We based our itinerary on Rick Steves’ original five day itinerary and added two nights where he suggested, in Mývatn and on the south coast. His plan for each day seemed reasonable and in line with our interests. We don’t typically stop for lunch so we just started later each day. The plan worked very well for us.
Day 1: Reykjavik to Hofsós
We didn’t know what to expect from Icelandair since they’re a lower cost carrier. Icelandair is fine! We splurged a little on seats with extra legroom since it was an overnight flight. It was kind of nice that they didn’t constantly come around with things. Just beverages a couple of times. Food was available for purchase or pre-order; we brought our own snacks.
We did need to adjust our packing since their cabin luggage size limit is different. We took one of our non-wheeled carryons on the plan and checked our two wheeled carryons. (First checked bag was free.)
Immigration and customs went swiftly. Usually we ignore duty free shopping but we knew alcohol was expensive so we bought some for the week. (And underestimated, as it turns out.) We walked over to Blue car rental to pick up our car and were on the road. Google navigation and our roaming Verizon international plan worked fine for getting around.
Our flight landed at 6:30 AM and our challenge was to time our arrival in Hofsós with check-in time at our guest house. With jetlag and no sleep on the plane! We’d planned to stop in Borgarnes for coffee and breakfast but it was a national holiday (Commerce Day) so bakeries were closed. We made do with Coke Zero from a gas station shop and snacks we brought from home.
Our first sightseeing stop was at the Grábrók crater. It was really windy (and we were tired) so we didn’t climb all the way to the top but still saw great views.
We stopped again at the Glaumbaer Museum to admire the turf buildings but didn’t pay to go in.
Despite our best efforts we still got to Hofsós before check-in, so we went for a little walk around the village. Their pool is beautifully positioned. We had a nap before dinner at Retro Mathus in Hofsós, a small, friendly spot with great food and warm service. We had a fish burger and cod pesto daily special. The village also has a gas pump and a small cafe/supermarket.
Day 2: Hofsós to Mývatn
Breakfast wasn’t included so we got ham croissant-like things at the store across the street and made coffee in shared kitchenette. (Google translate is great for translating food packages!) They didn’t look like much but they were pretty good. We’d planned to hit a bakery the day before but they were closed.
We took the scenic way to Mývatn around the Tröllaskagi peninsula. We’d read the road switched from paved to gravel and it did occasionally but it was well-graded. We saw the first of many cyclists in Iceland, and not a lot of other traffic.
We also saw the first of many sheep. They’ve been roaming free here since 874. We were happy traffic was light, because there was more than one one-lane tunnel.
Our first stop was Siglufjorður, where we walked around a bit and visited the Herring Era Museum. Who knew herring was such a big business? The museum shows both the business side and how the workers lived. It was surprisingly interesting.
After more scenic driving and Iceland’s second largest town, Akureyri, we arrived at Goðafoss, one of the more beautiful waterfalls we saw. Along the way you have the choice of a scenic highway or a toll tunnel. Take the highway if the weather is good.
We arrived in the Mývatn area in late afternoon, by way of highway 848, which follows the south and east sides. We got some nice overviews of the area and got to preview the sights between Skútustaðir and Reykjahlíð that we plan to visit tomorrow.
This is our only two-night stop here in Iceland. We added a night here so we have time for hiking and a visit to the hot springs. We got to enjoy the nice weather on our terrace before dinner at the resort’s excellent restaurant, which we booked ahead of time. We also booked the Mývatn Nature Baths for late afternoon tomorrow.
Day 3: Mývatn
We have the entire day here, starting with an excellent breakfast buffet at the restaurant. It’s the Vogafjós Farm Resort so you can view cows in the attached barn while you dine.
We did the Kirkja (red) trail at Dimmuborgir around 12:30. Easy hiking through fascinating rock formations.
Our next stop was the pseudocraters at Skútustaðir, smooth and green in stark contrast to Dimmuborgir just up the road.
We booked time at the Mývatn Nature Baths for 4:00 PM. We chose these because were reputed to be more elaborate than a public swimming pool yet not as expensive or crowded as the Blue Lagoon. Plus they were easy to get to. You can see the steam plumes in the distance. We spent about an hour there. The pool itself had hot, warm, and cool areas and sand and pebbles underfoot. There were benches scattered around and food and beverages for sale. The locker rooms were busy but not too crowded. You’ll see it repeated a lot but be sure to take a naked shower with soap before entering the pool.
We had another nice meal at the restaurant. with a view of cows outdoors.
Day 4: Mývatn to Seyðisfjörður
Today was a lot of driving. There’s very little until you get to Egilsstaðir so make sure you get gas and eat before you head out. We saw lots of little waterfalls today.
The one sight along the way is Dettifoss. It takes a while to drive there and back, and to walk to the falls, but it’s well worth it and today’s agenda was light anyway. It’s actually a two-fer; you get a glimpse of another waterfall while walking to Dettifoss.
The drive to Dettifoss is scenic in a postapocalyptic-lunar-landscape kind of way.
We continued past Egilsstaðir to Seyðisfjörður on the east coast. The drive between Egilsstaðir and Seyðisfjörður was beautiful even with low clouds.
Seyðisfjörður is a cute little town. Iceland reminds us a lot of Hawaii, except colder: green, lush, and expensive. We had four IPAs and two orders of fish and chips for dinner for about $100. (We were not surprised.) There was a tour group of (mostly) Italians in the bar at the same time. We have seen a lot of Italians here.
