10 days, September 2025

Yes, you are extremely late to planning as most lodging in Iceland books out 9-12 months in advance.

These are the changes that I would make to what you have right now. Day 1 is good. I assume you will pick up your car upon arrival then park in Reykjavik and head out on foot? Two really good things to do on that day of arrival are the Citywalk "free" walking tour (tip at the end) and the food tour. The food tour has plenty of food so you will not be hungry! Don't forget about the local pools in town. I like Sundhollin and their rooftop hot tubs.

I would not do tours at all, self driving is very easy there.

Day 2 I would head up to Snaefellsness and stay 1-2 nights up there. There is so much to see and one night makes it really rushed and you will miss a lot, but it is doable. I would take 2 nights here if you can get it. I have been up there a handful of times on various trips and still have more to explore, to give you an idea.

After Snaefellsness, stop at Hvammsvik on your way back down. If you are up for the Glymur hike, you can do this as well.

After that find a place in the Golden Circle to stay. One night is ample there. Explore the GC the next day and then head up to Vik. On your way to Vik, head over to Gjain for some hiking. It is like a fairy tale there. I would only stay one, maybe 2 nights in Vik. Did you look for lodging around Jokulsarlon or Hofn, even on the outskirts? I would stay another night up there. The zodiac boat tour at Jokulsarlon is really good!

Selfoss doesn't take much time at all, about 2 hours max and that is at a very leisurely pace. It is cute, but extremely small for the main downtown area. You can do this on your last day as you head back down.

I like Katla, but have only done that in the winter. A lot of it will be melted out, but the cave will remain, so it just depend on whether you think it is worth it. We went with Troll for that and they are excellent.

What about a glacier hike? We did Solheimajokull and it was wonderful!

Westmann Island is great, but the puffins will be long gone and that is one of the big draws there. The rib boat safari ride though is an absolute blast! Since the puffins will be gone, a day trip is fine. I would absolutely take the vehicle though because if the weather is bad on the return trip, they go to a different port 3 hours away and without your vehicle you would be stuck.

Why drive to Reykjavik on your last day? It is out of the way for going to the Blue Lagoon. If you want, on your way back down from Jokulsarlon you could stop in Selfoss.

Yes, the Northern lights can be visible in early September. We have seen them on quite a few of our trips to Iceland and are just amazing to see. For a company to take you out, I highly recommend Aurora Experts. We have used him a few times and he is excellent. You could book for your first night (get a nap first) and then at the end of the trip if case you don't see them that first night. That said, I would not drive around looking for them on dark, unfamiliar streets, but often times you can just look up and see them. On our most recent trip last September, we saw them in the GC as well as in Selfoss. The Selfoss night was a grand show! But on another trip we saw them right in Reykjavik up at the church will all that lighting. So you never know. Just look up and if you see something like a whispy cloud, take a photo and see if it is the aurora, and if it is, then just keep watching and waiting. We have seen them with the naked eye every time there.

This is all great information and very helpful! After reading your suggestions, we are going to modify our current hotel reservations in Reykjavík and Vik and book a hotel for 2 nites on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. There are two possibilities in Hellnar or in Budir. Very limited but we can make it work. The same for the cities near Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. One room available !

We are actually staying in Keflavik our last night which is why we thought we would visit the Blue Lagoon on our last night.

We appreciate the recommendations and look forward to visiting Iceland.

Thanks again!

You will appreciate this itinerary much more:)

A few more thoughts. In the GC there are a few hot springs/lagoons to choose from. Secret and Fontana are the usual suspect and both are good. There is a new one opening in August called Laugaras. I am hoping to get that one booked for our trip this summer, so I can report back on that later. Then there is Hrunalaug which is a rustic one so quite small but nice.

Either Hellnar or Budir would be fine for Snaefellsness.

Glad there is a room near Jokulsarlon! When we have been up there, our lodging has always been out in the middle of nowhere. Cottages, which we prefer.

The BL makes sense with staying in Keflavik that last night. Just to muddy the waters a bit, near Keflavik is Grindavik and the Northern Light Inn there is a favorite of ours. It is basically right next to the Blue Lagoon. They have an excellent restuarant on site as well. It is perfect for a last night as it is so close to the airport. If you decide to stay here, be sure to book the float pods.

The new springs/lagoon Laugaras is on my list. I saw an article in Travel & Leisure about the new lagoon and reservations open August 15th. We are hoping to get a reservation while we are in Iceland.

The Northern Light Inn sounds like the perfect way to end our vacation. We currently have reservations near the airport because we have an early morning flight PLUS I was able to use hotel reward points for the room. It certainly is worth considering! As I change up are current itinerary, I may try to make the change to the Northern Light Inn. The website looks great!

Thanks for the additional travel recommendations!

Enjoy your trip.

BAK--Happy to help:) We have stayed right next to the airport at the Aurora Hotel several times, and then at the NLI several times, and while the Aurora (and others) are closer to KEF, the NLI is totally doable for an early flight. It is a great way to enjoy your last night in a pretty special place.