Get inspired for spending one week in Iceland in the summer with this one week itinerary – including seeing puffins, riding Icelandic horses, walking behind a waterfall, climbing volcanoes and exploring lava caves.
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I stayed in Reykjavik for the whole week. Head over to my blog Iceland Top 10 tips for the summer for tips about driving in Iceland, where to stay and saving money. And make sure you check out this great guide to Iceland to help you plan your trip (affiliate).
Iceland is amazing, the scenery is just incredible. I went in early July, and even though it was cold, I still had the best week. I saw puffins, rode Icelandic horses, walked behind a waterfall, climbed up a volcano, saw nesting seabirds and walked through lava caves. So many amazing experiences against a backdrop of scenery that looks like you’re on another planet. Iceland in the summer is amazing – here’s a one week itinerary to help you plan your trip.
Day 1: The Golden Circle
The first day I did the famous ‘Golden Circle’. I started off at Pingvellir National Park, abot 40 minutes’ drive from Reykjavik, where the European and American tectonic plates meet. The views here were great:
It was fairly busy near the car park and on the main path, but if you walk a bit further it doesn’t take long to get away from most of the crowds and absorb even more wonderful views.
Next stop on the Golden Circlr was Geysir, the famous hot spring area after which all geysirs are named. The walk around was really impressive, and Geysir reliably erupted every few minutes, giving plenty of great photo opportunities:
But also a lot of time spent with finger poised over the camera waiting for the crucial moment and then turning away at the wrong time and almost missing it!
The other hot spring areas were great too, I particularly liked this pool where you could see really far down:
The third and final stop on the golden circle route is Gulfoss, the waterfall, only about 10 minutes’ drive from Geysir. The waterfall is really impressive, and we were lucky with the weather that it was sunny so we could see the rainbow created by the sun on the water:
Day 2: Snaefellsnes Peninsula
It was a fairly long drive to get out to Snaefellnes Peninsula from Reykjavik, it took close to 3 hours to get there. But the views on the way were great:
The highlight for me was seeing nesting Kittwakes and fulmars on the cliffs, with their fluffy chicks:
The end of the peninsula was great too, with fascinating rock and lava formations leading down to a black beach scattered with remains of shipwrecks.
Day 3: Seljalandsfoss and Heimaey Island
Seljalandsfoss is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland – it’s the one you can walk behind! It took around 1 hour 20 to drive there from Reykjavik, then time to put on waterproof coats and trousers and walk behind it. The path was slippery and rocky, but easily manageable. But it was very wet (understandably as it was behind/in a waterfall…) so full waterproofs are a definite necessity.
The car ferry to Heimaey Island leaves from Landeyjahöfn, just a short drive away from Seljalandsfoss. If you want to take the car it’s a good idea to book in advance, and I’m really glad I did take the car – the island wasn’t huge, but having the car meant we could explore the whole island and get to the more remote places…and find puffins! (more about puffins later).
The ferry took about 40 minutes, and the views going into Heimaey past the cliffs were great, with nesting guillemots.
The best puffin viewing points I found are right at the end of the island, furthest from the ferry port. They were flying around and nesting on the cliffs. It was amazing to watch them hop around and interact with each other. And I took a lot of photos:
Remember to always keep your distance so you don’t disturb the puffins, and never try to feed or touch one.
There were lots of other nesting seabirds here too, including more kittiwakes and fulmars, and I also saw a golden plover:
I finally managed to drag myself away from the puffins and drove to the volcano which erupted in 1973 and caused an emergency evacuation of the island. The path up is well-marked but very steep. It probably only took 20-30 minutes to walk to the top, but it was very steep, and the stones underfoot kept sliding around, so you’d take a step up and slide back down to where you started, so it was hard going.
The climb was worth it though, the views from the top over the volcano crater and Heimaey town were amazing:
Day 4: Reykjavik
I don’t know if it was just because I was tired, or because it was a fairly cold rainy day, but I didn’t love the city. I’m glad I saw it, but it didn’t even come close to the amazing scenery I’d been seeing the last few days.
