Looking for a week-long November trip for Thanksgiving break?
Go to Iceland!
Why Visit Iceland?
Each year we look for places to visit for the second to last week of November (our Thanksgiving break). Iceland checked all of the boxes for us.
- International – check!
- Nonstop flight from Boston or other places on the East Coast – check!
- Equal parts adventure and leisure travel – check!
- Urban and nature-based activities – check!
Below, we’ve included maps and daily highlights of our trip. Check back soon for more detailed posts on each day.
Things to Know About Visiting Iceland in November
- Driving: Iceland is very drivable and if you are comfortable, we recommend renting a car. For winter, make sure you get a car with winter tires for snow and ice!
- Parking: For many of the tourist sites, there are parking meters to pay. You can also often use the Parka.is app or website that was super convenient.
- Food/gas: We will be honest, food and gas in Iceland is expensive. We spent a fair amount on food, but also had a kitchen for a few days so we could make sandwiches and dinners to help minimize some costs.
- Air travel: From Boston, we could take either Play Airlines or Iceland Air. Play Airlines is a budget carrier and it cost much less. However, just be aware that you will likely have to pay for carry-on and checked luggage, so keep that in mind when budgeting!
- Daylight: If you travel in the late fall and winter, know that there is a lot less daylight to explore places when you plan your itinerary. Sunrise was around 10:30am and sunset was around 3:30pm. That said, there was still enough light for about an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset to explore!
- Total cost: All told, this entire trip cost us about $5,000-inclusive of food, activities, lodging, car, etc. There are definitely ways to spend less or more, but this was a true vacation for us so we embraced some luxury!
Itinerary for a 7-day trip to Iceland over Thanksgiving break
Day 1: Driving Iceland's South Coast from Keflavik Airport to Jökulsárlón
- Route: Keflavík Airport (KEF), Iceland South Shore with a stop in Vik to Jökulsárlón
- Time: 7:30am-8:00pm, 6.5 hours of driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Grindavik volcanic eruption
- Seljalandsfoss waterfall – there is parking right in front of the waterfall.
- Skógafoss waterfall and hike – we walked up the stairs to the top of the waterfall and hiked out on some of the Fimmvörðuháls pass, a lovely hiking trail. You can turn around whenever you want!
- Kvernufoss waterfall hike right next to Skógafoss. Park at the Skógar Museum (bathrooms available). Easy 1 mile hike on a path and worth it! A lot less crowded than Skogafoss.
- Kirkjufjara Beach – Dyrhólaey and hike – 2.7 mile hike to see the lighthouse and beach. We enjoyed this walk, but you can also park next to the lighthouse, walk around, then drive down to the beach viewing area instead of walking there and back.
- Reynisfjara black sand beach – a Game of Thrones filming site with columnar basalt. There is a small restaurant with amenities at the beach.
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon – a great stop for northern lights watching! We returned here on Day 3 (see below).
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Hotel Jökulsárlón – highly recommend! This is a newer hotel that is a bit further along the coast, but very close to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. It is modern and sleek. It has a beautiful restaurant, outdoor space with hot tubs and views, and super comfortable beds. We slept so well.
- Smiðjan Brugghús – good casual place for beers and burgers in Vik!
- Byrja – quick, easy, casual, place for breakfast in Selfoss that has quality food. Owners are super nice!
- Krónan Selfossi: discount grocery store that had everything we needed.
- Reflections: This was a long day, but we highly recommend staving off the jet lag by keeping busy and staying awake! We should have brought some food with us because it was a long day – consider packing snacks because Vik is pretty far into the drive. If we had more time in Iceland, it might have been better to stay in Vik and drive out to Jökulsárlón the next day.
Day 2: Glaciers on the South Coast
- Route: Hotel Jökulsárlón to Skaftafell at Vatnajökull National Park
- Time: 8:00am-5:00pm: 1 hour 40 minutes of driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Glacier hike and ice cave tour on Fjallsjökull with Arctic Adventures – very reputable company and our guide Ola was a great. No complaints. They run tours on Fjallsjökull, the “falling glacier,” and it was absolutely beautiful. This is an intro level, accessible, easy glacier walk for newbies.
