For the last few years, my Instagram feed has been peppered with beautiful images of Iceland — from its coastline of black sand beaches to its countless cascading waterfalls. Of course, the most alluring images of all were those of the colorful Northern Lights dancing above a darkened and deserted arctic landscape.
Needless to say, visiting Iceland and catching a glimpse of the aurora first-hand has been at the top of my bucket list recently. Since we don’t have jobs, I figured…why not? Let’s go!
The practicality of certain things to do in Iceland depends a lot on when you visit though, so we planned our trip to Iceland during the shoulder season this November for better aurora hunting (and to match up with our 10-year wedding anniversary). It was awesome, but there were also a few unexpected bumps along the way…
Aside from preparing you for the things that caught us by surprise on our 20-day Iceland trip, I want to share what we found to be some of the best places to visit in Iceland. And after visiting all of the National Parks in Iceland, we definitely discovered tons of great sights you won’t want to miss.
Part One: Our Iceland Ring Road Itinerary
Part Two: The Best Time to Visit Iceland
Part Three: ALL the National Parks in Iceland, Ranked
Our Iceland Ring Road Itinerary
As a couple of Floridians, we reeeeally didn’t want to get caught in bad winter weather, so after we landed at the international airport just south of Reykjavík, we headed north, clockwise along the Ring Road. Our plan was to get the high latitudes out of the way earlier in the season, and head south for warmth as we got deeper into November.
Our first detour along Iceland’s Ring Road was a little drive around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (Snaefellsnes), home to one of Iceland’s National Parks, Snæfellsjökull. Before we made it to the park, though, we stopped at Ytri Tunga, a popular beach for spotting seals.
Because this detour takes you a few hours off the Ring Road, the whole western area along Routes 54 and 574 is pretty unpopulated. The entire western tip of the peninsula is part of the National Park.
When we rejoined the Ring Road, we continued toward Akureyri. Despite being the biggest city in Iceland outside Reykjavík and the larger capital region that surrounds it, Akureyri still felt like a small town. It was a good place to refuel (and stop for some vegan pastries, including a slice of traditional Hjónabandssæla, aka “Happy Marriage Cake” at Brauðgerðarhús Akureyrar).
The next part of our journey is when things really started to pick up for us. Not only because of the vegan treats, but also because the next iconic stop we made was for Goðafoss (Godafoss), a 40-foot-wide waterfall that cascades down nearly 40 feet (12 m) into the river below. With nearly 2 miles (3 km) of walking trails that take you to both sides of the waterfall, Goðafoss found a place at the top of our “best waterfalls” list.
Most importantly, though, this was the first time we got to see the Northern Lights.
We had to layer on every warm piece of clothing we had to withstand the cold and wind that night, but the views were unbelievable.
Exploring nearby Mývatn, a volcanic lake, gave us our first opportunity to dip into some geothermal pools at Mývatn Nature Baths. There are three different levels of hot springs in Iceland: the fancier, man-made establishments with spa add-ons, the basic municipal pool options found in most towns, and the naturally occurring spots out along rivers and other bodies of water. Mývatn Nature Baths was more of a man-made spa, and honestly, if you’ve done one, you’ve pretty much done them all.
Because Iceland is situated on top of a rift between two tectonic plates, the whole country has much of the same volcanic landscape. You’ll find hot springs, lava fields, and geothermal areas pretty much everywhere you go. We stopped at Hverir as we headed east, but the weather was super uncooperative that day, so we didn’t get to explore much.
The next town we came to was Egilsstaðir (Egilsstadir), and if you find yourself here looking for something to do indoors like we were, definitely check out Tehúsið, a hostel/cafe that hosts live music and open mic nights.
Shortly after Egilsstaðir, Route 1 turns to follow along the coastal East Fjords as you head south. This was one of the best parts of our Iceland trip because the views are just phenomenal. You won’t find many services along this stretch of the Ring Road, but it’s definitely worth the slightly longer route to meander around the jagged coastline, where you won’t encounter much traffic aside from a few other adventure-seekers in rented camper vans.
As we drove, each new curve gave way to a vista even better than the one before until a brilliant icy outflow, contrasting with the warm coloring of the sunset sky, stopped us dead in our tracks.
We were face-to-face with the second largest ice cap in Europe: Vatnajökull. Well, technically we were face-to-face with three of Vatnajökull’s 30 outlet glaciers, but the point is that it’s an insanely breathtaking view.
Named for the ice cap it protects, Vatnajökull National Park is a must-see and tops our list of best places in Iceland to visit. More on this park later (you can skip ahead to it if you want), but suffice it to say you’ll want to spend at least a few days exploring this part of Iceland.
Making our way back toward civilization, we stopped in Vik for some food. The famed Black Crust Pizzeria had some really unique flavor combinations, although they didn’t have the heat on for some reason, so we warmed up with a coffee at Lava Bakery and Coffee before getting back on the road. This was one of very few meals we ate out because honestly, most of Iceland’s restaurants are ridiculously expensive.
