Let me warn you right now: once you visit Iceland, every other road trip might seem a little boring. Where else can you drive past glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls, black sand beaches, steaming geothermal fields and white Icelandic horses, plus the sheep, which are literally all over the place, all in the same day? It honestly feels like stepping onto another planet.
I’m not a nature girl. I don’t camp, and I’m not even a hiker. (I love a good walk, I’ll be honest.) But in Iceland, I wanted to be outside all the time. I never wanted to be inside. So does it live up to the hype? I promise you it does. Here’s what surprised me most, what not to miss, what I’d do differently and the moment I’ll never forget.
Why Iceland Surprises Everyone
The obvious misconception is that the whole place is covered in ice. It cracks me up that it’s called Iceland, because it isn’t. It’s green, gorgeous and so much closer than it looks on a map: about a five- to six-hour flight from the East Coast of the United States. You can even fly direct from Orlando, where I live, which means you can leave in the evening and wake up surrounded by waterfalls.
One thing that strikes you immediately is how clean everything is. The air feels crisp and different (it even smelled good, I know that’s weird), the water tastes phenomenal, even straight out of the tap, and the crime is incredibly low. It’s one of those destinations where people feel comfortable exploring.
What makes Iceland unique is that nature isn’t just nearby. Nature is the attraction. You’re not going to Iceland for amusement parks or giant shopping malls. You’re going because Mother Nature decided to show off.
Good to know (checked October 2026): Icelandair is the only airline flying nonstop from Orlando to Keflavík, and from Florida it’s a longer flight than from the Northeast, about seven hours. Check the schedule, because the route doesn’t run daily.
Icelandic horses, a familiar sight on any road trip. (Stock photo)
How I Did Iceland: A Cruise, Then a Road Trip
I actually started with a cruise. I sailed on Virgin Voyages from London (the ship actually leaves from Portsmouth) to Amsterdam, then Norway and Scotland, and up into the Arctic Circle as we made our way down to Iceland. We started at the top of the country, with stops in the north including Akureyri and Ísafjörður, and worked our way down. (If you’re new to Virgin, my Virgin Voyages guide for first-timers has everything you need to know. And sailing into Amsterdam on that trip is part of why I love it as a cruise port, which I talk about in my Virgin Voyages 2028 Northern Europe guide.)
Up north, we saw some of the most amazing waterfalls you can possibly imagine, visited a sheep farm and went white-water rafting. I have never laughed so hard in my life. There were a few casualties, but nobody went overboard, so that’s always good. Someone in our group also tried fermented shark. We could smell it from miles away, there was a lot of gagging, and never in a million years would I suggest it.
The best part was that the ship stayed overnight in Reykjavik before we disembarked, so we could sleep on board and still do whatever we wanted around the city. Then we got off, rented a car and drove the entire South Coast to Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon, in the east. My mom came with me, along with my friends Kelly and Anthony and some of my clients, so we were two cars. I highly recommend doing Iceland this way: the cruise for part of it, then the land portion.
(Fair warning before I go any further: I am going to butcher every Icelandic name in this guide. If you’re Icelandic and reading this, oh good God, I’m sorry.)
Summer or Winter? There Are Really Only Two Seasons
This is my opinion, but Iceland has two seasons: summer and winter. I went in summer, at the end of July and into the beginning of August, and there were plenty of things I really wanted to do and couldn’t.
There are no Northern Lights in summer. A lot of people go in summer, so know this going in. If your dream is to watch the Northern Lights from a glass igloo (which you totally can do there; it was on my list), you are not getting that in summer, because it doesn’t exist.
There are no ice caves in summer, either. We didn’t get to walk through any.
But you get the midnight sun. The sun stays up until super late, and the daylight goes on and on. You can hike at 10 p.m. with the sun still shining. It’s nuts, but super cool to experience. If you go to bed early, don’t worry: the hotels have blackout curtains.
If the Aurora Borealis is your dream, visit between late September and March, and remember that it’s never guaranteed. You’re probably better off looking for it in the north. Winter is also when you can walk through the ice caves.
About those glass igloos: they’re not really igloos. They’re tiny glass huts, with your bed in the glass section so you can see out. They’re perfect in winter, when it’s snowing and the Northern Lights are out and there you are, lying in the dark in a glass cabin. In summer, you’re not seeing much. The one I looked at was also very expensive and off the beaten path from our route, so we skipped it. That’s on my list for a winter trip.
