If you saw The Odyssey this summer and thought the underworld looked oddly familiar, you were not imagining things. Odysseus walks into Hades on a black sand beach about two hours east of Reykjavík, and you can drive to it. 2026 has turned into one…

I am not a farmer. I should get that out of the way first. My most vivid memory from a farm is from when I was four or five. I had been sent off with my cousins to a remote farm belonging to two brothers,…

In early July, my wife and I traveled around the Westfjords. One of our favorite stops was Laugaból, also known as The Guesthouse at Dynjandi Falls, in Arnarfjörður. This is where we got to know Leslie Schwartz and Greg Littlewood. They bought the farm in…

Seyðisfjörður in the East of Iceland has always attracted people who do things their own way. It is a town of just under 700 people at the end of a long fjord in the East, famous for its rainbow street, its artist community, and the…

I meet a lot of travelers at the day job, but every now and then someone walks in who’s clearly done their homework. Auriane Rezé-Duclos was on her sixth trip to Iceland when I met her at Lava Show, and it turns out she runs…

The Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin, “the Old Pool”) in Flúðir is Iceland’s oldest swimming pool and, in my opinion, the most authentic hot-spring stop on the Golden Circle. As a partner of the Secret Lagoon, I can offer my readers 15% off the admission ticket…

Looking for a top-rated relaxation experience in Iceland? Krauma Nature Baths offer soothing geothermal waters, stylish facilities, and a perfect location on the Silver Circle—West Iceland’s newest scenic road trip. Just an hour’s drive from Reykjavík, Krauma is fed by Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hot…

One of the best services I have seen for travelers is Iceland Cover, which lets you rent outdoor clothes and camping gear for your trip to Iceland. I know that many people are excited about visiting Iceland but are rightly worried about how to dress…

I have good news for anyone planning a Golden Circle day. Stuck in Iceland has partnered with Laugarás Lagoon, the newest geothermal lagoon in the country, and my newsletter subscribers now get 5% off all three of their admission packages. Laugarás Lagoon opened in 2025…

Planning a trip to Iceland means finding the right place to stay while you chase the Northern Lights or soak in geothermal pools. The wrong booking choice can mean hidden fees, misleading photos, or properties that don’t match what you expected. Iceland’s unique landscape —…

The brilliant photographer Eyrún Lydía is a friend of the magazine. I interviewed her after I discovered her wonderful photos of Icelandic nature some three years ago. Eyrún was gracious enough to take the time to share some very helpful photography tips with my readers….

The Eastfjords are the part of Iceland that most travelers admit they ran out of time for. The Ring Road slings you down the south coast, past Vatnajökull and Höfn, and by the time you reach the east, you’ve usually got a ferry to catch…

One of the best ways to save money while exploring Reykjavik is to use the Reykjavik City Card. This handy card is a traveler’s key to unlocking Reykjavik’s culture, history, and activities. Dive into Iceland’s museums, enjoy the city’s geothermal pools, or take in the…

The water in Silfra is so clear that you can see roughly 100 meters ahead of you. The choice of how to experience it just got a lot clearer, too. I have been sending readers to Dive.is for years, because floating between two continents in…

If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, here’s something most first-timers underestimate: the rental car is often the single biggest line on the budget. Hotels and tours you can scale up or down, but a car is a car — and in Iceland, you’re going…

When I first wrote my Icelandic phrases guide back in 2021, the idea was simple: give visitors a friendly nudge towards a few words they could use on their trip. It’s been one of the most-read articles on Stuck in Iceland ever since. But re-reading…

Stranger Things fans, this one’s for you. The closing scene of the series finale — Eleven standing at a cliff edge above a vast canyon and a thundering waterfall — was filmed right here in Iceland. The waterfall is real, it’s called Háifoss, and it’s…

For geology students, Iceland is not just another beautiful travel destination. It is a giant outdoor classroom where the Earth seems to speak in steam, lava, ice, and stone. Imagine opening a geology textbook and watching the diagrams come alive in front of you. That…

Iceland is the kind of place that makes you stop mid-step and whisper, “Is this real?” One moment, you are looking at a black sand beach that feels like another planet. The next, you are standing near a waterfall so powerful it seems to shake…

Akureyri is my hometown, and I love it dearly. The town is both pretty and peaceful, and well-placed as a base for exploring northern Iceland. The first thing to know about Akureyri is that it is the largest urban center outside southwest Iceland and has all the…

The question I get more than any other is some version of this: “We’re thinking of bringing the kids to Iceland. Is it worth it? And how do we do it without spending a fortune?” I’ve been answering questions about family vacations for years. This…

I am pleased to announce that Iceland Mountain Guides have joined my family of partners — and they are bringing a 10% discount for Stuck in Iceland subscribers along with them. If you have been reading this magazine for a while, you know I do…

If there’s one thing an Icelander is qualified to write about, it’s where to get warm in cold water. We invented the concept. Every town in this country has a pool. Every valley seems to have a spring. Over the years on Stuck in Iceland,…

Hvammsvík Hot Springs sits at the end of Hvalfjörður — Whale Fjord — about an hour from Reykjavik, and it is quietly becoming one of the most talked-about experiences in Iceland. Unlike the big-name geothermal spas closer to the capital, Hvammsvík puts you deep inside…

I’ve just added 49 new discount codes to the Stuck in Iceland collection, bringing the total to 110 exclusive codes covering tours, rentals, spas, and travel services across Iceland. That makes this the largest single collection of Iceland travel discount codes available anywhere — and…

By Jón Heiðar Ragnheiðarson — Reykjavík local, Iceland travel editor since 2012 | Updated April 2026 I have lived in Reykjavik my entire life. So when people ask me what makes a perfect day in this city, I don’t have to look it up. I…

Iceland is probably the most musical country on earth, relative to its size. A nation of just under four hundred thousand people has given the world Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men, Laufey, Hildur Guðnadóttir — and that list barely scratches the surface. Per…

Iceland has a reputation for being expensive — and honestly, that reputation is not entirely undeserved. But after 14 years of writing about travel here, I can tell you that the difference between a trip that breaks the bank and one that doesn’t usually comes…

Iceland’s volcanic landscape tells a story of beauty and devastation in equal measure. Iceland’s rugged beauty is shaped by countless eruptions. However, that has come at a price. Throughout Icelandic history, cataclysmic eruptions have devastated the Icelandic people. If you want to immerse yourself in…

If someone asks me what they should do on an evening in South Iceland that has nothing to do with the Northern Lights, I now have a clear answer: go to Mr. Iceland and listen to Valdimar tell stories. Mr. Iceland is a working farm…