Iceland attractions

Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík

Reykjavík Cathedral (Dómkirkjan) is a small white Lutheran cathedral on the south side of Austurvöllur square in downtown Reykjavík, right next to the Parliament House. It was the city's main church long before Hallgrímskirkja rose over the skyline, and each new session of the Alþingi still begins here. Work on the building started in 1787, and it was consecrated in 1796 to a neoclassical design by the Danish architect Andreas Kirkerup. It went up after the bishop's seat moved from Skálholt to Reykjavík, which is why a small trading town got a cathedral. Between 1847 and 1848 it was enlarged to plans by Winstrup, giving it the shape you see today, and it was restored in 1999 and 2000. Inside, Dómkirkjan is plain and full of light, with wooden galleries around the nave. Look for the baptismal font by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, a Dane of Icelandic descent, and the altarpiece painted in 1847 by the Danish artist Wegener. Because the building is small, 15 to 20 minutes is enough, and it fits easily into a walk past City Hall and Tjörnin pond. Reykjavík Cathedral is open to visitors on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and no admission fee is listed. It closes to sightseers during funerals, weddings and other events, so check the cathedral's official website on the day if the visit matters to you. Sunday mass is at 11 a.m. all year. On Tuesday evenings a half-hour Bach concert starts at 8 p.m., which is a calm way to hear the 1985 Schuke organ, and visitors are welcome. During any service, stay seated and skip the photos.

Gesthús Selfoss

Gesthús Selfoss is a family-run campsite, RV park and guesthouse at Engjavegur 56 in Selfoss, South Iceland, open all year a short walk from the town center. Selfoss is the obvious base for covering both the Golden Circle and the South Coast, and this is one of the few campsites in town that never closes. The site sits among tall trees and combines the campground and RV park with 22 bungalow rooms and two summerhouses. Selfoss is about 45 minutes east of Reykjavík on Route 1. From the Gesthús Selfoss campsite, Kerið crater is roughly 15 minutes north, Hveragerði and the Reykjadalur hot river hike are about 15 minutes west, and Seljalandsfoss is just under an hour east. The RV park has 40 pitches with electric hook-ups, plus a chemical disposal point and drinking water for motorhomes. Campers share a service center with toilets, hot showers, a large dining room and a kitchen, and Wi-Fi is free in the public areas. There are hot tubs too, and you can do laundry for a small fee, which matters on a long trip. Individuals don't need to book for Gesthús Selfoss camping. You register and pay at the service center before you pitch, while groups should email ahead. The 2026 rates are ISK 3,000 per adult, ISK 2,500 for seniors and ISK 1,500 for teens aged 13 to 17, plus ISK 400 lodging tax, with electricity at ISK 1,900 and the hot tub at ISK 500. The service center closes at 22:00 in summer and 20:00 in winter, so arrive in time to check in. Quiet hours run from midnight to 7:00, and open fires are not allowed. For a swim, Sundhöll Selfoss, the town's geothermal pool, is about five minutes away on foot.

Camping Varmahlíð

Camping Varmahlíð is a forest campsite in Varmahlíð, the small village in Skagafjörður, North Iceland, where the Ring Road meets the road north to Sauðárkrókur, about an hour and 15 minutes west of Akureyri. The pitches sit in an old forest on the south slope of Reykjarhóll, and that hill does real work, blocking the north wind that sweeps down the valley. The trees are older than the campsite, so pitches feel tucked away rather than spread across an open field. Tents, caravans and campervans each have their own area, and all of them have electricity. The service building has toilets, new showers, indoor and outdoor hand basins and an indoor kitchen with seating, which matters on a wet evening. There is also a washing machine, a dryer and a campfire spot that can be used with adult supervision. A path through the forest leads about 250 meters to the village pool, with a playground and football fields beside it. The supermarket, gas station, restaurant and tourist information are about 500 meters downhill. For a day out, Glaumbær turf farm is a short drive north, and the area around Varmahlíð is known for horse riding and river rafting. The Varmahlíð campsite season runs from May 1 to October 1, sometimes opening earlier if the weather allows. In 2026 adults pay 2,500 ISK for the first night and 2,200 ISK for each extra night, children aged 12 and under stay free, and electricity is 1,300 ISK per day plus a 400 ISK accommodation tax per unit. Keep your receipt, because the partner campsites in Sauðárkrókur and Hofsós give the lower extra-night rate if you move on to them.