Good to know (checked October 2026): natural ice cave tours on Vatnajökull run roughly October to April, depending on conditions. Katla Ice Cave, near Vík, is the exception and can be visited year-round.
My Biggest Tip: Rent a Car
A lot of people tell me, “I don’t want to rent a car in another country. I’m scared.” If I can tell you how easy this was: it was super easy. Seriously, rent a car. The freedom to stop every five minutes was amazing. We picked ours up at the airport when we got off the ship, since we knew we’d be flying home from there, and returned it at the end.
If you’re comfortable driving, Iceland is one of the easiest and best countries in the world for a road trip, and honestly, you’re going to want to drive, because there ain’t nothing around. When you leave a town, it’s desolate. There’s nothing in between: not a gas station, not a snack shop, not a McDonald’s, not even a fruit stand. Maybe a few sheep wandering around. That’s it, for miles. If you’re good with that, it’s an excellent road trip.
Driving Through a Brand-New Lava Field
Here’s the perfect example of why the car is worth it. From the airport, we went straight to the Blue Lagoon. A month or two before we arrived, the volcano nearby had erupted, and by the grace of God (or nature, or the volcano), the lava went around the Blue Lagoon instead of into it. What it left behind was black lava rock everywhere, bubbled up and sticking up, and we drove right through it. You could still see the steam coming off of it. My mouth was wide open.
We had appointments at the Blue Lagoon, so we couldn’t stop. But afterward, I asked my car, “Do you mind if we just go backwards just a tiny bit?” I wanted to stand in that lava rock. It was just around the corner, and there was even parking, because other people had the same idea. You could see where the lava had melted the road: the double yellow line just stopped, and there was lava over the street. They had already built brand-new roads around the new rock formation.
There were also signs, in English, saying not to walk on the lava rocks, because they’re still hot and still emit gas you shouldn’t be breathing in. Meanwhile, I’m not standing very far away, so in my head I’m like, I’m dying, I can’t breathe. (I was fine. I had a little panic.) Plenty of people were climbing all over the rocks anyway. I’m about 50/50 on following the rules, but this time I followed the signs, because it was the safest route.
If you were on a tour bus doing the Blue Lagoon for the day with a bunch of people, you’re clearly not going backwards to hang out with lava rocks. With your own car, you can see it for yourself, and it was magnificent.
Good to know (checked October 2026): volcanic unrest on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where the Blue Lagoon is, has been ongoing since late 2023, and the Blue Lagoon has closed temporarily as a precaution during past eruptions. Check the Blue Lagoon’s website and SafeTravel.is before you go, and never walk on new lava.
The Golden Circle: 1,000% Worth It
Is the Golden Circle worth it? My immediate answer: 1,000% yes. Almost every first-time visitor does it, and you have to. You’ve got to check it off.
We did it as a ship excursion during our overnight in Reykjavik, but you don’t have to be on a cruise. They run this all the time, so you can 1,000% book it on your own. Ours included snowmobiling on a glacier, and I highly suggest it. The glacier is Langjökull (I said “Lang Jook,” so forgive me), and if you want to find it, just search for snow scooters on a glacier on the Golden Circle and it will pop up.
To get there, we boarded this wacky bus, slash Hummer, slash tanker. This thing sat up so high that you had to climb what felt like seven steps of a ladder to get into it. (I’m exaggerating, because I love to exaggerate, but only a little.) The tires were massive, and the treads were unreal. If a glacier had broken in front of us, we were getting through it and over it, I promise you. They got us all dressed up, and snow scootering on a glacier was an unreal experience.
Along the way, we stopped at all the Golden Circle highlights:
Gullfoss waterfall. Absolutely gorgeous, just unbelievably beautiful. We had lunch inside the building at the waterfall as part of the excursion, and the food was great.
The geothermal area and Strokkur geyser. It’s not like Old Faithful in Wyoming, where you sit around wondering when it’s going to happen. Strokkur just keeps going off, every few minutes. It actually scared me. Super fun, though.
Þingvellir National Park, where two continental plates are literally pulling apart. It is so cool to see.
