9-Day Self-Drive Adventure in Iceland: Reykjavik, the Golden Circle & Núpar

Take an overnight flight and land at Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport in the morning hours to maximize your time and hit the ground running. Pick up your rental car and start your drive to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. Make sure you pick a car that can handle rougher roads and keep you in comfort, since you will be in the car for hours on this trip!

Sky Lagoon

The drive to Reykjavík is about 45 minutes, but before you even check in to your hotel, take a slight detour to the Sky Lagoon. It’s a geothermal spa that’s not quite as crowded as it's more famous counterpart, the Blue Lagoon, but offers an amazing oceanfront spa experience that features a 7-step bathing ritual with saunas and a cold plunge! Spend a few hours here relaxing and unwinding after your flight, taking advantage of the scenery and hospitality as you start your adventure.

Explore Reykjavik

Once you’re ready, drive another 15 minutes to downtown Reykjavik. Head to your hotel for check-in and park your car nearby. Drop off your bags and wander Laugavegur Street, the main shopping street in Reykjavik, to check out local shops, cafes, and restaurants. This might be a good time to grab a coffee or snack to refuel as you explore.

Then, walk a few minutes to Hallgrímskirkja Church—a piece of architecture so striking and unique, you truly can’t miss it. The second-tallest structure in the entire country, it was designed to resemble and honor the rocks, mountains, and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape. You can go inside and up the tower for panoramic views, but remember to be respectful of the space and the local community that uses this functional church daily.

Next, walk to another unique architectural part of Reykjavik, the Harpa Concert Hall overlooking the water. This geometric glass structure shimmers in the light, similar to the gills on a fish! They also host a variety of performances, events, and educational tours that are worth checking out.

Finish your walk along the water by visiting the Sun Voyager Sculpture. The piece was created by artist Jón Gunnar Árnason for a city-sponsored competition to commemorate Reykjavik’s 200th anniversary, becoming the winning piece that was unveiled in 1990. Try to time seeing it as the sun is setting on the water for the most dramatic view.

Head back to your hotel to unpack, unwind, and decide your evening meal: at Apotek or Grillmarkadurinn.

Take a break from driving and instead be driven to take a full-day lava field hike with a small group or on your own private tour. Although you can drive to a meeting point for Thrihnukagigur Volcano, you cannot explore the lava fields or go into the magma chamber without a guide.

It’s definitely worth having someone else drive you so you can prepare to hike across the lava field and descend 120 meters into the dormant Thrihnukagigur Volcano via an open elevator lift. This is one of the only places on Earth where you can go inside a volcano’s magma chamber (and come back out safely!).

A true once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Hop in your car, make sure your gas tank is full, pack up some food and water, and get ready to explore Iceland’s iconic Golden Circle!

Depart from Reykjavík in the earlier part of the morning to get the most out of your day without rushing.

Þingvellir National Park

You’ll drive about 45–60 minutes (depending on traffic) to your first stop, Þingvellir National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only is it the site of the world’s first parliament (Althing), it's located in the rift valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Walk between two continents while you take in the striking scenery of Öxarárfoss waterfall, Almannagjá gorge, and expansive lava fields.

If you don’t want to just walk between two continents, snorkel in the Silfra fissure with a tour or on your own (make sure you have the proper gear and take all the precautions if you do). Plan on at least two hours to enjoy it fully before moving on to the next stop.

Geysir Geothermal Area

Once you’re ready for the next stop, hop back in your car and drive about 1 hour to the Geysir Geothermal Area. This is where we get the word “geyser”, and you can watch Strokkur Geyser erupt every 5–10 minutes, shooting up boiling water almost 20 meters (65 feet) high. Steaming vents, hot springs, and mud pots, surround the area and create a dramatic landscape. Plan on spending about an hour at this site watching the geyser, learning more at the Visitor's Center, and grabbing a bite for lunch.

Gullfoss Waterfall

Next, you’ll drive a quick 10 minutes to the final major stop on the Golden Circle: Gullfoss Waterfall. There are multiple walking and hiking paths to viewpoints so you can enjoy different angles of the two-tiered glacial waterfall that plunges 32 meters into the rocky canyon below it. If you are there on a sunny day, you can catch rainbows forming from the sun reflecting off the spray waters. This is one of those spots you can’t help but take photo after photo!

Walk back to your car and get ready to head back to Reykjavik. If you get hungry on your 2-hour drive home, you can make small detours to Ölverk Pizza & Brewery or Greenhouse Café for an early dinner before getting back to your hotel.

