Hot Spots › Iceland
Reykjavik
Reykjavik is a small, lively capital with a good food scene, strong music culture, and easy access to some of the world's most extraordinary geology. The city is pleasant but not the main event — Iceland's landscape is. The problem is that the most famous attractions (the Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle route with Gullfoss and Geysir, the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon) are now all heavily visited and in some cases require advance booking. Iceland is expensive at any time; peak summer compounds both the cost and the crowds.
Crowd pressure
Reykjavik itself is manageable. The Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon are severely congested year-round. The Blue Lagoon now requires advance booking for timed entry.
Why visit
The gateway to Iceland's extraordinary geological landscapes — geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, northern lights. The city itself has a good food and music scene.
Best window
February-March for northern lights with some daylight; June for midnight sun; avoid summer peak crowds
Getting there
Keflavik International Airport 50km from Reykjavik. Bus transfer or car hire. Iceland's Ring Road starts here.
The honest version
Extremely expensive. The most famous sites (Blue Lagoon, Gullfoss, Geysir) are crowded. The country rewards those who self-drive and explore beyond the Golden Circle.
Instead of Reykjavik
Instead of
Reykjavik
Iceland
Try
Akureyri
Iceland
Akureyri gives access to Iceland's northern landscapes — the best whale watching at Húsavík, the extraordinary Mývatn geothermal area, and the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon — without the Golden Circle congestion. The northern lights and midnight sun are comparable to the south.
Instead of
Reykjavik
Iceland
Try
Ísafjörður
Iceland
Ísafjörður and the Westfjords are Iceland's most dramatic and least visited region. For travellers who came to Iceland for genuine wilderness and extreme landscapes, the Westfjords are vastly more rewarding than the Golden Circle.
Layers
Region
At a glance
- Country
- Iceland
- Region
- Capital Region
- Heat Score
- 81/100
- Cost level
- $$$
- Alternatives
- 2