Gullfoss, one of the classic Golden Circle stops. (Stock photo)
A couple of times on this trip, they served us lamb soup, which is a real staple, and it’s the first time I truly fell in love with lamb. Sheep are abundant there, so lamb was part of a lot of what we ate. That’s the thing about Icelandic culture: they live off the land. Everything comes from the land or can be repurposed back into it. They try not to have any trash. Everything is very sustainable, including the food, and they live very clean. It’s unreal.
Good to know (checked October 2026): Strokkur erupts roughly every 6 to 10 minutes, usually shooting 15 to 20 meters (about 50 to 65 feet) high. Several companies run Golden Circle tours with snowmobiling on Langjökull, many with pickup in Reykjavik.
Is the Blue Lagoon Worth It?
Let’s settle this debate. Is the Blue Lagoon a tourist attraction? Yes, absolutely. Is it expensive? 1,000% yes. Did I make it more expensive? 1,000% yes. Is it worth doing? 1,000% yes. You know I’m not a huge fan of doing the things everyone does. I want to find the hidden gems. But if you’re going all the way to Iceland, you really should go to the Blue Lagoon. It’s the place in all those pictures: milky blue water with geothermal steam rising off of it.
Why I Booked the Retreat Spa
I booked the Retreat Spa, which is right next door to the main lagoon. It’s a private area you book separately. It’s not cheap (it’s per person), but you get your own section with hardly anyone around, and your own private changing room, almost like a hotel room without a bed. There was a shower but no toilet (you still had to step outside for that), and you had a key to come and go, so all your stuff stayed in there.
The best part was that there was nobody there. We weren’t fighting for space, not that anyone fights for space, but the other side is busy. Once you’ve soaked in the geothermal water and your skin starts to feel all slimy and lovely, there are tons of rooms to relax and fall asleep in: one with a fire, one with stars moving across the ceiling and mystical music playing, and an outdoor area to hang out. Then there’s the spa ritual, where you put on a mud, take it off, put something else on, go sit somewhere, wipe it off and take another shower. It was crazy, but super fun. We ate there too, which was great.
One surprise: when I walked in filming on my phone so I could report back to all of you, a staff member stopped me immediately. “Ma’am, no phones in here.” He made me turn it off. Instead, staff took our pictures in the lagoon and made sure nobody else was in the background, just me or whoever I wanted in the shot.
Some of our friends and clients did the main lagoon instead. They thoroughly enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but they said it was packed. So do the Retreat if you can swing it. There’s also a hotel right at the Blue Lagoon. We didn’t stay because we wanted to move on and see more, but next time, I would totally stay at the Retreat.
Do It First, Not Last
Because the Blue Lagoon is close to the airport, a lot of people suggest doing it either first or last. I would not do it last. It’s a lot of work: you’re getting into your bathing suit, and even if you put your hair up (keep your hair out of the water!), it gets crunchy from the geothermal water. Don’t do it right before you get on a plane.
Good to know (checked October 2026): the Retreat Spa includes entry to the Blue Lagoon and its own Retreat Lagoon, a private changing suite, the self-applied skin care ritual, a drink, and the spa’s relaxation areas. Guests must be at least 12 years old.
Driving the South Coast
My two Iceland goals were the Blue Lagoon and Diamond Beach, and I could not wait to see Diamond Beach. It was everything I hoped it would be (eventually; I’ll get to that). You can actually do the whole trip from Reykjavik to Jökulsárlón in one long day on an excursion, but we drove it ourselves, with stops.
A Night in Hella
After the Blue Lagoon, we stayed overnight in Hella. (That’s how it’s spelled, but that’s not how they say it, and I’m not even going to attempt it.) We stayed at the Stracta Hotel because it was the next closest place on our route, and honestly, Hella was just a means to an end. Hotels like this aren’t what we’re used to. They’re very basic: think IKEA, all clean lines and wood. From the outside, it looks like a motel, and you’re kind of like, “What the heck is this place?” But it was clean as can be, and it was very nice.
Finding food out there was definitely interesting, a trip and a half. We ate across the street at a place I think may have called itself Italian. I honestly don’t remember. What I do remember is that Iceland is where I discovered the gimlet. If you like gin and you’ve never had a gimlet made in Iceland, 1,000% try one there. They just nail it.
