How to Spend a Week in Iceland — Without Renting a Car

Majestic, extraterrestrial, epic. There is no better way to describe Iceland. From its pure white glaciers to its red hot lava, moss-covered mountains to icy waterfalls, Iceland is a land like no other. I’ve traveled to multiple countries, but Iceland is in its own category. Its landscapes have you asking yourself if you’ve left planet earth and perhaps aren’t on the moon. My sister and I just spent a wonderful week in Iceland — and all without renting a car. When we started researching things to do in Iceland, almost all the posts we found were about renting a car. We decided to not rent a car (more on that later) and still were able to enjoy the beautiful but frigid country of Iceland. Here’s how to spend a week in Iceland, all without renting a car.

• Our decision to not rent a car
• Here’s the main outline of our week in Iceland:
  1. Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavik and settling in
  2. Day 2: Golden Circle and Northern Lights
     1. Northern Lights boat tour
  3. Day 3: Snæfellsnes Peninsula
  4. Day 4: Reykjavik day (Hallgrímskirkja and Perlan)
  5. Day 5: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Vik
  6. Day 6: Reykjavik
  7. Day 7: Blue Lagoon
• Preparation for + Reflections on our trip
• What to pack
• Where we stayed

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Our decision to not rent a car

Neither of us felt comfortable driving in another country where we didn’t know the language. (Icelandic isn’t on Duolingo, okay?!) All the guides and blog posts I read talked about renting a van and hitting the road. But we also read that you could drive for hours and not pass any cars on the road. We were afraid of having car problems and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. Now that we completed our trip, we both agreed that not renting a car was the right decision. We were too nervous about car problems, icy conditions, finding gas, and other car logistics and risks.

It’s true that renting a car is a great way to see Iceland and gives you freedom and independence to adapt your itinerary as you wish. It’s also a great way to budget. But if you’re nervous like me and my sister, don’t fret. Sure, there are setbacks to not having your own set of wheels, but for us, the cons outweighed the pros. It might have cost us a bit more, but those extra dollars were necessary so that we could really enjoy ourselves.

We stayed in Reykjavík for the entire week and decided to do day trips with different tourism companies, which included transportation to and from Reykjavik. Going on tour groups meant that it was less intimate as we were in large vans or coach buses with lots of other tourists. But we met some fun people and had the luxury of a local guide who could explain the lay of the land.

There aren’t any Uber services in Iceland, but you will find taxis across town. Looking back, I think we could’ve saved some money by renting a car, but I still don’t regret our decision.

Here’s the main outline of our week in Iceland:

Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavik and settling in

I landed in the early afternoon, and took the FlyBus shuttle into the city. I purchased my ticket directly at the airport, but you can also buy it in advance. The ticket includes drop-off at the bus station, but you can pay a little extra to get dropped off at a particular hotel. I hopped off at the bus station and then ordered a taxi, hoping to save some money. In retrospect I wish I would’ve paid extra to get dropped off closer to my hotel.

My sister’s flight had gotten in early that morning, so we met up at the hotel to drop off luggage. And then we headed out for dinner at Pósthús Food Hall & Bar. I love going to food halls when traveling because everyone can find something they like. This chic food hall serves up global fare from pizza to sushi, burgers to tacos.

Day 2: Golden Circle and Northern Lights

After a long day of travel, we both enjoyed sleeping in. We met our van at a meeting point downtown for our Golden Circle Afternoon Tour with Arctic Adventures. Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir). We had time to stop and take pictures and learn more about the tectonic plates and fissure. The views of the landscape dusted with fall colors were incredible. Next we headed to the Geysir Hot Spring Area, where we saw bubbling geysers. Don’t blink: it happens quickly!

Then we saw the majestic Gullfoss Waterfall. Iceland is well-known for its waterfalls, and you might imagine these delicate, calm waterfalls. Oh no. The water of the Gullfoss Waterfall roared and the wind surged; we lasted a total of 5 minutes outside before running back to the van. Our last stop of the day was Kerid Crater Lake. The water was so clear, and the reddish surroundings were unlike anything I’ve seen. Our tour guide even surprised with an extra stop to pet and feed some ponies on our way back to Reykjavik.

