My Ultimate 7-Day Solo Travel Itinerary for Iceland
Making an itinerary can be a task! When you are headed to ‘the Land of Fire and Ice,’ seven days may seem too short. You would not want to miss any nook and corner of this blessed land of contrasts! So let’s figure out how you can make the most of your trip without stressing yourself. Let’s pack the best of Iceland in this solo travel itinerary—the most touristy things alongside the most unusual ones!
This solo travel itinerary may vary depending on which season you visit Iceland. Now let your adrenaline run high while you plan your trip!
Day 1
Reykjavik
You have landed at the Keflavik International Airport and waiting for the trip to kickstart! It is most likely you are first going to head to Reykjavik. At this point, it will depend if you are planning to take a bus/cab to your accommodation or heading to the car rental straightaway.
Grab a coffee from the airport and head to the iconic Blue Lagoon for a dip! Most people prefer to make a stop at this famous geothermal pool because of its proximity to the airport. But personally, I always prefer to drop off my luggage at the accommodation, and then start off my day.
Blue Lagoon
So head to the Blue Lagoon on the first day itself. Do book yourself a slot in advance and spend at least a couple of hours in the relaxing waters. While the fatigue of your trip wears off, enjoy a luxury spa at the blue waters and sip a healthy smoothie or a cocktail at the bar.
Indulge in shopping and food
Once you have ticked Blue Lagoon off your bucket list, a rejuvenated you can head to the Reykjavik city centre and wander around amid the thriving cafes, bars, boutiques, and restaurants. The main shopping street is Laugavegur, and it is often hailed as the best place to shop for the latest fashion clothes and accessories! Clothes are a weakness for me, so I indulge in a little bit of shopping wherever I am, and Iceland’s fashion scene was too good!
Splurge on yourself and enjoy a spread at a restaurant, or head to an open-air cafe and unwind! Do not forget to treat yourself to some bakes on the first day.
At this point, also make a list of things—groceries/clothes/essentials that you may need for the rest of your stay, and pick them up!
Explore the churches
Reykjavik is a heaven for those who love to lurk around beautiful churches and admire the architecture. I suggest you spend some time exploring the gorgeous churches. Dómirkirkja or Reykjavik Cathedral, Landakotskirkja, Fríkirkjan, Hallgrímskirkja, Brautarholtkirkja are some of the most beautiful churches that you can visit on your day one.
Nightlife
Iceland’s nightlife is one of the most happening scenes, and you would not want to miss it for anything. As a solo female traveller, safety always remains a priority. So, there are times that I am weary of enjoying the nightlife in a new country because of the lack of a safety net. But Iceland is a pretty safe place for women—you can go bar hopping on the very first night and enjoy the nightlife! Do not forget to take advantage of the happy hours!
Cook yourself a meal
If you want to escape tourists and silently retreat to your accommodation, cook yourself a nice meal! Do not forget to pick up some groceries and a bottle of wine on your way back from the city centre. Curl up with a book and enjoy your evening!
Day 2
Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Northern Lights
Wasn’t it Jules Verne who said, “I’m dreaming with my eyes open!” in Journey to the Centre of the Earth on his visit to the peninsula? If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, you will know Snaefellsnes was the setting for it! This is an unforgettable experience, and you will feel like you are living a dream.
While you move around the peninsula, you will be able to witness more blessings from nature—a dormant volcano, moving glacier, black sand beaches! There are sleepy villages around which you should explore on foot or in your car if you have rented one! You can book a guesthouse for the day or camp, depending on what you prefer! There are horse farms and natural hot pools nearby too! Take a dip and gear up for the long day!
Prepare yourself for the cold, as braving the cold will help you experience the most mesmerising moments of your life—viewing the Northern Lights under the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. There were a few of us who ended up crying—yes, that is the intensity of Iceland’s beauty! When you see the Northern Lights, it is a moment of all your dreams coming together!
Day 3
Catch the latest volcanic eruption at Fagradalsfjall, spend an evening of your choice
If you are in Iceland, you will obviously do a hike on volcano trails! The latest volcanic eruption was in March 2021 when the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupted, and the lava lowed to Geldingadalur valley! It will take you around an hour to reach the area by bus or your car from Reykjavik. Once you reach the area, it will take you around five hours to go hike up to see the spot and then return. This has become the latest attraction among tourists!
I am certain that this trip would be among the highlight of your trips. So following the trail, you can return and spend an evening of your choice. This is the day you can typically wander around spontaneously around the city centre. In fact, this is the day you can pick up souvenirs for your friends and family members. I usually try not to keep it until the last day as it adds to the stress!
You can bicycle around amidst nature and explore the non-touristy places!
Day 4
Visual treat of waterfalls
Day 3 was quite intense for you—a hike, followed by a crazy amount of walking around. You deserve to find more visual treats now. So you can devote this day to exploring waterfalls and beautiful landscapes. You can first head to Reykholt—a village around an hour and a half drive from the capital, which will not disappoint you.
