This list of the best excursions from Reykjavik It will help you to complete the visit to one of the smallest capitals in Europe, which despite its size, also has several places to visit, a privileged location to be very close to volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, ice caves, and from which you can see to northern lights and that make it one of the most requested destinations in the world.
Although a large majority of travelers arriving in the city rent a car or motorhome to make a circular route through the country of fire and ice, if you do not want to drive or have few days, it can be interesting to make day trips or two days from Reykjavik.
Based on our trip to Iceland for free in 14 days, we have made a selection of what we think are the 5 best excursions from Reykjavik. We start!
1. Excursion to the Golden Circle
The Golden Circle of Iceland is the location that groups three of the most visited places on the island and is one of the best day trips from Reykjavik.
On this tour, the Thingvellir National Park, a World Heritage Site and located about 40 kilometers from the capital, is the first stop. This park, located in a valley, stands out for its landscape of faults, canyons and some waterfall product of the clash between the tectonic plates of Noramérica and Eurasia that originated the formation of the island. In recent times it has become even more famous for being the scene of filming of several important scenes of the series Game of Thrones.
The next stop on the route is Geysir or Haukaladur Valley, a geothermal area of geysers and fumaroles in which once stood the Great Geysir, with its jets of hot water, which reached heights of more than 120 meters, although it is now inactive.
Despite not being able to see this geyser, it is worth approaching to see other geysers in the area, which although smaller, are equally interesting, among which Strokkur stands out, with jets of 20 meters every 5 minutes.
The last visit of the Golden Circle is the Gullfoss waterfalls, one of the best waterfalls you can see in Iceland and one of the essential ones.
The best way to make this route is to rent a car to have total freedom and dedicate the time you want to each site.
Other options are to take a bus in the direction of Gullfoss or book a day trip from Reykjavik.
- Book Golden Circle tour
- Book offer: Reykjavik Tour + Golden Circle
- Reserve offer: Golden Circle + Northern Lights
- Book a tour of the Game of Thrones scenarios
- Book Golden Circle tour
2. Excursion to Landmannalaugar
We can say without fear of being wrong that Landmannalaugar is a marvel of nature and other best excursions from Reykjavik. This natural landscape that thanks to the difficulty of access has remained almost unalterable by man, stands out for its mountains of bright colors, which we are sure, will leave you speechless.
If you have 4 days you can do the Laugavegur trekking, considered one of the best trekking in the world, in which you go through volcanoes, lava roads, thermal water pools and landscapes that will leave you speechless.
Although if you only have one day you also have several beautiful routes of between one and four hours, which pass through volcanoes from the base camp.
If you want to make the excursion to Landmannalaugar on your own, you need to rent a 4 × 4 since you have to wade rivers and you could get caught if your car does not have 4-wheel drive. Another option is to book a guided tour from Reykjavik that takes about 3 hours to reach Landmannalaugar.
- Book excursion to Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar, one of the best excursions from Reykjavik
3. Whale watching, one of the best excursions from Reykjavik
Taking a hike to spot humpback whales in their natural habitat is one of the best things to do in Iceland.
There are several famous places for whale watching such as Faxaflói Bay in Reykjavik, and many more distant from the capital such as the towns of Akureiri and Húsavik, which was the one we chose on our trip.
In all the ports of these cities there are several companies that make the excursion with boats and speedboats at a similar price, although you must bear in mind that choosing a boat allows you to get closer to the whales, although it is much more expensive and less responsible , by disturbing more the movements of these beautiful cetaceans.
For this excursion we recommend you to wear a hat and gloves for the cold, in addition to the monkey that acts as a coat and raincoat that they will give you on the boat. Another important thing is to try not to eat anything before getting on and take a dizziness pill if you are prone to dizziness or the sea is a bit rough.
- Book excursion to see whales
Whale watching
4. Excursion to waterfalls and glaciers in southern Iceland
A route through the landscapes of southern Iceland, which look like another planet and stand out for its volcanoes, glaciers, lava fields and waterfalls, is another of the best excursions from ReykjavikIn addition to having the advantage that can be visited throughout the year to be very close to Highway 1, which goes around the entire island.
Seeing the impressive Skógafoss waterfall while a rainbow appears, crossing the Seljalandsfoss waterfall inside or finding the hidden Gljúfurárfoss waterfall, are already enough reasons to fall in love with southern Iceland.
In addition to these waterfalls, in this area of Iceland you must add the possibility to walk along the black sand beach of Reynisdrangar, see puffins on the cliff of Dyrhólaey, take a trip on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier or book this trekking on the Vatnajökull glacier that includes the blue ice cave, and gaping at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, an icebergs lake, considered one of the most impressive landscapes in the world.
The best option to visit all these places is to rent a car, although you can also make several excursions from Reykjavik for a day or two days.
- Book a tour of the southern glaciers and waterfalls
- Book a day tour of Jökulsárlón glacier lake
- Book tour along the south coast and waterfalls
- Book a 2-day tour of the southern glaciers
- Book 8-day circuit for the best of Iceland
- Book tour waterfalls of the south coast and glacial lake in 2 days
- Book a tour of the southern glaciers and waterfalls
Seljalandsfoss, one of the best waterfalls in Iceland
5. Northern Lights Tour
One of the best things to see in Reykjavik, if you're lucky, is the impressive auroras boraelas. This natural atmospheric phenomenon in which you can see parts of the sky illuminate an intense green color during the night, is formed by solar radiation and can only be observed in polar areas. Iceland is one of the best places to see them, although you have to keep in mind that they can only be seen from the end of August until mid-April.
To see auroras from Reykjavik, it is better to get away from the city to prevent light pollution from hindering or diminishing the quality of night vision. One of the best points is near the city, in the port of Borgarnes, where you can see, if the sky is clear, the northern lights are reflected in the sky and the sea.
Whether you go for free or on an organized excursion, there is no guarantee of seeing them, although through this website you can know the auroras predictions for each night.
- Book aurora borealis tour + Laugarvatn Fontana Spa
- Book aurora borealis cruise
Northern Lights in Iceland
* More tours and excursions from Reikiviak here
* Book your transfer Airport ⇆ Center or Hotel of Reikiviak here
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50 things to see and do in Iceland
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The best offers of Flights to Iceland here
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50 things to see and do in Iceland
Book the best tours and excursions in Iceland in Spanish and English here
Book your Reykjavik Airport transfer here
Rent your car in Iceland at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount hereIf you feel like helping us complete the list of 5 best excursions from Reykjavik, add yours in the comments.
