Iceland attractions

Alþingishúsið

Alþingishúsið is the Icelandic parliament building, a plain house of dark gray stone facing Austurvöllur square in central Reykjavík. For a national parliament it's surprisingly modest, small enough to miss if you're hurrying past, yet it houses an assembly that first met in the open air at Þingvellir in 930 and moved in here when the house was finished in 1881. The Danish architect Ferdinand Meldahl designed it, and it was built in 1880 and 1881 from hewn Icelandic dolerite. On the facade, look for reliefs of Iceland's four guardian spirits, a dragon, a vulture, a giant and a bull, the same figures that appear on the national coat of arms. A round extension called Kringlan was added in 1908, and a modern annex followed in 2002. Because it's a working parliament, you see most of the Parliament House in Reykjavík from the square, but you can still go inside to watch a debate. The public gallery is entered from the east side of the building, and sittings are open to the public. Alþingi normally sits Monday to Thursday, starting at 3 pm on Monday, 1:30 pm on Tuesday, 3 pm on Wednesday and 10:30 am on Thursday, with breaks during recesses. Guided tours of the interior are free and last 45 to 60 minutes, but they run only outside session times and mainly for groups with an educational purpose, booked well in advance. For most travelers, 15 minutes on Austurvöllur is enough, ideally combined with Dómkirkjan next door, Reykjavík City Hall and the Tjörnin pond, all within a few minutes' walk.

Imagine Peace Tower

The Imagine Peace Tower is an outdoor artwork by Yoko Ono on Viðey, a small island just off Reykjavík, dedicated to John Lennon and unveiled on October 9, 2007, which would have been his 67th birthday. Its base is a white stone wishing well carved with the words "Imagine Peace" in 24 languages, and for a few months each year a column of light is projected straight up from it into the clouds. The light runs on a fixed schedule. It switches on at 20:00 on October 9, Lennon's birthday, and shines until morning. Through the rest of October it runs from 20:00 to midnight, in November from 19:00 to midnight and in December from 18:00 to midnight, with an all-night lighting on New Year's Eve. A few extra dates are added in winter and spring, so check the official schedule before you plan around one. You don't need to leave the mainland to see it, either. On a clear night the beam is visible from much of Reykjavík, and the seafront path along Sæbraut near the Sun Voyager gives an open view across the water. Low cloud catches the light and makes the column look taller, while heavy rain can wash it out almost completely. To stand at the base after dark, you need an evening Imagine Peace Tower tour by boat from Ægisgarður in the Old Harbour. These run on set evenings during the lighting season and take about 1.5 to 2 hours. The regular Viðey ferry from Skarfabakki costs 2,500 ISK return for adults, but from September to mid-May it sails only on weekend afternoons, when the tower is dark. A daytime visit still lets you see the well itself, and in summer the island makes a good half-day walk.

Faxi tjaldsvæði

Faxi campsite, or Tjaldsvæðið við Faxa, is a riverside campground on the Tungufljót river in the Biskupstungur district of South Iceland, right beside Faxi waterfall and the Tungnaréttir sheep-sorting pens. You fall asleep to the sound of the falls. Location is the reason to stay here. The site is just off Route 35, the Golden Circle road between Reykholt and Geysir, about 1.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík. With Reykholt about 8 km away and Geysir about 12 km, you can reach the hot springs early in the morning or late in the evening, long after the tour buses have left. Facilities are simple. The operator lists toilets, hot water, electric hookups and a waste disposal point for motorhomes, plus walking paths along the river, and a restaurant and coffee house has opened at the site in recent seasons. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and the campsite has set a minimum age of 25, so younger groups traveling without family should check before they arrive. The campsite has been open from early June to mid-September, but after a change of ownership no dates or rates for 2026 had been published. In 2025 an adult paid 2,000 ISK a night, electricity cost 1,500 ISK, and the Camping Card (Útilegukortið) was accepted. Call the campsite before you plan a night around it.

