31-10-2025
Just 24 hours in Iceland?! Look, it happens. From quick business trips to taking advantage of some airlines’ special one-day layover in Iceland, some end up spending just one day in Iceland.
But don’t let a little time restriction stand in your way of having an epic Iceland adventure! With the right prep and planning, you can cram those 24 hours with once-in-a-lifetime experiences and truly unforgettable moments here in the Land of Fire and Ice. This article will tell you how.
If you have your own transport, a thorough exploration of the island is within your grasp. Here’s why:
With a one-day Iceland stopover itinerary, this is pretty much how your morning should go:
Try to get a flight that lands early in the morning at Keflavik Airport. We also suggest picking up your rental car at the airport pick-up lot. Just keep in mind that the rental parking lots are a little way off, and you’ll need to catch a rental car shuttle to get there. These can be found outside the entrance at the Arrivals Hall.
While one can often take a chance with rentals upon arrival here in Iceland, we highly recommend that you book well in advance if you’re planning on visiting during our summer peak season (June to August) or other peak season times (such as the festive season). If not, your only rental option might end up being a monster truck that guzzles up your entire holiday budget before even leaving the lot.
If this will be your first time renting and driving a car in Iceland, the following could be helpful:
You will find the Blue Lagoon along the way when driving from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik. It’s roughly 20 minutes from the airport and 50 minutes from the capital city. The Blue Lagoon is probably Iceland’s most famous hot spring with its weird and wonderful-looking aesthetic. In fact, its bright-blue yet milky water has even been featured in Hollywood movies such as Hostel and The Fifth Estate.
But it’s not just the aesthetics that make these waters so popular; it’s their healing properties. The water and mud of this hot spring are so mineral and silica-rich that it’s been proven to have incredible results when it comes to the skin. Whether just as a pamper treatment or actual relief from skin conditions, these waters have been scientifically proven to get the job done.
However, the Blue Lagoon is much more than just a beautiful and miraculous geothermal pool. Its resort-like vibe truly makes it possible to spend an entire day (and night!) here, even though you’ll be moving on by lunchtime. You will find a hotel, a restaurant, a bar, and a spa here. And you can also take some of the healing powers home with you to share with others in the Blue Lagoon’s skin product ranges (including special silica masks).
Blue Lagoon tickets are charged based on the package you choose, offering different combinations of experiences, and you can purchase them online. By booking ahead, there’ll be one less thing to worry about on the day. There’s also a perk to visiting the Blue Lagoon as an early morning first stop: the Blue Lagoon is one of our most famous attractions here in Iceland, which means it can get pretty busy. By visiting early, you’ll miss most of the crowds.
You will have the option of adding another Icelandic “hot spot” to your morning itinerary here, but you’ll need to manage your time well. Roughly 40 minutes from the Blue Lagoon, you will find the Reykjadalur Thermal River, which is an entire river of hot spring water.
What makes this hot spring location even more intriguing, besides its natural setting and beautiful surroundings, is that the river offers various experiences. You can either laze around the river or you can pick one of the rock pools to lounge in. You can even choose your preferred temperature since the water gets colder the further downstream you go.
Upriver temperatures can reach 40+ degrees Celsius. The perks of visiting Reykjadalur early in the morning are much the same as the Blue Lagoon: avoiding the crowds at this infamous location. The only difference is that, as a natural setting, there are no bookings or crowd management, so when we say things can become pretty busy, we mean BUSY.
Around lunchtime, you’ll leave the thermal waters and head out to the next stop on your trip itinerary.
Drive the +/- 50 minutes to the capital city of Reykjavik. Once you’ve reached the capital, you will have two ways of going about your exploration:
As with most European cities, Reykjavik also works in zones, and parking prices will go up the closer you get to the city center (hence why we say park near the city center). Parking can be paid via Parka or EasyPark, and since these are apps, this can conveniently be done via your mobile phone all throughout the day.
Now that your parking is sorted, it’s time to explore Reykjavik! Once again, time management is key here, since the afternoon will be spent doing a mini-road trip (but more about this a little later).
If you’re wondering what to do in Reykjavik for a day, we recommend doing just a few quick stops at the following places (although you’ll probably need to choose just one or two due to time constraints):
This breathtaking church is not just a famous landmark, but stands as an ode to Iceland itself. Its designer, Gudjon Samuelsson, created its unique look to reflect the Icelandic landscape with its black basalt columns found all over the island, and he drew special inspiration from another famous attraction: Svartifoss Waterfall. It’s always interesting to hear people’s insights after having visited both spots.
Visiting Hallgrimskirkja is free, but if you’d like to go up the tower to see the panoramic views it offers, you’ll need to pay roughly $11.50 (€9.90). It’s also important to note that this is an active church, so church events will always enjoy priority over public viewings. So, check Hallgrimkirkja’s opening hours and calendar before your visit.
Harpa Concert Hall is not just where you can see top talent perform, but it is also an architectural marvel. The cubic glass building with its honeycomb look sits at the edge of the water with breathtaking views of the capital city.
If you take a walk along the waterfront, you’ll come across this Instagrammable beauty. The Sun Voyager is a steel sculpture made to resemble a Viking long ship. But what makes this sculpture absolutely magical is the way the light and shadows play on its features (and the oceanic backdrop is not bad either).
