Unlock these epic Iceland adventures (2024)

Yes, it’s absolutely worth going to Iceland! This volcanic island nation in the middle of the North Atlantic has got mind-bending nature in spades.

First up, there’s gushing geysers, steaming hot springs, and otherworldly lava fields. Then you’ve got thundering waterfalls, gigantic glaciers, and serene glacial lagoons. All these incredible sights are framed by Iceland’s beautiful mountains and fjords.

What exactly can you do on an vacation to Iceland? Here’s some of our suggestions:

• Tour the Golden Circle and see the Strokkur geyser erupt
• Join an ice caving expedition under an ancient glacier
• Spot famous volcanoes and admire vast fields of lava
• Stroll black sand beaches studded with diamond-like icebergs
• See where the North American and European plates meet
• Bathe in the warm, nourishing waters of the Blue Lagoon
• Rent a car and drive the country’s Ring Road
• Go on a whale watching boat tour and marvel at gentle giants
• Hunt down the Northern Lights in the depths of winter
• Enjoy the buzz of city life in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital

Want more inspo? Check our complete guide to Iceland for all the material you need.

Yes! Iceland is one of the safest countries on Earth. Thanks to its extremely low crime rate and excellent healthcare system, you can relax and enjoy your vacation with peace of mind.

Around the country, you’ll see children left to their own devices to happily play outside or walk to school by themselves. Iceland is a fantastic place for kids to run wild, totally carefree! This means that the country is a great destination for a family trip.

Iceland has a reputation as a pricey destination, but it doesn’t have to be! One trick to save money is to book an Iceland vacation package. That way, you don’t have to organize everything yourself either.

When you book a package with Iceland Tours, you get great value for money. All of our vacations to Iceland include:

• Transport and accommodation
• Detailed itinerary made by local travel experts
• Free Wi-Fi in your car or on your bus
• Access to our 24/7 helpline when you’re in Iceland
• Breakfast every day (excluding camping trips)

If you choose an Iceland adventure package, you’ll also get activities like ice cave tours and lava caving built into the price. And Christmas and New Year packages even include some evening meals.

For more tips on how to save money on your trip, see this Iceland budgeting guide.

There’s no set number of days for a vacation to Iceland. Trips of different lengths will give you totally different experiences!

With 3–5 days in Iceland, you can base yourself in Reykjavík and join day tours to the Golden Circle or south coast. You’ll be able to see the top highlights of Icelandic nature and explore the city in the evenings.

If you spend around a week in Iceland, you could focus on touring a specific region in depth. For example, follow the south coast all the way to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Or head over to West Iceland and the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

This amount of time would also be enough for a Ring Road tour. That said, with 10–14 days in Iceland, you have the time to go slower and see more. As well as the Ring Road, you might want to include the lesser-visited Westfjords region.

With 2 weeks or more, you’ll have the time to see every part of the country, including the Westman Islands and highland interior.

The answer to this question depends on what you want to see! Iceland has tons to offer in summer and winter.

In the summer months of June, July, and August, days are longer and you can pack more into your itinerary. At the start of the season, you can see the midnight sun. Summer is the most popular time to visit, as the majority of attractions, as well as the highlands region, are open.

There’s more darkness in the winter months of November, December, January, and February. This provides the perfect backdrop for chasing down the Northern Lights. Winter’s also great for seeing Iceland’s frosty beauty.

If you want to visit at a quieter time of year, the spring shoulder season of March, April, and May is ideal. There’ll be fewer travelers about then, but still plenty to see! Toward the end of the season, Iceland is starting to turn green again.

The autumn shoulder season is September to October. While not as quiet as spring, it’s still more laid back than the summer. Winter hasn’t truly set in either, so most attractions are still fully open.

With Iceland Tours, you can choose from a whole bunch of travel styles. Our most popular are self-drive tours of Iceland, where you take the wheel of your own rental car. On a road trip, you can stop as often as you like and go wherever your heart takes you.

If you’d rather skip the driving, you can join a multi-day tour. You’ll stay in Reykjavík and take day trips by bus to different attractions out of town. If you want to take it up a level, you could go for a guided group tour. A dedicated local guide will lead your group around the country. A great way to make new travel buddies!

Alternatively, you could go for a private guided tour. Your very own driver-guide will use their expert knowledge of Iceland to show you all sorts of hidden gems.

At the other end of the scale are camping trips. You get a rental car and camping gear included, and you’ll sleep under the midnight sun. It’s harder to get much closer to nature than that.

Then there are day trips if you’re already in Iceland and want to add another experience to your itinerary.

To hire a rental car in Iceland, you’ll need to be at least 20 years old, or 23 years old for jeeps or vans. You’ll also need to have held your driver’s license for at least 1 year. To confirm the booking and pay your holding deposit, you’ll also need a credit card.

