Iceland in 7 Days

Land in Keflavik, collect your rental car, and head straight for the Golden Circle before jet lag sets in. Start at Þingvellir National Park - walk the rift valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Continue to Geysir to watch Strokkur erupt every 5–10 minutes. End at Gullfoss waterfall, one of the most powerful in Europe. Base overnight near Hveragerði or Selfoss - 45 minutes east of Reykjavik and already out of the light pollution cone.

The South Coast is Iceland's most photogenic stretch. Seljalandsfoss is the waterfall you can walk behind - arrive early before crowds. Skógafoss is taller and more powerful; on sunny mornings, a double rainbow appears in the spray. Stop at the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (yes, the unpronounceable one from 2010). Reach Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach before sunset - the basalt columns and crashing Atlantic waves are unlike anything in Europe. Stay in or near Vík.

Today you reach the crown of the South Coast. Before driving, book a glacier walk on Sólheimajökull - a 3-hour guided hike on living ice. This isn't optional scenery; it's transformative. Continue east past the Eldhraun lava field (the largest lava flow on Earth from a single eruption) and reach Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by late afternoon. Floating blue icebergs calve from Vatnajökull. Just across the road, Diamond Beach is carpeted with transparent ice blocks washed ashore. Stay nearby - this is the best aurora location on the route.

Leave early and drive north-east into the East Fjords - Iceland's least-visited and most underrated region. The drive threads between steep mountains and narrow fjords. Stop at Djúpivogur for lunch (the Langoustine soup is remarkable). Continue to Stöðvarfjörður or Seyðisfjörður. If you reach Seyðisfjörður, the road down to the Norwegian-style blue church is one of the most peaceful drives in Iceland. Fewer tourists, better prices, warmer Icelandic hospitality.

Drive north to Mývatn, a shallow geothermal lake with a bizarre volcanic landscape on its shores. Dimmuborgir is a surreal field of lava formations - a natural maze to walk through. Námaskarð (Hverir) is a boiling, sulphurous landscape that looks genuinely alien. The Mývatn Nature Baths (less crowded than the Blue Lagoon) offer a hot spring soak with steam rising across the lake. North Iceland gets statistically more dry, sunny days than the south, and the aurora is superb from this region in winter.

Visit Goðafoss - the Waterfall of the Gods - 30 minutes west of Mývatn. Continue to Akureyri, Iceland's northern capital (population 19,000, outsized charm). If time allows, detour to Aldeyjarfoss, an often-overlooked waterfall surrounded by hexagonal basalt columns from a different angle than Reynisfjara. Drive south-west to position yourself for the Snæfellsnes Peninsula tomorrow. Pick up the highway back toward Borgarnes.

An early start lets you do the best of Snæfellsnes before your flight. Kirkjufell mountain is Iceland's most photographed peak - arrive at the small lagoon in front for the postcard reflection shot. Drive the tip of the peninsula past Snæfellsjökull glacier (Jules Verne's entry to the centre of the Earth). Return via the south side: Búðir black church, Arnarstapi sea cliffs. Roll into Keflavik for a late flight, or stay one extra night in Reykjavik to recover.