Iceland attractions

Skaftafell

Skaftafell is the best-known area of Vatnajökull National Park, on the south side of the Vatnajökull ice cap in Southeast Iceland. It was declared a national park in its own right in 1967, became part of Vatnajökull National Park on 7 June 2008, and is included in the park's UNESCO World Heritage listing from 2019. Outlet glaciers such as Skaftafellsjökull flow down close to the trails, and the area is the main base for hiking and glacier trips in the region. Marked trails start from the Skaftafellsstofa visitor centre. The most popular is the S2 loop to the waterfall Svartifoss, a 5.8 km circuit of about two hours that also passes Sjónarsker and Sel, graded easy. The S1 trail to the front of Skaftafellsjökull is an easy 4.1 km loop of 1 to 1.5 hours. For more effort, S5 to the Sjónarnípa viewpoint is 6.5 km and 2 to 2.5 hours and rated challenging, while S4 over Kristínartindar is an 18 km, 6 to 8 hour hike rated difficult. Walking on the ice itself is only for guided groups, and several operators run glacier hikes, ice climbing and, in winter, ice cave tours from here. Skaftafellsstofa is open all year, with information on trails, conditions and accommodation plus a shop, and the Skaftafell campsite beside it takes tents, campers and motorhomes year-round. Parking at Skaftafell costs 1,110 ISK for a car with up to five seats, valid until midnight on the day you pay; you can pay at machines in the car park, and the fee is halved if you have already paid at another Vatnajökull National Park site that day. The area is accessible all year, weather and road conditions permitting, but conditions change fast outside summer, so check the forecast and road status first. Summer brings the easiest walking and the longest days.

Snæfellsjökull National Park

Snæfellsjökull National Park covers the western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. Established in 2001, it was the first national park in Iceland to stretch from a mountain summit all the way down to the sea. At its centre is Snæfellsjökull, a glacier-capped stratovolcano that Jules Verne used as the entrance to the underworld in Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Below it lie lava fields, sea cliffs, craters and beaches, with several of the peninsula's best-known stops inside the park boundary. The main sights are spread along the coastal road around the glacier. Djúpalónssandur is a black pebble beach with lifting stones weighing 23 to 154 kg and the iron wreckage of an English trawler lost in 1948; it has an accessible viewing platform and toilets by the car park. Lóndrangar is a pair of basalt rock pillars, Vatnshellir is an 8,000-year-old lava tube more than 200 metres long that can be visited on guided tours, and Skarðsvík has a beach of yellow shell sand. Svalþúfa and Þúfubjarg are bird cliffs, and the Bárður Snæfellsás walking trail links Arnarstapi and the old fishing village of Hellnar. The park is open all year. There are two visitor centres, both open daily: the National Park Centre at Hellissandur (09:30 to 17:00) and the visitor centre at Malarrif (10:30 to 16:30); check hours out of season. Since August 2026 the park charges service fees, collected through parking fees at its car parks, so expect to pay when you park at the main sites. Summer gives the longest days and the best access, while winter brings short daylight and changeable road conditions. Reaching the glacier summit requires a guided glacier hike with crampons and ropes. Many day tours from Reykjavík cover the park's coastal sights in a long day.

Snæfellsnes

Snæfellsnes is a long peninsula in West Iceland. It packs many of the country's typical landscapes into a compact area: lava fields, beaches of black and golden sand, sea cliffs, basalt columns, craters and, at its western end, the glacier-capped volcano Snæfellsjökull. The western tip, around the glacier, is protected as Snæfellsjökull National Park. On the south coast, Ytri Tunga is a golden-sand beach where grey seals often rest on the offshore rocks, most reliably at low tide in summer. Further west, the black wooden church at Búðir stands alone in a lava field with the glacier behind it. Arnarstapi has basalt sea cliffs, the Gatklettur arch and a statue of the saga figure Bárður Snæfellsás, and a coastal trail links it with Hellnar. Beyond lie Lóndrangar's rock pillars and the pebble beach at Djúpalónssandur. On the north coast, Kirkjufell, the steep, pointed mountain beside Grundarfjörður, is one of the most photographed peaks in Iceland, and the town of Stykkishólmur lies further east along the same coast. The peninsula starts about 2 to 2.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík, roughly 140 to 185 km depending on where you are heading, via the Ring Road and Route 54. A full loop is possible in one long day, but two days allow time for walks and short stops. The peninsula can be visited all year, although winter daylight is short and weather can disrupt travel, so check road conditions before setting out. Many day tours from Reykjavík cover the south coast, the national park and Kirkjufell in a single day. Grundarfjörður, Ólafsvík and Stykkishólmur all have public swimming pools, and Grundarfjörður has a campsite, useful for an overnight stay.