From Vik to Selfoss (like the rest of Iceland’s Ring Road), there are plenty of places to explore, whether it’s a stray waterfall or a geothermal area. Just be warned that there aren’t really enough spots to randomly pull off along the side of Route 1 for a nice view outside of the designated attractions.
In Selfoss, before taking the Ring Road straight back into Reykjavík, we took another detour for the Golden Circle, a series of touristy hot spots along a looped route. Its iconic stops include Gulfoss, Gysir, and þingvellir National Park, which we had originally visited as a day trip from Reykjavík when we first arrived in Iceland.
Probably our favorite part of the Golden Circle side quest off the Ring Road was the monster truck tour we took with Sleipnir Glacier Tours to Langjökull, where we got to walk around on top of a glacier!
The Best Time to Visit Iceland
By now you might have noticed a trend: The weather caused a LOT of problems during our Iceland trip. We obviously expected Iceland to be cold in November, which put its own damper on things, but we definitely weren’t expecting the hurricane-force winds that rip through the country at a moment’s notice.
From what we’ve heard though, the winds whip up all year ‘round, so there’s really no coordinating a trip around them. All you can do to combat the issue is to plan some backup indoor activities, like going to a museum, for high-wind days.
If you plan to visit Iceland when the weather’s a little warmer — say in June, July, or August — just know that you’ll be battling throngs of tourists (over 2 million visit each year, mostly in the summer), and you’ll probably miss out on seeing the Northern Lights.
Because we were willing to endure the cold and shorter daylight of November, we got to enjoy a more empty Iceland, with no traffic or parking delays. We had a lot of the places we visited all to ourselves.
At the end of the day, there’s not really a “best time to visit Iceland.” There are just tradeoffs. It’s either warm and crowded (summer), or cold and peaceful (fall/spring). It’s a no-brainer to avoid the dead of winter, though. 🥶
ALL the National Parks in Iceland, Ranked
For us, no trip to a new country is complete without some big goal. In addition to seeing the aurora, we decided we wanted to visit all the National Parks in Iceland. Luckily, that goal was pretty attainable as there are now only 3 of them (down from 5 after some recent land consolidations).
Each of Iceland’s National Parks had a different vibe, and though some were better than others, they’re all worth a visit, even if it’s just for a day.
3. þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park
Þingvellir National Park, also known as Thingvellir National Park, was the first park we visited. Coincidentally, it also happens to be Iceland’s first National Park, created in 1930 to protect the area’s historical and geographical significance.
Situated at the Silfra Fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, Thingvellir was once home to Iceland’s Parliament. In addition to seeing some of the old parliamentary buildings and learning about their history, you can also walk all around the rift valley, go diving in the fissure, and even hike to the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
One of the trails leads right up to the base of Öxarárfoss (Oxararfoss), a waterfall showcased in Game of Thrones. And just south is Þingvallavatn (Thingvallavatn), Iceland’s largest natural lake. Since it’s only about a 30-minute drive from Reykjavík, Thingvellir is a nice little day trip. But truthfully, it’s actually the least impressive National Park in Iceland.
2. Snæfellsjökull (Snaefellsjokull) National Park
The next park we visited was Snæfellsjökull National Park on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. While the whole peninsula kinda felt like parkland with its many waterfalls, sea caves, and beaches, technically only the far western tip is considered part of Snæfellsjökull National Park.
Probably the most prominent feature of Snæfellsjökull National Park, apart from its rugged sea cliffs, sprawling lava fields, and black sand beaches, is Kirkjufell, the most photographed mountain in all of Iceland.
While at the park, we did a short hike up Saxhóll, an old volcanic crater, but didn’t spend a ton of time at the top because the wind was super strong that day 🌬️ (honestly felt like it was gonna take me up and away there at the summit). That’s also why we didn’t hike around Kirkjufell either.
All in all, Snæfellsjökull National Park had some cool features that stood out a little more than those at Thingvellir, which is why we rate it a little higher.
1. Vatnajökull (Vatnajokull) National Park
Only one of Iceland’s National Parks can truly be called the best, and Vatnajökull National Park completely outranks all the others.
Home to the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull National Park is vast and underdeveloped compared to the other National Parks in Iceland. That’s partly thanks to the park’s continued enlargement over the years — in 2008 it merged with the previous Skaftafell National Park to the west and Jökulsárgljúfur (Jokulsargljufur) National Park in the north. The massive Vatnajökull National Park was expanded again in 2019 to its current size (14% of Iceland’s area), making it the largest park in the country and the second largest National Park in Europe.
If you’re debating which places to visit in Iceland, do not skip Vatnajökull. It has so many things to see and do — from its 30 glacial outlets, many of which you can hike all the way up to, to waterfalls and its glacier lagoon that sends icebergs out to sea.
Vatnajökull is honestly one of the most unique National Parks we’ve been to, and that’s saying a lot since we’ve been to all the ones in the US, a ton in Canada, and some in Australia, too. Even on a bad weather day, the views all around Vatnajökull National Park are still worth it.
— Lauren
Update, April 2025: We wrote up a list of all the money-saving tricks we used in Iceland, including a breakdown of the trip’s cost. Check it out!
