Day-by-day plan, $5

Reykjavík in 7 days

For anyone in Reykjavík Sep 15 – 21: all 7 days planned, 38 places in order.

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Its places average 4.6 on Google32 rated places, 199,278 reviews

Soak in Sky Lagoon, walk Laugavegur and the harbour, then head out for the Golden Circle, South Coast waterfalls, and a whale cruise. Mixes city days with long drives, so pack warm layers.

♨ Hot springs💧 Waterfalls 🦞 Seafood🐋 Wildlife🚙 Scenic drives

The plan

7 days · 38 stops

What it's like in SeptemberExpect highs of about 10°C (51°F) and lows near 6°C (42°F), with rain on around 18 days. Pack a waterproof jacket and warm layers.

Day 1 · Wed, Sep 15

Arrival, lagoon soak, and downtown dinner

7 h 42 min

Airport transfer, lamb soup, lagoon ritual, then small plates downtown.

11:00 AM · 1 h 15 min

Flybus from Keflavík to BSÍ

Easy no-car transfer, about 45-50 minutes plus luggage

Photo: Center Hotels Laugavegur / Google

1:00 PM · 45 min

Center Hotels Laugavegur

Hotel

Central base for all seven nights; bag drop if needed

4.5(764)Google$$$

15 min

Photo: Zuzana Klimplova / Google

2:00 PM · 1 h

Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar

Scandinavian restaurant

Warming kjötsúpa to start your first afternoon

4.7(5,292)Google$$

14 min

Photo: Laurenmcl / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

4:30 PM · 2 h 30 min

Sky Lagoon

Public bath

Oceanfront infinity pool about 15 minutes from downtown

4.7(9,770)Google$$$

13 min

Photo: Skál! / Google

7:45 PM · 1 h 30 min

Skál!

Restaurant

Bib Gourmand plates; try the smoked arctic char

4.7(1,246)Google$$$

Day 1 in Google Maps

Day 2 · Thu, Sep 16

Downtown walk and harbour

8 h 24 min

Hallgrímskirkja tower early, hot dog by the harbour

Photo: Brauð & Co / Google

8:30 AM · 30 min

Brauð & Co

Bakery

Warm cardamom buns steps from the church

4.8(5,036)Google$

4 min

Photo: Steinninn / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

10:00 AM · 1 h

Hallgrimskirkja

Church

Basalt-column icon; go before tour coaches arrive

4.6(29,622)Google$

6 min

Photo: Neus Tripiana Aragay / Google

11:06 AM · 45 min

Skólavörðustígur

Rainbow street leading downhill to Laugavegur

4.6(119)Googlefree

14 min

Photo: User:Jonasunn / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

12:30 PM · 1 h 15 min

Hlemmur Mathöll

Food court

Many local stalls under one roof at top of Laugavegur

4.5(651)Google$$

20 min

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre

Photo: 何小溫 / Google

2:15 PM · 45 min

Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre

Event venue

Glass honeycomb facade shimmers over Faxaflói Bay

4.6(9,762)Googlefree

10 min

Photo: Unknown author / Wikipedia · CC0

3:15 PM · 30 min

Sun Voyager

Sculpture

Steel Viking ship framed by Mount Esja

4.5(10,626)Googlefree

20 min

Photo: Old Harbour House | Food, Drinks & Tours / Google

5:00 PM · 1 h

Old Harbour House | Food, Drinks & Tours

Seafood restaurant

Fishing boats and whale-tour kiosks nearby

4.4(468)Googlefree

10 min

Photo: Juan Martí / Google

7:00 PM · 1 h 15 min

Messinn

Seafood restaurant

Sizzling fish in copper skillets, downtown

4.6(3,760)Google$$

Day 2 in Google Maps

Day 3 · Fri, Sep 17

Golden Circle day tour

10 h 47 min

Thingvellir gorge, Strokkur geyser, Gullfoss, then a late tomato-soup lunch in a greenhouse.