Dimmuborgir Guesthouse

Dimmuborgir Guesthouse is a family-run farm stay at Geiteyjarströnd 1, on the east shore of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, with cottages and double rooms open all year. The lake starts a few steps from the door, and the Dimmuborgir lava field it is named after is only about 2 km away. The cottages come in three sizes. Top of the range is a two-bedroom cottage with a private hot tub on the porch, which sleeps up to five adults and two children, and there are four newer two-bedroom cottages for up to six people. Four smaller one-bedroom cottages (28 square meters, up to four people) have a kitchenette and partial lake views. For a cheaper night, eight economy double rooms have private facilities and share a guest kitchen and dining hall. Prices change with the unit and the season and are not listed as fixed rates, so book through the official website or call +354 464 4210. Summer books up first. The farm also runs a smokehouse, and its smoked trout is a good reason to stay here rather than in Reykjahlíð. There is a playground for kids, dogs are allowed, and a footpath follows the lakeshore. Between September and April, the pond in front of the main house is a good spot to wait for the northern lights. The location works well for two or three nights around Mývatn. Hverfjall crater and Dimmuborgir are within a few minutes' drive, the Earth Lagoon (the former Mývatn Nature Baths) is about 10 minutes away, and Akureyri is roughly an hour and a quarter west. In June and July, bring a head net, since the lake's midges can be thick on calm days.

Reykjavík City Hall

Reykjavík City Hall (Ráðhús Reykjavíkur) is the seat of the city council, a concrete building standing in the water at Tjarnargata 11 on the northern edge of Tjörnin, the pond in the old center. Most people walk straight past it, but the ground-floor hall holds one of the best free sights in the capital: a three-dimensional model of the whole of Iceland, laid out on the floor. The building was inaugurated on April 14, 1992, and still houses the city council and its offices. The public part is Tjarnarsalur, a large hall used for exhibitions, meetings and community events. The relief map of Iceland is the reason to go. Built at a scale of 1:50,000 with the height doubled so the mountains read clearly, it covers 76.4 square meters in 57 sections, 43 of land and 14 of sea. It was started in 1985 from layers of 1 mm cardboard cut along the contour lines, and seeing the glaciers, fjords and highlands at once makes the rest of your trip easier to picture. City hall in Reykjavík is open weekdays 08:00–18:00, Saturdays 10:00–18:00 and Sundays 12:00–18:00, and entry is free and open to everyone. The map stands in the west side of Tjarnarsalur, so it's off view whenever the hall is booked for an event, and the city announces any closure dates in advance. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes. Afterward, carry on around the pond toward the Parliament House and Austurvöllur square, both a couple of minutes away on foot.

Bjarteyjarsandur

Bjarteyjarsandur is a family-run sheep farm with a small campsite on the north shore of Hvalfjörður in West Iceland, about 40 minutes' drive from Reykjavík. The campsite sits just below the farmhouses and looks straight across the fjord, which makes it a calm first or last night for anyone who would rather skip a busy town campground. Facilities at the Bjarteyjarsandur campsite are basic: toilets, one shower, a small wooden shelter and a walking path that runs across the farmland to the shore. When the weather turns, the farm offers sleeping-bag space indoors. Having so little on site keeps it quiet, and for most campers that is the appeal. The working farm is the bigger draw. On a guided tour of the Bjarteyjarsandur sheep farm you meet the animals and see the seasonal work, and the farm shop sells its own lamb along with wool sweaters, hats, mittens and preserves. Prices for camping and tours are not published, so ask the farm by email when you book. Camping at Bjarteyjarsandur is open daily in summer. Between October 1 and May 1 it is by arrangement only, and the farm is often closed in December and January because of the weather, so get in touch before any winter visit. From Reykjavík, take Route 1 through the Hvalfjörður tunnel, then follow Route 47 east along the fjord to the farm. Glymur waterfall is about 15 minutes away by car, and the outdoor pool at Hlaðir is a few minutes down the road.

