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Reykjavik: The Capital of Cool. Throbbing with life by day and by night, all year round, Reykjavik is just as much a part of the Icelandic experience as the midnight sun or the magical landscapes forged by ice and fire. Reykjavik, with its neighboring communities, has a population of around 180,000 and offers an interesting mix of cosmopolitan culture and local village roots.
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Thingvellir (“parliament plains”),the Alþing general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. Major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Thingvellir.
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Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) is a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. Only the largest, Heimaey, is inhabited.
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Keflavik International Airport lies on the Reykjanes peninsula, 31 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik (about a 40-minute drive).
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Geysir is the oldest known geyser and one of the world’s most impressive examples of the phenomenon. Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 60 metres in the air. However, eruptions may be infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time.
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Hekla is Iceland’s most active volcano; over 20 outbreaks having occurred in and around the volcano since 874. During the Middle Ages, Icelanders called the volcano the "Gateway to Hell."
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Jökulsárlón is the best known and the largest of a number of glacial lakes in Iceland. It is situated at the south end of the glacier Vatnajökull.
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Akureyri is a town located in the northern part of Iceland; it is the second largest urban area after Reykjavík.
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Latrabjarg is a 14 km long, sheer cliff with an east-west direction on the northern coastline of Iceland’s second largest bay, Breidafjordur.
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Snaefellsjökull is a stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit. The mountain is one of the most famous sites of Iceland, primarily due to the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), written by the French author Jules Verne.
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The Blue Lagoon is a unique geothermal spa where guests relax in warm geothermal seawater.
Zoom In: Reykjavik Blue Lagoon Thingvellir Snaefellsjökull Latrabjarg Akureyri
Hekla Jökulsárlón Geysir Vestmannaeyjar Keflavik International Airport

REYKJAVIK Iceland’s cosmopolitan little capital is home to some of Europe’s best nightlife.

REYKJANES AND THE BLUE LAGOON Walk in ancient lava flows and bathe in the chalky waters of the Blue Lagoon.

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE Take Iceland’s signature tour around a majestic waterfall, the geyser after which all the others were named, and the site of Iceland’s first parliament.

SNAEFELLSNES PENINSULA Sagas are hidden in the landscape of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and, according to Jules Verne, so is the gateway to the center of the Earth.

THE WEST FJORDS: Jagged cliffs meet rugged mountains in this sparsely populated corner of the country.

AKUREYRI If you think it’s cold here, think again. Iceland’s northern capital is the place where Reykjavikers head for some sun.

LAKE MYVATN AND THE NORTH Lake Myvatn is surrounded by a landscape so otherworldly that Apollo astronauts came here to learn how to moonwalk.

THE EAST: Narrow fjords and Iceland’s largest forest can be found here.

THE SOUTH: Glaciers, volcanoes and black sand beaches. The south is a pot pourri of different landscapes.

WESTMAN ISLANDS The world’s youngest archipelago is an ecological wonderland.

THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS: Go in a group to visit the most isolated region of Iceland.