If you’re from the EU, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you can drive in Iceland with your driver’s license from home.

For all the details, see our car rental page. And see our Travel Guide if you’re after tips on how to drive in Iceland.

For most travel styles, you can choose from 3 levels of accommodation:

• Budget – Guesthouses and country hotels, with shared bathrooms
• Comfort – Hotels or guesthouses of around 3 stars, with private bathrooms
• Quality – Hotels or guesthouses of around 4 stars, with private bathrooms

With some travel styles, you might have more limited options available. For example, we only offer Comfort or Quality accommodation on our private tours of Iceland.

If you go for a camping trip, guesthouse or hotel accommodation is included for the nights you spend in Reykjavík. For the nights when you’ll camp, we provide you with a tent, sleeping bags, and all the other gear you need.

For all our guesthouse and hotel stays, breakfast is always included no matter which level you pick. Get more info about places to stay on this Iceland accommodation guide.

So that you get the best deal and most flexibility, we don’t include flights with our packages. Once you have a rough idea of when you want to travel, you can start searching for flights to Iceland.

Thanks to its location in the North Atlantic, Iceland is well served by direct flights from lots of European countries and North America. If you’re coming from further afield, you’ll probably need a connecting flight.

Start your booking by checking out the Iceland vacation packages on this page. To narrow your search, filter by your preferred season, travel style, budget, and any attractions you want to see.

Click the heart icon to favorite any packages you’d like to come back to later. That way, you can compare itineraries to firm up your Iceland travel plans.

Once you’ve found the vacation for you, simply follow the steps on the package page to book online. On our website you can:

• Choose your dates and add more days
• Select your rental car* and accommodation level
• Add extra activities and day trips
• Pay a 5% deposit to secure your trip

If you need help with your booking, use the live chat option on our website.

*Applies to self-drive and camping trips only.

For the following travel styles, you’re free to choose any start date you like:

• Self-drive tours
• Camping tours
• Multi-day tours
• Private tours

The itineraries for these tours are of a fixed length, but you can add extra days in Reykjavík at the start or end of your trip at checkout. That way you can make your Iceland vacation last even longer!

Guided group tours have fixed departures. That said, we have a large number of dates on offer, both in summer and winter. So you’re bound to find one that works for you.

Absolutely! Depending on which travel style you choose, you have different customization options.

For self-drive Iceland trips, you can pick your accommodation type and rental car. You can also add bonus activities to fill up your spare time, and more nights in Reykjavík to the start or end of your trip.

For Iceland multi-day tours, you can pick your accommodation level and add some extra activities such as a trip to the Blue Lagoon (if it’s not already included in your package). Extra nights in Reykjavík are an option here too.

Other travel styles, like guided group tours of Iceland, might have more limited customization options due to the nature of the trip. You’ll be able to see all the options available to you at checkout.

Good to know: Although we can’t guarantee stays at specific hotels or guesthouses, we’ll always make sure that you get the standard of accommodation that you pay for. Read more about accommodation types.

If you’d like to make further customizations than those that are available to you at checkout, get in touch and we’d be happy to help. The additional charge for this service is €150. Just so you know, it might not be possible to accommodate further customizations during the summer season. See our terms and conditions for full details.

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to book at least a few weeks before you plan to travel. For availability reasons, we’re unable to book trips with less than 1 week’s notice.

For the summer season, it’s a good idea to book a few months ahead of when you plan to travel. This is the most popular time of year to visit Iceland and places to stay can be limited in more remote areas.

If you’re planning to join a guided group tour, we recommend booking a few months in advance. Departures are on fixed dates and the most popular ones can get booked up.

If you’re a citizen of the EEA, you can travel to Iceland using your passport or national identity card visa-free. Otherwise, you’ll need a valid passport with at least 3 months left on it before expiry.

Citizens of many countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can travel to Iceland for up to 90 days visa-free. Check the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration’s visa-free travel list to find out if you’re eligible.

If you do need a visa, let us know once we’ve confirmed your booking and we can send you a confirmation letter for your visa application.

As its name suggests, Iceland can be quite a chilly country! That said, it’s warmer than many parts of the world on a similar latitude.

Of course, it pays to come prepared. So here’s a list of everything you should pack for an Iceland trip:

• Sturdy, comfortable hiking boots
• Thermal underlayers
• Fleece or sweater
• Waterproof rainjacket
• Warm winter coat
• Gloves, hat, and scarf
• Sunglasses (both in winter and summer)
• Swimming gear
• Moisturizer and lip balm

The main thing to keep in mind is the wind. Although it’s milder in the summer, wind is a constant fixture of the Icelandic weather. With plenty of layers and skincare products though, it shouldn’t get in the way of adventure!

See this Iceland winter packing guide for more tips.