Almost every piece of advice you read about traveling in Iceland mentions that in order to really see Iceland, you need to rent a car. Even with all of that advice, I still chose to visit Iceland without a car. Now, after visiting, I agree with this advice: in order to really see Iceland, you need to rent a car. Having a car gives you the freedom to go at your own pace and explore the Icelandic countryside. Reykjavik is a small capital city with not a lot to do. The real joy of Iceland is found outside the cities and in nature.
When I visited Iceland in 2018, I was hesitant about renting car. I was traveling solo and renting a car was slightly outside my budget (although I could have managed it). I was also nervous about driving a car in a foreign country. After the trip, I think it’s safe to say that those fears were a bit unfounded. I loved my time in Iceland and hope to go back one day. When I do, I’ll definitely be renting a car.
But if you’re like me and you’re still not convinced that renting a car is the best way to see the country, you still have options. Rather than driving yourself, you can use Reykjavik as a base and take guided day trips from here. Like everything in this country, these day trips can be expensive. However, I was a solo traveler. These guided trips around southern Iceland were comparable to renting a car (and paying for the gas and insurance).
Here’s how I spent five days in Iceland without a car.
Day 1 – Hello, Iceland!
My flight from the US landed early in the morning and by 7:30 am, I had cleared customs. Since I wasn’t renting a car in Iceland, I jumped on a bus headed for Reykjavik. Keflavik airport is nearly an hour outside of Reykjavik, so getting to the center can take some time. However, Iceland has a small population, so traffic is not a concern, especially if you arrive as early as I did. I used a bus service at the airport to go to the main bus station in Reykjavik. From here, you can rent cars, catch another bus to your hotel, or simply walk like I did. By 10:00 am, I had made it to my guest house.
Despite my early arrival, my room was ready and I was able to drop off my bag. If you are not able to store your bag at your accommodation, there are lockers at the bus station.
I never book any sightseeing in advance for my first day in a new city. There’s always a chance something could go wrong with travel and you will end up delayed. So instead, I spent the afternoon wandering through the city center of Reykjavik. This is the largest city in Iceland, but one afternoon is more than enough time to wander the streets, pop into the main church, grab an expensive lunch, and stop for some groceries. If you’re just wandering in Reykjavik, this is one day where you definitely won’t need a car in Iceland.
Take advantage of the grocery stores here. Meals in restaurants can cost over $30 per entree. That said, every meal I had from a restaurant in Iceland was delicious.
Day 2 – The South Coast of Iceland and the Black Sand Beaches
Most of the beauty of this country is found outside of its cities. This is why nearly everyone encourages you to rent a car for your visit to Iceland. But even without a car, you still have options.
For two of the five days of my trip, I booked excursions with Your Day Tours. I picked this company because they offer smaller groups. So rather than an oversized bus packed with tourist, our small group traveled in a minibus. The tours are capped at 18. But on both of my trips, we only had about ten people, and we all of us plenty of space.
Each morning, the driver picked me up at my guesthouse. One day I was the last person to be picked up, while the other day I was first. It just depends where your hotel is and where you’re going that day. Since these tours are small groups, it does not take long to pick up everyone and get on the road.
Today was all about the south coast of Iceland: waterfalls, glaciers, and the black sand beaches. Our first stop was at Skogafoss, which is a massive, iconic waterfall. Here we had enough time to take our photos and climb to the very top. This is the one stop where I wish we would have had more time.
At the top of Skogafoss, a hiking trail, nicknamed “The Waterfall Way” leads off to even more waterfalls and scenery. I know I wouldn’t have hiked the entire trail, but I would have liked to follow it at least part of the way. But I had to get back to the bus so I didn’t get stranded here. Not that this would have been a terrible place to get stranded.
Next, we continued down the coast before eventually ending at Vik and Reynisfara. Since this was the only place along the way that sold food, we stopped here for a longer stop so people could get some lunch. I skipped lunch and spent time walking along the black sand beaches before the rain started.
After lunch, we turned around and headed back toward Reykjavik, stopping for to walk out to Sólheimajökull, a glacier and UNESCO world heritage site. Later we stopped at Seljalandsfoss, another waterfall that is positioned in such a way that you can walk behind the falling water.
We were back in Reykjavik in time for dinner.
Day 3 – Snorkeling Between Tectonic Plates
On day three I woke up early for another excursion, this time to have a once in a life time experience. In Iceland, the North American and Eurasian plates meet and between them, you’ll find the Silfra fissure full of crystal clear water. You can snorkel in this fissure and while it’s very cold, it still remains as one of the coolest things I have ever done.
Again, I did this with a tour company that provided transportation (although if you had rented a car for your Icelandic vacation, you could have driven here yourself). They picked me up at my guesthouse and dropped me back off after.
They provide drysuits or wetsuits (depending on your preference at booking), as well as all snorkel gear. The drysuits will keep you mostly dry and go over your clothes and limit your movement. If you want more freedom of movement, book a tour that offers a wetsuit. Just realize it will be cold in a wetsuit.
