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What to see in Iceland in 4 days 【South + Golden Circle】
Discover what to see in Iceland in 4 days with our detailed guide and adapted for traveling to Iceland at any time of year, even during the harsh winter. This 4-day Iceland itinerary will take you to some of our favorite places, sites we visited many times while living there. You'll also find suggestions, tips, and links to other useful additional articles to help you make the most of your short but intense visit.
Get ready for an unforgettable trip that will leave you wanting to return!
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO ICELAND IN 4 DAYS
This itinerary with the best things to see in Iceland in 4 days It is perfect for a first trip to the country where you can discover some of the most epic and famous places in southern Iceland such as Skogáfoss waterfall or Reynisfjara beach.
It is also ideal if you have already been to Iceland during the summer traveling the Ring Road and now want to experience Iceland in winter.
Climate and hours of light
This is one of the most important aspects when organizing everything to see in Iceland in 4 days because it will vary a lot how much you can stretch the day in summer versus what you can do in winter, when there are only 6 or 7 hours of daylight.
To help you we have written an article where we tell you what Iceland is like month by month. There you can check the weather that awaits you, what the landscapes will be like and how many hours of daylight there will be.
→Best time to travel to Iceland
We will focus on this itinerarycar full days where more or less You start the route at 9 in the morning and thermals at 7 or 8 in the evening. So if you do Iceland in 4 days during the winter with fewer daylight hours (November, December, January, February) you will have to skip some stops.
How to reserve accommodation and vehicle
The best option to tour Iceland in 4 days is with a rental vehicle, either by car or camper van. Both options are feasible at any time of the year., although during the colder months going by car and sleeping in hotels is much more practical. In summer you will have much more freedom if you travel by van.
Our recommendation is that you book as soon as possible because lDemand is very high and the economic options are the first to run out in a country such caro What is Iceland like?
How to pay in Iceland
You will be able to make all payments by card, so we recommend that if you do not yet have a travel card, you get one for your Iceland route in 4 days. With Revolut or N26 You will avoid commissions when paying with Icelandic krona (ISK) and it will make a good exchange rate for euros.
What to pack for a 4-day Iceland trip
This is a question we get very often. We always say that the most important thing to travel to Iceland in winter or any other time of the year is to bring a good thermal layer, a fleece layer and a third waterproof layer. Both for the upper part and the legs, and even gloves if you travel in winter.
We leave you below an article with a complete list of what to take in your suitcase so you don't miss anything and fight the Icelandic climate.
I also want to encourage you to travel with just a backpack because you'll have enough space for four days if you pack well.car Bringing a suitcase or carrying a hand luggage to Iceland costs quite a bit. caro.
Travel insurance
For a 4-day itinerary through Iceland as a European citizen, travel insurance is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended. For €16 you are covered with medical assistance of +€300.000, repatriation in case of accident and lost luggage.
We have written an article explaining what the differences are between travel insurance versus just carrying the European Health Insurance Card, with which Healthcare in Iceland is not free.
COMPLETE ITINERARY THROUGH ICELAND IN 4 DAYS
For this 4-day Iceland route we leave you an itinerary with everything to see in Iceland in 4 full days because we consider that it is the minimum you need to be able to enjoy the trip, so we assume that you have arrived at the airport the day before. Keflavik AirportIf you land very late and choose to sleep near the airport, you can stay in the Keflavik hotels with free shuttle to the airport.
In case your flight arrives in the middle of the afternoon and you still have a few hours of daylight left, I recommend visiting the Reykjanes peninsula (where is the airport) It has some beautiful volcanic landscapes to whet your appetite for what's to come. To sleep, you can go a few kilometers to Hvolsvöllur or Hella and thus be closer to the first stops on your route through Iceland in 4 days.
What to see in Iceland in 4 days, Summary itinerary
- Day 1: Gluggafoss waterfalls, Gljufrafoss, Seljalandsfoss ,Skógafoss, Kvernufoss, Solheimasandur plane Dyrhólaey cliffs, Reynisfjara black sand beach. Sleep in Vik
- Day 2: Vik Viewpoint, Gígjagjá Cave, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Svartifoss, Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Sleep by Skaftafell
- Day 3: Visit ice caves in winter or glacier trekking in summer, Svínafellsjökull glacier lagoon. Sleep in Vík
- Day 4: Golden circle; Kerid crater, Gullfoss waterfalls, Brúarárfoss, geyser, Thingvellir plates of North America and Eurasia. Sleep in Reykjavík or return home from Keflavik.
- Alternative: If you don't want to go trekking or explore ice caves, you can arrive in Reykjavik earlier to go whale watching or hike more trails.