Fjallsárlón

Fjallsárlón is a glacier lagoon in Southeast Iceland where the Fjallsjökull outlet glacier slides down from Vatnajökull straight into the water. Icebergs that break off its front drift slowly across the lagoon toward the shore, and the glacier wall stands much closer to the viewpoints than it does at its famous neighbor. Jökulsárlón, about 10 km farther east along the Ring Road, gets the crowds. Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon is smaller, but the ice is closer and the shoreline is usually calmer, so it earns a stop even if Jökulsárlón is already on your list. If you only have time for one and want icebergs washing up on black sand, pick Jökulsárlón; for the Fjallsárlón glacier itself, pick this one. The lagoon sits just off Route 1, roughly 4.5 to 5 hours' drive from Reykjavík depending on conditions, or about 30 minutes east of Skaftafell. Parking is free, and a short walk leads from the lot to the shore and viewpoints. The service building holds the boat tour desk and the FROST restaurant. The best way to see the ice up close is from the water. In 2026 the operator runs a 75-minute iceberg boat tour from April to November for 11,300 ISK per person, plus a private boat, a 2-hour luxury trip and, from June to September, a glacier hike combined with a boat tour for 29,900 ISK. Book ahead in summer, when departures fill. You can visit the shore all year, though winter storms on this stretch of the Ring Road can slow or close the route, so check the official road-conditions map and the forecast before driving. Allow 30 minutes for a walk along the shore, or about 2 hours with a boat tour. Stay off the shoreline ice and well away from stranded icebergs, which can roll or break without warning.

Heiðarbær

Heiðarbær is a family-run campsite in Reykjahverfi, North Iceland, on Route 87 about 20 minutes' drive south of Húsavík, with a small geothermal pool right next door. Few campsites in the north let you walk from your tent to a hot tub. Heiðarbær camping is summer only, open from June 15 to August 31. The field is flat and open, and the kitchen serves dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m., which saves you cooking after a long drive. Camping prices aren't posted online, so ask on arrival or call ahead, and note that the pool charges its own entry fee. Location is the real selling point. Húsavík and its whale-watching boats are to the north, the GeoSea sea baths sit on the cliffs above town, and the Mývatn area is roughly 40 minutes south along Route 87. That puts the Heiðarbær campsite in the middle of the Diamond Circle, quieter than the town campsites at either end. Plan on at least two nights if you want both a whale trip and a day around Mývatn. Fill up with gas and groceries in Húsavík on the way in, because the nearest store is back in town.

Melanes campsite

Melanes campsite is a grassy campground behind Rauðisandur beach on the southern coast of the Westfjords, with Patreksfjörður as the nearest town. The 10-kilometer sweep of red-gold sand is a short walk from your tent, and a few sleeping huts can be booked separately. The beach is the reason to come. Its sand shifts from pale gold to orange and red as the light and tide change, and at low tide harbor seals haul out on the flats, with the campsite putting the colony at up to 200 animals. Short trails start nearby, including a 15-minute walk to the ruined farm at Sjöundá and a harder 90-minute route to the Skor lighthouse. Facilities are basic but enough: a small kitchen, five toilets, two showers (one outdoors) and a washing machine at reception for a small fee. Only some pitches have electricity, so arrive early if you need a hook-up. The season runs from May 15 to October 1, with September 30 the last night, and the campsite itself takes no reservations. Nightly rates are not published, but a 400 ISK government tax per tent, car or camper is added on top. Getting here means Route 614, a gravel road that drops more than 300 meters to the coast in tight hairpins with few guardrails. Fill up in Patreksfjörður, allow roughly an hour from town, and leave trailers and large motorhomes behind if you can.