- Longer hike to Svartifoss waterfall with Sjónarnípa viewpoint – 4.8 mile hike. This was huge highlight of the trip. We got an incredible view of the sunset and glacier. Going counter clockwise brings you to the viewpoint first, away from the crowds.
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Hotel Jökulsárlón – highly recommend! We ate a lovely dinner here. Apparently the breakfast is incredible, but we did not opt to add it. Don’t forget to check out the hot tub with views of the mountains.
- Cafe Vatnajökull – essentially the only place to eat in this area. Super cute cafe with pastries, soup, sandwiches, tea, and coffee. They might sell out of sandwiches by midday! Only yogurt and soup made for a pretty sad late lunch for us.
- Reflections: The glaciers in this region are truly incredible. It was a long drive out there, but it was totally worth it!
Day 3: South Coast Highlights: Diamond Beach, Glacier Lagoon, Fjardrargljufur Canyon
- Route: Hotel Jökulsárlón along the South Coast, with a stop in Vik, to Ocean Break Cabins
- NOTE: We would not recommend driving all the way back to this area. We had to pick somebody up at the airport. If you are planning to continue with the rest of our itinerary, we suggest staying overnight somewhere like Reykjavik, Selfoss, or Hella on this night!
- Time: 9:30am-8:00pm, 6 hours of driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon – Icebergs that have broken off of the glacier wash up onto a black sand beach! You can park on either side of the road and then walk between the beach and the lagoon. Go at sunrise if you can because the light hitting the icebergs and glacier is otherworldly! We also saw seals playing in the lagoon.
- Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon – 1.9 mile easy hike up the canyon. A beautiful must stop!
- Drangurinn í Drangshlíð – turf buildings! Quick stop, donation based at an old farm, right off the side of the road near Vik.
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Ocean Break Cabins – We drove all the way back to the airport to pick up somebody joining our trip. If you need a cute, clean place to stay with a private hot tub near the airport, Ocean Break was great. We were in cabin B, a one bedroom duplex.
- The Soup Company in Vik – it is popular for a reason! Their most popular soups and bread bowl are delicious. Yes, they do give you free second helpings of soup!
Day 4: Reykjavik and Hvammsik Spa
- Route: Ocean Break Cabins to Reykjavik to Hotel Grimsborgir in the Golden Circle
- Time: 7:00am-6:00pm, 3 and a half hours driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Sun Voyager – must see sculpture right on the water
- Harpa concert hall – architectural landmark with a nice store with Icelandic wares inside
- Skólavörðustígur Rainbow Street – lots of cute shops to pop into on the way to Hallgrímskirkja church
- Hallgrímskirkja – largest church in Iceland
- National Museum of Iceland – two floors with history of Iceland. A great museum for an hour or two.
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs – We are so, so happy we went to this hot spring. There are so many options in Iceland and we highly recommend this one. It felt more intimate and less “commercial.” The setting was beautiful, right on the fjord. Swim up bar, multiple pools with different temperatures to choose from, options to rent towels and other items. Also, they have a cafe there that we didn’t eat at, but looked nice. Just an hour north of Reykjavik.
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Te & Kaffi, Laugavegur 27, 101 – Reykjavik – small cafe with tea, coffee, and pastries. Cute and convenient. Close to Sun Voyager and Rainbow Street.
- Hotel Grimsborgir – hotel right on the Golden Circle. We rented a 2-room house with a kitchen and private hot tub and it was great for us (a couple and one of our moms). Allowed us to make dinner for the two nights and cut down on costs. They also did a northern lights wake up call for us! Breakfast included was robust. Selfoss (larger town with groceries, restaurants, etc. was about 15 minutes away)
- Reflections: Reykjavik – it is really easy to walk between the Sun Voyager, Harpa, Rainbow Street, and Hallgrímskirkja. We decided to drive to the museum to save time. We were very happy that we chose to go to Hvammsvik instead of Blue Lagoon.
