From the smallest villages to the biggest cities, Iceland’s towns enchanted us. Here are our favorite municipalities from our 20-day trip around Iceland’s famed Ring Road in May. Foodies that we are, we had to throw in a few restaurant tips!
Reykjavik, of course
Iceland’s capital and largest city is well worth a few days’ visit. Although its population is 140,000, Reykjavik has a cozy, small-town feel. Most tourists gravitate to the central Miðborg district, with its vibrant art scene, outstanding restaurants and bars, and scores of shops. Reykjavik’s most iconic landmarks, such as the Harpa Concert Hall and Hallgrimskirkja church, can be found in Miðborg. We spent two nights in Reykjavik on each end of our drive, which felt just right.
Eat and drink here: We loved our meals at Reykjavik Kitchen, Messinn, and Icelandic Street Food with its all-you can eat soup. Reykjavik Roasters and Sandholt are great for satisfying an afternoon coffee craving. Prikið bills itself as Reykjavik’s oldest bar, with a super-cool 50s vibe. Also check out Port 9 Wine Bar, a cozy spot for happy hour and meeting up with friends.
Sykkishólmur
We fetched up in Stykkishólmur (also known to the locals as Stykkish) after a challenging drive from Reykjavik our first day on the road, and spent two nights there. This charming little town in west Iceland makes a great base of operations for exploring the wonders of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
Eat here: We had a wonderful dinner at Sjavarpakkhusid, located in a 200-year-old house overlooking the harbor. The restaurant is small and cozy, so it’s a good idea to make a reservation.
Ísafjörður
The largest town in Iceland’s remote Westfjords region, Ísafjörður traces its roots in the fishing industry back to the 17th century. But its human story goes back a lot further, to the arrival of the Vikings in the 9th century. This charming village is a great base of operations for exploring the wonders of the Westfjords, which are somewhat off the beaten path for Ring Road travelers.
Eat here: Yes, we’ve mentioned it before – but if you find yourself in Ísafjörður, you MUST eat at Tjöruhúsið. Housed in a cod warehouse built in 1704, this place is famous for its fantastic seafood buffet – with many different varieties of fish cooked in an array of creative and delicious sauces. It’s open for both lunch and dinner, but you need a reservation for the single dinner seating.
Akureyri
Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest city and is known as the capital of the North. With its gorgeously preserved buildings, beautiful botanic garden, and many great restaurants, Akureyri is a great stopover for Ring Road travelers. The Forest Lagoon, located across the fjord, is a scenic place to unwind and enjoy great views of the city.
We reached Akureyri in the middle of an unprecedented warm spell, and it was nice to see so many townspeople hanging out in shorts and tank tops, drinking beer and soaking up the sun. We really enjoyed Akureyri’s laid-back vibe.
Eat here: We had great meals at Strikið and Bautinn.
Husavik
Some readers might have heard of Husavik from a silly-but-funny movie, “Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga” (starring Will Farrell and Rachel McAdams), but it’s better known as the whale-watching capital of Iceland. This storybook-pretty village sits in Skjálfandi Bay in north Iceland, and we wish we could have spent more time there.
Eat and drink here: We popped in for some beers and snacks at Gamli Bauker, a harbor-front eatery in a historic fish processing shed. It was a nice place to relax on the outside deck and enjoy the sunshine and (freakishly) warm weather we lucked into.
Seydisfjordur
This picturesque port town in East Iceland is a frequent stop-in for cruise ships but often gets passed over by road-trippers, since it requires a 27-kilometer detour off the Ring Road. But Seydisfjordur is absolutely worth the effort, and the drive there – through a deep valley ringed with scores upon scores of waterfalls – is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Eat here: Aldan Restaurant, in the hotel of the same name, is a nice little spot for a late lunch.
Vik
All Ring Road travelers will pass through Vik on the southern coast as they start to approach Reykjavik from the east. This pretty town is a nice base of operations for exploring the nearby Black Sand Beach and gorgeous glacial topography of Vatnajökull National Park. And if you’re a Netflix fan, you might recognize Vik from the sci-fi series “Katla.”
Where to eat: After a soggy and chilly day of exploration, we found the perfect supper spot in Vik – the Soup Company. I loved my vegetarian red lentil soup, and John enjoyed the heck out of his “Red Hot Lava” beef stew. It was also one of the most economical meals of the trip, with all-you-can eat bread and a second serving of your chosen soup included. Yum!
