Fire and ice
Iceland is being built in real time. New volcanic islands appear off the south coast. Glaciers carve the valleys you drive through. The country is geologically the youngest place in Europe, and it is impossible to forget.
The library
Iceland
Reykjavik & Ring Road
Raw landscape of waterfalls, glaciers, lava fields, black-sand beaches, impossibly green moss. Small population, English everywhere. Hot springs around every bend. Whale watching from Húsavík. Icelandic horses. Puffin colonies on the Westfjords. Ring Road circumnavigation. Reykjavik small, quirky, hip. The country is soulful, stark, humbling, you leave recalibrated.
Best for photography expeditions, aurora chasers, adventurous couples and solo road trips.
The light
In June the sun barely sets. In December it barely rises. The summer Iceland is bright meadows and midnight golf. The winter Iceland is dark afternoons and the green fire of the aurora. The same country, lived twice.
The aurora does not perform on schedule. That is the point.
Water everywhere
Glacial lagoons. Geothermal pools. Hidden hot springs at the end of unmarked tracks. Waterfalls with the volume of small rivers. The hot pool is the Icelandic bar; small towns gather around it after work.
Moments to plan around
- A guide chasing the aurora. Weather-data on the dashboard. Wool blankets in the back. Wherever the cloud breaks, that is where you go. After 21:00.
- The retreat at blue lagoon. A private suite. Your own lagoon access. A Michelin dinner above geothermal water. Daylong.
- An ice cave inside a glacier. Snowmobile across Vatnajökull. A crystal-blue cathedral carved by meltwater. You walk into it in silence. Daytrip.
- A helicopter to a hidden spring. A valley no road reaches. Champagne. A pool of mineral water. The wind across the moss. Mid-morning.
When to go
- January, about 5 hours of daylight
- February, about 8 hours of daylight
- March, about 12 hours of daylight
- April, about 15 hours of daylight
- May, about 19 hours of daylight
- June, about 22 hours of daylight, one of the best months
- July, about 20 hours of daylight, one of the best months
- August, about 17 hours of daylight, one of the best months
- September, about 13 hours of daylight
- October, about 10 hours of daylight
- November, about 6 hours of daylight
- December, about 4 hours of daylight
June through August for midnight sun, green valleys, and road-tripping the Ring Road. October through March for Northern Lights and ice caves. September splits the difference.
Before you walk in
What to know about greetings, the table and dress before you go.
Shoes off at the door
Walking into an Icelandic home (or many guesthouses) means leaving boots at the entrance, the country runs on geothermal underfloor heating and there’s no need for shoes inside. Most hosts will offer slippers; thick wool socks are the local form.
Shower naked before you swim
Geothermal pools and lagoons are central to Icelandic life, and chlorine is kept low because everyone showers thoroughly (and naked, in single-sex shower rooms) before entering the water. The signs above the showers map the bits to scrub. Skipping this is the single fastest way to upset a local.
No tipping, service is in the bill
Restaurants, taxis, hotels, service is built in and tipping is genuinely not expected. Round up if a meal was excellent; the staff will be slightly surprised and softly pleased rather than disappointed if you don’t.
Stay on marked paths, moss takes a century to recover
Iceland’s lava fields are blanketed in a slow-growing moss that footprints crush for decades. Drone use is restricted near nesting birds and inside many national parks. Off-roading any vehicle is illegal and fined heavily, keep to the marked tracks.
First names, even with the prime minister
Icelanders use first names. Surnames work as patronymics (Jónsson = Jón’s son), so addressing ‘Mr. Jónsson’ makes no sense. Phone directories are alphabetised by first name.
A starting point. Ocean can be specific about any booking on your trip.
Footnotes, by neighbourhood
Mývatn. Dimmuborgir lava fields. Dark Castles, a lava field shaped like a collapsed city. In winter, near-silent and surreal. Game of Thrones filmed here.
Reykjavik. Reykjavik hot dog stand. Bæjarins Beztu, the tiny hot dog stand Bill Clinton made famous. Locals call it ‘with everything.’. Open at midnight. Order ‘eina með öllu’.
Getting there
From London, about three hours by air.
From New York, about five and a half hours by air.
From Reykjavik, about an hour by helicopter.
Nothing from Iceland is in this edit. Ocean can plan a trip here all the same.
Ocean plans Iceland around the week you have in mind, with or without a trip from the edit.
Nothing is charged until the trip is confirmed. Ocean is an AI concierge. While Notturno is by invitation, a code from the house is asked for when you confirm. No invitation yet? Request one.