When you say Iceland, you say Golden Circle. This ‘golden route’ takes you to many highlights of Iceland in a short amount of time. And yes, it is very touristy, but who cares. I want to take you along the Golden Circle route, and I will add a few extras.

Giant ice chunks on the beach and ice caves in glaciers. There is a clear reason why around 1 million people visit Jökulsárlón in Iceland every year. The Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach are must-dos, but don’t forget the Múlagljúfur Canyon!

Vík is the wettest place in all of Iceland. That doesn’t sound very inviting, does it? But it’s also the place of the black beach, the plane wreck, fun food trucks, and more. So, despite the rain, you should put Vík on your Iceland to-do list – and bring your raincoat.

In Iceland, you can’t avoid it: you have to rent a car. There is little to no public transport. And I don’t think sticking to tours from Reykjavik is an option either: unaffordable! So I recommend renting a car in Iceland. I’m happy to share my tips with you.

The icy wind brings tears to my eyes and blows the car doors shut. It is chilly on Snæfellsnes in Iceland. But it is also cool in the other sense of the word because there is a lot to see on Snæfellsnes in a short time. So I brave the cold and warm up at a hostel with the appropriate name ‘The Freezer’ in the evening.

In southeastern Iceland, Höfn sits on the tip of a peninsula. People traveling through southern Iceland usually don’t make it to the capital of langoustine. Too bad, because in Höfn, of course, you eat langoustine and imagine yourself almost alone in the world.

It sounds somewhat ominous: an excursion in Iceland in the valley of thunder god Thor. But with a super jeep and a super guide we overcome rough river crossings and falling icicles in Þórsmörk (Thorsmork).