Day 5: Seyðisfjörður to Höfn
Today we backtracked to Egilsstaðir then began driving our way down the east coast and over to the south coast. We were hoping for clearer weather for the drive back to Egilsstaðir but no such luck. Still pretty though.
There aren’t any major sights along this stretch but the drive itself is beautiful — lots of swans and waterfalls — and traffic was light. We stopped in Djupivogur to stretch our legs and use the convenient public toilets. Not many pit stops along the way either.
We saw more sheep and horses today. Did I mention there are over 60,000 horses here? All purebred descendants of Viking horses. If a horse leaves the island, it can’t come back, due to the risk of communicable diseases.
We saw more cyclists too. We’ve been seeing a lot of them. And a first: someone on inline skates towing a trailer! (We didn’t get a photo because it was a wait, what? moment.) Once you hit the south coast you’re in glacier territory.
We checked into our hotel then drove back to Hofn for dinner, a walk around town, and a stop at the Vínbúðin (state-run liquor store) to restock.
Day 6: Höfn to Vik
Today is all about glaciers. You can see the glacier in the distance from our hotel. The views improve as we get closer.
Our first stop is the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, where we booked an amphibian boat cruise for 12:20. It’s wild being out on the water with icebergs.
Diamond Beach is right there also, just follow the path under the bridge. You can watch icebergs from bank of the river as they float to the sea. That was almost as good as taking the tour.
From there it was a short drive to Skaftafell, where we did an easy hike down to look at the glacier.
And then another brief drive from there to our farm guest house just past Vik, through both barren and lush scenery.
Day 7: Vik to Reykjavik
Our last day on the road. We backtracked a little to the Dyrholaey Peninsula to see puffins. And some dramatic cliffs.
The rocks offshore in the distance are at Reynisfjara black sand beach, which was our next stop. Reynisfjara has caves and cliffs and shorebirds, though we got a better look at puffins at Dyrholaey. You can see Dyrholaey in the distance from Reynisfjara beach.
We backtracked to Vik to fill the tank, then headed for our last two stops: the Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. Skogafoss (left) is bigger, Seljalandsfoss (right) is prettier and you can walk behind it. Don’t forget to pay to park. We missed the kiosks at one and it cost us three times as much thanks to fines and fees!
From there it was just straight driving to the airport. We passed the Bobby Fischer center along the way. The farm pictured is the one we stayed at last night. It’s a working farm with a guesthouse, which is pretty common in Iceland. The farms have names rather than addresses. That’s what you see on road signs.
We checked into the airport hotel then dropped the rental car off basically next door. It will be nice just to walk over to the airport in the morning. The hotel and restaurant weren’t exciting but were perfectly fine for our last night here. we’ll be back for a couple of nights on the way home. Here’s a last view of Iceland for now!
Essentials
Lodging and Dining
The smaller communities we stayed in on our road trip have limited options for places to eat and sleep. Almost all of them were outside our usual budget but we were prepared for that. That said, most of the places we stayed were above our usual standard, and also included an excellent breakfast. Most also had restaurants onsite, handy after a long day of sightseeing and driving.
The Sunnuberg Guesthouse in Hofsós was the least expensive place we stayed on this trip. The room had everything we needed and a nice view out the back window. It’s conveniently located across the street from the cafe/market and has a shared kitchenette where we made tea and coffee.
We had one of the best meals of the trip at the Retro Mathus right in the village.
We stayed at the Vogafjós Farm Resort in the Reykjahlíð area of Mývatn, near the hot springs and other sights. It’s a bit of a splurge but then most of Iceland is, and it was probably the nicest place we stayed on this trip, with a spacious room and a terrace, so luckily we had weather that allowed us to enjoy the terrace!
We ate dinner both nights at their restaurant across the road. (Which is also where you check in.) We had excellent lamb the first night and burgers the second. Their breakfast was also great, and the service and atmosphere was wonderful.
The Hótel Snæfell in Seyðisfjörður is in the old post office. Check in is at Hotel Aldan. (They have rooms in a few different buildings.) That’s also where the bar and restaurant is. We had planned on eating at the bar across the street but they had fish and chips on the daytime menu and that sounded great. They had a good selection of craft beer too.
The Fosshotel Vatnajökull just outside Hofn was the most expensive and most vanilla place we stayed in Iceland. It was a nice room and a great breakfast, just lacking any character.
The hotel had a restaurant but we were in the mood for pizza so we drove into Hofn for pizza and beer at Ishusid Pizzeria.
The Sólheimahjáleiga Guesthouse has comfortable rooms with a shared kitchen for guests, outdoor seating areas, and a bar/restaurant where we had a nice meal that we were able to book on arrival.
The Aurora Hotel at Keflavik airport was certainly convenient for dropping off our rental car and getting to the airport the next morning. (So nice to be able to walk five minutes!) There’s nothing else around there but the hotel restaurant had decent food so we were covered.
Transportation
We rented from Blue car rental for our road trip and I highly recommend them. You won’t need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. You probably will want all the available insurance coverage because Iceland has a host of unusual road hazards including sand and ash. We had no trouble navigating via Google maps and our roaming international coverage. We were even able to connect to Android Auto. Gas stations can be far apart so make sure you have enough to get to the next stop. We refueled about five times and never let it get below half full. All the machines we used had directions in English available.