Say farewell to Reykjavík (for now!) as you pack up and head to your next home base in Núpar. This drive is a great chance to explore stops on the South Coast along the way.

Some places worth exploring (in this order for your drive!) include:

About 1.5 hours into your drive, consider a stop and walk at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, where you can get so close you can you can walk behind the powerful waters. (Tip: Walk another 5 minutes to the hidden falls behind a cliff at Gljúfrabúi.)

Drive 30 minutes from Seljalandsfoss to Skógafoss, a 60-meter tall waterfall where you can catch more rainbows and panoramic views. This is also a great place to stop and park at the free parking lot, use the restroom, or grab a bite from the nearby cafe.

Drive about 1 hour from Skógafoss to Dyrhólaey Cliffs. Most cars can make it up the steep gravel road to the upper viewpoint, but consider renting a car with 4-wheel drive to make sure you don't miss the views of steep cliffs, the lighthouse, the natural stone arch, and in the summer months, the puffins nests nearby!

You would have gotten glimpses of black-sand beaches from Dyrhólaey Cliffs, but drive about 30 minutes to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach to walk on the jet-black volcanic sand, see the strange but stunning basalt column cliffs, and look in awe at the gigantic and imposing Reynisdrangar sea stacks just off the shore. The easy-to-find and free parking make it a convenient last stop before the final 2-hour drive to your hotel in Núpar.

Why stay in Núpar instead of more popular Vik when you have a car?

To take advantage of the striking landscapes you’ll see on the drive—the transition between lava fields, glacial rivers, moss-covered areas, and rocky terrains make it well worth the time.

Drive about an hour to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. You’ll see icebergs of all sizes that have broken off of Vatnajökull Glacier floating and drifting to sea. You may also see seals swimming around the ice or even sunbathing on the icebergs. There is parking, restrooms, and sometimes food trucks to enjoy as well!

You don’t even need to get back into your car for the next stop: Diamond Beach. Just a 5-minute walk across from the glacier lagoon, you’ll see ice chunks scattered on black sand which look like (you guessed it) diamonds. It’s a perfect spot for incredible photos.

If Jökulsárlón Lagoon and Diamond Beach are too busy, drive about 10 minutes west to Fjallsárlón viewpoint for a smaller but calmer glacier viewpoint.

Drive back to Núpar at your leisure and explore other interesting stops along the way.

Drive about 50 minutes to Skaftafell National Park and get ready for a day of easy hiking!

Tackle the Svartifoss Waterfall hike

It’s a steady, elevated climb on a well-maintained path through birch forest and open terrain. The path ends at Svartifoss, a distinctive waterfall. But what makes the hike special is that you’re surrounded by basalt columns rising out of the water, which inspired the design of the Hallgrímskirkja Church you saw on your first day in Reykjavik.

Skaftafellsjökull Glacier

Take a connecting path from the Skaftafell Visitor center to to Skaftafellsjökull Glacier Viewpoint. It's an easy, relatively flat gravel trail that ends with the viewpoint overlooking striking blue-white ice and surrounding peaks. If you’re quiet and the wind isn’t too strong, you can hear the sounds of the ice moving!

Have lunch or early dinner at the park cafe or set out a picnic in the designated picnic areas along the trails or near the visitor center.

Give yourself a break from driving and join a group tour or private tour of Katla Ice Cave and glacier.

Many tours include a jeep ride over rougher terrain (areas your rental car would not be allowed), then a walk through blue and black ice caves beneath the Katla volcano. It’s one of the few accessible natural ice caves year-round, offering striking ice formations and volcanic ash layers.

Be ready to use crampons and pack some extra energy bars for this 3–4 hour adventure.

Make sure your car has a full tank for your 5-hour drive back to Reykjavik for your penultimate day in Iceland. Take this opportunity to take small detours and make stops at towns or natural sites you didn’t get to see in previous days.

Consider exploring Vik more in depth, visiting the Hafnleysa Maritime Museum, or the iconic Vik Church atop a hill for sweeping views of the village below.

Double check that you’ve taken everything out of your car and cleaned out the days of dirt and wrappers that may have accumulated over the past nine days.

Give yourself an extra 20–30 minutes to drop off your rental car and extra time to get to the main terminal at KEF.

Say farewell to Iceland—and start thinking about your next trip to the North Coast!