Day 5: The Golden Circle
- Route: Hotel Grimsborgir around the Golden Circle
- Time: 9:30am-6:00pm, 2 hours driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Kerid Crater – Great first stop of the day! There are two routes to walk – one that goes around the rim of the crater, then an out and back path to go to the bottom of the crater. There is a small admission fee per person.
- Secret Lagoon – The oldest hot spring pool in Iceland! This was much more like a swimming pool rather than small hot springs, but it was a fun spot. A lot less expensive than other places, more casual, and a very chill atmosphere. There is a very short boardwalk around the pool where you can see the geysers that are the source of the water for the natural pool!
- Gulfoss Waterfall – a must see waterfall at the far point of the Golden Circle. There are two viewing areas, one upper and one lower. Both are worth checking out! Really nice gift shop and visitor’s center with cafe.
- Geysir Hot Spring – boardwalk takes you around a loop where you can see boiling water and geysers, one of which erupts about every 5-7 minutes! Nice gift shop and visitor’s center with cafe.
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Vinstofa Fridheimar wine bar and restaurant – we cannot recommend this place enough. It is a restaurant and wine bar in a greenhouse, decorated with books and plants! They are famous for their tomatoes, grown on site in their greenhouses. We stopped in for an afternoon cocktail and light snacks. Go.
- Hotel Grimsborgir – see above
- Reflections: Golden Circle is popular for a reason. There are other stops we could have added, like Faxifoss Waterfall, but we did not have time.
Day 6: Thingvellir National Park
- Route: Hotel Grimsborgir to Thingvellir National Park to Hotel Húsafell
- Time: 8:30am-6:00pm, 2 and a half hours driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Thingvellir National Park
- Silfra Snorkling – swim between continents at the Silfra fissure in Thingvellir National Park! Parked at parking lot 5 then walked a short distance to a cluster of heated vans where we changed into our gear and met with our guide. From there, we walked a short path across the road to snorkel! It was cold and the water was barely above freezing, but the dry suits kept us warm enough! We highly, highly recommend Dive.is. They did a fantastic job making us feel welcome and safe.
- Almannagjá to Logberg – Parked at lot 1, walked by the main visitor’s center, checked out the viewpoint, then continued to walk down the path through the mid-Atlantic rift to Logberg, the place where Iceland’s first, and also the world’s oldest, Parliament was held!
- Öxarárfoss waterfall and Stekkjargja – parked at lot 2, walked between continents, visited where the “Bloody Gate” in Game of Thrones was filmed, and saw Öxarárfoss waterfall
- Thingvellir National Park
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Hotel Húsafell – the hotel was completely fine, but the big highlight was the restaurant. They use local ingredients and focus on Icelandic food with an Asian influence. Breakfast was also included and was standard and good.
- Reflections: The Almannagjá Trail is a 2.6 mile route along the mid-Atlantic rift that takes you by the sites we visited. Or, if you prefer, you can do what we did and park at the different lots along this path to see different sections without having to walk the entire loop.
Day 7: Husafell
- Route: Hotel Husafell to KEF airport
- Time: 9:30am-1:00pm, 2 and a half hours driving time
- Sites of the Day:
- Sturlureykir Horse Farm – a local, family-run horse farm where you can pet and feed the Icelandic horses, learn about their breeding process, and see how they bake rye bread using heat from geothermal springs! They even give you a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, and a taste of their rye bread. They were really welcoming and let us stay as long as we wanted.
- Accommodation/Restaurants:
- Hotel Húsafell – Breakfast was also included and was standard and good. They do northern lights wake up calls and we saw the northern lights here!
- Reflections: If we had more time, we would have wanted to explore Husafell and the surrounding area more!
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