Skjól Campsite

Skjól Campsite is a grassy camping field at Kjóastaðir on Route 35 in South Iceland, between Geysir and Gullfoss and a few minutes' drive from each. Sleeping here means you can be at either one before the morning crowds arrive or after the tour buses leave in the evening. Tents, campervans and motorhomes share the same flat ground, and there are electric hook-ups for vehicles. Facilities are basic. Showers are in the service house, but there is no campers' kitchen, so bring your own stove or eat at Skjól Bistro next door, where the kitchen is open 12:00 to 20:00. Adults pay 2,000 ISK per night, children stay free, and a shower costs 500 ISK. There are no reservations, so you turn up and check in at the bistro. Skjól camping runs all year, around the clock, and the same staff can point you to the horse riding and buggy tours that start from the site. From Reykjavík, the drive takes about 1 hour 45 minutes via Þingvellir. Summer is the easy season, with light until late and Gullfoss at its loudest. In winter, Route 35 can be icy and exposed to wind, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out, and expect a cold night in a tent.

Snæfellsnes

Snæfellsnes is a peninsula in West Iceland that juts into the Atlantic north of Reykjavík, with a glacier-capped volcano at its tip. It's often called Iceland in miniature, and one drive around it shows why: lava fields, golden and black beaches, sea cliffs and a pointed mountain all sit within one loop of road. The south coast comes first. Gerðuberg's basalt columns line the road, seals haul out on the rocks at Ytri Tunga, and the black church at Búðir stands alone in a lava field. Farther west, the sea cliffs at Arnarstapi and Hellnar are linked by a coastal trail, and the western tip around Snæfellsjökull glacier is protected as a national park. On the north coast, the road runs through the fishing towns of Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður. Kirkjufell, the steep, cone-shaped Snæfellsnes mountain beside Grundarfjörður, is the most photographed stop of all, and Stykkishólmur at the eastern end has a harbor and the Baldur car ferry to the Westfjords. Gerðuberg is about 1.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík via the Ring Road and Route 54, and Stykkishólmur about 2 hours 15 minutes. A loop from the city fits into one long day, which is how the day tours do it in 10 to 12 hours, but two days let you walk the cliffs and wait out clouds over the glacier. For an overnight, Stykkishólmur, Grundarfjörður and Ólafsvík have the most places to stay. The main road around the Snæfellsnes peninsula is serviced all year. Summer brings midnight light and seabirds on the cliffs, while winter gives only a few hours of daylight and storms that can close mountain passes, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you leave. If you are choosing between Snæfellsnes and Vík on the South Coast for a day trip, this peninsula is quieter and more varied. Vík packs in more famous waterfalls on the way.

Stafafell Nature Park + Camping

Stafafell campsite is a small campsite on the Stafafell farm in Lón, Southeast Iceland, just off the Ring Road about 25 minutes' drive east of Höfn. The colorful Stafafellsfjöll mountains rise behind the pitches, and for hikers it is the natural base for the Lónsöræfi wilderness. Most people drive straight past Lón on the way between Höfn and the East Fjords, which is exactly why the site is worth knowing about. Expect basic, quiet camping for tents, campervans and caravans rather than a full-service park. The season, nightly rates, facilities and booking options are not published on an official site, so call the farm before you rely on it, especially early or late in the summer. Plan on one night, or two if you want a full hiking day. Walking trails start near the farm and lead up into the valleys behind it. Going deeper into Lónsöræfi, part of Vatnajökull National Park, means the F980 track, a summer-only 4x4 route with an unbridged crossing of the Skyndidalsá river that rental cars should not attempt. When you need supplies, a swimming pool or a restaurant, Höfn is the nearest town.

