Reykjavík
You'll spot the University of Iceland just south of the city centre, near the National Museum.
Must-see attractions in Iceland
East Iceland
The remains of the world’s largest spar quarry lie east of Eskifjörður. Iceland spar (silfurberg in Icelandic) is a type of calcite crystal that is…
East Iceland
A habitual site of accidents in ancient times, Njarðvíkurskriður is a dangerous scree slope on Rte 94 near Njarðvík on the way into Borgarfjörður Eystri…
North Iceland
The remote, reconstructed turf farmhouse Sænautasel, dating from 1843, brings the past to life…plus it sells pancakes and coffee. This is one of several…
East Iceland
During WWII around 3000 Allied soldiers (10 times the local population) were based in Reyðarfjörður. At the top end of Heiðarvegur you’ll find the…
Southeast Iceland
Inland from Lómagnúpur peak is Núpsstaðarskógar, a beautiful low-growing woodland area on the slopes of the mountain Eystrafjall. Due to the perils of…
Southeast Iceland
The Flatey dairy farm (also known as Flatey á Mýrum) lies almost exactly halfway between Jökulsárlón and Höfn and is hard to miss as you drive along – the…
Akureyri
The most interesting of the artists’ residences in Akureyri, Nonnahús was the childhood home of renowned children’s writer Reverend Jón Sveinsson (1857…
North Iceland
Hjalteyri (population 43) was once a major herring harbour, and its old fish factory was Iceland's largest herring-processing plant when it was built in…
North Iceland
Tindastóll (989m) is a prominent Skagafjörður landmark, extending for 18km along the coast. The mountain and its caves are believed to be inhabited by an…
East Iceland
Djúpivogur's oldest building is the long, bright-red Langabúð, a harbourside log warehouse dating from 1790. It now houses a cafe and an unusual local…
East Iceland
Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (1885–1972), Iceland’s best-known artist, was brought up nearby and took much of his inspiration from Borgarfjörður Eystri and…
North Iceland
Eyjan is an island-like mesa covered with low, scrubby forests and small ponds.You can walk a 7km trail around Eyjan from Karl og Kerling to Vesturdalur…
Akureyri
This sweet, well-curated museum houses art and historical items relating to town life, including maps, photos and recreations of early Icelandic homes…
North Iceland
Around 19km west of Blönduós, a 6km detour along Rte 721 leads you to a precious stone church, Þingeyrar, sitting quietly and photogenically beside Hóp…
East Iceland
Going by various names (Fish Factory, Sköpunarmiðstöð, 'In Here'), this once-abandoned fish factory by the harbour is a hive of creativity; it's a…
East Iceland
Accessed through the lobby of Fosshotel Eastfjords, this quality museum (with very pricey admission) paints a detailed portrait of the French connection…
Heimaey
Sheltered by an extinct volcano, green and grassy Herjólfsdalur was the home of Vestmannaeyjar's first settler, Herjólfur Barðursson. Excavations have…
Southeast Iceland
This outwash plain spreads across the Meðalland district south of Eldhraun and east of the river Kúðafljót (ie south of Kirkjubæjarklaustur). The sandy…
Southeast Iceland
West of the village and south of the Ring Road is this vast, dimpled, vivid-green pseudocrater field. Pseudocraters formed when hot lava poured over…
North Iceland
A folk, maritime and natural-history museum rolled into one, the Culture House is one of the North's most interesting regional museums. ‘Man and Nature’…
North Iceland
Opened in 2014, this museum salutes the history of human exploration, covering Viking voyages and polar expeditions, but its most nootable exhibition…
The Westfjords
Gvenderlaug is a landmark, 42°C miracle-producing pool (no bathing) that was blessed by the bishop Gvendur the Good in the 13th century and is now a…
The South
Impressive turf houses and old farmhouses built into an enormous freestanding rock, in front of the Eyjafjöll Mountains. Local farmers would keep their…
North Iceland
The town's prime attraction is the prominent Icelandic Seal Centre on the harbourfront, where you can learn about conservation of seals, historical seal…
The Westfjords
The White-Tailed Eagle Centre highlights the attempts to increase the population of the struggling species, which peaked in 2011 at 66 nests. It also has…
North Iceland
Take the detour off Rte 711 (or accessed via Rte 716 off the Ring Road) to reach mysterious Borgarvirki, believed to be a defensive fortification from the…
North Iceland
Karl og Kerling (‘Old Man’ and ‘Old Woman’), two rock pillars, believed to be petrified trolls, stand on a gravel bank west of the river, a 2km return…
Southeast Iceland
The 1864 warehouse that once served as the regional folk museum has been moved from the outskirts of town to a prime position on the Höfn harbourfront. It…
Southeast Iceland
Just east of Foss á Siðu waterfall (about 11km from Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the Ring Road) is the outcrop Dverghamrar (‘Dwarf Rocks’) – two rock formations…
Ystafell Transportation Museum
North Iceland
Some 37km south of Húsavík on Rte 85 (or about 9km off the Ring Road), this impressive, remote museum is well worth a stop for any petrolheads passing…
East Iceland
Álfaborg (Elf Rock), the small mound and nature reserve near the campsite, is the ‘borg’ that gave Borgarfjörður Eystri its name. Some locals believe that…
East Iceland
You can’t miss the village’s hairiest and most photogenic house: bright-red Lindarbakki (1899) is completely cocooned by whiskery green grass, with only a…
Reykjanes Peninsula
The first lighthouse in the area was built in 1878, but sadly it wasn't to last. A severe earthquake in Valahnúkur at the beginning of the 20th century…
Reykjanes Peninsula
There are two gigantic sculptures in front of the terminal building at Keflavík International Airport – Magnús Tómasson’s Þotuhreiður (Jet Nest) resembles…
The South
In town, the tin-clad house Brydebúð was built in Vestmannaeyjar in 1831 and moved to Vík in 1895. Today it houses the tourist office, the Halldórskaffi…
Skaftfell – Center for Visual Art
Seyðisfjörður
It's well worth a look in this gallery space above the Skaftfell Bistro. Skaftfell is a visual art centre with a focus on contemporary art, and it stages…
Ísafjörður
More than 740 clay birds, arranged in flight soar above the altarpiece of this modernist church.They were made by locals during a group art project. Look…
East Iceland
Inside the 1816 black timber warehouse ‘Gamlabuð’, the East Iceland Maritime Museum illustrates two centuries of the east coast’s historic herring, shark…
North Iceland
The Rauðhólar (Red Hills) crater row, just north of Hljóðaklettar, displays a vivid array of colours in the cinder-like gravel on the remaining cones. The…