Haukadalur

Haukadalur is a valley in South Iceland that runs north from Route 35, with the Geysir geothermal area at its mouth and a national forest behind it. Most Golden Circle visitors stand at the Strokkur ropes for 20 minutes and leave without knowing they were in it. The Haukadalur geothermal area holds Strokkur, which erupts every few minutes, and the Great Geysir that gave every geyser its name, though it now rarely blows. Paths loop past clear blue pools such as Blesi and Konungshver, and the water in them is close to boiling, so stay on the trail. Walking into the field is free, and the Geysir parking lot sits right beside Route 35. Behind the hot springs, Haukadalsskógur is one of the largest national forests in the south. In 1938 the Danish businessman Kristian Kirk bought the eroded land, and two years later it passed to the Icelandic Forest Service, which planted the birch and conifers you see today. The Svartagil trail is the most popular walk, and a wheelchair-accessible path was built with Sjálfsbjörg, the Icelandic disability association. To reach the forest, turn off just past the geothermal field and follow a gravel road for about 1 km to Haukadalur church. Centuries before the trees, this was a seat of the powerful Haukdælir clan and an early school, where Ari the Wise, author of the first history of the Icelanders, grew up. Most trips to Haukadalur start in Reykjavík, about two hours' drive away, and Gullfoss is roughly 10 km farther up the road. Give the hot springs 45 minutes, then add an hour or two in the forest if you want the valley without the tour-bus crowds. All year, early morning and evening are the quietest times at Strokkur.

Eyrarbakki Campsite

Eyrarbakki Campsite is a small summer campground on Búðarstígur at the western edge of Eyrarbakki, a village on Iceland's south coast, just west of the Hafnarbrú bridge. The shore is a few minutes' walk away, with a bird sanctuary on one side and the old village on the other. Selfoss is about 15 minutes away and Reykjavík under an hour, yet the site stays quiet, a better fit for an unhurried night on the south shore than a big vacation campground. A new service building has toilets and showers, and a separate building has a kitchen and indoor dining area. You also get hot and cold water, electricity and a playground, but there is no washing machine or dryer. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and the site works on a drop-in basis with no advance bookings. The 2026 rates are 1,500 ISK per adult (15 and older) per night, with children 14 and under free. Electricity costs 1,000 ISK per night, showers are included, and the 400 ISK accommodation tax is added per unit. The campsite stays open until October 1, while the start of the season has varied from year to year, so call ahead before an early-season trip. Eyrarbakki itself deserves a slow walk among its old timber houses. The Árnessýsla Folk Museum fills Húsið, a former merchants' home, and the Maritime Museum is close by, both near the church with its altarpiece painted by Queen Louise, wife of King Christian IX. Rauða Húsið serves coffee and dinner, Vesturbúðin at the east end of the village sells groceries and gas, and Stokkseyri is a short drive along the coast.

Vestmannaeyjar Camp Site

The Vestmannaeyjar campsite is in Herjólfsdalur, a grassy valley ringed by steep green cliffs on Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the Westman Islands off Iceland's south coast. It is the main base for Westman Islands camping, and a second area by Þórsheimili sits closer to town. From either one, the harbor, shops and swimming pool are an easy walk or a short drive away. In Herjólfsdalur, the service center has toilets, showers and a kitchen with a dining area, with an extra restroom below Fjósaklettur and an outdoor sink. Electricity, a washing machine and a dryer cost extra, and the valley has playgrounds for children. Dogs are welcome on a leash, though charging an electric vehicle from campsite power is not allowed. The season runs from May 1 to September 30. In 2026, adults pay 3,000 ISK per night with the accommodation tax included, and children aged 13 and under stay free. Electricity costs 2,000 ISK per 24 hours, and the washer and dryer cost 1,000 ISK per use. Reservations are not taken, so you choose a free pitch when you arrive. Herjólfsdalur is also the stage for Þjóðhátíð, the island's big outdoor festival over the Merchant Weekend at the start of August (July 31 to August 3 in 2026). During the festival and other major summer events, space and electricity run short, so arrive early or plan around those dates if you want a quiet night. To reach Heimaey, take the Herjólfur ferry from Landeyjahöfn on the south coast, a crossing of about 35 minutes with seven sailings a day, or eight from July 1 to August 10. When Landeyjahöfn is too shallow or the sea too rough, the ferry switches to Þorlákshöfn for a much longer trip, so check the ferry's current schedule before you drive. Once you are on the island, Eldfell volcano and Elephant Rock are both within walking distance or a short drive of the campsite.

