Top Tours and Tips for a Booking Stopover in Iceland

For anyone considering a trip to Europe this summer, Icelandair offers a popular stopover program that lets U.S. transatlantic travelers stop in Iceland for up to a week with no added charge to their plane tickets. It’s a great opportunity for Europe-bound travelers to explore a new country, not to mention using the stopover to manage jetlag. 

Below is a quick guide on how to help your clients plan their ultimate Iceland stopover, including tips on a few notable hotels, the top tours in the capital of Reykjavik, and to the country’s spectacular countryside of waterfalls, geysers, and glaciers. And importantly, where to look to find out the latest on Icelandic volcanic activity that had recently been closing roads and the popular Blue Lagoon thermal spa. 

Icelandair’s stopover program
Booking an Icelandic stopover is as simple as clicking the “Stopover in Iceland” button when selecting trip type on the Icelandair wlight page. Prompts will allow you to select a stopover for up to 7 nights in Iceland, and select a time for the departure from Reykjavik to your final destination.  

Icelandair flies direct to Iceland from 14 U.S. airports including Boston, Baltimore, Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Detroit, JFK, Minneapolis, Newark, Orlando, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Seattle, Washington Dulles, and the recently added Pittsburgh airport. From Reykjavik, Icelandair offers service to about two dozen European airports, making it a convenient stopping point for almost any Europe trip.  

If budget allows, consider making the trip on Icelandair’s premium Saga class, with wide business-class seats, great in-flight meals, and access to the top-notch Saga Lounge in Reykjavik Keflavik Airport and in lounges in multiple U.S. airports. 

Travel advisors can register at the Icelandair travel agent portal to get news and information, industry discounts, and airline contact information. 

Exploring Reykjavik 
Reykjavik, the tourist-friendly capital of Iceland is easy to explore on foot on your own, but you can get more out of a brief visit by joining a guided tour. The Wake Up Reykjavik food tour is a tasty and informative way to start a visit—especially if you’re arriving on one of the many flights that land in the early morning. This tour includes stops for coffee and pastries, a chance to nosh on the famed Icelandic hotdog, and a taste of Iceland’s infamous fermented shark. Reykjavik history tours, architectural tours, Viking tours, and even a cat tour can be booked through Viator (agent portal here) or directly with the operators. You’ll have plenty of time to combine multiple tours in summer with the “midnight sun” keeping things bright until late hours all season long. 

Reykjavik is home to many hotels, with international brands as well as great local options. The Reykjavik EDITION opened in 2022 as the first five-star property in the city, with a great waterfront location, upscale rooms, and an awesome rooftop bar. Canopy by Hilton is a solid option located in a super convenient location by the main tourist street. For an elegant, old-school landmark property, Hotel Borg is a memorable choice complete with a spa and elegant dining room. 

Airport transfers are made easy on the Flybus, a wifi-enabled 45-minute ride to the central bus terminal with transfer to major hotels and city bus stops. 

Touring Iceland’s countryside
To appreciate the majesty of Iceland, it’s essential to get out of the city and see the spectacular countryside. Fortunately, this is easy to do even on a one-day stopover with a huge selection of guided bus tours. 

Two easily bookable Iceland day trips that could be considered “greatest hits” tours are: The Golden Circle tour, with stops at the original Geysir erupting hot spring, the Gullfoss “Golden” Waterfall, and the Kerid Volcanic Crater while passing through epic scenery along the way; and the South Coast tour, with stops at two amazing waterfalls, a walk to the base of a glacier, and a visit to the black sand Reynisfjara Beach, with its adjacent caves and rock formations made famous in Game of Thrones. The Golden Circle tour is often combined with a visit to the famed Blue Lagoon hot spring spa, an amazing experience of soaking in thermal waters amid volcanic moonscape surroundings.

Keep in mind that the ease and popularity of these tours mean the tour sites can be quite crowded. For visitors looking for a more serene and natural tour of Iceland, consider staying a few extra days and renting a car for self-guided tours, or joining multi-day package tours, some sold through the Icelandair website. 

Potential volcano issues
Iceland’s status as an active volcanic island has resulted in a dramatic landscape, but the downside is that the occasional eruption can severely disrupt travel, as in 2010 when the Eyjafjallajökull closed down air traffic to much of Europe. More recently, volcanic activity south of the capital closed roads and reduced air quality to force the temporary closure of the popular Blue Lagoon thermal spa and pools—which has since reopened. This recent volcanic activity has not impacted air travel, activity in the capital, or any tours. For information on volcanic activity and potential travel impact, see the latest volcanic updates from Iceland tourism, or the Blue Lagoon website.