Five days is the sweet spot for Iceland’s south coast: enough to reach Vestrahorn without living in the car, and every night is a stay we’d book again. This is our house route — one leg per day, four real bases, and the famous stops in the right order. Tune it with the Concierge, then book the flights, car, and each room from a single page.
The route
- Day 1
Land in Reykjavík, settle into 101
Ease off the plane with a night in the city centre — the rainbow street, the old harbour, a good dinner. Grab the rental car in the morning with a full day ahead.
Stay: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre → - Day 2
Waterfalls & the base camp
Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, and the drive east under Eyjafjallajökull. Settle at a design-led base in Hvolsvöllur with a rooftop hot tub — the warmest launchpad for the highlands.
Stay: Midgard Base Camp → - Day 3
Black sand & basalt at Vík
Reynisfjara's basalt columns, Dyrhólaey's arch, and the roaring surf. Sleep where the glaciers meet the black sand, with a full kitchen for a self-catered evening.
Stay: Black Beach Suites → - Day 4
East to Vestrahorn
The long, beautiful drive to the Stokksnes peninsula and one of Iceland's most photographed mountains. Coffee and warm rooms at the foot of Vestrahorn.
Stay: Viking Café & Guesthouse → - Day 5
The road back
Retrace the coast at your own pace — the stops you rushed on the way out are worth a second look on the way home. Fly out of Keflavík in the evening.
Where it goes
- 1Reykjavík — arrival
- 2Hvolsvöllur — base camp
- 3Vík — black sand
- 4Stokksnes & Vestrahorn
Stays on this route
Capital Region, Iceland
Canopy by Hilton Reykjavík City Centre
A design-led boutique in the beating heart of Reykjavík's 101 — steps from the rainbow street, Hallgrímskirkja and the old harbour, with a local, characterful feel to bookend an Iceland road trip.
South Iceland, Iceland
Midgard Base Camp
The warmest launchpad in South Iceland — a design-led hotel-and-hostel in Hvolsvöllur with a rooftop hot tub, a buzzing bar, and every waterfall, volcano and highland track within reach.
South Iceland, Iceland
Black Beach Suites
Wake up where the glaciers meet the black sand. Self-catering suites in Vík with private terraces, minutes from Reynisfjara's basalt columns and roaring Atlantic surf.
Southeast Iceland, Iceland
Viking Café & Guesthouse
Sleep at the foot of Vestrahorn, one of Iceland's most photographed mountains. A cosy guesthouse-and-café on the wild Stokksnes peninsula — coffee, warm rooms, and a black-sand skyline at your door.
Book the whole trip in one place
Flights, your rental car, and every stay on this route — searched together, so nothing falls through the cracks.