Sælukotið Árblik

Sælukotið Árblik is a small campsite and farm café at Miðskógur beside Route 60, about 12 kilometers south of Búðardalur in the Dalir district of West Iceland. For drivers coming over the Brattabrekka pass, it's the first place on the Dalir side to stop for homemade soup and coffee. From Borgarnes it's under an hour's drive, and from Reykjavík about two hours. Because Route 60 is the main road between the Ring Road and the Westfjords, Árblik works well as a first or last night on a Westfjords trip, or as a base for the saga sites of Dalir. The Árblik café serves soup and bread at lunch and coffee with homemade pastries through the day. It also sells products from local farms and handmade goods from the region. The Árblik campsite is small, with toilets, showers, a kitchen and electricity for campervans, plus an indoor common room that helps when the weather turns. Sælukotið Árblik is a seasonal operation, and its season dates, daily hours and prices aren't published, so contact the operator by phone or message before you go, especially early or late in the season. For groceries, gas and a swimming pool, drive on to Búðardalur. That short hop also makes camping in Dalir easy to combine with an evening swim.

Faxi Waterfall Parking

Faxi waterfall, also called Vatnsleysufoss, is a wide, low waterfall on the Tungufljót river in South Iceland, just off Route 35 between Reykholt and Geysir. It spreads across the river in a curtain only about 7 meters high, and the viewing platform is a short walk from the parking lot. Most Golden Circle drivers speed past on their way to Geysir, which is the best reason to take the turn. On the left bank, look for the fish ladder, a concrete staircase of pools that lets salmon climb past the falls and continue upriver. The Tungufljót is a working fishing river. The name Faxi is linked to the Icelandic word for a horse's mane, which fits the way the water spills over the ledge. Faxi is in Bláskógabyggð, about 1.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík. Geysir is about 12 km farther along the road and Gullfoss about 21 km, so the falls slot easily into a Golden Circle day. A short gravel track leads down to the Faxi waterfall parking lot, a picnic area and the Við Faxa restaurant, with Faxi campsite on the riverbank next door. Fifteen to 30 minutes is enough for most visitors. You can see the falls all year, but in winter the paths get icy and Route 35 can be snowy, so check the official road-conditions map before setting out. Looking at the waterfall costs nothing, although a parking fee has been collected at the lot in recent seasons, with the current rate posted on site.

Lutheran Free Church

The Lutheran Free Church, known in Icelandic as Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík, is a white timber church with a green roof on Fríkirkjuvegur, on the east bank of Tjörnin pond in central Reykjavík. Seen from the opposite shore, with the spire and old houses mirrored in the water, it is one of the most photographed views in the city. Icelanders who wanted a Lutheran congregation independent of the state church founded it in the fall of 1899. Their quarrel was with how the national church was run rather than with its doctrine, and they took their cue from free churches in Norway and among Icelandic emigrants in North America. The church was consecrated on February 22, 1903, and enlarged soon after to plans by the architect Rögnvaldur Ólafsson. Inside, the space is plain timber with an organ. Good acoustics have made Fríkirkjan a favorite concert venue, including during the Iceland Airwaves festival, and the church currently lists Sunday services at 14:00 and lunchtime concerts on Thursdays at noon. No daytime visiting hours are published, so a service or concert is the realistic way inside. Seeing the exterior costs nothing and takes ten minutes, and it fits neatly into a walk around Tjörnin that also passes City Hall and Dómkirkjan cathedral. Most central hotels are within walking distance, and street parking in the center is paid during the day.

