2 Days in Iceland: The Perfect Quick-Stop Itinerary
Do you only have 2 days in Iceland? If so, here are some of the best things to do, and several options for your itinerary.
If you only have two days in Iceland, we completely understand why you’re having difficulty deciding what to do.
Iceland is a magical country and only having two days is going to make it tough to choose! Nonetheless, just because you aren’t in the country for long, doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of it.
For this article, I’m going to assume that you’re basing yourself in Reykjavik for these two days and that they are two whole days and not half days due to travel.
So, without further ado, here are our top recommendations for spending a wonderful couple of days in Iceland.
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Iceland Must-Do’s!
Short on time? These are 5 bucket-list experiences we recommend doing in Iceland! ❤️
- Tour the South Coast
- Go on a Glacier Hike
- Soak in the Blue Lagoon
- Chase the Northern Lights
- Explore the Golden Circle
Our fave hotel: Center Hotels Plaza
Day 1: Golden Circle and Geothermal Spa
For your first full day in Iceland, we recommend doing a few things that you just have to tick off your Iceland bucket list.
The Golden Circle
The Golden Circle is one of the places that everyone visits in Iceland, and for good reason. The area has some beautiful scenery and is close enough to the capital that you can easily do it as a day trip.
If you only have two days, we recommend going on a guided tour instead of hiring a car and driving the route yourself. We’ve done both and, if you don’t have long in the country, a tour is definitely the easier option.
For our first trip to Iceland, this was how we visited the Golden Circle.
Our tour guide picked us up from our hotel in Reykjavik (we were staying at the Centre Hotels Plaza), and took us around the 4 major sights along the route: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall, and Kerid Crater.
It was a fantastic introduction to Icelandic landscapes and, despite it being pretty wet at one point (we visited in December), we had a great day. In our opinion, this is the perfect first tour to go on if you only have 2 days in Iceland.
👉 Check out our full guide of the Golden Circle Tour here.
The Golden Circle is a full-day tour, but because it’s quite close to Reykjavik, you don’t usually get back to the capital too late. When we went, we were back by 5:30pm, which gave us plenty of time to explore in the evening.
❤️ For your first day in Iceland, this is the tour we’d recommend.
Geothermal Pools
If there’s another thing you can’t miss in Iceland, it’s a geothermal pool. The country is famous for them, and there are so many to choose from. Soaking in the warm waters is a great way to spend your first evening in Reykjavik.
You can book tours to the Golden Circle with thermal spas included, and this is a great way to see two things in one day. These will usually be a Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle tour or a Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon Tour.
Since the Secret Lagoon is on the Golden Circle, this is the most logical as you’re literally passing it when you drive from Gullfoss to Kerid Crater.
In our opinion, it makes more sense to visit the Blue Lagoon on the day you land or the day you depart (depending on your flight time).
It’s located in the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 20 minutes from Keflavik Airport; however, you can book a tour from Reykjavik if it’s easier.
The other two pools that we’d recommend are Hvammsvik Hot Springs and the Sky Lagoon. Both of these options are relatively new.
Hvammsvik’s location is simply stunning, and the pools are the most natural out of everything we’ve mentioned.
The Sky Lagoon also has beautiful views and is located in Reykjavik, so the travel time won’t be so long. The Sky Lagoon’s 7-step ritual is also great for relaxing.
All in all, we think the best option for your first day would be to add the Secret Lagoon to your Golden Circle tour or spend the evening at the Sky Lagoon in Reykjavik.
❤️ If you want to visit a thermal spa, this is the tour we’d recommend.
TOP TIP: If you’re visiting Iceland in the winter months, we also suggest booking a Northern Lights tour for your first day. That way, if it gets cancelled due to bad weather, you have another chance of seeing them the next night.
Day 2: South Coast and Reykjavik
For your second day in Iceland, head down the south coast. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the country and another of the most popular. You likely won’t find it as busy as the Golden Circle, though.
The South Coast Day Tour
Once again, this is much easier to do as a guided tour than a self-drive if you only have a few days in Iceland. And there is definitely no shortage of South Coast day tours from Reykjavik.
When we visited, we booked a south coast tour with a glacier hike. This turned out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done in the country, but you can book a tour with a visit to an ice cave as well.
👉 Check out our full South Coast experience here.
Whichever tour you book, you’ll be travelling between Reykjavik and Vik.
The tour will take you to some of the most incredible waterfalls in the country – Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss – as well as Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and the village of Vik.
We love the south coast of Iceland, and you can easily spend longer than a day here. But if you’re short on time, a day trip is worth it. A tour will typically last 8 hours but of course, the glacier hike tours will be longer than if you’re just seeing the waterfalls.
When we did this, we were picked up from our hotel in Reykjavik at around 8am and dropped off at roughly 7pm. The drive to the south coast is much longer than the drive to the Golden Circle and the first stop is around 2 hours from the capital.
This is why we always say that it’s worth staying on the south coast if you can, because there’s so much to see.
❤️ This is the south coast tour we did and we had an amazing time!
Reykjavik
When you get back to Reykjavik, grab some dinner (we loved Apotek), and go for an evening stroll around the city. If you’re visiting in the summer months, it’ll probably still be light.
But if you’ve opted for a winter visit, there’s still plenty to see in the dark.
The first stop should undoubtedly be Hallgrimskirkja, the iconic church and symbol of Reykjavik. Its design was inspired by the striking basalt columns found along Iceland’s south coast.
After seeing Reynisfjara Beach earlier in the day, you’ll see the resemblance.
Next, you can stop by Rainbow Street, also known as Laugavegur, for a bit of window shopping.
Then, you could head down to the waterfront to see Harpa Concert Hall and the Sun Voyager sculpture.
Or, if you fancy visiting another of Iceland’s top attractions, catch the bus to the Perlan Museum.
This is open until 9pm, so it will depend on how much time you have. But it’s a wonderful way to learn about Iceland’s wildlife, nature, and fantastic landscapes.
Once you’ve had a little exploration of the capital, head back to your hotel for the end of your 2 days in Iceland.
Is 2 days in Iceland enough?
The short answer to this is no! 2 days is nowhere near enough to see all of the wonderful things in Iceland. It’s barely enough to see the capital, and you could probably spend 2 days exploring Reykjavik.
However, if you only have two days – perhaps you’re on a long layover – don’t discount Iceland. It’s still so worth spending those days exploring this beautiful country, and the things you will see will almost certainly make you want to come back for more.
Our first trip to Iceland was only 3 days long. But it was enough time to truly fall in love with it, and we’ve visited again and again since then.
So, if you’re planning on spending 2 days in this wonderful country, we hope this itinerary has given you plenty of inspiration on how best to spend your time. You’ll most likely fall in love with it too! 🙂
👉 Haven’t chosen your hotel yet? Here are some of the best hotels in Reykjavik.
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