We tested Hlemmur Mathöll, another food hall in Reykjavik. From Mexican to Vietnamese food, Hlemmur Mathöll also boasts a variety of choices. We ate dinner and wandered about town until our 9 p.m. boat departure to see the Northern Lights.

Northern Lights boat tour

So now for the main reason we came to Iceland: the Northern Lights. It has been on our bucket list for years, and after not successfully seeing them in Finland last year, we came back on the hunt. We opted for a boat tour from Special Tours and liked that if we didn’t see the lights, that they’d give us another try later in the week. The boat was warm, and there were seats on the inside where we could warm up between Northern Lights sightings. We certainly front-loaded our trip, but we did this just in case the Northern Lights weren’t behaving.

We boarded the boat a bit before 9 p.m. and then we set off into darkness. And lo and behold, we caught more than a glimpse of the majestic Northern Lights. It’s true that our phones and cameras capture the moment better than with our eyes, but it’s something that must be experienced with your own eye. The lights move, dance, shine and morph in a matter of seconds. A once-in-a-lifetime experience! The only thing I regret about this tour is that we didn’t have professional photos included.

Day 3: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

In many of the guides we read, including Lonely Planet’s, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula showed up again and again. We booked a day tour through BusTravel Iceland, which included stops at: Vatnaleið waterfall, Kirkjufell mountain (oftentimes a computer screensaver), Djupalonssandur black pebble beach, Arnastapi views of the water and Ytri Tunga beach. If you’ve seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, some of the scenes feature areas on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

It’s a beautiful region of Iceland and feels almost untouched by the 21st century. You feel so small and removed from today’s world when you drive through these massive mountains and crystal clear water. The Kirkjufell mountain was massive, and it was incredible to walk through the black pebble beaches of Djupalonssandur. The town of Arnastapi was adorable and fit for a postcard with its majestic landscapes and small village homes. But I think my favorite part of the day was seeing a seal at Ytri-Tunga beach just six feet away from me. He was just sunbathing at dusk and didn’t seem to be bothered that people were observing him. I’ve never been so close to the wild, raw nature.

Our tour guide was helpful and knowledgeable, and I’m really glad we were able to see all of these stops. However, we found it to be a little too long (around 11 hours). But still very glad we weren’t the ones behind the wheel!

Day 4: Reykjavik day (Hallgrímskirkja and Perlan)

We enjoyed a slow morning after a full day before. We started our day with a visit to Hallgrímskirkja church, which has a unique steeple architecture. Taylor paid to go up to the top while I sat and listened to the organist play in the chapel. Then we walked to the Perlan, a natural history museum. We watched a planetarium show on the Northern Lights; we watched their short film on lava; we even explored their ice cave replica. The museum also explains more about Icelandic history and its flora and fauna.

Taylor and I also enjoyed a meal under its glass dome. I tested the lamb stew and enjoyed this warm, hearty dish on a gray day. I was thoroughly impressed with how immersive and interesting the experience was. The tickets are around $40, but I highly recommend a visit to the Perlan. Especially if the weather isn’t great (very probable), visiting this museum is a great choice.

Day 5: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Vik

During our week in Iceland, I wanted to see the ice of course! We booked a tour to see the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon with a departure from Reykjavik. Our day tour included stops at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and the Stjórnarfoss waterfall. Before we visited the lagoon, we visited nearby Diamond Beach, a black sand beach that has huge ice chunks on the shore (hence the “diamond” in its name).

And for the main event, we enjoyed our visit to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We took a boat ride on this gorgeous lagoon marked by giant icebergs. The pictures speak for themselves! On our way back, we stopped in the cute village of Vik, where we enjoyed dinner at the Lava Cafe in this southernmost town in Iceland. I was delighted at their gluten-free options at this cafe, and I wish we would’ve had more time in Vik than just a dinner stop.

This day trip was almost as long as the Snæfellsnes Peninsula tour, but it was fewer stops and more long stretches of bus time. But both Taylor and I really enjoyed that aspect. It gave us time to enjoy the landscapes, take a snooze and not get on and off.