Hauganes Camping Area

Hauganes camping is a small campsite in the fishing village of Hauganes on the west shore of Eyjafjörður, North Iceland, about 25 minutes' drive north of Akureyri and roughly 15 minutes from Dalvík. Its draw is the beach below, where hot tubs sit a short walk from your tent. The campsite is split between the original area and a flat meadow above it, and electric hook-ups are available. Showers and a washing machine are included in the price, and a new service building handles payments on arrival. There's also a playground, which makes it an easy stop with kids. For 2026, adults pay 2,400 ISK a night, while teenagers aged 16 to 18, seniors and disabled guests pay 1,800 ISK. Children 12 to 15 cost 900 ISK, those 11 and under stay free, and lodging tax is included in all rates. Electricity is 1,500 ISK a night. You can pay online ahead of time, though that doesn't reserve a pitch, so arrive early on summer weekends. On the beach, the Fjöruböðin hot tubs cost 2,800 ISK for adults and 1,000 ISK for kids aged 6 to 12, and they're open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. In summer, whale-watching boats leave from the harbor next door, and the Baccalá bar by the harbor serves food.

Austurvöllur

Austurvöllur is the old central square of Reykjavík, a lawn framed by trees and benches a short block north of Tjörnin pond, with the Parliament House on its south side. On the first sunny afternoon of spring, half of downtown seems to end up on this patch of grass. Its name means the East Field. Back when Reykjavík was a single farm, this was its best hayfield, and the town grew up around it. Today the square is defined by its neighbors, with Alþingishúsið, the stone Parliament House where the Althing sits, and Dómkirkjan, the city's Lutheran cathedral, on the south side. Cafés, bars and the Art Deco Hótel Borg fill the other edges, which is why the benches stay busy whenever the weather allows. The statue in the middle is Jón Sigurðsson (1811–1879), who led Iceland's 19th-century push for independence. Einar Jónsson made it for the centenary of his birth in 1911, and in 1931 it moved here from outside the Government House on Lækjargata, replacing a statue of the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Jón's birthday, June 17, became Iceland's National Day in 1944, and every year the official ceremony takes place on Austurvöllur with a wreath laid at his feet. Facing Parliament has made the square Iceland's natural place to protest. The biggest gatherings came during the 2008–2009 demonstrations after the banks collapsed, when crowds banged pots and pans here for weeks. In December the mood is gentler, as the lights go on in the square's large Christmas tree. The square is public, free and open around the clock. Lækjartorg is two minutes away on foot, and the Settlement Exhibition, City Hall and Tjörnin are all within a few hundred meters, so Austurvöllur is a natural starting point for a walk through the old center. Give it 15 minutes, or an hour if you sit down with a coffee.

Guesthouse Svartiskógur Egilsstaðir

Guesthouse Svartiskógur, which now goes by Hótel Svartiskógur, is a small family-run country hotel with a campsite in a wooded grove in Jökulsárhlíð, East Iceland. It's about 30 kilometers north of Egilsstaðir on Route 917, roughly a 30-minute drive. The hotel has been open since 1996. Double and twin rooms come with private bathrooms, the larger triple rooms add a sofa corner and a small kitchenette, and two cottages each have their own bathroom and kitchenette. Overnight guests can book dinner and breakfast, which matters here, since the nearest shops and restaurants are back in Egilsstaðir. The campsite is on a grassy patch near the hotel with a view over the surrounding countryside, and it has toilets and showers. Prices aren't published online, so ask when you arrive or call ahead. Hótel Svartiskógur operates only in summer, and its dates have varied over the years, so confirm before planning an early- or late-season night. Most people stay for the quiet and the view of Dyrfjöll across the valley. Fishing is possible in the Jökla and Fögruhlíðará rivers, and on the last weekend of August the hotel holds Pallasöngur, a candlelit evening of singing in the forest. It's also a handy last stop before the steep gravel climb over Hellisheiði eystri to Vopnafjörður, about 60 kilometers away.

