Tourism in Iceland is growing rapidly thanks to some pretty expert marketing campaigns. After an economic crash in 2008, prices in Iceland plummeted, making it more affordable for visitors. That said, Iceland still isn’t cheap and you have to make sure to budget accordingly. But once you’ve got some money saved up, I highly encourage you to head on over. With non-stop flights just a few hours away from NYC, there’s really no excuse if you’re living on the East Coast of the USA.

Things to do in Iceland
1. Visit Some Nature Baths.
Read Next: Top Tips for Visiting the Blue Lagoon

2. Drive the Ring Road.
If you go to Iceland and don’t venture far outside of Reykjavik, you’re sorely missing out! Renting a car and driving the Ring Road offers so many different landscapes, so many incredible detours, and so many reasons to believe it really is the Isle of Awe Land. With this national road encircling around the entire island and connecting many inhabited parts of the country, it’s best to leave quite some time for this. You won’t want to be rushing through 825+ miles, that’s for sure! The more days the better, but I recommend no less than 4 in order to really get an adequate amount of exploration time.
A few things not to miss: The Golden Circle, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skógafoss Waterfall, Sólheimasandur Plane Crash, and the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon. Much more to see, but these are some highlights.

3. Go on a Glacier Walk.
4. Take a Whale Watching Tour.


5. Hike a Crater.
6. See the Aurelia Borealis

7. Eat Some Authentic Foods.
Iceland has no shortage of strange foods—hákarl (fermented shark), whale, puffin, and horse. Because of the influx of tourists, all of these foods are pretty easy to come by, especially in Reykjavik, shown below. Don’t miss out on the hot dogs as well, a local speciality!


8. Take a Boat through the Glacier Lagoon.
9. See (and Maybe Scuba) Where Two Continental Plates Meet.
Þingvellir is a short drive from Reykjavik and is unique in that you can see where the North American and Eurasian Plates meet. If you want to do more than see from above, you can scuba or snorkel in the water as well.
Read Next: The Golden Circle: A Must-Do Day Trip from Reykjavik
10. Check Out the Sulfur Fields and Lunar Landscape.

If you’ve got your eye on the country, here are the top things to do in Iceland. Have you been?!
* All photos courtesy of Tourism Iceland.