Iceland is a geologically new country, the mid-Atlantic ridge goes right through it. The Arctic Circle skims the northern coast, and the Gulf Steam gives a milder climate than might be expected. Iceland has clean air in abundance and a landscape actively shaped by fire and ice alongside a Nordic culture of mythology, literature and Vikings.

Iceland Travel Guide

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Iceland map

With a small population and isolated from other landmasses, Iceland is an adventurous place to visit.

Iceland map

78% of the population live in and around the very modern and progressive capital city of Reykjavik. A group of permanent ice-caps provide varied and beautiful scenery, this is very much a wide open spaces "outdoors" kind of country.


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The most sparsely populated country in Europe with about 372,000 people, Iceland has been settled since around 874 CE being populated from Norway and then later on from other Nordic countries. For centuries it existed on subsistence fishing and agriculture, it was one of the poorest countries in Europe up to the years following the Second World War. It has since found a post-war prosperity and is now one of the most developed and progressive countries. Tourism is a major economic activity with tourist numbers over a year being about 5 times the population.

Iceland sits on Mid Atlantic Ridge, the fault line stretching down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly moving apart.

A view from Rekjavik Iceland
A view on the edge of Reykjavik


Places to visit in Iceland

Reykjavik

The capital city. You will almost certainly visit Reykjavik on a trip to Iceland, the main international airport at Keflavik is 30 miles (48 km) away. It is a city well worth visiting in its own right, very modern, forward thinking and European, blessed with many fine restaurants serving Icelandic cuisine and Icelandic takes on more familiar foods. It is small enough to reach many of the attractions within the city on foot. There are many places where you can book excursions for a single day or for longer trips of several days, whether bike tours, whale watching, wildlife adventures, horse riding, 4x4 trips and many that focus on visiting Iceland's enviable array of impressive natural scenery and sights. There are angling trips to fish for salmon, trout, char or sea fish, you can even dive or snorkel between two of the world's great tectonic plates with the North American plate to one side of you and the Eurasian plate to the other at Silfra in 100m+ visibility.


Thermal Swimming Pools

There is a lot of geothermal activity close to the surface over much of Iceland which is used either directly from hot springs or indirectly as a by-product from power generation to provide indoor and outdoor swimming pools that can be used year-round. The best known is the "Blue Lagoon" which being situated very close to Keflavik airport is often incorporated into a trip to Iceland on arrival or shortly before departure. The warm water is mineral rich and gives the opportunity to swim in a huge outdoor pool often steaming with its own warmth into the cold pure Icelandic air.

Blue Lagoon Iceland
The Blue Lagoon near Keflavik airport


The Golden Circle

The name given to a circular tour from Reykjavik that lasts a day, typically made by coach and led by a guide. It takes in the huge double stepped waterfall of Gullfoss (Golden Falls), the Geysir geothermal area where you can see the original geyser ("geysir") that gave its name to all the others, this doesn't erupt quite so often these days though there are others around that go off on a regular basis such as Strokkor which throws a column of boiling water up to about 30m every ten minutes or so.

Thingvellir National Park is on the tour where you can walk between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates at a place of great cultural and historical significance also as it is where the Althing, the National Parliament of Iceland was held from 930 CE, being actively used until 1798. The park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Other attractions may be included in the tour depending on the time allowed and the operator who runs it.

thingvellir Iceland
Thingvellir, the site of the old Icelandic parliament and where two continetal plates are slowly moving apart


Northern Lights

Iceland is an great place to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. As this is a natural phenomenon it cannot be predicted in time or intensity and so seeing the Aurora is a bit hit and miss. They are more likely to be seen at some times of year than at others. They are at a peak around the equinoxes, the 21st of March and the 21st of September. Outide of these periods, they are no more or less likely in the summer or winter months, though to see them clearly requires the sky to be dark, with over 21 hours of daylight in midsummer against just 4 and a half in midwinter, a winter aurora is far more likely to be visible than a summer one. September to April are reckoned to be the best times to see the Northern Lights.


Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, Iceland
November

Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, Iceland
February

Fire and Ice

Iceland is far enough north to have permanent glaciers and icecaps, they cover about 11% of the land area or 11,400 km2, the largest of these is the ice cap of Vatnajokull which alone comprises about 74% of the permanent ice area of the country, another twelve glaciers and ice caps make up the rest. There are glacier hiking tours and you can walk into ice caves as a part of an organized trip. The ice also of course provides for some very spectacular scenery and provides lakes and streams in the summer months that form from the melting ice.


Eyjafjallajokull

Iceland is an island formed entirely from volcanic eruptions from a particularly large and active hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic ridge. About a third of all the magma that has erupted on the earth over the last 10,000 years came out onto Iceland. There are volcanic eruptions on average every four years. While actual eruptions are relatively rare and may take place in more difficult places to access when they occur, the effects of this volcanic activity can be seem almost anywhere in the country in the form of geysers, hot springs and the youthful (in geological terms) rock formations and flow patterns. Geothermal energy generates the majority of electricity used by the country.


Fimmvorduhals, 26th March 2010


Iceland can be reached year round by flights from a number of airports in Europe, the USA and Canada. The flights take 3 hours from London, and 5 hours 30 mins from New York, flights from several European cities are direct and non-stop, from further afield in the world, connecting flights can be met at European airports. Iceland is a member of the Schengen Area, visas are not needed for the nationals of the EU/EEA/USA and many other countries to enter Iceland, total stay in the Schengen Area must not exceed three months in any period of six months. use this to check. There are no sea ferries, though many cruise ship itineraries include Greenland in part or as a whole of the trip, see below.


