Day 1 in Iceland

Iceland

  1. Route of Day 1
    1. Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) ⭐️
    2. Geysir ⭐️
    3. Gullfoss ⭐️
    4. Kerið crater ⭐️
    5. Selfoss
  2. What else to see?
  3. Where to eat?
  4. Where to sleep?

Route of Day 1

🚗 242km & 3h25

Below you would find all the details of the most important and recommended points of interest in this area. Although it can also be complemented with more sites or activities that you will see at the end.

Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) ⭐️

Þingvellir National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. It has the physical remains of the Althing (Alþing, also called Alþingi), where the first democratic parliament in the world was established around 930 AD.

The park features a large plain through which you can walk along the Almannagjá canyon, created by the fault between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, which separate between 1 to 18 mm each year.

From the visitor center, the first thing to do is to enjoy the views from the lookout point. Next, take the path that runs throughout the park and stop at the viewpoints. You would see Lögberg (the rocks where the parliament was located) and where currently there is an Icelandic flag, and Drekkingarhylur (the pond where women accused of infanticide, adultery, or serious crimes were drowned). At the northern end, opposite the visitor center, is the Öxarárfoss waterfall, the most impressive in the park.

After that, you can retrace your steps and take other paths that will allow you to see Þingvallabær (a small farm), Þingvallakirkja (church), and Silfra (the fissure between the tectonic plates) where you can go snorkeling.

📸 Views from a viewpoint at the Visitor Center (1); Öxarárfoss Waterfall (2); Views from the Almannagjá trail, from above (3) and from the trail itself (4); Drekkingarhylur (5); Views from the paths to Silfra (6).

ℹ️  Useful information
🗺️ Map
🅿️ 1,000 ISK/car at the machines -> It’s recommended to park at P1 near the visitor center and then explore everything on foot.
🚾 Free
🚗 1h11 from Keflavik ; 47min from Reykiavik
⏳ 3-3h30 -> The route is about 7km (1h45 just walking) and the rest for stops to see and take photos, without snorkeling in Silfra.

📌 Activity: Snorkeling in Silfra
If you’re interested in this activity, remember to book it in advance.
💰 From 145€/person
⏳ 3h in total, of which about 45min is snorkeling and around 2h for preparation and hot chocolate afterwards. Also, you’ll need to be there 15-30min before the activity starts.
💡 This activity can take up a large part of the day. In our case we did not do it to give us time to see more things. But if you are interested, you can do the tour of the park a little faster, in about 2h30, do the snorkeling and have time for the rest of the day’s activities.

Geysir ⭐️

Geysir is a geothermal area where you can see bubbling and steaming pools of water, as well as two geysers that produce water fountains.

Geysir means ‘to emanate’ in Icelandic and has given its name to this phenomenon, thus naming the production of a hot water fountain and steam that erupts repeatedly all over the world.

The big Geysir is the most famous and produces a higher water fountain, but it doesn’t «jump» as much since the earthquake in 2000.

In contrast, Strokkur, the neighboring geyser, is very active and you can see it «jump» every 5-10 minutes. The water fountain usually reaches heights of 15-40 meters.

Additionally to view the geysers from below, you can climb the hill that surrounds them and admire them from a viewpoint with a wind rose, Windrose – Skulptur. You can also continue climbing to see two more viewpoints: Geysir panoramic view (highest) and River valley view point.

ℹ️  Useful information
🅿️ 1,000 ISK/car with Parka App -> 💡 But we recommend you to park in the Geysir Center area, where there is a parking lot without cameras.
🚾 Free at Geysir Center
🛍️ Geysir Center with store and restaurant
🚗 50min from Thingvellir
⏳ 1h -> You could shorten the time a little, if you don’t wait too long for the water fountains to come out and if you don’t climb up to the 2 highest viewpoints, although it is recommended.

💡 Tips: be careful with the direction of the wind to avoind beeing facing it, as the wind will carry the water expelled and create a cloud of water that wets everything around it.

