Things to Do in Iceland (2026)

Iceland · IS

Krauma

Krauma is a natural geothermal spa set in the green Borgarfjörður valley of West Iceland, built beside Deildartunguhver—Europe's most powerful hot spring. Rather than piped-in tap water, its pools are filled with pure, freshly flowing hot-spring water cooled to bathing temperature, so you soak in the same 100°C spring that erupts just a few steps away. The complex has six pools—five warm and one cold plunge—ringed by volcanic stone and timber, plus saunas, an infrared cell, a steam bath and a fireside relaxation room. A restaurant serves local Icelandic food with views over the steaming spring, and everything sits about 97 kilometres (roughly an hour and a half's drive) from Reykjavík on road 50.

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Mountain peak

Iceland · IS

Hreggnasi

Hreggnasi is a 469-metre mountain peak on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, standing within Snæfellsjökull National Park in western Iceland. A short but rewarding hiking trail leads to its summit, where panoramic views stretch in every direction across the peninsula's dramatic landscape. The path to the top starts at a footbridge over a stream at the entrance to Eysteinsdalur valley. The walk is pleasant and relatively comfortable for most of its length, though the final approach becomes steep — and the summit itself is flanked by sheer cliffs on the other side, demanding caution once you reach the top.

Art center

Iceland · IS

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity is an artist-run residency and cultural venue perched on the shore of Laugarvatn Lake in rural South Iceland, with sweeping views of Mount Hekla and Mount Eyjafjallajökull. Founded in 2009, it has hosted nearly 700 artists, writers, musicians, and scholars from around the world who come to work in its two well-equipped studios surrounded by some of Iceland's most dramatic landscapes. Beyond its residency function, Gullkistan is a lively hub of exhibitions, open studios, workshops, and seminars that welcome visitors and connect the international creative community with local culture. Its location places it within easy reach of both the Golden Circle's Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall, and Reykjavik.

Lake

Iceland · IS

Urriðavatn

On a low shelf of countryside just minutes from Egilsstaðir, the largest town in eastern Iceland, Lake Urriðavatn is a quiet sheet of freshwater with an unusual secret: hot springs well up from beneath it. That geothermal warmth became the setting for Vök Baths, Iceland's first floating hot pools, opened in 2019 on the lake's edge and now one of the most talked-about stops on an east-country drive. The lake itself is small and shallow — about 1.1 square kilometres, roughly 15 metres at its deepest, sitting only around 40 metres above sea level — fed by the Hafralónslækur and Merkilækur streams. Despite a name that means 'brown trout water', it is today home to Arctic char. For travellers it offers two distinct appeals: the otherworldly soak of Vök Baths and a laid-back, scenic corner of the east where you can walk the shore, cast a line or use it as a restful waypoint on the long Ring Road.

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A little more
of Iceland.

Krauma

Hreggnasi

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity

Urriðavatn

Finding your next place…

A little more
of Iceland.

Krauma

Hreggnasi

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity

Urriðavatn