8:30 AM · 1 h

Tour pickup at bus stop near hotel

Guided tour, no driving needed

Photo: João Rocha / Google

9:30 AM · 1 h 30 min

Thingvellir National Park

National Park

Walk between two continents at the Alþingi site

4.7(20,777)Googlefree

47 min

Photo: Dieter Schweizer (Obersulm, Germany) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

11:47 AM · 45 min

Geysir

Tourist attraction

Strokkur blasts skyward every six to ten minutes

4.7(4,931)Googlefree

28 min

Photo: Nickspix / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

1:00 PM · 45 min

Gullfoss Waterfall

Tourist attraction

The Hvítá drops in two steps into a canyon, ten minutes past Geysir

4.9(707)Googlefree

1 h 5 min

Photo: Titka / Google

2:50 PM · 1 h

Friðheimar

Restaurant

Endless tomato soup and fresh bread among the vines

4.7(5,635)GoogleISK 4,000

1 h 27 min

Photo: Matur og Drykkur / Google

7:00 PM · 1 h 30 min

Matur og Drykkur

Scandinavian restaurant

Modern takes on old Icelandic recipes

4.5(783)Google$$$

Day 3 in Google Maps

Day 4 · Sat, Sep 18

South Coast waterfalls and black sand

12 h 16 min

Walk behind Seljalandsfoss, climb beside Skógafoss, soup in Vík, then Reynisfjara beach.

8:30 AM · 2 h

Tour pickup at bus stop near hotel

Guided South Coast tour; about two hours to first stop

Photo: Robert Lukeman robertlukeman / Wikimedia Commons · CC0

10:30 AM · 45 min

Seljalandsfoss

Tourist attraction

Rare chance to walk behind a waterfall

4.8(24,679)Googlefree

1 h 12 min

Photo: Hansueli Krapf / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

12:30 PM · 50 min

Skógafoss

Tourist attraction

Thundering 60m drop with ridge views

4.9(14,523)Googlefree

1 h 18 min

2:35 PM · 50 min

The Soup Company

Restaurant

Most South Coast tours stop in Vík for lunch; this one is quick and open all day

14 min

Photo: Strwiki2017 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

3:40 PM · 1 h

Reynisfjara Beach

Beach

Basalt columns and sea stacks; stay far from waves

4.7(10,344)Googlefree

3 h 7 min

Photo: Josh Sigurdson / Google

8:00 PM · 1 h

Svarta Kaffið

Scandinavian restaurant

Soup in a bread bowl after a long day

4.6(3,617)Google$$

Day 4 in Google Maps

Day 5 · Sun, Sep 19

Slow day, pool, and possible aurora

10 h 30 min

Perlan ice cave, local pool, aurora hunt after dark

Photo: Tanya Hart / Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-2.0

10:00 AM · 2 h

Perlan

Museum

Walk through a real indoor ice cave

4.5(11,854)Google$$

9 min

Photo: Café Loki / Google

12:30 PM · 1 h

Café Loki

Scandinavian restaurant

Icelandic classics facing Hallgrímskirkja

4.5(6,745)Google$$

7 min

Photo: Börkur Sigurbjörnsson from Barcelona / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

2:30 PM · 1 h 30 min

Sundhöllin

Swimming pool

Historic pool, rooftop hot pots, near your hotel

4.7(1,269)Google$

21 min

Photo: Fiskmarkaðurinn / Fish Market / Google

6:30 PM · 1 h 30 min

Fiskmarkaðurinn / Fish Market

Restaurant

Icelandic fish and lamb cooked over the grill, ten minutes from the pool

4.6(1,707)Google$$$

23 min

Photo: Bello Girare / Google

9:00 PM · 3 h 30 min

Bus Stop #9 Snorrabraut

Airport shuttle service

Pickup about 9 pm; check vedur.is cloud cover first

4.4(72)Google$$

Day 5 in Google Maps

Day 6 · Mon, Sep 20

Snæfellsnes Peninsula loop

9 h 17 min

Kirkjufell photos, basalt arches, black pebble beach, and lifting stones.

