
I’ve been lucky enough to go to Iceland not once, but twice, and I thought it was about time to share my 3 Day Iceland Itinerary! While I do love food, I also love travel and finding new places, and of course, travel and food go hand in hand. When I was first planning my Iceland trip, there were a ton of resources, but it still felt very overwhelming. We were only going for three days and wanted to pack in as much as we could see, and I think we did a pretty great job!
The second time I went was with Icelandic Provisions, and the trip was magic. We did a few things you don’t normally see on an Iceland itinerary, and went to a few places that I didn’t even know existed, so I wanted to leave those here, too!
This guide has my favorite hot springs (a few hidden ones, too), my recommendations for the best sites, and how we managed to fit everything we wanted to see into 3 days. At the bottom I’ll list a few extra things I experienced with Icelandic Provisions, so you can mix and match them into your itinerary as you like!
Table of contents

A 3-Day Iceland Itinerary
If you are staying in Iceland for three days, it’s a great idea to either rent a car and have a stationary Airbnb a bit outside of Reykjavík, which is what we did, or rent a camper van, which I know is a popular choice!
This was our Airbnb, which was clean, cozy and comfortable, and in a pretty nice location. I’ve visited in both September and June, and I recommend as close to summer as possible for better weather and light.
Day 1
If possible, I recommend taking a redeye into Iceland, especially if you are only doing a 3 Day Iceland Itinerary. It’s a slog, but it will help with the time change!
We immediately landed and headed to Braud & Co. And I will tell everyone to do this. The staff is incredible, the cinnamon rolls and bread are delicious, and they have a sign that says “filming is encouraged,” which is music to my ears. I recommend getting the cinnamon roll, the cookie and a lot of coffee and heading down to the water to eat it. It’s an easy introduction to the city.





Then, of course, we went to Blue Lagoon. I know it’s a touristy spot, but it’s an absolute must in my books. I recommend doing it on your first or last day, due to how close it is to the airport. Plan to spend at least three hours there, but usually you’ll want more.

On my second trip I had the chance to go to Lava Restaurant, which I was expecting to be not-so-great, but it was fantastic. I highly recommend it for the bread service with skyr butter alone.
After Blue Lagoon, we took the afternoon to explore Reykjavík and grocery shop. The next days were when we went into full-gear!
Day 2
Day 2 we chose to explore the Golden Circle. There are two main tourism/sightseeing roads, with Ring Road being the first (we get to that on Day 3!) and Golden Circle being the smaller, second one. Both have a lot to see!
We did make a mistake on this day of spending too much time at Thingvellir National Park, which is the first big stop on Golden Circle. While it’s beautiful, I recommend spending most of your time at Geysir Hot Springs, where you can see the famous dormant Geysir, and the active Strokkur. Also, if you go in the late summer, veer a little bit from the path and you’ll find fantastic berry foraging!


The next stop on Golden Circle is Glufoss Waterfall, where it’s simply majestic. I recommend parking at the second parking lot you come across, which will park you above the lookouts, so you can hike up and down and around.
After a day of potentially chilly hiking, a great stop is The Secret Lagoon. Think of it as a mix between Blue Lagoon swanky and au natural outdoors lagoons. We went on our Icelandic Provisions trip and it was wonderful and relaxing.
To direct yourself to all of these places, simply enter their names into your GPS, or use the links here for Google Maps!
Day 3
Day 3 is when we went to South Iceland, and this is where my favorite spots were.
We started at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, to get there just put “Seljalandsfoss Waterfall” into your GPS and it will direct you. It’s an idyllic waterfall that you can walk under, but the coolest waterfall is just near it.

Right next to Seljalandsfoss is Gljúfrabúi Waterfall, AND PLEASE DON’T MISS IT. Walk 1/4 of a mile to your left, a small sign will mark it. You have to walk through a gorge until you get to a cave. Inside the cave, the waterfall comes straight down. It’s like being in a movie.


