Day 1 Highlights:
Pick up rental car
40 min drive to Reykjavik
Check into Reykjavik hotel
Grab some food: Icelandic Street Food
40 min drive to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River
4 mile round trip hike to the thermal river
Dinner: Great pizza and beer a few minutes drive from trail Olverk Pizza & Brewery
40 min drive back to Rekjavik for
Night 1: Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik
Back to the full 10 Day Iceland Itinerary
Airport & Rental Car:
Keflavik International Airport is fairly small and easy to navigate. As you collect your bags and exit the airport, you will find a shuttle pickup to take you to the rental car pickup area. It’s a short 5 minute bus ride away. Technically you can walk, but with heavy luggage it can be a pain. We used Blue Car Rental and we were very happy with our rental experience. In our research, we read some horror stories about using Sixt (normally great elsewhere in Europe - but apparently people have had issues with damage claims).
Reykjavik:
Reykjavik is an easy 40 minute drive from the airport. Rekyjavik is a cool city and we loved exploring it during our trip! We LOVED our lunch at Icelandic Street Food. They have all-you-can-eat soup and breadbowls, and a very enthusiastic owner who will hand out free drink coupons to the bar nearby.
Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River:
This was one of the highlights of our trip… on the FIRST day! The trailhead is a 40 minute drive from Reykjavik and it’s a 2 mile (3.2km) hike up to the thermal river. This was one of the most well kept, clean, and hottest hot springs we found in our 10 days. We went in the evening and it was relatively quiet. After the two mile hike back down, on the drive back to the main road, you’ll pass Olverk Pizza & Brewery. The pizza and beer was great, and incredibly rewarding after the international flight and hike.
Night 1: Reykjavik
Drive 40 minutes back to Reykjavik and get some rest! We spent our first night using Hilton points at the Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre. Of the two Hiltons in Reykjavik this one is in the heart of downtown, in a great location, and had a fantastic breakfast.