11 Best Things to do in South Iceland | Your Complete Guide

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Trying to figure out what’s actually worth seeing in South Iceland? This guide to Iceland’s south coast lays it all out, step by step, from the famous Golden Circle to the black sand beaches of Vik, and the steaming geothermal wonders of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

If it’s your first time visiting Iceland, it can be difficult to decide which places to add to your South Iceland itinerary. With so many epic waterfalls, incredible glaciers and natural hot springs to choose from, how do you know which South Iceland attractions to hit and which to miss?

I’ve been there myself, road-tripping the south coast and taking day trips from Reykjavik. Along the way, I learned what’s worth your time and what you can skip. (Quick tip: don’t miss Skogafoss or Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. But if you’re short on time, you can probably skip the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreckage hike.)

In this post, you’ll find a clear breakdown of all the best things to do in South Iceland, plus practical tips for where to go, how to get around, and where to stay. Let’s dive in and get your dream trip planned.

Where to Base Yourself in South Iceland

Iceland is a gorgeous and vast, otherworldly wilderness that would take years to explore thoroughly. So it’s not surprising that many first-time visitors to Iceland decide to make Reykjavik their base, focusing their efforts on exploring the southern coast of Iceland, especially in the winter when adverse weather can make driving in Iceland difficult in the north.

Reykjavik is the ideal base for first-time visitors to South Iceland, as the majority of Iceland’s south coast attractions are within driving distance of the city. From natural geothermal springs to epic waterfalls and incredible hikes, there’s something for everyone.

Whether you decide to base yourself in Reykjavik like I did or travel around the south of Iceland, read on for the best things to do in South Iceland.

11 Best Iceland South Coast Attractions

1. Krauma Baths and Spa

There’s no doubt that Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is a beautiful place and one of the best things to do in South Iceland. But if you fancy stepping off the beaten path and doing something different, head to the lesser-known Krauma spa, a natural geothermal spa approximately 100km north of Reykjavik.

You will get to bathe in the waters of the most powerful hot spring in Europe, while enjoying scenic views of the beautiful landscape around you and escaping the crowds of people that visit the Blue Lagoon.

The spa consists of five naturally heated, geothermal pools, one cold pool, two saunas, and a relaxation room complete with a log burner. The surrounding scenery is beautiful, with the steam coming off the geothermal pools that surround the spa making for an epic backdrop.

Krauma also boasts a fantastic restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious light lunch. The restaurant is expensive, with main meals costing between £20 and £40.

After driving through a snowstorm to get to Krauma, we had the whole spa to ourselves. We spent a couple of hours relaxing in the spa before enjoying lunch in the modern restaurant overlooking the mountain scenery.

Adult tickets for the spa cost 7490 ISK (approx. £44 GBP), which is very reasonable compared to the cost to visit the Blue Lagoon.

Book your tickets to Krauma here

2. Þingvellir National Park and Oxarafoss Waterfall

Part of the infamous Golden Circle, Þingvellir National Park is one of the South Iceland attractions you don’t want to miss.

Iceland is divided by the Mid-Atlantic Rift, and in Þingvellir National Park, you can walk or dive between the two tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia. The Silfra Fissure is the only place in the world where you can dive between the tectonic plates of two continents!

If diving isn’t your thing, check out the beautiful Oxarafoss waterfall, which can be reached by taking the short 15-minute hike from the car park down through a small valley which leads you between the two tectonic plates.

The waterfall is stunning, but it is easily missed as the signposts aren’t very clear from the road. The Oxarafoss car park can be found here. Don’t miss this often overlooked attraction, it really is beautiful and one of the best things to do in South Iceland.

Aside from its geological significance, Þingvellir has a rich historical and cultural background. As well as being the first national park in Iceland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Þingvellir also saw the birth of the world’s first democratic parliament in 930 AD! The Parliament actually met in Þingvellir until 1798!

We were lucky enough to visit Oxarafoss as the sun was coming up, which meant we had gorgeous golden light to make the waterfall look even more incredible!

3. Strokkur Geysir

One of the best things to do in South Iceland is to visit the explosive Strokkur Geysir. Strokkur is one of the main attractions on Golden Circle tours and one of the most visited sites in Iceland.

Every 5-10 minutes, Strokkur erupts, blasting water up to 15-20 metres into the air. The geysir is situated in a highly active, high-temperature geothermal area with a staggering base temperature of 250°C, which means that in addition to Strokkur, you’ll also find many smaller geysers, mud pools, and hot springs in the surrounding area.