The Black Sand Beach (and the Sneaker Wave That Got Us)
The next morning, we were up at 9 and headed to Reynisfjara, the black sand beach. I honestly didn’t expect to be so mesmerized. I thought, “Oh, black,” and I didn’t think I’d love it, but I fell in love with the place. There’s a gorgeous cave in the background and rock formations standing in the water just off the beach. They remind me of the end of The Goonies, when the kids come out after they’ve saved the boat. It looks just like that. The black sand is everywhere, and it was the only place on our whole trip where we saw puffins, hanging out on the cliffs above the cave.
This is also one of the places where you can get hit by a sneaker wave. There are huge signs about it. They call them sneaker waves because you’re watching the waves come in normally, and then one random wave rushes all the way up the beach and pulls people in, and the current there is super bad. The sign said it was a yellow, kind of a badish day, so we stayed away from the water.
Well, we were doing things. I was doing cartwheels on the sand and taking pictures. I made my mom do a jump with me for a video (“Ma, come jump with me!”) while I counted one, two, three. My mom is five foot nothing and doesn’t jump anymore, so we redid that stupid video about eight billion times. We were nowhere near the water. I think I had even written my name in the sand. Then, out of nowhere, my friend Kelly, who was filming, said, “Come now.”
And it hit us instantly. I’m screaming. My mother is running (my mother doesn’t run). Anthony, Kelly’s husband, was even further away, and he’s running too. We were soaked. The water went into our boots and up to our knees, and we were far from where the waves were breaking. Thankfully, we weren’t one of the ones taken out into the ocean. We just got soaked, and we laughed so hard. I had my Metas on, so we have it all on video, and we still give Kelly the hardest time: “Was this an urgent ‘come now’? It needed to be a bit more urgent.” In her defense, she did say it. She just didn’t say it with any urgency.
Visit the black sand beach, because it was awesome. Just respect those signs.
Pack a Bright Jacket
Here’s a tip someone gave me right before we went, and I’m so glad they did: bring a brightly colored jacket. Don’t get black, dark blue or green. Get red, yellow, anything bright, because it really pops in the pictures. It was dark and gray at the black sand beach, with no sun at all, and my friends in darker jackets got lost in the photos. I searched and searched for a red jacket, my mom had one too, and our pictures are really cool because of it.
Good to know (checked October 2026): Reynisfjara now has a wave warning system with colored lights. On red-light days, access is closed past the viewing platform, including the basalt columns and the cave. Parts of the beach and basalt columns were also damaged by heavy waves and erosion in early 2026, so check conditions before you go.
Me in my red jacket on a black sand beach in Iceland. Bright colors really pop in the photos.
Lunch With a Waterfall View
From there, the next spot along the South Coast is the famous plane wreck where Justin Bieber filmed a music video. The other car went. I asked my car, “Do you guys care?” We didn’t, so we went to find lunch instead, because you know I love randomly finding places.
We found Kjarr Restaurant (that’s K-J-A-R-R) in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. (I wasn’t even going to try saying that.) It was darling. They had maybe five or six dishes to choose from, the food was unreal, and the view out the window was a gorgeous waterfall just chilling. I had pasta, which was phenomenal, and a couple of people had lamb, because that’s kind of a given. They were expecting a tour group, so a few tables were held, but we got in.
That’s one of the coolest parts of Iceland. On the drive out to Jökulsárlón, you see waterfall after waterfall and the most amazing landscape the whole way.
Good to know (checked October 2026): Kjarr sits beside the Systrafoss waterfall and is seasonal, listed as open from May 1 to October 16. The plane wreck is on Sólheimasandur, between Skógafoss and Vík.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac
We drove past Diamond Beach that afternoon, because we had a 7:30 p.m. Zodiac boat trip out to the glacier at Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. And let me give you my background, so you understand what “unreal” means coming from me: I’ve been to Alaska, and I’ve seen glaciers, but I had never seen them up close like we did in that Zodiac.
The tour company dressed us up in these outfits. I want to say they were waterproof survival suits. Basically, if we fell in or the boat flipped, we weren’t going to die of hypothermia. We didn’t wear life jackets, thank goodness. Our group pretty much took over the boat. You sit on the outside edge of the Zodiac, holding the ropes for dear life and hoping to God you don’t fall in, and they zoom you out toward the glacier. The air is so cold against your face that my eyes were watering. I should have worn a full face mask.
On the way, the guide stopped to talk about the icebergs floating by, and there were so many of them. You only see about 10% of an iceberg above the water. Some of these were big enough to put a house on, so imagine what was underneath. He told us that the really big pieces usually break off from underneath, which is probably why they dress you like that, in case you end up on top of an iceberg and your boat goes in. (You know me. My brain goes crazy.)