Gullfoss ⭐️

Gullfoss («Golden Falls») is one of the most impressive waterfalls, with a water volume of 38 million tons per day and two drops into the canyon. The first drop is 11 meters high, and the second is 21 meters. Additionally, it is one of the waterfalls where you can get the closest, or at least it seems that way when the water and mist from the suspended droplets soak everything around.

ℹ️  Useful information
🅿️ Free
🚾 At Gullfoss Panorama Restaurant Cafe Shop
🛍️ Gullfoss Panorama Restaurant Cafe Shop with store and restaurant
🚗 11min from Geysir
⏳ 1h -> There are 2 viewpoints, one higher up and another lower down, where you can spend about 30 minutes at each, considering the time to get there and enjoy the views and take photos.

💡 Tips: as a suggestion, it’s better to start with the lower viewpoint, as it is the most spectacular and the closest to the waterfall. Also, it might be one of your last activities of the day, and if you need to adjust your time, it’s better to shorten the time at the upper viewpoint.

Kerið crater ⭐️

The Kerið crater, with its ochre-green and reddish colors, has a turquoise lake at the bottom. You can walk around the entire crater from the top, along the edge, and also from the bottom near the lake.

ℹ️  Useful information
🅿️ 600 ISK per car
🚗 46min from Gullfoss
⏳ 45min

💡 Tips: since this might be one of your last stops of the day, the sun may start to set. Therefore, I recommend not leaving it for the last hours of the day so you can visit it in daylight, as you’ll be able to appreciate the colors much better.

Selfoss

Selfoss is the second largest city in southern Iceland, believe it or not. Route 1 runs through the city, so you will definitely pass through it.

Since the city has nothing very striking, you walk around and get an idea of what it’s like. You can take the opportunity to have dinner at a local restaurant and/or go rest at your accommodation

  • Calle Austurvegur
    Main avenue, which corresponds to Route 1.
  • Calle Brúarstræti
    Small street with colorful low houses, with stores and restaurants.

ℹ️  Useful information
🚗 16min from Kerid crater
⏳ 30min – 1h30

💡 Tips: Selfoss has several places to eat, so it can be a good option. See more details in the “Where to eat” section.

What else to see?

The recommendations for Day 1 end with a visit to Selfoss, but here are a few more activities in case you have more time.

  • Faxafoss
  • Hrunalaug hot spring
  • Hveragerdi

The town of Hveragerdi is smaller, but has more activity.

  • The Geothermal Park Hveragerði / Hveragarðurinn
    Geothermal park, if you have time and want to stop by, but there will be more along the way.
  • Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River
    Geothermal valley, crossed by a hot river where you can bathe.
    There is a 3km walk to get there.
  • Reykjadalur Thermal Bathing Pools

Where to eat?

Our recommendation is to make the most of the day. For this reason, I would recommend having a good breakfast and then an early dinner.
So for lunch throughout the day, I would recommend that you prepare a picnic and eat it at one of the stops along the route. This way, you can take a break when and where it suits you. In addition, in the most important places, there is usually a cafeteria or food truck where you can order something if you have not brought it prepared or take the opportunity to buy a hot drink.

Therefore, after finishing the tour of Day 1, we took the opportunity to have dinner in Selfoss at Kaffi Krus.

Restaurants in Selfoss

  • Groovís – Ice cream & Donuts
    To enjoy ice cream and a sweet, recommended for summer days or if you are not afraid of the cold.
  • Pylsuvagninn
    Fast food place. If a hot dog is what your body is craving.
  • Kaffi Krús ⭐️
    Recommended place. They have 2 floors with plenty of room and it is on the main avenue. International food, which was good and unpretentious. Just remember it’s Iceland, don’t be scared off by the menu and prices.
  • Tryggvaskáli
    From the same owners as Kaffi Krús, but with a more refined Icelandic menu with local products.

Where to sleep?

The recommendation would be to sleep in the final area where it ends, Selfoss or Hveragerdi.
Unless you want to go a little further east and get a little ahead of the next day.

Keep discovering everything about Iceland:

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