At Strokkur, you’ll find a network of hiking trails to explore the area, as well as a car park and visitor centre with a cafe, restaurant, gift shop, hotel and public toilets.

Visiting the Strokkur Geysir is free of charge.

4. Gullfoss

The final stop on the Golden Circle tour is the magnificent Gullfoss, a two-tiered waterfall that looks spectacular all year round, whether basking in the sun or blanketed in snow and ice. Gullfoss is free and open to visitors all year round.

The falls reach a height of 32 metres over the two tiers, sending approximately 109 cubic metres per second plummeting into the Gullfoss gorge.

Make sure to wear waterproofs when visiting Gullfoss, as you’ll likely end up soaked from the spray and in total awe of nature’s fearsome power!

There is a large free car park and a visitor centre with a cafe at Gullfoss.

5. Hike to Reykjadalur Hot Springs

If you’re looking for some lesser-known things to do in South Iceland to get away from the crowds on the Golden Circle tours, I would recommend a hike to Reykjadalur Natural Hot Springs.

Only a 40-minute drive outside of Reykjavik, the Reykjadalur trek is a popular hiking route which leads through a beautiful valley full of steaming hot natural springs and bubbling mud pools – the majority of which are far too hot to bathe in.

After a 3km hike through stunning valleys and craters, you’ll reach a river with wooden decking running alongside it and steps down into the river.

While the geothermal river would normally be too hot to swim in, it is fed by several other smaller glacial rivers, which cool the waters to the perfect bathing temperature.

The further up the river you go, the warmer the water gets. So, if the water is too cold for you, head further upriver until you find the right temperature.

The hike is a 6km round trip to the river and back to the car park, making this an easy to moderate walk with a few uphill stretches and a wide, open path.

Before we set off on our hike, we read online that the trail is treacherous in winter. However, we hiked on a rainy, cold day in January and found the path to be wide and easy to follow.

This is the parking location for the hike.

6. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

One of the best things to do in South Iceland, and a definite must on any South Iceland itinerary, Seljalandsfoss is a beautiful waterfall descending 60m (200 ft) on the South Coast of Iceland.

Seljalandsfoss is one of the few waterfalls in Iceland you can walk behind and is a regular pitstop on many south coast tours. A walkway leads behind the waterfall into the cliff, where you can feel the spray of the waterfall on your face and hear the roar of the water as it plummets to the ground.

The waterfall is fed by melting water from the famed glacier-capped Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which is the volcano that erupted and caused chaos for flights across Europe some years ago.

Although Seljalandsfoss lies 120 km (approx. 1 hour 45 minutes drive) outside of Reykjavik, visiting this waterfall can be combined with several other south coast attractions to make the distance worth the day trip from Reykjavik.

The path can be very slippery and icy in winter, so take care when walking behind the falls and wear good hiking shoes. At times, the path can be closed due to ice thawing and dropping from the cliff above.

If you’re lucky enough to catch Seljalandsfoss on a sunny day, you may even be treated to a rainbow. It was cloudy and raining on the day we visited, but still beautiful nonetheless.

There is a small gift shop at the waterfall site, and a small food hut selling snacks and hot drinks. This is the exact location of Seljalandsfoss. There’s also free parking at the site.

7. Skogafoss Waterfall

Only 30 km from Seljalandsfoss, lies the jaw-dropping Skogafoss, which stands 62 metres high and 25 metres wide.

You can walk right up to the foot of the falls, which is one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had – to feel the sheer power and force of that much water before you is amazing!

To the right-hand side of the falls, there are some steps which take you to the top of the falls, with views inland to some smaller but equally beautiful waterfalls upstream. There are many hikes in Iceland, but this footpath also leads to one of the best day hikes, known as Fimmvorduhals.

If you’re interested in learning more about these mesmerising waterfalls, you can also visit the nearby Skogar Museum.

There are restaurants, cafes, public toilets, a car park and several guesthouses and hotels close to Skogafoss. This is the exact location of the Skogafoss Waterfall.

8. Sólheimasandur Plane Wreckage

It’s not often you get to explore the wreckage of a crashed plane, but at Sólheimasandur you can do just that! The plane crashed in 1973 when it ran out of fuel, but fortunately, everyone on board survived.

