Iceland Grand Tour - 17 Days Self Drive Tour with gohop.ie

Day 10: City of Akureyri

Visit the folk museum at Grenjaðarstaðir and the Goðafoss waterfall on your way to Akureyri, the ‘capital of north Iceland’, where you will spend the rest of the day. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Akureyri.

Day 11: North Iceland

Explore Tröllskagi peninsula, driving to Dalvík and then over Lágheiði to Siglufjörður, a remote fishing village considered to be the capital of herring-fishing in the Atlantic ocean early in the 20th century. Drive through the beautiful valleys of Skagafjörður on your way to the folk museum in Glaumbær, a restored turf farmhouse dating from 1750.
Overnight in northwest Iceland.

Day 12: The West Fjords

Visit Þingeyrar, home of the beautiful Þingeyrarkirkja church, where the first monastery in Iceland was founded in 1133. Drive on to the natural fortress Borgarvirki and the peculiar rock slab Hvítserkur in the bottom the Húnaflói bay, where you are likely to find seals at play, before heading to the village of Hólmavík in the West Fjords. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in the Hólmavík area.

Day 13: Ísafjörður

Start the day by visiting the Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft museum in Hólmavík before driving through a beautifully pristine fjorded terrain to the village of Ísafjörður. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Ísafjörður.

Day 14: Dynjandi Waterfall – Látrabjarg

Today, you will find yourself in one of Iceland’s most rugged and rural regions with spectacular fjords and golden beaches. Drive to the impressive Dynjandi waterfall in the bottom of the fjord Arnarfjörður before heading to Iceland’s most dramatic cliffs: the 14-km-long, 444-m-high cliff of Látrabjarg, exceptionally rich in birdlike and the westernmost point of Europe. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse around Flókalundur.

Day 15: Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Snæfellsjökull G

Take a ferry through the bay of Breiðafjörður, many of whose innumerable islands are crowded with seals and birdlife. Arrive in Stykkishólmur, drive on to the Snæfellsnes peninsula and experience the unique Snæfellsjökull glacier and surrounding National Park. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse at Snæfellsnes.

Day 16: West Iceland

Drive to Reykjavík, stopping in Reykholt. Sights include the old explosion crater Eldborg, the beautiful Hraunfossar waterfalls, the medieval research institution Snorrastofa and the largest hot spring in Europe, Deildartunguhver. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Reykjavík.

Day 17: Departure

Transfer to Keflavik airport with FlyBus. If your flight is in the afternoon, you can stop at the Blue Lagoon or even take a little tour of the Reykjanes peninsula (not included).

Day 1: Arrival/Reykjavík

Arrival in Keflavik, meet and greet followed by transfer to Reykjavík.
If you arrive early, we recommend stopping at the Blue Lagoon on your way to Reykjavík (not included) and/or getting the Reykjavík Tourist Card, which grants you access to all the museums owned by the city of Reykjavík, all the swimming pools in Reykjavík and all buses that run within the greater Reykjavík area. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Reykjavík.

Day 2: Gullfoss and Geysir

Visit Þingvellir National Park before driving on to the great Geysir area with its bubbling hot springs and the beautiful two-tiered waterfall Gullfoss. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse near Gullfoss.

Day 3: Waterfalls and Saga Trail

Visit the old bishopry at Skálholt, where the last catholic bishop in Iceland was beheaded in 1550 along with his two sons. Stop by the explosion crater-turned-lake Kerið, before heading to Hvolsvöllur, home of the Icelandic Saga Centre; the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which you can walk behind and feel the light drizzle; and the picturesque and impressive Skógafoss waterfall in Skógar. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Vík.

Day 4: The South Coast

Take a walk on the beautiful black sand beach south of Vík and see the rock formations of Dyrhólaey and Reynisdrangar. Drive to the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, where you will find the rock formation Systrastapi and the Dverghamrar cliffs, before heading to Skaftafell National Park, a place of great beauty nestled under the enormous Vatnajökull glacier. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in the Skaftafell National Park area.

Day 5: Skaftafell National Park

Spend the day exploring the wonders of Skaftafell National Park. There are many interesting hiking trails in Skaftafell, including one to the waterfall Svartifoss, dropping from the edge of a wide cliff of basalt columns. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in the Skaftafell National Park area.

Day 6: Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

Take a puffin sightseeing tour of cape Ingólfshöfði on a local farmer’s hay cart (optional), followed by a boat trip on the tranquil Glacial Lagoon Jökulsárlón. After the boat trip, drive further east to the village Höfn, where you will overnight.

Day 7: The East Fjords

Drive from Höfn to the town of Egilsstaðir, a drive characterised by spectacular fjords, rugged tundra and sweeping landscapes. Near Egilsstaðir you will find the monster habitat Lagafljót and Hallormsstaðarskógur forest, the largest wooded area in Iceland. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse in the Egilsstaðir area.

Day 8: Lake Mývatn

Head to the amazing Lake Mývatn area, where you will see the volcano Krafla, the curiously coloured Námaskarð pass, the massive crater of Hverfell and the lunar-like pseudo-craters at Skútustaðir. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse around Lake Mývatn.

Day 9: Jökulsárgljúfur National Park

Start the day with a whale watching trip from ‘the whale watching capital of Europe’, Húsavík (optional). Then drive through the wonderful Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, visiting sites such as the canyon Ásbyrgi and the most powerful waterfall in Europe, Dettifoss. Stay in a hotel or guesthouse around Lake Mývatn.

Holiday Details

Itinerary