The Hallgrimskirka was nice though, and down by the waterfront was nice, but a lot of the rest of it just seemed fairly grey…
Day 5: Lava caves and Reykjadalur hot springs
I was glad on Day Five to get back into the amazing scenery. I booked a trip in the lava caves at Raufarhólshellir – the only way you can see them is in one of their tour groups. In the rainy carpark we were given helmets, then led down the cave in the tour group, deeper into the tunnel, away from all light:
The caves were well lit though and the path was easy to walk on. The tour guide explained the formation of these ‘lava tubes’ and the different layers and types of rock. It didn’t feel too cold down there, but that might have just been because it was nice to be out of the wind and rain outside (summer in Iceland didn’t always feel very summery…). :
And at the further point in, our tour guide asked everyone to turn off their helmet lights and turned off the lights in the cave, so we could experience how dark and silent it really is. The whole tour took about an hour and was really interesting and well worth doing.
That afternoon I went to another set of hot springs nearby at Reykjadalur, much less famous than Geysir but still impressive. The steam rose from the rocks all around, mud puddles bubbled, and rocks were stained yellow with the sulphur. But it was smelly…very smelly…really really bad…
Day 6: Riding Icelandic horses and the Blue Lagoon
A short drive out of Reykjavik is the horse riding centre, Islenski Heistrum. I’d researched various places and this place seemed to have really good reviews, and I’d definitely recommend it. The horses looked well cared for, and they took a lot of care to match you with a horse that suited your level of experience. They talked through the history of the Icelandic horse and the basics of how to ride for about 40 minutes, then we got matched with a horse. Mine was called Snot, pronounced Snort!
Then we were off walking, and then tolting, which is somewhere between a walk and a trot, and specific to the Icelandic horses. We were told it was smooth, but it definitely wasn’t as smooth as they implied…and my bruises the next day confirmed that…I was definitely only wanting to sit on soft surfaces that evening…
But what better way to soothe the aching muscles that afternoon than a visit to the Blue Lagoon, one of the must-do-things in Iceland and deservedly so.
The water was warm and it was a lovely place for a relaxing hour or two, but I’m not sure I’d want to stay there all day like some reviews were implying. By the time you’ve swum around a bit (or walked as I’m not sure the water ever got deep enough to be completely out of your depth), played around with the free mud face mask they give you, and swum around a bit more, there’s a limit to any more you can do. But still a lovely way to spend the final afternoon in Iceland.
I visited Iceland on a school trip once and absolutely fell in love with the country! We didn’t visit Snaefellsnes Peninsula though – it looks beautiful! I’m hoping to return soon on our honeymoon so this guide will be handy – thanks for sharing it!
Iceland is an amazing place to visit on a honeymoon – I hope you have a great time!
I’ve never been to Iceland, but it is a destination I want to go to. The Blue Lagoon, the waterfalls and the Northern lights are some of the things I want to discover. And the stunning landscapes as well.
The landscape really is stunning – I hope you’re able to visit soon!
Iceland is on my bucket list. I have heard so much about the Golden Circle and the Northern Lights that I just want to pack my bags and go. Thanks for the inspiration, I hope to enjoy Iceland myself soon.
Iceland is an amazing place to travel, I hope you’re able to visit soon!
Iceland is definitely my new favorite country. What a place! I can’t wait to go back again and again and keep exploring. You covered some of my favorite things from my trip too, although I didn’t manage to see puffins. I actually really liked Reykjavik, maybe because it was more like a small town but you’re right that it’s difficult to compare to the gorgeous scenery outside of the city
There are so many cool things to do in Iceland! The geysers and Blue Lagoon were some of my favourites when I visited the country.
Great post. Iceland has been on my bucket list for a while now. The puffins look so cute!
I cannot find Islenski Heistrum online. Do you have a link?
I’ve never been to Iceland, but would love to visit the country. The landscape must be so magical.
The landscape is amazing, it’s so unique and feels so different from most other places I’ve been. I hope you’re able to visit soon.
I really liked your focus on the wonderful birds of Iceland. You got a stunning puffin photo.
Thank you! It’s an amazing place for bird watching, seeing puffins was definitely one of my highlights.
I visited Iceland in March, when there was still a ton of snow on the ground. It looks so much different in summer! And your photos are beautiful 😊
Thank you! I’d really love to go back in the winter, I can imagine it looks so different and beautiful. I’m hoping if I can go in winter I’ll be able to see the Northern Lights as well!
Wow awesome landscape, love how the geysir looks like.
Stunning nature..
The scenery in Iceland is amazing!