My next favorite stop was Seljavallalaug Hot Spring. But what no one tells you is that it is a bit hidden. You’ll park at what looks like a swimming pool, and the hot spring is a short hike away, add “Seljavallalaug Hot Spring” to the GPS. From the parking lot, it’s a 20 minute walk. There are “changing rooms,” but they don’t have doors, so be prepared to change behind a towel, or wear your swimsuit underneath. And bring a few beers to enjoy, it’s lovely up there.



Next on the road is Skogafoss Waterfall – you’ll see the waterfall from right along the road, but walk the stairs to the right to get to the top. You can continue hiking, but I love having a late lunch overlooking the waterfall.

And while you can stop at Kvernufoss Waterfall – it’s a bit of a hike, and we opted to save our time to go to the black sand beaches. For Kvernufoss, there are no GPS instructions, but it is located behind Skogafoss. Navigate to Skogar Museum and then hop over a fence to a hike that will lead into the gorge. The hike goes along the river until you reach the waterfall!
Next is the Sólheimasandur Airplane Wreck – located very near Skogafoss, located by a small makeshift parking area. The walk is on a rocky beach, go over a hill to see the plane – exact coordinates – 63.459523,-19.364618.
But instead, we chose to go off the beaten path and went to Landeyjahöfn. It’s a nearly deserted black sand beach with a fisherman boat shipwreck. You can either park and hike, or you can drive directly on the beach. Just know that you’ll need four wheel drive!

And then, of course, the last stop on this jam-packed day is the Black Sand Beach Reynisfjara. In all of its Game of Thrones glory, this is worth the stop.


Between all of this, if you are looking for a cozy place to eat, the Icelandic Provisions team took us to Gamla Fjósið, an old dairy farm with the cutest atmosphere and food!
Departure Day
Our last morning we used to explore Reykjavík. A few things to know:
- Make friends with the cats, they will love it, you will love it.
- The Opera House is beautiful, but a bit overrated, no need to spend too much time there.
- Don’t get the hot dogs, get the fish and chips.




We did love seeing Rainbow Street, and going inside Hallgrimskirkja, but our favorite parts were popping into bakeries like Sandholdt, exploring shops and getting a bit outside the area around Hallgrimskirkja to gape at all the mansion-like houses in beautiful colors.
But after that, it was off to the airport for us!
Other Iceland Spots you MUST try to see!
That was just my three-day, baby itinerary, but when I went with Icelandic Provisions, we got to see so much more! Here are some highlights:
Geothermal bread baking at Gunnuhver Hot Springs
While this rumbling hot spring is an attraction in and of itself, all around it are small geothermal holes that people have dug themselves, used for traditional Icelandic bread baking. this is where the bread is baked for 24 to 48 hours in the holes underground, which run about 180 degrees F. We had a lovely guide, who I’ll try to hunt down the contact info for. She was so nice and let us see the geothermal hole she and her husband built!



Hiking to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River
This hidden hot spring river is a MUST in my books. There are no changing rooms, but the hike up is gorgeous and filled with foraging, the water is warm, and there is a wooden path all along the hot river. I didn’t get many photos because I didn’t want to be rude to others there, but it felt like being in an outdoor Roman baths (in a good way, not a weird way!)

Réttir at Skaftholtsréttir
Sheep! This is a national round-up of sheep that happens all across Iceland at the end of each summer. So if you are visiting in September, it’s a great time to catch it! Nearly half a million sheep roam free in the summer, and each winter the farmers do a group effort to round them up and sort them among their home farms. They call this bringing them “home” for the winter, and it’s so incredibly cute. Although…wow is it a lot of sheep! I’ll have videos of it on my Instagram, but here is me hanging out with some of my guys:

Friðheimar Tomato Farm and Wine Bar
This is a famous spot, but they just added a wine bar to the back which I think is a far better place to relax than the greenhouse. I was also pleasantly surprised at how delicious the greenhouse tomatoes were!

Viking Cave Feast at Hotel Rangá
This was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. We were hosted for a dinner in a cave that has been used for centuries. You walk in through a little hobbit door, and have to crouch to get to the dinner. It’s magical. Along with wonderful wine and food, you get to learn the history of the cave and see all the markings that have been left there. It’s hosted by Hotel Rangá which is also a hotel where you can see the Northern Lights, if available.


Good article. I will be facing many of these issues as well..