Flúðir camping

Flúðir camping is at Tjaldmiðstöðin Flúðum, the campground in the geothermal village of Flúðir in South Iceland, about an hour and a half by car from Reykjavík. Few village campsites are this close to a hot spring: the Secret Lagoon is less than a kilometer away, an easy walk after you pitch. The field is large and open with no marked pitches, so the Flúðir campsite takes no reservations, and the operators say there is usually room for everyone. Tents, campervans and caravans are all welcome. Electricity is available, and the service building has free wifi along with washing machines and dryers. The campsite is open from May 1 to September 30 and sets a minimum age of 25. In 2026, adults pay 2,200 ISK per night (1,800 ISK for stays of three nights or more), children aged 11–17 pay 1,500 ISK, and children 10 and under stay free. Electricity adds 1,500 ISK per night, and a weekly family deal for two adults and children with power costs 25,000 ISK. Around the August bank holiday (July 27 to August 3 in 2026), only weekly passes are sold, and the site fills from the Tuesday before. The rest of the summer, the village pool, a grocery store and several places to eat are close by, and Gullfoss and Geysir are roughly 30 minutes north.

Hverfjall

Hverfjall (also called Hverfell) is a tephra ring crater about 1 km across on the east side of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, formed some 2,500 years ago in a single explosive eruption. From the lakeshore it looks like a giant dark bowl dropped onto the lava. The rim stands 80 to 170 meters above the surrounding land and reaches 452 meters above sea level at its highest point, with a small cone rising 37 meters from the crater floor. From the top you can see across Mývatn, the Dimmuborgir lava field and the steaming hills toward Námaskarð. The Hverfjall crater has been protected as a natural monument since 2011. The walk starts at the northwest parking lot, where a path of about 600 meters climbs diagonally to the rim in 10 to 25 minutes. Once on top, the full loop around the rim is about 3.2 km and takes roughly an hour. The loose gravel slopes are mostly 20 to 25 degrees, so wear proper shoes and stay on the marked trail, since off-trail footprints leave lasting marks. You can also link Hverfjall with Dimmuborgir on foot. A steep trail of about 600 meters drops off the south side and takes 30 to 45 minutes, while an easier 2 km path runs from the northwest lot along the base of the crater in 20 to 30 minutes. The access road leaves the Ring Road just south of Vogar, about 5 km from Reykjahlíð and roughly 1 hour 15 minutes from Akureyri. It's rough but passable for regular cars in summer and often impassable in winter, when snow and ice also make the climb harder. There is no entrance fee, though it's worth checking the signs at the lot for any parking charge. Summer mornings and evenings bring the softest light and the fewest people on the rim.

Kerlingarfjöll

Kerlingarfjöll is a mountain range in the highlands of Iceland, south of the Hofsjökull ice cap and just off the Kjölur route between South and North Iceland. Its peaks are rhyolite, formed by eruptions under glacier ice, which is why the slopes are orange and yellow and streaked with steam. The highest, Snækollur, reaches 1,488 meters above a plateau that already sits around 600 to 700 meters up. From Reykjavík the drive takes about 3 hours 30 minutes in summer, past Gullfoss and up Route 35, then onto the short F347 spur to Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll. F347 is an F-road, so you need a 4x4. The highland roads open in early summer on dates the Icelandic Road Administration sets each year. The Kerlingarfjöll geothermal valley, Hveradalir, is the main reason to come. A trail drops from the parking lot to boardwalks among steaming vents, boiling pools and stained clay, and bathing is not allowed. The whole area became a protected nature reserve in 2020, so stay on the marked paths, which also link up for longer Kerlingarfjöll hikes over the ridges. Give it at least a full day, or stay over to hike in the evening light. Highland Base has a hotel, lodges, huts and a summer campsite, plus a restaurant and the Highland Baths, which are open to day visitors in summer. Kerlingarfjöll in winter is a different trip, since the roads close and the base is reached by super jeep transfer. Check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before any highland drive, because the weather up here turns fast even in July.