8:00 AM · 2 h

Tour pickup at bus stop near hotel

Guided peninsula tour; long scenic drive west

Photo: vasco santos / Google

10:30 AM · 45 min

Kirkjufellsfoss

Tourist attraction

Iceland's most photographed cone-shaped mountain

4.6(7,647)Googlefree

43 min

Photo: Alexander Mayer / Google

12:00 PM · 45 min

Djúpalónssandur beach

Beach

Four lifting stones on a rugged beach

4.7(1,389)Googlefree

39 min

Photo: Steinninn / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

1:30 PM · 50 min

Arnarstapi Cliff Viewpoint

Observation deck

Dramatic sea arches and cliff birds

4.8(442)Googlefree

2 h 5 min

Photo: Kol Restaurant / Google

7:30 PM · 1 h 30 min

Kol Restaurant

Scandinavian restaurant

Comfortable late dinner after a long day

4.5(1,685)Google$$$

Day 6 in Google Maps

Day 7 · Tue, Sep 21

Whales and farewell

5 h 20 min

Whale-watching cruise, harbour chowder, Flybus to Keflavík

Photo: Elding Whale Watching / Google

9:00 AM · 3 h

Elding Whale Watching

Tour agency

Minke, humpback and porpoise sightings in the bay

4.5(2,434)Google$$

5 min

Photo: Jesús Fonte / Google

12:30 PM · 1 h 15 min

Kaffivagninn

Scandinavian restaurant

Iceland's oldest restaurant, open through lunch

4.7(922)Google$$

2:30 PM · 1 h

Flybus from BSÍ to Keflavík airport

About 45-50 minutes; allow time for your flight

Day 7 in Google Maps

Map of Reykjavík: 7 days of lagoons, waterfalls, and whales: Day 1, Center Hotels Laugavegur, Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar, Sky Lagoon, Skál!; Day 2, Brauð & Co, Hallgrimskirkja, Skólavörðustígur, Hlemmur Mathöll, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Sun Voyager, Old Harbour House | Food, Drinks & Tours, Messinn; Day 3, Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall, Friðheimar, Matur og Drykkur; Day 4, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, The Soup Company, Reynisfjara Beach, Svarta Kaffið; Day 5, Perlan, Café Loki, Sundhöllin, Fiskmarkaðurinn / Fish Market, Bus Stop #9 Snorrabraut; Day 6, Kirkjufellsfoss, Djúpalónssandur beach, Arnarstapi Cliff Viewpoint, Kol Restaurant; Day 7, Elding Whale Watching, Kaffivagninn

Take it with you

7 days from one Reykjavík hotel, no car
Golden Circle, South Coast and Snæfellsnes as day trips
A free day to move a tour when the weather turns
Offline maps in the app

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Not ready yet? Tell Sally why.

A 7-day Reykjavík itinerary without a car: how the week fits together

This Reykjavík itinerary keeps one hotel on Laugavegur for all seven nights, and you never need a car. The Flybus brings you in from Keflavík, and the first two days stay in the city. On three days a guided tour does the driving: the Golden Circle on Day 3, the South Coast to Vík on Day 4 and Snæfellsnes on Day 6. Day 5 is a slow pool day, and a whale-watching boat fills the last morning.

How the seven days fit together

Day 1 starts with the 11 a.m. Flybus from Keflavík to the BSÍ terminal. You drop your bags at Center Hotels Laugavegur, have lamb soup at Íslenski Barinn, soak at Sky Lagoon from 4:30 p.m. and eat at Skál! at 7:45.
Day 2 is Reykjavík on foot. It begins with cardamom buns at Brauð & Co and the tower of Hallgrímskirkja, then Skólavörðustígur, lunch at Hlemmur Mathöll, Harpa, the Sun Voyager and the Old Harbour, with dinner at Messinn.
Day 3 is the Golden Circle tour, with pickup at 8:30 a.m. You see Þingvellir, watch Strokkur erupt at Geysir and walk above Gullfoss, ten minutes further on. On the way back the bus stops at Friðheimar for a late tomato-soup lunch in the greenhouse, and you have dinner at Matur og Drykkur back in town.
Day 4 is the South Coast tour. You walk behind Seljalandsfoss, climb beside Skógafoss, stop for soup in Vík and see Reynisfjara, then have a late dinner at Svarta Kaffið.
Day 5 is the slow day. There is the ice cave at Perlan, lunch at Café Loki and the hot pots at Sundhöllin, then dinner at Fiskmarkaðurinn and a northern lights bus from Bus Stop 9 on Snorrabraut at 9 p.m.
Day 6 is the Snæfellsnes tour, with pickup at 8 a.m. It takes in Kirkjufell from Kirkjufellsfoss, the lifting stones at Djúpalónssandur and the sea arches at Arnarstapi. Lunch is wherever your tour stops on the peninsula, and you have dinner at Kol back in Reykjavík.
Day 7 begins with Elding's whale-watching boat from the Old Harbour at 9 a.m. After lunch at Kaffivagninn, the 2:30 p.m. Flybus takes you back to Keflavík.