Sample cruises around or including Iceland:

Actual routes, landings and durations vary somewhat from season to season, trips can happen in either direction.

Iceland Circumnavigation

11 days, Reykjavik to Reykjavik circumnavigation with excursions to sample Iceland's attractions.

2024 departures:

  • 21 May


Northern Lights Explorer:

19 days, Kirkenes to Bergen, sail in a region known for the dazzling light show of the Aurora Borealis at a time of year when it is most likely to be seen. Norwegian coast, Jan Mayen, East Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, ends in Bergen, Norway.

2024 departures:

  • 8 Sept


Dublin to Reykjavik

9 days, Dublin to Reykjavik, Ireland, Scotland, Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Faroe, Iceland. Rugged landscapes, picturesque villages, evidence of Norse and prehistoric settlements, culture and friendly hospitality of remote islands. Highlands and islands, unrivalled natural beauty, nesting and migratory birds and Iceland, the land of ice and fire.

2024 departures:

  • 24 May


contact our travel partners who will help you find the best cruise for your requirements

Arctic Cruises and Land Based Trips

Early Booking Offers - Summer 2024 - Arctic Cruises

Iceland
Roundtrip

From  $5,150
was $11,499

 June 2024

 10 days / 9 nights 

Four Arctic Islands

From  $6,632
was $14,890

 Aug 2024

 18 days / 17 nights 

Spitsbergen
Wildlife Explorer

From  $5,542
was $10,090

 May and June 2024

 11 days / 10 nights 

Spitsbergen, Faroes, Jan Mayen

From  $5,892
was $11,090

 April 2024

 12 days / 11 nights 


Svalbard / Spitsbergen - Sample Arctic Cruises - 2024

Trip Departures 2024 Highlights Ships and Passenger Capacity Prices USD* Days Departure port
Introduction to Spitsbergen  May 20th
Jun 1st, 7th, 19th
Jul 22nd
Historic sites, sea-ice, glaciers, wild flowers, lush tundra, walrus, polar bears, reindeer, huge sea bird colonies $6,054 -
$20,031
10
North Spitsbergen June dates - 6, 10, 13, 18, 25, 27 $4,000 -
$7,750
8
Spitsbergen Explorer May 22nd, 28th
Jun 9th, 15th, 30th
Jul 30th
$7,361 - $23,391 12

Greenland - Sample Arctic Cruises - 2024

Greenland, Disko Bay Aug 16th Spectacular scenery of west Greenland, Inuit culture, historic sites. Fjords, mountains and ice, seabirds, look out for humpback and minke whales. $6,990 -
$12,990
8
In the Wake of Eric the Red - Iceland to Greenland July 29th The course of Norse settlers, Disko Bay, glaciers, icebergs, Inuit culture, Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO site, Nuuk. $7,090 - $16,890 11

Canada - Sample Arctic Cruises - 2024

Northwest Passage, Canada and Greenland July 20th, Aug 3rd Historic Canadian and Greenlandic sites, abundant wildlife, rich Inuit culture and dramatic icy landscapes. Polar bears, whales and walrus, tundra hikes. $17,931 -
$38,966
17
Complete Northwest Passage, Greenland, Canada and Alaska Aug 17th West Greenland, Baffin Island, NW passage to Alaska. Ilulissat Icefjord, stunning geology and  fjords, Beechey Island, Franklin's expedition, musk ox, polar bears, beluga , walrus and narwhal. $32,216 - $66,236 30
Trip Departures 2024 Highlights  Pax Prices USD* Days Departure port

Iceland - Sample Arctic Cruises - 2024

Iceland Roundtrip / Circumnavigation Snaefellsnes Peninsula National Park bird cliff, geologically active region, cross the Arctic Circle, Heimaey. $4,300 - $17,916 9, 10 or 11
Dublin to Reykjavik May 24th Ireland to Iceland via Scotland, Shetland and Faroe. Callanish Stones, Lerwick, Tórshavn, watch for spouting and breaching whales. $10,900 9
Jewels of the Arctic.
Iceland, Greenland and Spitsbergen.
Jun 23rd
July 7th
Aug 21st
Wildlife, musk ox, arctic hare and whales, Scoresby Sund the world's largest national park and fjord system,  Glaciers, mountains and polar bears. $10,816 -
$17,495
15
Notes

* Prices are per person. the lowest price is usually for triple occupancy in a basic cabin, the highest for double occupancy in the best available suite.

Options such as kayaking may be at additional cost, may have limited availability and are usually booked when the cruise is booked - it may be too late once the cruise has started.

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Departures from late May to September

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Picture credits: Blue Lagoon, by Moyan Brenn from Anzio Italy - used under CC2 Attribution Generic license  |  Aurora borealis 1, by Francisco Diez from Toronto Canada - used under CC2 Attribution Generic license  |  Aurora borealis 1, by Omar Smith - used under CC2 Attribution Generic license  |  Volcanic eruption, by Olikristinn,  used under CC3 Attribution Unported license  |  Ice and lake, by Andreas Tille - used under GNU 1.2 license