Hólaskjól - Highland Center

Hólaskjól is a highland lodge and campsite on the southern stretch of Fjallabaksleið nyrðri (F208) in South Iceland, built against a lava tongue from the Eldgjá eruption of 934–940. It's the closest place to stay to Eldgjá, the long volcanic fissure a short drive farther north, and the lava and low hills around it keep the site sheltered from the wind. From Vík, plan on about an hour and a half to get there. Most people come for the walking. A five-minute climb up the lava brings you to a waterfall on the Syðri-Ófæra river that people call Silfurfoss or Litli-Gullfoss, though the owners prefer Huldufoss. Longer hikes start at the door: Álftavötn is a 6–7 km walk past more falls and through the Syðri-Ófæra gorge, and the Strútsstígur trail runs about 27 km west to the Strútur hut and the Strútslaug hot spring. The campsite has toilets and showers. Indoors, the Hólaskjól highland center has a two-story lodge with 61 sleeping-bag spaces, and each floor has its own entrance, kitchen, toilet and shower. Three small cottages for four people come with a toilet and cooking area, and the operator also rents a house by Langisjór lake that includes fishing rights. Service runs from early June to the end of September, with stays outside that window by arrangement. For 2026, camping costs 3,500 ISK per adult and 1,750 ISK for ages 7 to 17, plus 1,000 ISK for a shower, while a sleeping-bag space in the lodge is 12,500 ISK per adult. Getting there is easier than at most highland stops. Turn onto road 208 about 23 km west of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, drive up through Skaftártunga and join F208 just below the farm Búland; the operator says this 35 km approach from Route 1 is passable for all cars in summer, with no unbridged rivers. Many rental agreements bar 2WD cars from every F-road, though, and the 37 km of F208 north to Landmannalaugar has river crossings that need a 4x4, so check your contract and the official road-conditions map before you set off.

Sauðárkrókur Campground

Sauðárkrókur Campground is the town campsite of Sauðárkrókur, the largest town in Skagafjörður in North Iceland, set beside the swimming pool near the town center. The hot tubs are a two-minute walk from your tent, and supermarkets, cafés, restaurants and museums are all within easy walking distance. Getting there is simple. From the Ring Road at Varmahlíð it's about 25 kilometers north, and from Akureyri the drive takes roughly an hour and a half. Reykjavík is closer to four hours away, which makes the Sauðárkrókur campsite a natural first night in the north if you leave the capital after lunch. A service house next to the field has showers, toilets and hot and cold water, with good access for disabled visitors. There are electrical hook-ups and a waste disposal point for motorhomes, and the wardens can unlock a washing machine and dryer on request. No kitchen is listed, so bring your own stove. The campground opens from mid-May until the end of September, a little earlier or later depending on the weather. In 2026 adults pay 2,200 ISK for the first night and 2,000 ISK for each night after, pensioners aged 67 and over pay 2,000 ISK and then 1,800 ISK, and children aged 12 and under stay free. On top of that, electricity costs 1,300 ISK per day, laundry is 750 ISK per machine, and the accommodation tax adds 400 ISK per unit per night. The campsites at Hofsós and Varmahlíð are run in partnership with this one, and guests get the lower additional-night rate when they switch between them. One night here and one on the Tröllaskagi coast at Hofsós is an easy way to see the fjord from both sides.

Ólafsfjörður Campsite

Ólafsfjörður Campsite is the municipal campsite beside the sports center in Ólafsfjörður, a fishing town on the Tröllaskagi peninsula in North Iceland that shares the municipality of Fjallabyggð with Siglufjörður. The town pool is a two-minute walk from the tents, which counts for a lot after a cold night. A small pond next to the pitches draws birds, and local kids fish for minnows there on summer evenings. Steep mountains close in the head of the fjord on three sides, while the shops, harbor and cafés of the town center are a short walk down the road. A service building has toilets and showers, and electricity hookups are available for camper vans for an extra fee. The campsite usually opens on May 12 and closes on October 15, though the opening date depends on how the grass comes through the winter. Fees are charged per person, so check the current rates with the municipality before you arrive. Ólafsfjörður is about an hour's drive north of Akureyri via Dalvík and the Múli tunnel. Siglufjörður is around 20 minutes farther on through the Héðinsfjörður tunnels, so the campsite works well as a base for exploring Tröllaskagi along Route 82 and Route 76. In summer, the long evenings are good for walking around Ólafsfjarðarvatn, the lake just behind town, or hiking the slopes above it. Toward fall, nights get cold and the weather turns fast on the coastal roads, so check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you drive.