Here you can shop till you drop. You’ll find everything you can possibly think of in our famous shopping street – from outdoor gear and clothes to all sorts of local cuisine and souvenirs. If you’re not careful, your credit card will really feel the punch.
What’s better than turning yourself into a Viking in the home country of these legendary warriors?
Well, immortalizing the moment, of course! At Mink Studios, you can get dressed in traditional Viking garb and gear and have your photograph taken by professionals who’ve worked on sets like Game of Thrones! Since Mink Studio is also located on Laugavegur Street, it’s easy to combine your shopping with your Viking experience.
If you ask an Icelander what our undeclared national food is, he/she would say the hot dog. And if you’d like to try out our “national food” at one of the most legendary hot dog spots in Iceland, then Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is the place to go.
This hot dog hot spot has truly withstood the test of time, having been founded in 1937. For the best and most authentic Icelandic hot dog, be sure to order one “with everything.”
The Golden Circle is a short loop road from and to Reykjavik that’s absolutely jam-packed with famous Icelandic sights and natural wonders. So, right after you’ve eaten your Bæjarins lunch, head out on this unmissable mini road trip!
The following are the stops along the Golden Circle route that are not to be missed:
Thingvellir National Park offers breathtaking landscapes and all sorts of natural wonders, such as the Silfra Fissure, but it also holds great historical significance. Thingvellir is credited as the first parliament (the Althing) of Iceland. Here is where chieftains and other community leaders would gather and make decisions in the best interest of the country.
Geysir is essentially the GOAT of all geysers, given that it was the first and the very reason for the name “geyser.” Geysers are incredibly interesting natural phenomena, sending boiling water shooting meters up into the air like watery volcanoes. Although the OG, Geysir, is no longer active, its neighbor, Strokkur, still erupts at least every 10 minutes or so.
Gullfoss Waterfall is a “buy one get one free” type of situation, as the waterfall actually consists of two tiers (two waterfalls). The first tier is 11 meters, and the second is 21 meters (hence why many say that Gullfoss is +/- 32 meters tall). Although not one of our tallest or widest, the Gulfoss Waterfall is still considered one of our most beautiful waterfalls here in Iceland.
Kerid Crater makes for another interesting stop. This is an inactive volcanic crater that’s over 6500 years old. But it’s not its fiery side that’s made this crater so notorious; it’s the beautiful, milky bright blue waters that now fill the crater. It’s also for this reason that we’d advise only visiting this spot during the warmer months of the year, since the water simply doesn’t have the same effect when frozen during our colder months.
For your return to the capital, you’ll have a couple of options:
You can head back to the capital city and spend the rest of the time exploring a few additional attractions, take a walk along the harbor, catch the sunset, or relax at one of our diners or cafes.
There are a few Golden Circle detours you can take to add a few extra stops to your Golden Circle road trip itinerary:
The Secret Lagoon, aka Gamla Laugin, is a manmade pool fed by a local hot spring. It once served as the community’s go-to for teaching people how to swim. But from 1947, this beloved pool was seemingly forgotten.
It was only in 2005 that the new owners got the idea to fix and upgrade the pool back to its former glory. After so many years, this was quite a feat, but the pool finally reopened to the public again in 2014. The name, Secret Lagoon, serves as a reminder that the pool spent so long “hidden” from the public.
Faxifoss is quite a small waterfall compared to many of our other waterfalls here on the island, but it’s got an almost fairy-tale-like picturesqueness to it. Although it might be short and stubby (just 7 meters or 23 feet tall), it’s incredibly wide (+/- 80 meters or 260 feet), and its shortness makes this lengthy fall froth like a wave about to crash onto the shore. Truly unique and incredibly beautiful.
In an interesting country like the Land of Fire and Ice, there will always be something interesting found along the way. Whether a farm shop, our Icelandic Horses, or smaller towns or villages, you’ll need to allocate time in your itinerary for these impromptu finds.
If you’re planning on dropping off the rental car that night and flying out in the evening, you’ll need to know the following:
If you’re sleeping over, you can either stay at accommodation in the capital or accommodation along the route to the airport. You will find various options suiting your personal preference and budget: from high-end hotels to guesthouses, farm stays, and super affordable hostels.
If you’re not having food in the capital city, you can grab a last bite to eat at one of our gas stations along the way or at the airport before your flight. Just remember that you’ll always be paying more for food at the airport.
If you’re lucky enough to have another 24 hours on the island, you should really think about adding a South Iceland road trip to your trip itinerary. This will be roughly an 8-hour return trip from Reykjavik down the south coast and back again. Some of the famous sights you’ll find along the way include:
If this is your first time visiting the island, the following tips and advice can be very useful:
As a grown adult, we have full confidence in your holiday packing capabilities. We would just like to highlight a few essentials you may not think about or know that you’ll need here on the island. These include the following:
In the Land of Fire and Ice, with its breathtaking and contrasting terrain, it’s clear that the journey matters as much as the destination. And the only way to be the captain of your own ship (and time) on this journey is by renting a car in Iceland. So, pick up your rental upon arrival, hit the open road, and enjoy the freedom and flexibility your own transport gives you on your 24-hour adventure around Iceland!