The plane lies on the black sand beaches of the south coast close to Skogafoss and has an otherworldly feel about it – with nothing but black sand for miles around, it feels like you’ve landed on another planet!

To reach the plane wreckage, you’ll need to make the long walk from the car park, which lies just a little way on from Skogafoss. It took us about an hour to reach the plane wreckage from the car park, so do make sure you leave with plenty of daylight, as we ended up walking back in the dark and felt quite disorientated due to the flat black earth stretching out for miles, with no landmarks to guide us.

If you’d rather not walk to the wreckage, you can take a shuttle bus to the wreckage site. The Plane Wreck Shuttle runs every 30 minutes every day from 10 am to 5 pm, all year round, as long as conditions allow. It takes 10 minutes each way and costs £19.

The car park location for the plane wreckage is here, and the shuttle runs from the car park every day.

If you’re short on time, this is one of the Iceland south coast attractions you could skip on your itinerary. While it was cool to see the plane wreckage, it took a long time to walk there, and the scenery was fairly bland. If I visited again, I’d skip this site in favour of spending more time at each of the other attractions on the south coast.

9. Explore Reykjavik

Reykjavik is a small city, but there are still plenty of things to do. Visit one of Reykjavik’s geothermally heated swimming pools, take a walking tour of the city, visit the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church or the impressive Harpa Concert Hall or learn more about the makeup of the beautiful country that is Iceland at the fascinating Perlan Museum.

We spent an immersive day at the Perlan Museum due to being stuck in the city because of a snowstorm. You can easily spend several hours in this interesting museum if the weather is bad.

Reykjavik also has a vibrant nightlife scene and many impressive restaurants to enjoy local Icelandic cuisine, although dining out can be difficult if you’re travelling to Iceland on a budget. We found many bars have a ‘happy hour’ early in the evening, which we took advantage of to save some money on drinks.

10. Take a Northern Lights Tour

One of the main draws for Iceland is the chance to see the Northern Lights. Of course, seeing the northern lights is never guaranteed and depends on many variables, but should you get the chance to witness this amazing light display, you’ll not be disappointed.

Whether you decide to hunt for them yourself with a hire car, or whether you search for the northern lights on an organised group tour is up to you.

11. Explore the Reykjanes Peninsula

Just outside Reykjavik, you’ll find the Reykjanes Peninsula, an area that is rife with geothermal and volcanic activity, and now famous since the recent eruption in Grindavik.

There’s enough to see and do on the Reykjanes Peninsula to fill an entire day, so make sure you leave plenty of time to explore such places as Krýsuvík, with its many hiking trails and geothermal mud pools, Grænavatn lake and Lake Kleifarvatn, the Bridge Between Continents, a small bridge that spans a major fissure between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, Hafnaberg sea cliffs and The Lava Tunnel.

Why Visit South Iceland?

South Iceland is one of the most visited areas of Iceland, and for good reason. You’ll find epic waterfalls, incredible glaciers and ice caves, volcanoes, hot springs and geysers!

Using the vibrant city of Reykjavik as a base to explore the region is a great option if you’re looking to avoid booking different accommodation every night.

If you’re visiting Iceland in winter, the south coast is more accessible, as parts of the north are cut off due to bad weather and poor road conditions. So, basing yourself in the south means you’ll still be able to see plenty of Iceland’s attractions even if you’re visiting in January or February.

Essential Travel Tips for South Iceland

How to Get Around

Hiring a car in Iceland is arguably the easiest way to get around. You can hire a car at Keflavik Airport and travel on your own schedule without having to book expensive tours.

Driving in Iceland is fairly straightforward, but if you’re planning to drive in Iceland in winter, you’ll need to be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions and check road conditions before you travel.

If you don’t feel comfortable driving yourself, you can book day trips and tours from Reykjavik to areas such as the Golden Circle, Reykjanes Peninsula and the South Coast.

You may also be able to use the public bus service, although the routes aren’t comprehensive and don’t cover rural areas.

Where to Stay in South Iceland

I recommend basing yourself in Reykjavik if you’re exploring South Iceland. Reykjavik has a wealth of accommodation options, from budget hostels to luxury hotels, depending on how much you want to spend.

Alternatively, you could book different accommodation each night and enjoy a South Iceland road trip, visiting a different area each day if you want to cut down on travel time to and from Reykjavik.

Frequently Asked Questions