A Week in Iceland
Traveling to Iceland has been a dream of mine ever since I saw photos of it for the first time and I’m incredibly grateful to have finally gotten the opportunity to go! I’m drawn to places that feel huge and wild and free and Iceland (despite being a pretty small island) really feels like that. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be as exciting in person as all the photos I’ve seen online make it look, but it definitely was. That’s one of the things I love most about traveling - nothing will ever really compare to experiencing a place yourself for the first time. Popular destinations are popular for a reason!
I’m really excited that my first “personal” blog on my website is about my trip to Iceland because it was my first big international trip and truly a bucket list location that exceeded my expectations. I came home so inspired and fulfilled and already dreaming of many more trips back in the future!
Check out this Iceland Reel on IG.
Travel Details:
Before I get into all the photos I took, I thought I’d start by sharing a bit about our travel details in case you’re also planning a trip and are interested in this type of info! I traveled with my best friend, Tida, and we flew out of Seattle because we were able to get a direct flight from there to Iceland with Icelandair. I was surprised that the flight was only 7 hours - not too much longer than a flight to Hawaii, which I do every year!
We took our trip during July because we wanted to experience Iceland’s summer, which means milder weather and access to more locations! It definitely rained A LOT during our trip, but since we had prepared for it, it honestly wasn’t that bad! And that’s coming from someone who normally HATES rain and cold weather lol.
Day 1 - Arrival to Iceland
We landed in Iceland at the Keflavik Airport (KEF) around 6 am and got a shuttle to pick up our rental car from Icerental 4x4. We decided to get a 4x4 because we knew we wanted to drive to Highlands during our trip and to do so a 4x4 is required. It was also nice to just have more space and peace of mind knowing that our vehicle could handle any unexpected weather or road conditions. You can totally visit the main tourist attractions with a regular car, but I think I’d still prefer a 4x4. We also decided to go with the highest insurance available to avoid any hassle with the rental company in case something happened. I remember reading that they’re notorious for charging for the smallest things.
After getting our rental car, we drove straight to the Blue Lagoon! If you’ve looked into anything about Iceland, you’ve probably seen photos from here in the pretty blue water. A lot of people go for the photo opp and because it’s all over Pinterest and Instagram but it’s actually a fun experience! We went during the first open time slot of the day to avoid as many crowds as possible so we were able to find spots to hang out with out a ton of people around. To give you an insight into what to expect - the first thing you do when you check in is head to the locker room to change, put your things away, and shower. (I quickly learned how comfortable lots of people are with being naked in front of others lol) Once you’re showered, you can head out to the lagoon - there’s a door where you can “swim” out (it’s more like wading in chest high water) or you can walk outside and along the edge of the pools and find your own spot to get in. It’s really cold outside but the water is warm and feels amazing! There are a few different extras you can do at the spa - like get a massage or do a face mask, or you can just hang out and relax like we did. There’s also a fun little swim up bar with drinks and you get a free one with your ticket - we chose the green juice option and it was really yummy!
I’m pretty sure you can stay at the lagoon for as long as you want, but after an hour or so, we decided to head to Reykjavik for lunch and to check into our hotel. We ate at a place downtown called Krost and loved it so much we ended up coming back again later during our trip! After checking into our hotel and getting in a quick nap, we headed out for our first real adventure - which included driving part of the Golden Circle to see Thingvellir National Park and Thorofoss. We had dinner at another spot downtown (I don’t even remember the name, but we didn’t love it) and then had some gelato from a little shop nearby. This was SO good that we also had it twice on our trip!
Day 2 — The Highlands
On our second day, we went back downtown to have breakfast (we ate at a place called Sandholt - SO good!) and pick up some food for the next few days before we started the 3.5 drive to our destination in the Highlands - Hverdalir. Part of the drive is paved, but you eventually have to take an F-road to get further into the center of the island that is considered the Highlands. This road was BUMPY. It was almost comical how much we were rattling around and how slow we had to drive, but we eventually made it and I can say the drive is 100% worth it! We had a photoshoot planned for this location, but things ended up not working out with the couple, so Tida and I just explored on our own, took some headshots, and even asked some strangers if we could take their photos! The wind was CRAZY in this location and then it started to hail so we took it as a sign to head out for the day. We stayed at a little cottage near Gulfoss, which we ended up making a brief stop at on the way to the Highlands.
