What’s the Minimum Days in Iceland?

Can You Enjoy Iceland When Your Travel Time is Only a Few Days?

My week in Iceland wasn’t nearly long enough to truly discover everything I wanted to see about the country, but I stayed as long as I was able, given my scheduling restrictions. I got there on the 21st of June, left on the 28th of June, and drove hundreds of kilometers around the country in a rather basic rental car (a Duster, which we don’t have in the United States).

As far as getting to see a lot of Iceland, the rental car and our ability to drive as far as we wanted each day really opened things up and gave us a lot of freedom. Having seen dozens of waterfalls, multiple glaciers, expansive vistas, and tons of sheep, I can confidently say that I wouldn’t spend any less than a week in Iceland, even though my week there just made me want to return.

Can you see some of Iceland in a shorter amount of time? Yes, but there are probably some specific circumstances that might lead you to spend less time in the country. Based on my first trip there, I would recommend – assuming you have no scheduling restrictions that limit your time – a trip of at least two weeks to explore the island by car. And don’t worry, driving in Iceland is really easy!

I’m going to make a few recommendations on where you should go in Iceland if your itinerary won’t allow you to stay any more than a few days and up to a week, as well as some of the activities and major sites worth seeing when you have more time. I think you can enjoy Iceland with at least a week of time to explore, but if you’re aiming for a speed race, I can offer a few recommendations for a brief trip, too.

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Visiting Iceland for a Few Days

So, the one time of the year when I think a visit to Iceland for just a few days might work is during the fall, winter, and early spring when you have the opportunity to see the northern lights, as well as participate in some of the cool gatherings Icelanders have during the winter. If you’re lucky enough to spend the New Year in Iceland, you’ll get to see any number of bonfires, which the citizens burn to mark the passing of the new year.

In most cases, you have the best opportunity to see the northern lights in September and April when there isn’t enough light in the sky to get in the way. For much of the summer, the sun sets really late, and sometimes there is no darkness at all, which makes seeing the northern lights pretty impossible. However, a trip to Iceland in the darker, colder months offers a great chance to see the northern lights.

If you visit Iceland for a few days and focus on visiting Reykjavik and maybe one of the nearby parks with all the beautiful geological features, you’ll have a great chance of seeing the stars since remote areas of Iceland have very low light pollution. A really easy way to get into the middle of nowhere in Iceland is to take a bus tour at night to see the northern lights. You can also rent a car (really easily) and see them on your own, but a guided tour makes things super easy, especially with all the night driving.

Another activity I would highly recommend, and I think it would be really cool during the darker months (I visited when it was daylight all the time), is a visit to one of the hot springs. There’s the famous Blue Lagoon, which is probably the most well-known hot spring in Reykjavik, but there’s also Sky Lagoon, which I feel is a little cozier and less touristy (it’s where I went when we landed in Reykjavik, and it was SO relaxing and peaceful).

Note: just to clarify, Iceland DOES NOT go through true polar night, which is when you have absolutely no daylight, and the sun stays a certain amount below the horizon. However, it does get dark for most of the day in the winter, so keep that in mind if you’re booking a quick winter jaunt into Iceland over a weekend or for less than a week.

Exploring Iceland for Up to a Week

When I visited Iceland, I got to stay for about a week, and the only bad thing about my trip was the last day when I knew I’d have to leave on a plane within hours. I was able to see much of the southern coastline, as well as explore the capital city of Reykjavik and see tons of cool stuff on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which juts out on the western side of the island.

The geological features you get to see along the way while driving almost anywhere in Iceland mean that you’re never really just sitting in the car with nothing to do, as long as you’ve chosen to rent a car and create your own schedule. Things can go a little differently when you choose a tour instead, but you may prefer a group or bus tour that will make things easier for you when you have some specific places you’d like to visit and don’t want to bother getting behind the wheel on your own.

I would consider staying in Iceland for a week as the bare minimum of travel time if you’re coming from a place in a dramatically different time zone. Since it can take a few days for you to feel tip-top when switching time zones, you might feel like you’re missing out on your Iceland experience if you’re tired at the very start of it due to jet lag.

Traveling from Los Angeles, I experienced a time zone jump of around eight hours, which is big enough that I noticed it. My traveling partner and I took a red-eye flight that got us into Iceland in the early morning (something like 7 AM). We’d done our best to get some sleep on the flight in our cushy premium economy seats (I actually scored some really affordable premium economy seats on Delta for our flights), but we were pretty zonked when we landed. It definitely took a full day to adjust, with lots of coffee involved.

Sites to Visit in Iceland When You Have Two Weeks

When I visited Iceland for one week, I visited the areas outside of Reykjavik, like Thingvellir National Park, drove around the entire Snæfellsnes Peninsula, and drove for a few days along the southern edge of the island, visiting places like the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon (that’s the picture you see above), the little town of Vik, and loads of waterfalls, lava fields, and other amazing geological features.

If I had another week to add to my international itinerary, I’d spend an extra day in each of those areas, as well as travel further along the perimeter of the island. I might even circumnavigate the entire island, which is something on my “to-do” list for a future visit to Iceland. You can drive in a car or take a tour that will have you traveling on a road that goes around the entire country near the coast. You might see it called the Golden Circle if you’re searching for a tour or an itinerary for it.

And although you can certainly jump on a tour bus or go with a group to explore Iceland, I do encourage you to whip out Google Maps and take a deep dive into the photo-worthy features you might see on a Golden Circle trip. You’ll be amazed at all the incredible things you can see by simply stopping your car on the side of the road and getting out to walk a few hundred or thousand steps.

Incredibly, you can even ride a bicycle around the island, stopping to camp along the way. We saw several bicyclists around the country with their tents strapped to their cycles or their backs, as well as tents pitched at various pull-outs on the side of the road. Iceland is incredibly remote in many areas and would make for one incredible adventure on a bicycle. Just make sure you have a raincoat and a big jacket if you’re attempting it in the summer!

How Long Would I Stay In Iceland?

If I had a month of time, I’d definitely spend the whole month in Iceland, but I think the sweet spot would probably be about two weeks. Unless you’re interested in putting down some temporary roots in a short-term rental where you might stay in one place for several days, I think two weeks is plenty of time to adventure your way around the island.

However, that said, I’d say that having a full 14 days on the island – not including your travel time to and from Iceland – would be best. And the same goes for a weeklong journey, too. Try to allot yourself at least seven days on the island, with two days on either side of your vacation spent traveling. Normally, this will be one day of traveling at the start and at the end, but if you’re flying in from Oceania or Asia, you could be in the air for a full day longer.

If you only have a few days to spare in Iceland, I would concentrate on Reykjavik and a tour or two that would take you to a place like Jökulsárlón or Thingvellir National Park. You could probably squeeze in a few days in Iceland during a trip to Scandinavia or Greenland (Greenland is on my to-do list, but who knows if I’ll ever get there!).

Honestly, any number of days you have available to spend in Iceland is worth it. The people are super friendly, the scenery is one-of-a-kind, and you’ll rarely experience a country where it’s so easy to get around and see all the cool stuff. It’s chill and laid-back but stunning. If you’re curious about traveling to Iceland but don’t know where to start, I can help you create an itinerary! Just contact me, and we’ll get started on your awesome vacation plans.

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