Thórsmörk

Þórsmörk, often written Thórsmörk or Thorsmork, is a highland valley in South Iceland named after the Norse god Thor. It sits inside the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, ringed by three glaciers, Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull, and cut by three glacial rivers, the Krossá, Þröngá and Markarfljót. The mix of birch woodland, moss, gravel riverbeds and steep ridges makes it one of the country's best-known hiking areas. Most visitors come to walk. Valahnúkur, the hill above Húsadalur, is a relatively easy round trip of about two hours with views across the valley and glaciers. The Þórsgata Volcano Trail is a 12 km loop, and the Merkurrani plateau hike takes around four hours. Þórsmörk is also the end point of the multi-day Laugavegur trek from Landmannalaugar and the northern end of the Fimmvörðuháls pass, which crosses between the glaciers to Skógar on the south coast. There are three main bases in the valley: Húsadalur, run by Volcano Huts with camping, huts and glamping; Langidalur, a hut run by Ferðafélag Íslands; and Básar, run by Útivist. Hut beds are limited in summer, so book ahead if you plan to stay overnight. The best time to go is June to September, when the highland roads are open and the trees are in leaf. In 2026 the highland bus from Reykjavík ran from 1 June to 24 September, taking roughly three to four hours each way, with adult tickets advertised at 11,999 ISK; check the operator for current dates and fares. Driving yourself is only possible on F249 in a high-clearance 4x4, and the Krossá ford near the end is one of Iceland's most dangerous river crossings, deep with loose gravel and rising quickly after rain or melt. Many rental companies ban their cars from this road, so most people take the bus, a super jeep tour or hike in.

Southern Peninsula Region

The Southern Peninsula, known in Icelandic as Suðurnes and more widely as the Reykjanes peninsula, is the volcanic tongue of land in south-west Iceland between Reykjavík and the open Atlantic. Keflavík International Airport is here, so for most visitors it is the first part of Iceland they see. The towns of Reykjanesbær, Grindavík and Vogar, and the villages of Garður and Sandgerði, sit around its coast, surrounded by lava fields, fissures and geothermal areas. Since September 2015 much of the peninsula has been the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark, which describes it as the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be seen above sea level. The geopark has 55 geosites, from open fissures, crater rows and recent lava flows to subglacial ridges such as Trölladyngja and Grænadyngja. Well-known stops include the Bridge Between Continents over a rift in the lava, the steaming mud pools of Gunnuhver, the sea-carved pool of Brimketill, Kleifarvatn, the largest lake on the peninsula, and Reykjanesviti, Iceland's oldest lighthouse site, first lit in 1878, with the present tower built in 1907–1908. The Blue Lagoon is also on the peninsula, and Duus Cultural House in Reykjanesbær serves as a geopark visitor centre. Reykjanes is volcanically active. Nine eruptions took place on the Sundhnúkur crater row north of Grindavík between December 2023 and August 2025, and at last report land uplift was continuing at Svartsengi. Grindavík is open, but SafeTravel still classes the area as hazardous, so check SafeTravel and the Icelandic Met Office before you go, stay on marked routes and respect all closures. The peninsula can be explored all year, making it a good first or last day close to the airport. Allow a full day to drive the coastal loop with stops, and more if you add a lagoon visit.