Dynjandi

Dynjandi waterfall is the largest waterfall in the Westfjords, a stepped fall at the head of Arnarfjörður that drops about 100 meters down the cliff like a bridal veil. The main fall widens from roughly 30 meters at the top to about 60 meters at its base, and its name, the thundering one, makes sense once you stand at the bottom. Below the main fall, the river Dynjandisá tumbles down a chain of smaller falls on its way to the sea, among them Hundafoss and Göngumannafoss. A path climbs from the parking lot past each one to the foot of Dynjandi, and the walk up takes about 15 minutes. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour with stops, and wear proper shoes, since the path is uneven and steep in places. Dynjandi and the falls below it have been a protected natural monument since 1981, so stay on the marked path. The Environment Agency charges a parking fee per car, which was 750 ISK for a standard passenger car in 2024, and the money goes toward upkeep of the site. Route 60 brings you to the waterfall, crossing the Dynjandisheiði heath to the south. From Ísafjörður, the drive through the Dýrafjörður tunnel takes about an hour and a quarter, and from Reykjavík it is a long day of roughly six hours. The tunnel, opened in 2020, made winter visits more practical, but the mountain road can still close in snow or storms, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out. June to August is the easiest time to see Dynjandi waterfall, with long days, open roads and the most water after the snowmelt. Come early in the morning or in the evening, when the tour buses and cruise excursions have usually thinned out.

Reykjavík Art Museum Ásmundarsafn

Ásmundarsafn is the branch of Reykjavík Art Museum devoted to the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893–1982), housed in his white domed home and studio in Laugardalur, Reykjavík. Ásmundur, one of the first Icelanders to make a career in sculpture, designed most of the building himself and built it between 1942 and 1959. Inside, the exhibition hall shows Ásmundur's work, often next to pieces by living artists, so the displays change through the year. Outside, the garden around the Ásmundarsafn museum holds many of his sculptures, some enlarged or made especially to stand in the open air. Walking the garden is free, and it's the best way to see how his heavy, rounded forms work at full scale. The museum is at Sigtún 105, about 2 km east of the city center, and is open every day from 13:00 to 17:00. It closes on December 24, 25 and 31, January 1 and Easter Sunday. An hour is enough for the hall and garden, and it pairs well with a swim at Laugardalslaug or a walk in the Botanic Garden, both a short stroll away. Adult Ásmundarsafn tickets cost 2,550 ISK and students pay 1,550 ISK, while visitors under 18 and disabled visitors get in free. One ticket is valid for 24 hours at all three Reykjavík Art Museum sites, so you can also see Hafnarhús and Kjarvalsstaðir, and the Reykjavík City Card covers entry. The entrance has automatic doors and there's an accessible toilet. There is no lift to the exhibition hall, though, and the upstairs dome is reached by stairs only.

Drekkingarhylur

Drekkingarhylur is a pool in the Öxará river in Þingvellir National Park where at least 18 women were executed by drowning in the 17th and 18th centuries, on sentences passed at the Alþingi assembly. The name means the Drowning Pool, and the calm, clear water makes that history harder to shake. Most of the women had been convicted of adultery, incest or killing a newborn child. They were tied in a sack and held under the water, while men sentenced at Þingvellir were beheaded or hanged at other spots nearby. The last drownings took place in the middle of the 18th century, and today the pool is one of the most sobering stops in the park. You will find it beside the footbridge where the main path crosses the Öxará, in the heart of the old assembly site. Because the pool sits between Lögberg, the Law Rock, and the trail up to Öxarárfoss waterfall, most people walk past it on a loop through the rift. From the Hakið visitor center at the top of Almannagjá, the walk down takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and the P2 parking lot below Öxarárfoss is closer still. There is no entry fee, but parking in the national park costs 1,000 ISK per day for a car with up to five seats and 1,200 ISK for six to nine seats. Pay at the machines at Hakið, P2 or P5 (Valhöll), or online, and one payment covers all three lots for that day. Þingvellir is about 45 minutes by car from Reykjavík and open all year. The paths can be icy in winter, so bring traction if there is snow, and on summer days the area around Drekkingarhylur is quieter in the early morning or evening than at midday.

