Day Trips from Reykjavik

A day out of Reykjavik can mean a soak in a lava field, a loop of geysers and waterfalls, or a long road to glacier ice. Our 2026 selection gathers 112 day trips from Reykjavik, grouped by destination below.

We would start with the month you travel, since in December you get only 4 or 5 hours of daylight. Next comes effort: a warm soak, a gentle walk or hours on ice and lava. Last, decide how long you are happy to sit on the road.

Travellers have left more than 9,098 reviews on the trips shown here, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.

Of the trips shown here, the one with the most reviews is "Official Blue Lagoon Iceland: Comfort admission", with more than 6,260 reviews and a rating of 4.6 out of 5.

A morning or an evening

The Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel is 30 to 40 minutes from the city. Fagradalsfjall is under an hour away as well, but the hike out to its lava fields adds 2 to 4 hours. The Blue Lagoon lies on the road to Keflavík airport, so it fills the gap before a flight. Northern lights tours take the evening instead, once it is dark enough.

A full day or longer

The Golden Circle loop adds up to 3.5 to 4 hours of driving, on paved roads open all year. Vík, at the far end of the South Coast road, is 2.5 to 3 hours away. Counting our trips, the Golden Circle has 28 and the South Coast 23, so the loop gives you the wider choice.

Snæfellsnes asks for a day of 10 to 12 hours to loop the peninsula. Sólheimajökull, where the glacier hikes start, is 2 to 2.5 hours away by road.

Landmannalaugar, in the Highlands, is 3 to 3.5 hours away by high-clearance 4x4, on mountain roads that open only in summer. Jökulsárlón lies 5 to 6 hours from Reykjavik each way, so the round trip fills a whole long day.

A first trip to Iceland

First-time visitors, families with young children and older travellers do well on the Golden Circle. One loop takes in Þingvellir, where you walk between tectonic plates, then Strokkur and Gullfoss. It is a scenic drive rather than raw wilderness, so our Golden Circle tours from Reykjavik make a low-stress first day.

Waterfalls, black sand and wide views

Photographers and scenery lovers head for the South Coast, with glaciers, cliffs, waterfalls and black sand in one day. You can walk behind Seljalandsfoss and watch the waves at Reynisfjara, a beach lined with basalt columns.

Snæfellsnes suits repeat visitors and crowd-avoiders who prefer sweeping views to busy stops. Nicknamed Iceland in miniature, it holds a glacier-capped volcano, fishing villages and the arrow-shaped Kirkjufell. With Snæfellsnes Peninsula tours from Reykjavik, someone else drives the long road west. Weighing these two long drives? Reviewers lean towards Snæfellsnes, scoring our trips there 4.7 out of 5, against 4.2 for the South Coast.

Icebergs, ice caves and glacier hikes

Jökulsárlón is for travellers who will sit through a long drive to see icebergs. Blue ice breaks off Vatnajökull, drifts across the lagoon and washes up on Diamond Beach. On our Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon tours from Reykjavik, a single day out means 10 to 11 hours in the vehicle.

Ice caves suit photographers and bucket-list travellers, and the walking inside is light. The natural caves of Vatnajökull open only in winter, while the Katla ice cave near Vík can be visited all year. That season is the first thing to check on ice cave tours from Reykjavik.

Glacier hikes are for active travellers, outdoor lovers and families with teenagers. On crampons, you cross crevasses and blue ridges, so steady footing matters.

Night skies, warm water and easy walks

Stargazers, photographers and flexible travellers who shrug off cold, late nights are the right crowd for northern lights tours from Reykjavik. The aurora can appear from late August to mid-April, though some nights it stays hidden.

The Blue Lagoon suits couples and travellers who want to unwind in milky blue water, inside a black lava field. Because Keflavík airport is close, Blue Lagoon tours from Reykjavik fit neatly into the day you land or fly home.

Families, older travellers and anyone short on time can walk the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel with very little effort. A lit footbridge runs through it, and ice sculptures form inside in winter.

Hard hikes on lava and rhyolite

Fagradalsfjall is for keen hikers and science buffs with good stamina and sturdy boots. The trail climbs wind-swept ridges to fresh black lava, over loose gravel and steep slopes. Travellers score our volcano trips 4.8 out of 5.

Landmannalaugar suits hardcore hikers, nature purists and summer visitors who want to escape the crowds. Its rhyolite mountains are streaked pink, green and yellow, and the day usually ends in a natural hot river.

Road time and season set these trips apart more than anything else. In winter, we would leave room for black ice on Route 1 and strong wind on the South Coast. At the Blue Lagoon, we would also check that the entry is included, since some of the trips are only a transfer.

Table data is indicative and comes from the GuruWalk catalogue. Each activity's current details, including availability, are the ones shown on its listing when you book.