Day by day route map
You can enter the map and filter the day to day
Day 1 – South Waterfalls and Black Beach
During the first day you will see five of the most impressive waterfalls in the country and the famous black beach with its basaltic formations.
In this order you will visit Gluggafoss, Gljufrafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, and Kvernufoss, now we will tell you a little about each of them.
Gluggafoss It's not very well known, but it's well worth stopping by and taking a look.carsFrom the parking lot, it won't take you even 5 minutes to get right to your feet. seljalandsfoss Surely you have seen many photos from below, it is one of the waterfalls where you can go behind. A few meters away you will find gljufrafoss What is inside a crack and it is spectacular.
Even from the parking lot you can see Skogafoss, but there is also a path on the side to see the views from above that we recommend you climb. And the last waterfall of the day is Kvernufoss, which takes about 10 minutes to reach along a path through a canyon.
After visiting Kvernufoss you will be very close to the abandoned Solheimasandur plane. If you have many hours of daylight it is an interesting stop to add, the round trip will take a maximum of 2 hours.
The last stops of the day are the acliffs of Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjara Beach, one of the most impressive stops to see in Iceland in 4 days. There you will find the black sand beach, hexagonal basalt columns, the Hálsanefhellir cave and the Reynisdrangar rocks that emerge in the middle of the sea.
Day 2 – The best glaciers to see in Iceland in 4 days
Before starting the second day of your Iceland route in 4 days, you can stop by to see the views from the Vík church. From there head to Gígjagjá, known as Baby Yoda's cave and Fjadrárgljúfur canyon.
The next stop is Skaftafell National Park from where you can take the trail to see the Svartifoss waterfall or the one from the Sjónarnípa viewing point, from where you can see a perfect glacier tongue. It takes between an hour and an hour and a half to do each one, going there, coming back and spending some time at the top. If you do both, count on about two and a half hours.
We continue driving along one carmost beautiful doorways in the world to reach the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon. We think it is one of the best things to see in Iceland in 4 days because of how close you can see the glacier that forms the lagoon.
Of course, it is also a more than essential stop on any Iceland route in 4 days. Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon with its giant blocks of ice. From the same parking lot you can visit Diamond Beach, where these blocks of ice end up cheaply in the sand.
Two other places that are within walking distance carroutes where making a quick stop on this second day are the traditional church with grass on the roof Hofskirkja and the fields of Icelandic moss Eldhraun.
Day 3 – Ice Caves or glacier trekking
On the third day of the route we see a lot, a lot of ice. If yesterday you saw the glaciers from the car window and the shore of the lagoons, today it's time to climb on top of it!
For trips between mid-October and the end of April I suggest taking a tour to see ice caves, you can take one of 3 hours in which you only go to ice caves or one of 5 hours to also live the experience of walking on top of the glacier.
If you travel during the warmer months the ice caves are not open, But you can live the experience of walking on it doing a glacier trekking. We recommend the 5-hour one because you spend about 3 hours on top of the glacier, shorter excursions are very short.
At the end of the daycarto have a good time carretreat to go back to sleep again in Vik again and thus be close of the Golden CircleBut not without first making a stop at the lagoon Svínafellsjökull glacier.
Another idea to do instead of these tours, or complementary if the day gives you a lot of effort, is the 7 kilometer route to the Múlagljúfur canyon.
Don't miss our guide with the best places in South Iceland, in it you can see many other alternatives to add to your 4-day Iceland route.
Day 4 – Golden Circle and return home
This express, but super complete itinerary is almost coming to an end, where we share with you what to see in Iceland in 4 days. On the last day, it's time to get up early to leave Vík early and visit the best of the Golden Circle before returning home.
the first stop will be Kerid crater to visit the small lagoon inside & AFTER Gullfoss a waterfall One of the largest in Iceland! And of course, it is also an essential the spectacular Strokkur geyser which erupts every barely 7 minutes and the entire geothermal area around it.
complete guide to visit the Golden Circle in your journey
The next stop is the blue-water Brúaárfoss waterfall. Despite the color of its water being small eIt's so special that it places it in the top of the best waterfalls what to see in Iceland in 4 days. And finally, you can visit Thingvellir, the National Park located right on the Silfra fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
After seeing these two places we go to Reykjavik for a short walk to get to know the city or a bath in one of the best hot springs in Iceland.
If your flight leaves tonight, I don't think you'll have time to get to know Reykjavik (that's for the next trip!) from Thingvellir to the Airport it takes a little less than an hour and a half.
I hope this route has given you ideas on everything to see in Iceland in 4 days.
To read more about each place you can access all articles what we have from Iceland or see our featured stories from Instagram. Thanks for reading us!