Katla volcano

The Katla ice cave is a meltwater-carved cave in Kötlujökull, an outlet glacier on the southern edge of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, just north of Vík on Iceland's South Coast. It is the closest most people get to Katla volcano, which lies buried under the same ice cap with a caldera of roughly 9 by 14 kilometers beneath ice up to 700 meters thick, so you never see the crater itself. Inside, the ice is streaked black with ash from past eruptions, and the cave changes shape every season, so expect something different from last year's photos. Katla ice cave tours run all year, while the blue ice caves of Vatnajökull only open in the colder months. Nobody drives up alone. Guided super jeep tours leave from Vík, about 2 hours 30 minutes from Reykjavík, and the 4-hour version includes a walk across black volcanic ground before the cave. If you are based in the capital, a Katla ice cave tour from Reykjavík combines the cave with South Coast stops in one long day. Katla volcano has erupted about 20 times in the last 1,100 years, last breaking through the ice in 1918, and its eruptions send glacial floods across the plains below. The black Mýrdalssandur east of Vík was built largely by those floods. In July 2024, a smaller flood from the ice cap damaged Route 1 near the Skálm river. The Icelandic Met Office watches Katla closely, and small earthquakes under the ice cap are routine. Check the official weather warnings and travel-safety alerts before you go, since tour operators cancel trips when activity or weather makes the glacier unsafe.

Höfn Campsite

Höfn Campsite (Tjaldsvæðið Höfn) is the town campsite at Hafnarbraut 52 in Höfn í Hornafirði, right beside the main road as you drive into the fishing town that anchors Southeast Iceland. It's the main place to camp between Jökulsárlón, about an hour to the west, and the East Fjords, so after a day of icebergs most Ring Road campers end up here. Tents, campervans and caravans all fit, with electrical hookups for vehicles. Facilities include toilets and showers, washing machines, a dump station for gray water and chemical toilets, and a playground. Dogs are allowed, and the site also rents small cottages, a good fallback when the wind is too strong for a tent. The operator, Höfn Camping and Cottages, lists the campsite as open all year, with cottages rented from April to October. If you plan to camp between late fall and early spring, contact the campsite to confirm before you go. Rates aren't published on an official page, so confirm the current price when you book or arrive. The location is practical rather than scenic, and that's the point. The supermarket, the harbor restaurants known for langoustine and the town's outdoor swimming pool are all within walking distance, and on a clear evening the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull show across the lagoon. Spend one or two nights at Höfn camping and use it as a base. Stokksnes and Vestrahorn are to the east, while Fláajökull and the Hoffell area are a short drive west.

Tjaldsvæðið Kleifar

Tjaldsvæðið Kleifar is a small summer campsite beside Stjórnarfoss waterfall on Geirlandsvegur, about 2.5 kilometers from Kirkjubæjarklaustur in South Iceland. Also known as Kleifar-Mörk, the grassy site sits at the foot of the hills, and Stjórnarfoss, a wide, low waterfall on the Stjórn river, drops right beside the tents. Few campsites in the south let you fall asleep to a waterfall, and that is the reason to choose Kleifar over the serviced site in the village. On a warm summer day, some people swim in the pool below the falls. Keep expectations simple. Kleifar campsite has two toilets, cold running water, and benches and tables, with a soccer field across the road. There are no showers or electric hook-ups, so it suits tent campers and self-sufficient campervans best. The season is short, running from June 1 to September 1. Prices are not published, so confirm the rate on arrival. For a hot shower and a swim, the Kirkjubæjarklaustur pool is a few minutes' drive away, and the village also has a grocery store, a gas station and restaurants. Kleifar camping works well as a base for this stretch of the Ring Road, about three and a half hours east of Reykjavík. Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is roughly 15 minutes west, while the Kirkjugólf basalt floor and the Systrafoss trail are in the village itself. Skaftafell is about an hour east, an easy drive for the next morning. Kleifar is easy to mix up with Kleifarvatn, the lake on the Reykjanes peninsula near Reykjavík. The two have no connection, so set your GPS to Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