Why the tour days sit where they do

The South Coast is the longest day. Pickup is at 8:30 a.m., the first waterfall is about two hours away, and dinner in Reykjavík is at 8 p.m. That is why it follows the shorter Golden Circle day and comes just before the slow day.

The slow day is there on purpose. Tours in Iceland run in most weather but cancel in storms, and if one of yours does, Day 5 is where it moves. Check safetravel.is the evening before each tour. The aurora bus on Day 5 only runs if the cloud forecast on vedur.is looks clear. Many aurora tours let you rebook for free on a night with no lights, but the terms vary, so read them when you book.

Sky Lagoon, the Blue Lagoon and the Reykjanes eruptions

On Day 1 the plan sends you to Sky Lagoon in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes' drive from downtown. It is rated 4.7 on Google by 9,770 people. The Blue Lagoon is near Grindavík on the Reykjanes peninsula, where eruptions since late 2023 have closed it, and the roads around it, more than once. If you want it instead, check that it is open the week you go.

September weather, and how winter changes the week

The sample week runs from September 15 to 21. Expect highs of about 10°C (51°F) and lows near 6°C (42°F), with rain on around 18 days of the month, so a waterproof jacket matters more than a heavy coat. The nights are dark again by then, which is why the plan has an aurora tour.

In December, Reykjavík gets only about four hours of daylight around the solstice. On the long tour days much of the driving happens in the dark, and paths can be icy. Keep the same order, pack spikes for your boots, and use the long nights for more chances at the aurora. For a week built around it, see the Tromsø northern lights plan. If you would rather drive yourself and sleep on the South Coast, the 7-day Iceland road trip goes as far as Diamond Beach.

How this plan was made. Sally, Highlights' AI trip planner, wrote it from a brief written for this trip. Its stops are matched to their Google Maps listings (checked Nov 14, 2026), and the ratings, hours and addresses come from Google.

Questions

Can you see Iceland from Reykjavík without a car?

Yes, for the south and west. Guided day tours with pickups near the hotels cover the Golden Circle, the South Coast as far as Vík and the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The Flybus runs between Keflavík airport and the BSÍ terminal in about 45 to 50 minutes. Places further east, such as Jökulsárlón, make for very long days from Reykjavík.

Is 7 days in Reykjavík too long?

Not if the city is your base rather than the whole trip. This plan spends two days in Reykjavík itself, three on day tours, one on pools and the aurora, and a last morning on a whale-watching boat. The slow day also leaves room to move a tour that is cancelled for weather.

What are the best day trips from Reykjavík?

This plan uses three. The Golden Circle covers Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. The South Coast tour takes in the big waterfalls and the black sand at Reynisfjara, and the Snæfellsnes tour goes out to Kirkjufell. A whale-watching boat from the Old Harbour takes about three hours, so it fits a last morning.

Can you see the northern lights from Reykjavík in September?

Yes, on a clear night with enough solar activity. The nights are dark enough again from late August, and aurora tours leave Reykjavík in the evening to get away from the city lights. Clouds decide most nights, so check the vedur.is cloud forecast that afternoon.

Sky Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon?

Sky Lagoon is a short drive from the city, well away from the Reykjanes eruptions, which is why this plan uses it on the first afternoon. The Blue Lagoon is closer to the airport, but it has closed several times since late 2023, so check that it is open before you book.