Day 3 — Lupines, Waterfalls, Vik, Reynisfjara, and the Magical Stay
Our third day was a long one! We woke up early to visit a nearby field of lupines that we had passed the day before and took some photos here before making the drive to the Southern Coast destinations. Getting to see these pretty little purple flowers in bloom made me really happy and I personally consider it another reason to visit in the summer. Obviously you won’t spend a ton of time in a field (we just stopped at a little gravel pull off on the side of the road to take photos with these) but they’re so beautiful! Next, we finally got to see the famous Skogafoss and Seljandsfoss! Skogafoss is really easy to access and is HUGE - it’s no wonder it’s one of the most visited waterfalls in Iceland. I loved that you can also climb up to see it from above via a set of steps on the side of the hill. Seljalandsfoss isn’t as big as Skogafoss, but I really liked the experience of walking all the way around it and behind the falls. Without my rain pants and rain jacket, I would have been DRENCHED after visiting this one so definitely come prepared with water gear!
Our next stop of the day was in Vik to have lunch before stopping at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. This is another iconic spot in Iceland! Although it’s busier than a lot of other spots, I’m glad we got to see it - especially since we had an elopement shoot planned here the next day.
For our third and fourth nights, we stayed at another cute cabin that we LOVED. On airbnb, it’s called “the Magical Stay” and it lived up to its name lol. Highly recommend this place if you want to be close to a lot of the popular waterfalls along the South Coast!
This image of Skogafoss is available for purchase in my travel print shop along other images from this trip and some images from my other travels!
Day 4 — Plane wreck hike, Solheimajokull Glacier, and Elopement Shoot
The next day, we woke up early to do the hike to the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck . Another spot I’ve seen a million photos of on Instagram and although some people think it’s boring and not worth the hike (more of a long walk), I actually really loved this! I think abandoned things/places are super cool and it’s interesting to learn the story behind it. We got lucky and had a ton of time here to ourselves so we had tourist free photos!
After doing this hike we checked out the Solheimajokull Glacier, which is really close by, and then stopped at Kvernufoss. This waterfall is located near Skogafoss but is WAY less busy and I personally think is a more fun experience. I don’t normally like to share the names to hidden gems like this, but if you’ve read this far into my blog - you earned it! Please don’t geotag it on social media if you visit.
Next up, we grabbed a fish and chips lunch at a local restaurant (I wish I would have gotten the name of this place because it was SO good) and then went back to our airbnb for a nap. We learned real quick to take advantage of naps because there’s seriously so much to do and it’s easy to just go go go and wear yourself out.
After our nap, the highlight of this day was an elopement shoot at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Kvernufoss! Click that link to read more about the elopement and see more of the photos I took!
Day 5 — Diamond beach and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
On day 5 of our trip, we drove further up the coast to see Diamond Beach and the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. These stops are a longer drive away, especially if you’re coming from Reykjavik, but they are worth it for sure! I love that they’re so unique - the crystal blue ice bergs and the way they contrast with the black sand beach is incredible. I have a couple photos from here available for purchase in my travel print shop if you’d like to have a piece of Iceland in your own home!
At this point in our trip we were pretty exhausted from everything we’d done so we drove back to Vik where we were staying for the night with a couple stops in between to visit some glaciers. One thing to note about glaciers is that if you’re visiting them on your own, you will be viewing them from a distance. You have to book a tour to hike on them and see them much closer - this is something I’d love to do next time I’m here!
We stayed at the Black Beach Suites this night and loved our stay! They’re literally 5 min from Reynisfjara and about 10 minutes from the town of Vik so it’s in a really great location.
Day 6 — Snæfellsnes Peninsula
On our last full day in Iceland we made the drive from Vik to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula for a day full of exploring! Our first stop was Kirkjufell Mountain, one of most photographed mountains in the country. Then we visited the black church of Budir before making our way to the cute little village of Arnarstapi where we were staying for the night. The cliffs of Arnarstapi were just a short walk from our cottage so we explored those for a bit and ate at the Snjófell Restaurant. This meal honestly wasn’t our favorite but there aren’t a ton of food options in Arnarstapi so we were just happy to have something hot to eat. We ended the day by driving through Snæfellsjökull National Park! There are a lot of different sites to see in the park that you can easily do in one day, but we were tired so we only stopped at a few - our favorite was Djúpalónssandur Beach!
Day 7 - Drive back to Reykjavík and Fly Home
We booked an evening flight home from Iceland so we decided to use as much of the extra time we had as possible. After waking up in Arnarstapi, we drove back to Reykjavik and explored more of downtown. We ate at Krost again, had some more gelato, and did a little gift shopping. Then we dropped our rental car off and headed to the airport! I feel like we did SO much on this trip but there’s definitely still lots more to see and explore in this incredible place so I plan on coming back as many times as I can!
That’s all for my first personal travel blog post! I can’t wait to start sharing more of these! Traveling is a huge passion of mine and I’m so grateful to be able to do this as part of my job as well. If you’re looking for an Iceland Elopement Photographer or simply want to learn more about How To Elope In Iceland - check out these links or reach out now! I’d love to help you plan an incredible experience in this beautiful country.
