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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