The Westfjords
Charming Vigur is a popular destination for day trippers from 脥safj枚r冒ur. In season it's a nesting site for hundreds of puffins, and the rest of the year鈥
Must-see attractions in Iceland
The Golden Circle
Filling much of the rift plain, 脼颈苍驳惫补濒濒补惫补迟苍 is Iceland鈥檚 largest lake, at 84 sq km. Pure glacial water from Langj枚kull filters through bedrock for 40km鈥
Southeast Iceland
A sign off the Ring Road indicates 贵箩补濒濒蝉谩谤濒贸苍 鈥 this is an easily accessible glacier lagoon, where icebergs calve from Fjallsj枚kull. There are Zodiac鈥
Reykjanesf贸lkvangur Reserve
The volatile geothermal field Austurengjar, about 2km south of Kleifarvatn, is often called Kr媒suv铆k after the nearby abandoned farm. At 厂别濒迟煤苍, the main鈥
The South
Sitting behind a volcanic ledge, right off the road to Landmannalaugar, hides an enormous crater. Hnausapollur erupted around 11,000 years ago, now it's鈥
Southeast Iceland
Heading east on the Ring Road from Skaftafell, a sign points the way to the glacier 厂惫铆苍补蹿别濒濒蝉箩枚办耻濒濒. A rough, potholed dirt road leads 2km to a car park,鈥
The South
Known as Raufarh贸lshellir, this 11th-century lava tube is 1360m long (Iceland's third largest) and contains wonderful lava columns. Regular one-hour tours鈥
Reykjanesf贸lkvangur Reserve
This deep, brooding lake sits in a volcanic fissure, surrounded by wind-warped lava cliffs and black-sand shores. A walking trail runs around the edge,鈥
The South
This gorgeous glacier is Iceland鈥檚 fourth-largest ice cap, covering 700 sq km and reaching a thickness of almost 750m in places. The volcano Katla snoozes鈥
The South
V铆k鈥檚 most iconic cluster of sea stacks is known as Reynisdrangur, which rises from the ocean like ebony towers at the western end of V铆k's black-sand鈥
Reykjanes Peninsula
Boardwalks allow visitors to get close to the eerie Gunnuhver site, which is filled with vigorously bubbling mud pools and billowing steam. Some鈥
The South
About 5km west of Hvolsv枚llur, unsurfaced Rte 264 winds about 8km north along the Rang谩rvellir valley to the medieval turf-roofed farm at Keldur. This鈥
Southeast Iceland
At the J枚kuls谩 river mouth you鈥檒l see ice boulders and bergs resting photogenically on the black-sand beach as part of their final journey out to sea鈥
The South
Twenty-six kilometres northeast of 脕rnes along Rte 32, take a short (1km) detour along a signposted track to this delightful waterfall. The azure falls鈥
Sn忙fellsnes Peninsula
The farmstead at Bjarnarh枚fn is the region鈥檚 leading producer of h谩karl (fermented shark meat), a traditional Icelandic dish. The museum has exhibits on鈥
Akureyri
Dominating the town from high on a hill, Akureyri鈥檚 landmark church was designed by Gu冒j贸n Sam煤elsson, the architect responsible for 搁别测办箩补惫铆办鈥檚鈥
Wonders of Iceland: Glaciers & Ice Cave
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
This permanent exhibition at Perlan begins with a vast ice cave, 100m long and built with 350 tons of snow and layers of ash from the 2010鈥
The South
In 2011 Iceland formed its first 鈥榞eopark鈥 to protect a region of great geological importance, promote local culture and sustainable development, and鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
Seltjarnarnes, 5km west of central 搁别测办箩补惫铆办, is a coastal area that feels a world away. The offshore island of Gr贸tta boasts a red-and-white lighthouse鈥
East Iceland
At the head of Berufj枚r冒ur, the 19km 脰xi mountain pass (Rte 939) offers a summer short cut to drivers en route to or from Egilssta冒ir. The pass cuts about鈥
West Iceland
The farm Eir铆kssta冒ir was home to Eir铆kur Rau冒e (Erik the Red), father of Leifur Eir铆ksson, the first European to visit America. Although only a faint鈥
North Iceland
The striking stone arches of Arctic Henge are the darling of many a brochure, and in real life they live up to the exalted mood. The massive stone circle鈥
The South
This farmstead is a constant work in progress: every summer, an international group of students practices the building of Icelandic turf houses from local鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
Iceland鈥檚 first parliament, the 础濒镁颈苍驳颈, was created at 脼ingvellir in AD 930. After losing independence in the 13th century, the country gradually won鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
Two things set the statue of Ingibj枚rg H Bjarnason apart from other monuments in the area: it depicts a historical female figure and it is not made by鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
脼煤蹿补 (th-oo-fha), meaning the Tussock, was created by artist 脫l枚f Nordal in 2013. The 8m-tall grassy mound was constructed out of 4500 tons of gravel and鈥
The Golden Circle
For more than 20 years, this petting zoo in small-town Iceland has been a popular hang-out for families passing through the village of Laugar谩s. Orphaned鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
Sunny days see happy local families flocking to this children's park in Laugardalur. Don鈥檛 expect lions and tigers; think seals, foxes and farm animals in鈥
Southeast Iceland
厂办别颈冒补谤谩谤蝉补苍诲耻谤, the largest sandur in the world, covers a 1300-sq-km area and was formed by the mighty Skei冒ar谩rj枚kull. Since the Settlement Era,鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
This cultural centre fosters connections between Iceland and its Nordic neighbours with a rich program of events, a library, exhibition space and bistro.
North Iceland
On the west side of Vatnsnes Peninsula is 滨濒濒耻驳补蝉迟补冒颈谤 farm, with wonderful views of peaks along the Strandir coast in the Westfjords. A 10-minute walk鈥
搁别测办箩补惫铆办
Perlan's mirrored dome, designed by Ingimundur Sveinsson, covers huge geothermal-water tanks some 2km from the city centre. Inside, the Wonders of Iceland鈥
The Golden Circle
For centuries (between 1056 to 1785) 厂办谩濒丑辞濒迟 was a political and cultural hub in Iceland, and one of only two areas overseen by bishops. In the wealthy鈥
Southeast Iceland
This cleverly crafted museum (its inspired exterior looks like a shelf of books) pays tribute to the most famous son of this sparsely populated region 鈥撯
Sn忙fellsnes Peninsula
About 5km south of Stykkish贸lmur, the holy mountain Helgafell (73m) was once venerated by worshippers of the god 脼贸r. Although quite small, the mountain鈥
North Iceland
The town鈥檚 most significant building is Kaupvangur, a restored customs house. You鈥檒l find an excellent cafe and information centre on the ground floor,鈥
North Iceland
The unsealed but magnificent old coastal road (Rte 870) around the wildlife-rich and little-visited 惭别濒谤补办办补蝉濒茅迟迟补 (Arctic Fox Plain) bumps along for 55km鈥
The South
About 13km east of V铆k and just south of Rte 1, the small peak of 贬箩枚谤濒别颈蹿蝉丑枚蹿冒颈 (221m) rises above the black sands of M媒rdalssandur and offers good views鈥
North Iceland
Flatey (pronounced Flat鈥揺h) is a serene 2.5km-long island 9km from H煤sav铆k, on the northwest edge of Skj谩lfandi Bay. The name simply means flat island 鈥
The South
On the farm of Hellar in Landsveit, this 50m long human-made cave was built up to 11m below the soil at its deepest point. Inside a barn, visitors walk鈥
