Full of stunningly beautiful landscapes \u2013 dramatic, elemental and, in places, surreal, Iceland is a fascinating country. From majestic glaciers , volcanoes, cascading waterfalls, geysers and hot springs, rolling tundra, vast black sand beaches, tectonic plate boundary areas, to glacier lagoons with pure iridescent ice, beauty and fascinating natural phenomena in Iceland abound. In addition, Iceland\u2019s unique cultural treasures add a whole new dimension to the experience of the \u201cLand of Fire and Ice\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Golden Circle refers to the three most visited attractions in Iceland: \u00deingvellir (Thingvellir), Geysir hot springs and geyser area and the \u201cGolden Waterfall\u201d – Gullfoss.<\/p>\n
\u00deingvellir (Thingvellir) \u201cParliament Plains\u201d, is \u201cthe cradle of Iceland\u2019s history\u201d, as well as and one of the world\u2019s most impressive natural wonders. It is the place where the ancient Al\u00feingi (Althing), was founded in 930 AD, the oldest extant parliament in the world. For its cultural significance to mankind, Thingvellir was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Located on the divergent tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in soutwestern Iceland, Thingvellir is also renowned for its exceptional natural beauty and geological uniqueness.<\/p>\n
Geysir is the geyser from which the word geyser originates. Together with geyser Strokkur, the hot springs and other geothermal features, it\u2019s one of the most frequently visited attractions in Iceland.<\/p>\n
Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall, is Iceland\u2019s most famous waterfall on the glacial river Hv\u00edta. Tumbling down over a 32 m deep cleft, the waterfall is two-tiered, 2.5 km long and breathtakingly beautiful.<\/p>\n
A geothermal spa set in quintessentially Icelandic lava landscape is a unique experience. Sited between Keflav\u00edk International Airport and Reykjav\u00edk, the Blue Lagoon is easily accessible from both locations.<\/p>\n
Landmannalaugar are part of Iceland\u2019s central Highlands, the scenery of this area is diverse and fascinating: new lava, rhyolite mountains, natural geothermal pools, lush green valleys. These, and the views of the Hekla volcano and Torfaj\u00f6kull (Torfajokull) glacier area are just part of the reason for this area being such a popular sightseeing destination.<\/p>\n
Thorsmork is a wide valley named after the Viking god \u00fe\u00f3r (Thor). One of Iceland\u2019s most popular hiking grounds, it\u2019s surrounded by 3 glaciers: Myrdalsjokull, Eyjafjallajokull and Tindfjallajokull in the southern part of Iceland. This area offers picturesque vistas and impressive scenery, including the lovely Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Thorsmork is located about 160 km east of Reykjavik, in the Highlands of Iceland.<\/p>\n
Lake Myvatn and its surroundings are famous for natural beauty, rare landscapes and vibrant birdlife. The lake is the 4th largest in Iceland, covering 36.5 sq. km, with more than 40 small islands. Lake Myvatn is about 90 km east from Akureyri. The many interesting sights include J\u00f6kuls\u00e1rglj\u00fafur (Jokulsargljufur), \u00c1sbyrgi (Asbyrgi), Dimmuborgir cliffs and Dettifoss, Europe\u00b4s most powerful waterfall. Hlj\u00f3\u00f0aklettar (Hljodaklettar) and Asbyrgi, are huge cliff formations formed by glacial floods from the Vatnajokull glacier. The Mt. Askja caldera is further to the south.<\/p>\n
Hosting majestic glaciers, active volcanoes, impressive waterfalls, black sand expanses, and ancient Viking history, South Iceland area has some of the most spectacular of Iceland\u2019s attractions. Eyjafjallaj\u00f6kull (Eyjafjallajokull) volcano and glacier, and M\u00fdrdalsj\u00f6kull (Myrdalsjokull) glacier are in this part. A more detailed description of these features can be found in our article on South Iceland.<\/p>\n
Jokulsarlon is one of Icelands most spectacular sights, located about 60 km east of Skaftafell and some 400 km from Reykjavik. Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is on the border of SE Iceland, at the foot of Vatnaj\u00f6kull glacier. Numerous birds live by the glacier lagoon and the nearby Brei\u00f0amerkursandur (Breidamerkursandur)is the main home to the great Skua. Eider ducks are also common. From May to September it is possible to take boat trip on the lagoon. Due to its exceptional beauty, Jokulsarlon has been used as a location for several Hollywood films.<\/p>\n
\u00deingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull (Snaefellsjokull) National Park and Vatnaj\u00f6kull (Vatnajokull) National Park, which includes J\u00f6kuls\u00e1rglj\u00fafur (Jokulsargljufur) in the north and Skaftafell in the south, are Iceland\u2019s three national parks. Each is an absolute must-see for nature lovers, with their own unique features which are described in more detail in our articles on Iceland’s National Parks.<\/p>\n
Westman Islands archipelago and the island of Gr\u00edmsey (Grimsey), in the Arctic Ocean also offer many attractions. Westman Islands are well known for their volcanic history and being the largest puffin colony in the North Atlantic. Grimsey is a small fisherman\u2019s island, about 60 km from Akureyri, with about 100 inhabitants and millions of seabirds. This is Iceland\u2019s northernmost point, right on the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n
This region has most of what makes Iceland so unique, as well as the reindeer in the wild, not found anywhere else in Iceland. Beautiful fjords, picture-perfect fishing towns and villages, steep mountains, highland farms, pure mountain streams, forests and woodlands, and vast expanses are typical of East Iceland. In some ways, the eastern part of Iceland still remains Iceland\u2019s undiscovered treasure.<\/p>\n
Reykjavik is a beautiful, striking city with avant-garde architecture, numerous interesting spots to visit and vibrant cultural life. Reykjavik is also perfectly located for taking day trips or longer journeys into the countryside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Places to visit in Iceland: Major Attractions Full of stunningly beautiful landscapes \u2013 dramatic, elemental and, in places, surreal, Iceland is a fascinating country. From majestic glaciers , volcanoes, cascading waterfalls, geysers and hot springs, rolling tundra, vast black sand beaches, tectonic plate boundary areas, to glacier lagoons with pure iridescent ice, beauty and fascinating…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[348,344,346,74,102,144,142,268,347,339,349,342,274,285,341,139,345,338,340,343],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=362"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/natureexplorer.is\/oldies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fyst_prominent_words&post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}