Then they park the Zodiac in front of the glacier, and you wait for it to calve. And it does. The sound is so loud. While you’re waiting, seals are hanging out and playing around the boat. The guides told us the history of the glacier, how far it used to reach and how much it’s retreating, which is really sad. At the end, I asked if we could please pick up some ice, because I wanted to touch ancient ice. So we did, and it was the coolest thing.
We had one of the prettiest days of the whole trip. The sun was out, and it was absolutely gorgeous.
Icebergs in Iceland’s Glacier Lagoon, near Diamond Beach. (Stock photo)
Where We Stayed: Hotel Jökulsárlón
We stayed at Hotel Jökulsárlón, not too far from the lagoon, and it was the best hotel of our trip. It was not cheap, I’ll be honest, but they did a phenomenal job. I ended up in a family suite, just the way it worked out. The food was phenomenal, and there was a sauna and an outdoor hot tub. I highly suggest it to anybody.
Diamond Beach: Go Back in the Morning
If you don’t know what Diamond Beach is, it’s where the icebergs from the Glacier Lagoon float out, wash up on the black sand and sit there melting. After the Zodiac, we stopped there on our way back to the hotel, and I was so disappointed. I was like, “What the heck happened here? It’s like little pebbles of diamonds.” It looked nothing like what I’d seen on Instagram, and remember, Instagram isn’t always what you see.
So I told my car: once we leave in the morning, we’re stopping back at Diamond Beach, because I need to see if it’s different. They were all fine with it. (Thank you!) As we rolled up, I could tell 1,000% that it was completely different. It was a whole different beach, and it was everything I ever dreamed it would be. I could have stayed all day. It was cold, too, from all those icebergs.
So my advice: go to Diamond Beach in the morning.
The Drive Back and Reykjavik
From Jökulsárlón, we drove the whole way back to Reykjavik in one day without stopping overnight in Hella. It’s doable. In fact, if you wanted to base yourself in Reykjavik and not spend nights anywhere else, you could do the South Coast in one long day, and the good news is the sun doesn’t go down. I wouldn’t suggest it, though. We really enjoyed taking our time.
On the way back, we stopped at a really cute café for gas, and they were so sweet. We got breakfast, coffee and some amazing hot chocolate. Then we stopped at Black Crust Pizzeria in Vík, a famous pizza place. It was really good, and it was jammed. We even ran into people from our ship.
Good to know (checked October 2026): without stops, Jökulsárlón to Reykjavik is about 370 kilometers (230 miles), roughly four and a half to five hours of driving. Plan for longer with stops.
Finally, Reykjavik
Then we finally got to actually enjoy Reykjavik. We stayed at the Radisson Blu right in downtown, and the location was phenomenal. Everything was within walking distance.
An “interesting” museum. We visited a specific museum that I probably can’t name on the radio. It was super fun. Not sure I ever need to visit it again, but definitely look it up. Type in “interesting museum in Reykjavik” and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Dinner at Caruso. We ate at Caruso, downtown. Everyone told us to go to Hressó (H-R-E-S-S-O) for original Icelandic food, but it was super busy and we couldn’t get in. Try it if you can.
A morning walk. I like to walk in the mornings and evenings, so I walked around by myself in the morning and had no issues at all. It felt super safe. I walked Rainbow Street, which is so fun, and saw the sights before we flew home that day.
My Pinch-Me Moment
One of the things I realized in Iceland is how small we are as humans compared to the bigger picture out there. My pinch-me moment was sitting in that Zodiac in front of the glacier, waiting for it to break off. It was so quiet around us, and the ice sparkled in the sunlight. No one said a word, because everyone was mesmerized, waiting for that sound and watching the ice go into the water. I remember thinking, “How did I get here, and how cool is this?”
Iceland was probably one of my best trips. Don’t miss the Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon, the Glacier Lagoon or Diamond Beach (in the morning!). Some destinations impress you, others change how you see the world. Iceland does both. I truly can’t wait to go back.
Want to hear the whole story? Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of my Iceland episodes. And if you’re dreaming of Iceland, whether it’s a road trip of your own or a cruise and land trip like mine, my team at Fabulous Adventures Travel and I would love to help you plan it. We’re really good at road trips, and we know this one well.
