Lava fields, black sand beaches, waterfalls, hot lagoons and endless stretches of gorgeous scenery. How do you choose what to do if you only have 5 days in Iceland without a car?
Below is my itinerary for how to explore Iceland in 5 days without a car, and the recommended day trips to take. Even if you are renting a car while you are there, this will also give you a good idea of what you can see during your 5 days in Iceland!
Should I spend 5 days in Iceland without a car?
Renting a car during your 5 days in Iceland is more expensive, but it gives you A LOT more freedom. You are able to stop any time you see something, for as long as you want. After 2020, this is also the safest option.
Day trips take the stress away from navigating in a new country. Especially if you are not used to driving on the right hand side of the road, or in unpredictable weather conditions.
Your budget is also something to consider. The price of small group tours during my 5 days in Iceland without a car was much cheaper compared to renting a car.
For more information on whether to rent a car in Iceland or not read this post here.
How to get to Reykjavik (and the Blue Lagoon!) from the Airport
To get to Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon from the airport, you can book bus vouchers either when you purchase your Blue Lagoon ticket, or through Reykjavik Excursions.
Reykjavik Excursions is a coach bus, and there is free Wi-Fi on board! They will drop you off at your hotel. If you stay in an AirBnB you will need to walk from the closest hotel.
If you want to go to the Blue Lagoon before checking into your hotel, the bus will stop at Blue Lagoon. Your ticket will be valid from the Airport, with a Blue lagoon stopover, and until you reach your hotel. This makes it convenient stop before or after the airport, or during a layover.
Day 1: Blue Lagoon and Northern Lights Tour
Morning day 1
Most flights arrive in Iceland REALLY early (like 4:30AM early). This is too early to check to a hotel. There are early morning walking tours available in Reykjavik if you prefer, or you can visit the Blue Lagoon.
The first bus to the Blue Lagoon is at 7:30AM. This will give you time to eat breakfast in the Airport. We chose to have bacon, eggs, toast, beans and coffee at Bergsson Mathus.
The Blue Lagoon is a great place to go either before or after a flight. There are barely any other people in the Lagoon early in the morning. We were there for FOUR hours – so relaxing after a long flight!
For a small fee, there is a storage place for your luggage.
Suggested Reading: A First-timer’s Guide to the Blue Lagoon
Evening day 1
During your 5 days in Iceland without a car, you will want to go somewhere really dark to see the Northern Lights. Booking a Northern Lights Tour is a great way to do this.
We booked our tour with GeoIceland.
TIP: If you book a Northern Lights tour early in your trip and you don’t see them, you can go on another tour later in your trip for free!
Even if you are staying in downtown Reykjavik, you will still be able to see the Northern Lights! We were lucky and saw the Northern Lights in Reykjavik as we were waiting for our tour bus. We saw them again on the tour. It was an incredible experience!
Day 2: Reykjanes Peninsula Tour and Exploring Reykjavik
I highly recommend this tour – it was one of my favourite day trips during my 5 days in Iceland without a car. We saw lava fields, a geothermal area, we walked up a cliff to see some incredible views of the ocean, and got to walk between two tectonic plates.
We booked this tour through Gateway To Iceland
This tour offers the option to be dropped off at the Blue Lagoon. If you do not visit the Blue Lagoon on day one, this is a good alternative. You will be responsible for your own travel back to your hotel.
We opted to be returned back to Reykjavik at around 5pm. This gave us TONS of time to explore the town of Reykjavik!
Evening day 2
If you didn’t choose the option to stay at the Blue Lagoon after the Reykjanes Day Tour, you will have time to explore Reykjavik in the evening.
Places to visit in Reykjavik: Go inside Harpa, walk along the harbour, visit the Sun Voyager sculpture, go to the top of Hallgrimskikja church to see the views of Reykjavik, and visit the shops on the main shopping street.
Dinner: We ate at Café Loki, which gave us a great view of the church and the opportunity to try local dishes (fermented shark is def. not my favourite, but the lamb is AMAAAAZING).
Added Bonus – we saw the Northern Lights as we were walking back to our AirBnB!!
Day 3: Hot Golden Circle Tour
The Golden Circle takes you to Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss Waterfall, and a Geysir that erupts every 5 minutes. On this tour, we also went swimming in the Secret Lagoon! This Lagoon has a little Geysir that bubbles hot water into the Lagoon.
We booked this tour through Gateway to Iceland
When we arrived back in Reykjavik we still had more time to explore the city and eat supper. We tried the local hotdog (with everything on it) from a street vendor, and they were delicious.
Day 4: South Coast Tour
Our fourth day in Iceland we explored the South Coast. We saw two waterfalls (Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss), the black sand beach, and walked right up to the edge of a glacier! We went as far as the town of Vik, before heading back to Reykjavik.
This tour was booked through GeoIceland Day Tours
This tour was the longest, and we arrived back in Reykjavik at around 7:30pm. This gave us time to shop and eat supper. We also walked down to the Sun Voyager statue so that we could watch the Northern Lights – and they were spectacular!
Day 5: Last Day (free day with many options)
This day was originally intended as a free day to explore Reykjavik. Since we were able to explore Reykjavik in the evenings during our 5 days in Iceland without a car, we went back to the Blue Lagoon!
This was booked last minute, which I don’t recommend doing since time slots get booked far in advance.
We were lucky that were was an opening (at 8:00am). It was just as nice the second time, and a great way to relax before the flight home!
If you have some free time on your last day, there are other options that you can do in 5 days in Iceland without a car:
- Ride an Icelandic Horse. We saw these all over the country, and they SO cute, and are truly special.
- Go inside a Volcano. This is a very expensive, but you can do this in half a day.
- Visit a Museum. A Penis Museum is one of them! Check the hours in advance since most close at 5pm.
- Shopping in Reykjavik. Some shops close at 5, so spend the afternoon buying new souvenirs!
Have you been to Iceland, or are planning a trip there? What was your favourite thing to do? Let me know in the comments below!
Iceland is totally a bucket list destination for me! But I’m so scared of the cold. I’m a total California girl. HAHA