As you drive through, stop at Hraunfossar, where there are a number of waterfalls and will leave you spellbound. Do remember to carry your rain jacket if you are standing close to the waterfalls. You will find multiple falls flowing under a lava field into the Hvítá river. Keep walking from there, and you will see the Barnafoss waterfall—another marvellous wonder.
In Reyykholt, do not miss seeing the Deildartunguhver hot spring. The moment would be magical—you will see steam coming off from the spring! In fact, Deildartunguhver is the highest flow hot spring in Europe.
Do make another stop at the other hot spring in the area—Snorralaug.
You can get to know a bit of history by visiting the Snorrastofa, which is an exhibition centre. This was home to a famous writer and scholar, Snorri Sturluson. You will find an informative guided tour here where you can learn about the history of the place!
You will still have some time if you have started your day early! Continue on your trip and visit Iceland’s second-largest glacier, the Langökull glacier. This is also the only glacier in the country where you can go inside throughout the year! As a part of the guided tour, you will get to know all about the science and history of the glacier! By the way, this glacier even has a church with a chapel room!
Day 5
Touring the Golden Circle
This is probably going to be a super touristy thing to do, but this is, of course, non-negotiable when in Iceland! This day would be packed with activities and may get tiring by the end. So I would suggest you do not plan anything for the evening. Instead, go with the flow once you return from the daylong trip!
While many people choose to drive around, there are many packaged tours available which you can rely on too as a solo traveller. You can choose tours even with a fewer number of people so that you can do things at your pace. The guided tours typically last for seven to eight hours, and more in some cases.
The Golden Circle route typically includes the Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysir Geyser. The Thingvellir National Park is a designated UNESCO world heritage where you can walk around and visit the sites of Drowning Pool and the Gallows Rock. It is at this place that the tectonic plates are separating to create a landscape of steep cliffs and fields.
You will see geothermal activity at the Geyser. You can see activity in steam vents and boiling mud pits at this spot! And you will also see a lot of activity at Strokkur—another geothermal spot!
When it comes to Gullfoss, you will be taken aback by the golden falls and hailed as one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. If you are lucky and are there on a sunny day, you may even see a rainbow!
Last but not least, visit the secret lagoon when the trip is ending. Its water is perfect for bathing and relaxing and will be the best antidote to your fruitful yet tiring day!
Day 6
Scuba diving/snorkelling/whale watching/paragliding
Reserve this day for fun-filled activities. I would suggest you do not miss scuba diving and snorkelling, to begin with. Book yourself a tour, and it will take around five hours together (at least!).
While Silfra fissure has the best underwater visibility in the world at 100 meters, Silfra dive is open to divers all year round.
You can consider scuba diving in the geothermal spring at Kleifarvatn Lake—around half an hour from the south of Reykjavik. You will also love the drive to this spot before you engage in the fun activity!
For lovers of nature, I would recommend whale watching on this penultimate day in Iceland. The spectacular view will leave you speechless!
Do not leave some adventure behind. Iceland is a perfect country to try paragliding. Consider an hour-long exhilarating paragliding tour over Vik against the breathtaking backdrop!
If you are not a lover of adventures, catch up with a local music festival and experience the Icelandic culture. You can also visit local fairs and treat yourself to authentic cuisine!
Day 7
Museum hopping before you take the flight
And you have reached the last day of your trip! If you are a thorough visitor of museums, then you may not like it to postpone it till the last day. I will not deny that I am not super serious about museums but let me say, I am pretty keen on them! I usually like to keep museum visits for the last day as I have finished ticking off everything else from the list by then and can just focus on hunting the country’s history!
Having completed the sightseeing and experienced the local culture, it also gives me the opportunity to get a better idea about the place!
You can consider hopping across museums if you do not have too much time! Start with the Saga Museum, which has life-like replicas and will tell you about the Viking settlers.
If you are interested in maritime, do visit the Reykjavik Maritime Museum, which will help you trace the history of Iceland’s seafarer.
If you love to combine fun with facts, do visit the Perlan Museum, where you can walk through an ice cave and see the simulated Northern Lights in its planetarium! And if you think you can squeeze in another museum visit, do visit the Icelandic Punk Museum, which is a delight for music lovers.
Probably you are running out of time now, and would love to take another walk at the city centre and freshen up before you take your flight back!
So are you all set to go on your first ever solo trip to Iceland?
If you love planning, you are probably going to do more research and then finalise your itinerary! But I am sure you have got a taste of all the good things that you can do during your seven-day stay in Iceland without exhausting yourself.
Remember, you will never run out of things to do in Iceland. So instead of trying to cover too much ground in less time, do things at your pace! That will be my ultimate advice for your trip!