Photo: Milan Nykodym, CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Three slow days near Keflavik airport: a soak in the Blue Lagoon, a windy coast of steam vents and lighthouses, and a hot-spring hillside. This is an active volcanic area, and roads or places can close at short notice, so check the official sites before each day.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
An easy first day, built around a long soak. A museum near the airport in the morning, then the lagoon at midday with a slow lunch, and a quiet church by the sea in the evening. Check ahead that the lagoon is open.
A museum beside the sea in Njardvik, near the airport, built around a full-size replica of a Viking ship that sailed to America. A gentle, indoor start to the trip. Check ahead that it is open.
Go when Morning, as a soft start close to the airport.
Local tip Go in and look at the ship first. Check ahead that it is open, and spend as long as you like, since nothing else on the day is far.
Skyr is a thick, tangy Icelandic dairy food, eaten with berries or on its own. A light bite in the morning that keeps you going until the lunch after your soak.
Local tip Add a spoon of honey or a few berries, and ask for a flask of coffee.
A famous geothermal spa of milky blue water in a black lava field, close to the airport. Book well ahead, since entry is limited, and check ahead on opening and any closure before you drive out. Shower before you get in, and keep your hair out of the water, because the silica dries it out.
Go when Midday, with nowhere else to be afterward.
Local tip Book well ahead and check on the day that it is open, since it can close at short notice. Shower first as the rules ask, keep your hair out of the silica water and drink plenty of water.
Kjotsupa is a warming soup of lamb and root vegetables, often served with bread. The kind of lunch you want after a long soak, with no one hurrying you.
Local tip Ask for a refill, as many cafes offer one, and dry your hair before you go outside.
A small church in the quiet village of Hafnir, by the open sea on the west side of the peninsula. A calm place to stand at the end of the day.
Go when Evening, when the wind drops and the light is low.
Local tip Park on the road and look at it from the outside. Keep clear of the shore, where the waves are strong, and leave the village as quiet as you found it.
The cold seas around Iceland give cod, haddock and arctic char. A plain plate of pan-fried fish with potatoes and butter tells you a lot about the country.
Local tip Ask what came in that day, and choose the simplest preparation.
A day on the far west tip of the peninsula, where the land meets the Atlantic. A footbridge over a rift, a field of steam vents and a lighthouse on the cliffs. Check the roads before you set out, and stay on the marked paths.
A small footbridge over a rift in the lava, a symbol of the place where the North American and Eurasian plates are slowly pulling apart. Walk across and look down into the crack.
Go when Morning, before the tour buses arrive.
Local tip Cross it slowly and look down into the rift. Stay on the path, and check the road to it before you drive, because parts of the peninsula can be closed.
A geothermal area of hissing steam vents and boiling mud pools, named for a ghost in an old local story. Stay on the paths and the boardwalk, because the ground is scalding and the steam can drift across.
Go when Midday, with the steam standing high in cool air.
Local tip Stay on the boardwalk and keep well back from the vents. The steam can drift across the path without warning, and the ground around the mud is hot enough to burn.
A national snack, made partly with lamb and served in a soft bun with crisp onions and sauces. A quick lunch to eat in the car, out of the wind.
Local tip Ask for one with everything, and eat it in the car with the heater on.
One of the country's oldest lighthouses, on a headland of sea cliffs at the far end of the peninsula. Look out over the surf and the rocky shore from the safe side of the barriers.
Go when Afternoon, with a flask of something warm.
Local tip Walk to the edge of the safe viewpoint and no farther. The wind is strong here, and the sea throws surf high against the cliffs. Hold on to your hat and your children.
A flask of hot coffee, tea or cocoa, drunk beside the car with the sea in front of you. The coast is bare and windy, so bring your own.
Local tip Fill the flask before you leave, and pack rye bread with butter to go with it.
A slow last day. A hillside of steaming ground and colored clay, a still lake in a bowl of hills and a last stop at the lighthouses near the airport. Check the roads on the morning of the day, because parts of the area can be closed.
A hillside of steam, bubbling mud and hills streaked red, yellow and green by minerals, with a boardwalk through it. Stay on the boardwalk, because the ground is scalding.
Go when Morning, when the steam shows best in the cool air.
Local tip Stay on the boardwalk, because the ground beside it is scalding and looks solid. Wear shoes you do not mind getting muddy, and expect a smell of sulphur.
A large, still lake in a bowl of dark hills, with black shores and no village in sight. A quiet place to sit with a flask and watch the light change.
Go when Midday, with a picnic and nothing planned.
Local tip Stop at a pull-out on the road and walk down to the shore. Stay off any soft ground, check the roads before you go and carry food, since there is no village here.
Dark, dense Icelandic rye bread with butter and smoked fish or lamb. A simple picnic to eat beside the lake.
Local tip Buy it the day before from a bakery or a supermarket, and keep it in the car.
Two lighthouses, an old one and a newer one, on the north-west tip of the peninsula. A good place for a last walk by the sea, a last coffee and the sunset on the way back toward the airport.
Go when Around sunset (about 7:57 PM), then a coffee before the airport.
Local tip Climb the old lighthouse path if the weather is kind, and look out at the sea. Keep back from the shore when the waves are big.
A final coffee and a cinnamon bun in a small cafe, before the road to the airport. A slow, warm way to end the trip.
Local tip Sit by a window and watch the sea for ten minutes before you leave.
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, July to August are the most comfortable months for walking around Reykjanes. This plan is built for late September, which is less comfortable, so check the forecast before you go. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
It covers 3 days in Reykjanes, planned for late September. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 6.5 to 47.7 kilometers between its stops, and 98.4 kilometers in all across 3 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
4 nights in Reykjavik and the Northern LightsAbout 50 km awayAn easy add-on
8 days on Snaefellsnes and in the WestfjordsAbout 140 km away
6 days in Akureyri and North IcelandAbout 320 km awayMake it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
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