Tjörnin

Tjörnin lake is the pond in the middle of downtown Reykjavík, with City Hall on its northern shore and the old town's timber houses around it. Its name simply means "the pond," and it is two connected ponds, Norðurtjörn and Suðurtjörn, ringed by footpaths. The pond began as a sea lagoon that was cut off more than 1,200 years ago and slowly turned to fresh water. Today it is fed by groundwater from the Vatnsmýri marsh to the south. Birds are the reason most people stop. Waterfowl here have been protected since 1919, when boating was banned so they could nest on the islets in peace, and five duck species breed at the pond regularly, mallards most of all. Greylag geese and gulls are always around too. Leave the bread at home. The city asks visitors not to feed it to the ducks, because it draws gulls that also prey on the smallest ducklings, and leftovers feed algae in the shallow water. If you want to feed the birds, oats or frozen peas are better choices. Paths circle both ponds and lead south into Hljómskálagarðurinn, a park planted from 1914 and named after its 1923 bandstand, and on into the Vatnsmýri bird reserve, whose paths are open outside the nesting season. A loop of Lake Tjörnin with a detour into the park takes half an hour to an hour. It is free and open at all hours, and from Austurvöllur square you are there in a couple of minutes on foot. Winter changes the scene. In hard frost both large ponds freeze, and Tjörnin has served as Reykjavík's outdoor skating rink for so long that the Reykjavík Skating Club dates back to 1892. Warm water keeps a patch open near Iðnó, where the birds crowd together through the cold months, so only head out onto the ice when it is clearly solid and locals are already skating.

Iðnó

Iðnó is a white timber house on the north shore of Tjörnin in central Reykjavík, beside City Hall, built by the Reykjavík Craftsmen's Association in 1897 and now a café and cultural venue. The name is short for iðnaðarmannahús, roughly "craftsmen's house", from iðnaður, the Icelandic word for industry and crafts. Professional theater in Iceland started here. The Reykjavík Theatre Company was founded in the house the same year it opened and stayed until 1989, when it moved to the new City Theatre. Through most of the 20th century, Iðnó was where the town went for plays, dances, political meetings and concerts, so a surprising amount of Reykjavík's social history happened in these few rooms. Today the restored house still looks much as it did in 1897. The café is open from 11:00 to 16:00, though hours shift when events are booked, and it costs nothing to walk in for coffee and cake by the windows over the pond. In the evenings, Iðnó hosts concerts, theater, readings and festival nights, with tickets sold per event. You'll find it at Vonarstræti 3, a two-minute walk from Austurvöllur and the Parliament House. Give it 30 minutes for a coffee stop, or fold it into a loop around Tjörnin, which takes about half an hour on foot in any season. On a cold winter afternoon, it's one of the better places in the city center to warm up.

Borgarfjörður eystra Campground i

The Borgarfjörður eystri campsite is the campground of Bakkagerði, the small village at the head of Borgarfjörður eystri in the far north of the Eastfjords, near the end of Route 94. It sits at the foot of Álfaborg, a protected rocky hill that local folklore names as the home of the elf queen, with paths around it and a viewpoint on top. The drive from Egilsstaðir is about 70 km over the Vatnsskarð mountain pass and takes well over an hour. Fog can sit on the pass even in summer, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out. Once you arrive, everything in the village is within easy reach. Facilities are split between two service houses. One has toilets, a wheelchair-accessible toilet and showers, and the other has a dining room with tables, benches, cooking facilities and outlets for charging small devices. There is free wifi, a laundry service and a waste disposal point for campervans, and behind the campground a free disc golf course lends out discs at reception. Most people come for the puffins and the hiking. The puffin colony on Hafnarhólmi, by the small harbor about five minutes away, has viewing platforms that put you close to the birds from late spring to early August. Borgarfjörður eystri camping also makes a good base for hiking the Víknaslóðir trails to the abandoned coves to the south, or the walk to Stórurð below Dyrfjöll. The campsite opens at the beginning of May and closes at the end of September, with exact dates depending on the weather. Adults pay 2,000 ISK per night, children aged 12 and under stay free, and a 400 ISK accommodation tax applies per unit per night. Electricity costs 1,700 ISK per night and a five-minute shower 500 ISK, and there are no reservations, though the site is large and rarely full.