The water here is just above freezing, so it’s very cold, even in a wet suit. You’re cold initially, but your body adjusts and you realize how crazy of an experience this is. However, by the end, I was more than ready to get out and put on some warm, dry clothes.
This excursion only lasts a few hours, so it can be done either in the morning or the afternoon, leaving the other free. I opted to do this in the morning, which proved to be a great decision since we had sunshine in the morning and rain in the afternoon. Weather changes constantly in Iceland so you just have to hope the weather cooperates with your plans.
Back in Reykjavik, I wandered downtown some more, did some souvenir shopping, and relaxed a bit. If you want to pack in even more adventure, consider booking another tour in the afternoon, or combining your snorkeling with another tour.
Day 4 – The Golden Circle
This is one of the most popular day trips from Reykjavik. In fact, it may be one of the most popular things to do in this country. If you rented a car, you can explore on your own. For those of us traveling Iceland without a car, there’s several tour companies that will take you to the most popular sights.
The Golden Circle takes you through some of Iceland’s most beautiful scenery, stopping at waterfalls, national parks, and a hot spring. What’s not to love? I also booked this tour with Your Day Tours, who once again picked me up and dropped me off at my guesthouse. This time I had a different guide and despite it being another full day tour, her talk about Iceland was different than what I learned on Day 2. I was thrilled that I got to learn something new instead of listening to the same history of Iceland again.
We started at Þingvellir, a national park northeast of Reykjavik. Here we walked between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates (not as cool as snorkeling between them, but it was a much warmer experience!), took in the scenery, and visited Gullfoss, another waterfall here in Iceland.
Later we visited Geysir, the geyser that all other geysers in the world are named after. Geysir is no longer active, but just a short walk away is another geyser that is active and attracts hoards of tourists. This was tied for the most tourists I saw in one place during my entire trip to Iceland (the other place was the Blue Lagoon).
For our last stop we went to Secret Lagoon, a hot spring where we could all soak and relax for awhile before heading back to Reykjavik. This hot spring has a significantly different feel than the Blue Lagoon. This hot spring had tourists, but it was also being used by locals who have incorporated it into their routine.
We got back to Reykjavik later in the day, which left enough time to get dinner.
Day 5 – The Blue Lagoon and Flying Home
My flight left Iceland at 2:00 in the afternoon and I was unsure of how I wanted to spend my morning.
My original plan before landing in Iceland was that I could explore more of Reykjavik. But by day five, I was kind of bored with Reykjavik. So while booking my transfer back to Keflavik airport, I decided to splurge and go to the Blue Lagoon. Since the Blue Lagoon is on the way to the airport, many transfer services offer connections between Keflavik airport, the Blue Lagoon, and the Reykjavik city center (and the reverse).
I had originally not planned on doing this because I just heard how touristy it was. However, the idea of hanging around my guesthouse for hours in the morning didn’t sound too appealing, so I decided to give it a try. I was in Iceland after all. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the Blue Lagoon a lot more than I thought I would. Maybe it was because I had low expectations going into it, but it was very relaxing sitting and soaking in the hot spring. It was so much better than sitting in the airport or my guesthouse.
When it was time to leave, I boarded the same bus and headed out to the airport. Good bye, Iceland.
Final Thoughts
This itinerary worked very well for me. There were a few places I would have loved to stay at longer (Skogafoss) as well as some places I was ready to leave sooner (Reynisfara). However, with group tours you just don’t have that luxury. Still, I think an itinerary like this is a great option if you want to avoid renting a car, but still have more freedom than a multi-day tour. With these day tours, not only do you see the amazing natural beauty of Iceland, you also get a dose of history and culture from your guides. If I had had my own car, I wouldn’t have learned as much about the history of Iceland as I did.
If I were to do this first time trip to Iceland all over again, I believe I would still do it the same way, with day tours instead of a rental car. The tours gave me a great introduction to Iceland and allowed me to figure out which parts of Iceland I want to dive deeper into on my next trip. At the end of the day, it really comes down to personal preference. Despite what you may read online, it’s absolutely possible to see Iceland without a car.
Continue Your Adventure
Silfra Fissure: Snorkeling at Silfra is an incredible experience and one you have to do when you’re in Iceland.
South Coast of Iceland: From waterfalls to beaches to glaciers, the South Coast of Iceland has a little bit of everything.
Golden Circle: For more waterfalls and a national park, travel around Iceland’s Golden Circle.
Iceland: Check out my Iceland Travel Guide to learn more about planning your trip.
For More Nature and Hiking Focused Itineraries: Try 10 Days in Colorado, 9 Days in Costa Rica, or 10 Day Utah National Park Road Trip.
For More Short Trips: Try 5 Days in Zurich or Two Days in the Loire Valley (Without a Car!).
The trip sounded fantastic and your photos were stunning