Hveravellir

Hveravellir is a geothermal area on the Kjölur route (Road 35) in the central highlands of Iceland, between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. Its field of steaming vents, boiling springs and pale mineral crusts has been protected as a natural monument since 1960, and it's the warm spot travelers crossing Kjölur aim for. Marked paths run between the springs, several of which have clear blue water and colored crusts around their edges. Some are at boiling point, so stay on the paths. Fjalla-Eyvindur, the 18th-century outlaw who hid in the highlands, is tied to the place, and the ruins of a shelter said to be his and a spring named after him sit at the edge of the field. The reason most people stop is the natural bathing pool, fed by the hot springs and close to the huts. After a few hours of rattling gravel road, a soak here is hard to beat. Day visitors pay a 500 ISK service fee per person, which covers the pool, toilets and showers. Hveravellir is also one of the few places with services on Kjölur. The operator runs a restaurant and café and a campsite, and in 2026 sleeping-bag beds in the old hut cost 10,900 ISK per person, while private rooms in the new hut cost 36,900 ISK with breakfast for two. Marked hiking trails lead from the hot springs into the surrounding lava and hills, and reception has maps. The site is about 90 km north of Gullfoss and roughly 200 km from both Reykjavík and Akureyri. Kjölur is an unpaved highland road that closes in winter and usually opens around June, so check the official road-conditions map before you set out. In summer most cars can manage the road, but the operator advises against the smallest models, and the nearest gas station is about 100 km away. Give yourself at least an hour for the walk and a soak, or stay the night.

Siglufjörður Campsite

Siglufjörður Campsite is the municipal camping ground in Siglufjörður, the old herring town at the northern tip of the Tröllaskagi peninsula in North Iceland. Fjallabyggð owns it and Evanger sf runs it, and it is split between two sites, so you can choose between being in the middle of town and a quieter field on its edge. The main site sits in the town center by the town square and the small-boat harbor. Restaurants, shops, the Herring Era Museum and the swimming pool are all within walking distance, which makes it the easy pick if you want to leave the car parked for the evening. For more peace, head to Stóri Boli, south of the avalanche barrier. It is close to the golf course, the horse stables, the forest and nesting birds, and the walk down to the center takes about 10 minutes. Both sites have toilets and electric hook-ups. Camping in Siglufjörður normally runs from 12 May to 15 October, although the May opening depends on how the ground comes through the winter. Under the 2025 tariff, a night cost 1,700 ISK per adult, with children 16 and under free, and electricity was 1,450 ISK per night. The national lodging tax is added on top, so check the 2026 rates when you arrive. From Akureyri, the drive takes about an hour and 10 minutes through the Héðinsfjörður tunnels, and Route 76 brings you in from Skagafjörður to the west. During the Folk Music Festival in early July, the harbor site fills up, so arrive early in the day.

Elephant Rock

Elephant Rock is a dark basalt sea cliff on the west side of Heimaey in the Westman Islands, off Iceland's south coast, known locally as Fíllinn. Plenty of people see an Elephant Rock Iceland photo online and assume it is fake, but the shape is entirely natural. From the right angle it looks exactly like an elephant with its trunk dipped into the Atlantic, and even the wrinkled, weathered surface resembles elephant skin. The shape only really works from the sea, which is why most visitors see it on an Elephant Rock Iceland tour by boat from Heimaey harbor. Prices and schedules vary by operator, so book through the operator's official website. From the shore you can still pick out the rock, but the profile is much less convincing. No ferry goes to the rock itself, which catches some people out. To get to Elephant Rock, take the Herjólfur ferry to Heimaey from Landeyjahöfn on the south coast, about two hours' drive from Reykjavík, then join a boat tour from the harbor. In rough weather some sailings move to Þorlákshöfn, a much longer crossing, so check the ferry schedule a day ahead. The boat trip itself is short, but Heimaey is worth at least half a day. Pair it with a climb up Eldfell, the volcano that rose here in 1973, and bring a warm, windproof layer for the water even in July.

