Perfect Itinerary for Reykjavík

Iceland! The Land of Fire and Ice!

I only visited for a few days and went Aurora hunting every night!

But what should you see if you only have a few days??

Here are my must-see!

I stayed in Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital! It’s definitely the best place if you are needing somewhere to stay put while you go out and explore.

I recommend spending a day at Perlan Museum.

There’s so much to see and do there, learning about Iceland’s unique geo-continental location, and the science of glaciers.

They have a planetarium-esque cinema with a northern lights show! It’s pretty impressive and extra nice if you don’t get a chance to see the real ones during your trip!

They also have a real ice cave that you can walk through, with ice thrones you can sit on!

There’s plenty of other things to see during your stay in Reykjavík too! Like the sun voyager sculpture, representing a transition viking boat, and commemorating the 200 year anniversary of the city!

You should also make a trip to Hallgrimskirkja Church. The tallest building in Iceland, super unique architecture. I recommend going to the top for an amazing view of the Sunset over the city.

It does cost a bit extra to go to the top but it’s definitely worth it for the view!

After sunset, you can see the Imagine Peace Tower’s bright pillar of light into the clouds, designed by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon.

Strolling through the city is also the perfect time to try one of their famous regional dishes, like reindeer!

Reindeer burgers are very popular, and lamb is a staple in icelandic cuisine, try roasted, stews and pies. Don’t forget to order a fresh gravlax for your starter!

Don’t forget to take a Golden Circle tour!

There are 1000s to choose from departing Reykjavik everyday.

This day might be the favourite of my trip, Gulfoss Waterfall is spectacular! It’s a massive, multiple layered cascading wall of icy water. Just be careful walking down the path because it’s very slippy (I fell at least twice).

Carry on driving through snowy peaks, before arriving at Geyser, arguably the highlight of the day!

While the original Geyser “Geysir”, where we get the name for this phenomenon, is dormant now, only erupting every 20 years or so after an earthquake shook it off course. You can still see regular explosions (every 5-10 minutes) from “Strokkur” Geyser, which is still MIGHTY impressive.

We stopped here for about an hour an half, and the tour guide suggested this would be a good time for lunch. We actually had bought a makeshift packed lunch for the supermarket (thank you Iceland prices!) to try to stay within budget. So we decided to spend the whole time just walking around the Geysers and taking it all in! I highly recommend you do this as well, to maximise your time and save money! Then we ate on the coach driving to Thingvellir National Park.

We arrived just as sunset was starting (and since we travelled in December, the days are short but the sunsets are an hour long!) And had beautiful views across from the viewpoint!

This is where you can see the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate moving away from each other! Okay, so you can’t actually see them moving, since the continents move about the same speed that your fingernails grow. BUT you can see the massive crater left behind from the magma coming through the crust and you can (kind of) walk between two continents!

Pretty cool!!

And saving the best for last… Aurora Borealis!

So how do you maximise your chances seeing the Northern Lights?

Generally we found that a lot of the app that claim to track them were fairly inaccurate.

We joined an Aurora chasing tour on the first night. Most tour companies have a free rebook guarantee if you don’t see them, so booking for the first night and then continuously rebooking if you miss them gives the best chances.

We went out 4 nights in a row, right after a supposedly strong magnetic storm on the sun. All the forecasts pointed towards having a vibrant display, but alas, no aurora dancing above our heads. The first 2 nights were clear, with perfect viewing conditions. And the tour company drives you to different places trying to find the best place to see them.

The last nights it was extremely cloudy, that you couldn’t see anything. The cloud was low and it was sooooo cold that most people got back on the bus wayyy early.

Remember to wear as many layers and you can fit. Once you’re ready, add another 2 layers.

Prepare for the chance that you might not see them. They are hard to catch, and Iceland isn’t in the Arctic Circle so sometimes it’s not in the best location. Winter months this far north often comes with inclement weather.

We did, however, see them from the warm comfort of Icelandair’s economy seats.