing all these fantastic info! I only see now you even put them all – with more extras – in an ebook. Would I’ ve only discovered it before….. I’m sure it is much better than the 2 guide books I used. Keep it up – a big Thanks again from Germany!
Joern, thank you so much for coming back on my blog and commenting. I am really happy you had a fantastic trip and that my website was useful.
The eBook is only 2 weeks old. I just released it. Sorry I did not finish it earlier.
Thanks again for this wonderful comment!
Hey, just wanted to let you that your site is excellent and is one of the best online resources that I’ve found regarding Iceland. Very well organized with great pics and vids. Thank you.
Hello Claire!
I’ve bought your Guide Plan to Iceland and glad I did, because it’s being priceless planing my trip to Iceland next June.
I hope you can help me with this: I will arrive in Keflavik in June 4 at 15.00h and leave in June 11 at 7.40h.
I have 2 nights booked in Reykjavik, 2 in Nesjavellir, 1 in Vik and 2 in the Blue Lagoon.
My question is, should I stay in Reykjavik just for one night and book 2 in Vik? Does the city has enough to see in 2 days, or should I save more time to the fabulous Nature?
Thank you very much for your time, best regards,
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra
I am so happy you are finding my eBook useful. Thanks for letting me know.
It depends how much you you want to drive and how long you will stay out during the day.
If you want to relax and take your time I would switch to 2 nights in Vik to slowly explore around.
If you want to see as much as possible and are ready to drive a lot several days in a row, I would keep the 2 nights in Reykjavik and use the time to add a drive around the Snaefellsnes peninsula.
Reykjavik’s highlights are the mood of the cafes, the cathedral and the Sun Voyager sculpture. It can be done in half a day or 1 day. Then it depends if you like museums.
Let me know if you have more questions.
Claire
Just bought both of your books for Iceland! Amazing! So excited to find something so useful compared to the other books I’ve purchased!
When are you going to Scotland!? 😉
Hi Sarah
Thank you very much for your comment. I am very happy you are finding them useful.
It is funny because at the moment I am planning to visit Scotland in June.
Enjoy your trip to Iceland!
Claire
Hi Claire!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and different maps, it helped me a lot during all my road trips in Iceland!
I will use your website for my next travel plan for sure !
All the best,
Fanny, from France.
Merci Fanny. Ravie d’avoir été utile.
Je te souhaite plein d’autres merveilleux voyages 🙂
wow,this web helped me so much! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your explanations, especially your practical information and photographs! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Patricia. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you for sharing all this info.
Which month between September and March would be the best for the Nothern Lights.
We’re flexible and the month wouldn’t matter. We can travel at any time since we’re retired.
Would appreciate some info on this please.
They are both good months for auroras. Check my article about the best time to visit Iceland – https://www.zigzagonearth.com/best-time-to-visit-iceland/.
However I can’t assure you, you will get to see them. Many factors are involved including the cloud cover…
Between September and March you should rather look at what type of travel you want. September is more Summer-looking while March is Winter-looking.
Happy Travels!
Hi Claire,
I had purchased your online book and downloaded it.
My phone crashed and now it’s not there on iBooks.
Please advice
Hi
I have resent you the purchase receipt (check in spam folder if you don’t see it). Inside, click on ‘Get digital purchase’
Have a great trip!
Claire your ebook was Super helpful and I had an amazing holiday in Iceland. Thank you. Loved Myvatn area.
Only regret was that 8 days was too short for me.
Thanks. That’s great to read!
I am glad you had a great time
I wish you many more wonderful travels!
Claire
Thank you so much! Most appreciated