Almannagjá

Almannagjá is a rift gorge on the western side of Þingvellir National Park, about 45 minutes' drive from Reykjavík, and its tall western wall marks the edge of the North American plate. As the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, the rift valley drops away from this wall toward the east. The gorge matters as much to Icelandic history as it does to geology. In 930 the chieftains founded the Alþingi on the plain below, and many historians place Lögberg, the Law Rock where the law was recited aloud, inside Almannagjá against the higher wall, where the cliff would have carried a speaker's voice. The sagas say the Öxará river was later diverted into the gorge to supply water for the assembly, and it still pours in at the northern end as Öxarárfoss. Most people start at the Hakið viewpoint and visitor center at the top, then follow the Almannagjá trail down between the walls to Lögberg and on to Öxarárfoss or the Drekkingarhylur pool. The path is wide and easy, on gravel and boardwalk, and takes about 30 to 45 minutes one way with stops. It's the first stop on almost every Golden Circle day. Walking the gorge is free and open all year. Parking costs 1,000 ISK per day for a car with up to five seats and covers the P1 Hakið, P2 Efri-Vellir and P5 Valhöll lots, paid at the machines or online. Come early in the morning or in the evening to beat the tour buses, and in winter bring microspikes, since the path and steps can ice over.

The National Theatre of Iceland

The National Theatre of Iceland (Þjóðleikhúsið) is the country's main stage, a dark, glittering building at Hverfisgata 19 in central Reykjavík. Since it formally opened in 1950, it has drawn around 100,000 theatergoers a season. State architect Guðjón Samúelsson, who also designed Hallgrímskirkja, based the building on Icelandic folktales about elf palaces hidden inside giant boulders. He coated the concrete exterior with his own mix of crushed obsidian, quartz and silver berg, a finish that later spread to houses across Iceland. Inside, the ceiling of the main hall takes its shape from basalt columns. Even without a ticket, the exterior is worth a look from the street. The National Theatre of Iceland runs four venues in two buildings. The Main Stage (500 seats) and the Theatre Cellar Club are in the main house, while the Black Box and the Small Stage sit around the corner at Lindargata 7. Each season brings about ten new productions alongside revivals, from new Icelandic plays and classics to musicals, dance and children's shows, and since 2025 the theater has also been home to the new national opera. Most performances are in Icelandic, which matters if you're visiting. For selected Main Stage productions the theater offers English captions, usually at the seventh performance, so check the theater's English-language page for which dates apply. Tickets are sold online and at the box office, which is open 14:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 on weekends, and until 20:00 on performance evenings. The theater stands next door to the House of Collections, a few minutes' walk from Harpa and Lækjartorg square.

Námaskarð

Námaskarð is the pass where Route 1 crosses the Námafjall ridge east of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, and the Hverir geothermal area spreads across the slope below it. The field is bare ground stained orange, yellow and gray, full of boiling mud pots and hissing steam vents, and you will smell it before you see it. Strictly speaking, Námaskarð is the pass and Hverir (also called Hverarönd) is the field at its eastern foot, but most people use the names for the same stop. It sits right beside Route 1, about 6 kilometers east of Reykjahlíð and roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Akureyri. Nothing grows here because the soil is hot and acidic, and the rotten-egg smell comes from hydrogen sulfide in the steam. Sulfur was once mined in the area, which explains the name, roughly "mine pass." A loop of roped paths runs through the field from the parking lot and takes 20 to 40 minutes. With another hour to spare, you can follow a steep marked trail up Námafjall from the same lot for a view over the vents toward Mývatn. Stay on the paths and inside the ropes, since the crust can be thin and the mud underneath is close to boiling. Because it is on the Ring Road, the site is open year-round, and the steam looks thickest on cold winter days. Expect mud in spring and ice in winter, so wear boots you can get dirty. Entry is free, but the parking lot is a paid lot with digital payment, so check the posted rate when you arrive. The Námaskarð hot springs are for looking only, as the water is far too hot to touch. For a soak, Earth Lagoon Mývatn (formerly Mývatn Nature Baths) is about 2 kilometers back toward the lake, and the Krafla area with Víti crater is a short drive north.

