Where to go in Iceland
Map
List of regions
Reykjavik is a capital city with the feel of a small town. Brightly painted houses of corrugated iron dominate the city skyline and skyscrapers are virtually unheard of here. The buildings cluster around the Tjornin Lake, a spot that's at once tranquil and the bustling heart of the city.
Southern Iceland still resonates in the international consciousness as the home of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, famous for the spectacular 2011 eruptions that grounded planes across Europe. The largest eruption of recent years, this event served as a reminder of Iceland's turbulent past and drew t…
The north has its own version of the popular Golden Circle route, known as the Diamond Circle; the main difference between this and the route in the south is that the Diamond circle circumvents the crowds.
The West Fjords, where arctic foxes roam beneath the Northern Lights, have been heralded as one of the most spectacular and isolated landscapes in Europe.
The Eastern Fjords are the oldest region of Iceland, shaped during the last Ice Age; they are also the region most steeped in local lore. Rumour has it these hills are populated with elfin settlements and the vast beauty of this area makes it easy to believe that such places could exist in the surr…
Surrounded on three sides by sea, with the immense Vatnajökull glacier rising in the background, it is no surprise that the small fishing town of Hofn is considered one of the most picturesque destinations in Iceland. Located in the southeast, Hofn is sandwiched between the beautiful Eastern Fjords…
Western Iceland is often overlooked in favour of the thundering waterfalls and hissing thermals that dominate the rest of the country. This is a quieter region, less populated, less visited and so one of the best kept secrets in Iceland.
The unusual geographical formations of Mývatn testify to the region's explosive past; in the 1700's this area was subjected to a series of volcanic episodes so violent that they have become known as the Mývatn Fires. These eruptions occurred along huge rifts and have created an alien landscape of r…
In a country so exposed to the elements, Akureyri's sheltered location and reliable sunshine are one of its biggest attractions. Located inland, at the head of a fjord, this is one of the greenest places in Iceland, with tree-lined streets and the most northerly botanical gardens in the world. It's…
One of the smallest regions in Iceland, the Southwest is also one of the most populated and is home to the capital city Reykjavik. This is a landscape pockmarked by signs of its geothermal past; the vast solidified lava flows that dominate this area create a flat ashen landscape and hint at the tum…