Day 6: Reykjavik

After a full day of touring, we enjoyed another slow morning. It’s true that Iceland is particularly known for its nature destinations: waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers. But they do have several museums, including the Reykjavik Art Museum. Unfortunately, pleasing an expat in France — a country renowned for its many well-ranked museums — is a tall order. It’s certain that Iceland excels in nature tourism; I was a bit disappointed with the art museum. The museums were well-done but just very small.

On our way to try a nearby pastry shop, we passed a cute kitty in a windowsill. Lo and behold, it was a cat café called Kattakaffihúsið, and given my love of all things feline, we changed our plans to sip coffee and pet cats. It was delightful to get out of the cold, try one of their signature lattes and pet the kitties. Later that night, we enjoyed dinner at Tres Locos, a Mexican restaurant in Reykjavik.

Day 7: Blue Lagoon

One of the other items on our bucket list for our trip to Iceland was the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal seawater reservoir. In layman’s terms, it’s a big thermal bath, which comes in handy in the very cold country of Iceland. My sister and I had so much fun wading through the warm water, enjoying our drinks from the in-water bar and lathering on our silica face masks in the water. It’s outside of Reykjavik, but there are private shuttles that you can reserve. We decided to visit the Blue Lagoon on our last day as it’s closer to the airport and therefore our airport hotel. Out of all the things we did in Iceland, our trip to Blue Lagoon was one of my favorites.

Preparation for + Reflections on our trip

I’ve traveled quite a bit, but Iceland is on another level of its own. The country doesn’t have metros or trains, so it’s very important to plan ahead of time in order to smoothly get around. It’s also quite big and has so many different regions to see. In a week’s time, it’s impossible to do it all, but it’s hard to know where to begin. My sister and I perused guide books like Lonely Planet. (I have this Lonely Planet book on my shelf and love it!)

But our biggest help for our Iceland trip came from Kyana Sue, an American expat blogger in Iceland. We purchased her digital guide, which proved to be a godsend. She suggests activities, hotels, restaurants and itineraries across the entire country. She also has set itineraries, which we didn’t use but were able to find inspiration. She also has a robust Instagram account with lots of nuggets of information for your first (or second or third) time to Iceland.

When reflecting on our week in Iceland, I think we could’ve combined our Reykjavik days, as we had quite a bit of free time. Another very important note: Iceland is not cheap. Even the museums and buses were some of the most expensive I’ve ever seen. For that reason alone, I think we could’ve shaved off a day of our trip and squeezed our Reykjavik days into one. I think we could’ve saved better had we planned more meals and groceries at our Airbnb. I certainly don’t regret the trip, but if you want to save money, you’ll have to be strategic and plan ahead.

What to pack

In my head, the weather in Iceland during the month of October would be mild. And it probably was mild — for Iceland at least. However, it was still very cold! Heck, in Icelandic, they have more than 100 names for “wind.” Nobody looks like a million bucks here; you need to bundle up! I bought a waterproof and very warm coat from Decathlon, and the trip would have gone much worse without it. I brought a big blanket scarf and warm hat and thermal tights. Bundle up, and definitely opt for waterproof.

Where we stayed

I had the privilege of winning a drawing at work, and the prize was a 3-night hotel stay in a European capital of my choice. (Merci Sylvie !) For part of the trip, we stayed in Hotel Múli, which was cozy and efficient. It was farther outside the city center, which meant that we had to take the bus to get into town. It prides itself on being a self-service hotel, which means there’s no one working at the reception. We didn’t have any problems, and the breakfast was copious.

We also stayed in an Airbnb for part of the trip and enjoyed being closer to the city. On the final night, we stayed at Konvin Hotel, a hotel close to the airport so that we had less of a hike for our early morning flight. We were thrilled at the quality and service, especially for the price.

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There is so much to see in Iceland, and we only scratched the surface. From the Golden Circle to Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the Blue Lagoon to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, here’s how to spend a week in Iceland. Renting a car is a great way to see the country, but no need to fret if you’re like me and prefer to not explore Iceland behind the wheel.