Stöðvarfjörður Campground

Stöðvarfjörður campground is a small summer campsite at the east end of Stöðvarfjörður, a fishing village on the fjord of the same name in the Eastfjords. It sits beside a patch of woodland on the coastal Route 96, so if you take the slow fjord road instead of the inland Ring Road, it is one of the quietest places to stop for the night. Facilities are basic. You get toilets, cold water, electricity, picnic tables, a barbecue area and a playground, but there is no hot water on site, so plan on showering at the village pool about 500 meters away. Open fires are not allowed, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Camping in Stöðvarfjörður is a summer-only option, from June 1 to about the start of September. The site is run as CampEast, and there are no advance bookings or marked pitches: you arrive, pick a spot and pay on site or through the Parka app. Rates for 2026 are 2,500 ISK per adult, 2,000 ISK for seniors and 1,500 ISK for electricity, plus 400 ISK accommodation tax, with children free. The best reason to stay is Petra's Stone Collection, a short walk away, where one local woman's lifetime of gathered rocks and minerals fills a house and garden. Breiðdalsvík is about 20 minutes south, and Egilsstaðir is a little over an hour north.

Nordic House

The Nordic House (Norræna húsið) is a Nordic cultural center in Reykjavík, designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and opened in 1968, and it is his only building in Iceland. Most people walk out for the building, then stay longer than planned for the library and the coffee. From outside, it is a low white house with a blue-tiled roofline on the edge of the Vatnsmýri wetland, next to the University of Iceland. Inside, you get Aalto's warm timber interiors, skylights and furniture, along with a library of books in the Nordic languages and a children's library downstairs. The Hvelfing exhibition hall in the basement changes its shows through the year. The fall 2026 program includes Embodying a Building: Bodies in Aalto Buildings, running from October 4, 2026, to January 24, 2027, and Buildings and Bodies, from October 10, 2026, to April 11, 2027. Concerts, talks and film screenings also take place in the auditorium, and some of them are ticketed. The Nordic House is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays. It sits at Sæmundargata 11, about a 15-minute walk from downtown, and bus 15 stops at Íslensk Erfðagreining while routes 1, 3 and 6 stop at the University of Iceland. Allow an hour for the building and the current exhibition, or longer if you eat at the restaurant and café. Afterward, paths lead through the Vatnsmýri nature reserve, where birds nest in summer, toward Tjörnin pond and the National Museum of Iceland. A ramp leads up to the entrance and an elevator goes down to Hvelfing. The children's library is reached by stairs from the main library, or step-free from the exhibition hall.

Bíldudalur Camping Ground

Bíldudalur Camping Ground is the municipal campsite in the village of Bíldudalur, on the south shore of Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords. Run by Vesturbyggð, it sits in the middle of the village, so the shop, the restaurant and the harbor are all within walking distance, and on a still summer evening the fjord goes flat enough to mirror the mountains on the far side. Facilities are simple but cover what most campers need: toilets, showers, electricity hook-ups and a washing machine and dryer. If you want a hot soak at the end of the day, the Byltan sports center nearby has a hot tub, and the Reykjarfjarðarlaug pool is a short drive out of town. The season is short, running from June 1 to August 31. Prices for 2026 are not published online, so call the campsite on +354 450 2354 or contact Vesturbyggð before you plan around a fixed budget. A single night is enough for most people, though two gives you time for the Icelandic Sea Monster Museum and a walk along the fjord. Bíldudalur is about two hours' drive from Ísafjörður and roughly 35 minutes from Patreksfjörður, which makes camping in Bíldudalur a handy base for the south Westfjords. Dynjandi is about 45 minutes away over Dynjandisheiði, and Rauðisandur is an easy day trip if the gravel road is open. Check the official road-conditions map before crossing the mountain passes early or late in the season.