Selfoss
Only 50 kilometers east of Reykjavik on the southern coast, Selfoss is a picturesque town with a colorful history on the banks of the Olfusa River. As the gateway to Iceland’s fabled “Golden Circle” sightseeing route, Selfoss gets plenty of day visitors from Reykjavik as well Ring Road travelers. It was our final overnight stop before ending up back in the capital.
Restaurant tip: A must-stop in Sellfoss is Mjólkurbúið Mathöll, or the Old Dairy Food Hall in English. The historic building, completed in 1929, was Iceland’s first commercial dairy. Today it houses an array of restaurants with cuisine from around the world.
29 Comments
Great synopsis of the top spots in Iceland. We also enjoyed visiting or staying at each of these places on our trip that just ended a couple of days ago.
Thanks, Annie! I enjoyed reading your blog posts about your trip. My, you saw a lot of things we missed! Guess we need to go back – ha!
One of the things I love about reading fellow bloggers’ posts is what they found interesting, unusual, or odd, as we don’t all have the same frame of reference. Nor the same amount of time either!
I wish we’d allotted an extra day along the South Coast, for example, as it was too much of a mad dash getting from Jokulsarlon Lagoon all the way back to Reykjavik in one day and taking in the sights properly. In a ‘perfect’ world, it would have been marvelous to add on two or so days in the West Fjords, too!
What a great list, I can’t pick an absolute favourite! Maggie
Thanks, Maggie! If we had to pick a favorite, it would either be Husavik or Seydisfjordur. I could live in either one! Of course, we had perfect weather – it might be another story in the dead of winter.
😅
Beautiful photos,
Thanks, Larry! Good to hear from you. Hello to you and Cathy – hope you’re well. Still in Boquete?
Lovely spots!
Thank you, Christie! 🙂
Awesome, bookmarking this for a hopefully not-too-distant trip!
Great! Let us know if you have any questions. You will love Iceland!
Terrific overview- you’re photos and narrative make this trip enticing! Thanks. 🙂
*your 😊
Thanks so much, Jane! Iceland is hard to leave behind. It’s really magical.
Gorgeous! Your photos take me right back to my time in Iceland several years ago. I’ve only explored Reykjavik and Vik from your list, but that goes to show that there’s a lot more to the country worth seeing, and I’m glad you had such a wonderful time. Looking forward to reading about your adventures in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, a part of Canada I’ve yet to see! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Rebecca! We’re excited about that Canada trip – it will be a entirely new experience for us as well. We’ve been dreaming about seeing Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island for a long time. Glad you got to see Iceland!
What a beautiful and colourful place. It looks like an amazing destination to visit. Thanks for the inspiration. Mel
Thanks so much, Mel! Have a great day.
Those do look like cute villages and cities, Susan! It’s interesting that Annie’s blog posts about Iceland are now arriving in my inbox as well. I had to look twice, as I thought it was another post from you, haha.
When we were in Reykjavik (on a stopover between Boston and Brussels), we saw some of the sites you mentioned. A few streets were being repaired and we could see the heating system of hot water running throughout the city. That was quite interesting. Oh, and I remember a statue of a whale near the water as well.
Hi Liesbet – glad you got to see some of Reykjavik. It’s a cool city. Yes, I saw Annie’s posts too, and it’s amazing how similar, yet different, our trips were! I really hope you two get to make a return to Iceland.
That red lighthouse at Stykkisholmur, I remember very well taking a photo there with the gorgeous red against the sea! Lovely to see some of the places you visited which I missed during my ring road trip 10 years ago.
Iceland really does offer a bit of everything – from dramatic landscapes, to thermal spas, to pretty villages and cities with so much to see and do! It looks like a wonderful place.
Thanks, Hannah. It really is a fantastic country. I’m ready to go back!
I’ve been enjoying your blog posts from Iceland. To be honest, the places you went to and the restaurants you checked out are far more interesting than any other article I’ve read about this country. Look forward to your next adventure in the the Canadian Maritime Provinces!
Oh, Bama, that is so kind! Thank you. For us, the food is a huge part of the experience. And we’ll be eating lots of it in Canada 🙂 Have a great day.
Loved your town picks, Reykjavik and Husavik are faves. Also, that soup place in Vik sounds like the perfect cozy stop!
Thanks for your comment! Yes, that soup was perfect after a wet, soggy, foggy day. Just what we needed!
Absolutely! Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on a misty day, those simple comforts hit different when you’re exploring Iceland.