Iceland 1-Day Road Trip Around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

If you have a full day, a rental car, are staying in Reykjavik, and want to do something besides the Golden Circle, this day trip is perfect for you. We did this on our first full day in Iceland and it was a great introduction to the beautiful natural wonders around the country.  

Congratulations, you are taking a road trip around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Start early to catch the sunrise from the road. 

First stop: breakfast and coffee at Geirabakari Kaffihus.  It’s about an hour from Reykjavik, but a great in between spot to start your epic road trip. The parking lot has a beautiful view (pictured here) to start your day. It only gets better from here…

Give yourself time to pull over: we saw Icelandic horses on the side of the road and after the third group finally stopped to say hi.  They are friendly, but you should not feed them. 

Some horse history: Icelandic horses came over with the Vikings and never left. To preserve their gene pool, they cannot cross breed with any other horse, and if an Icelandic horse leaves the country it cannot come back.  These horses are also resilient when it comes to the cold, and as you can see, they have some great manes.

First non food or horse stop: the Olkelduvatn Mineral Spring. This water comes straight from the source through a modest spout in the ground (built in 1094 by a farmer). The mineral water was first examined in 1754. In 1972, the water was analyzed by scientists who concluded that the water could help with heart and kidney diseases. Its safe to drink!

Next stop, a black sand beach called Ytri Tunga, which we nicknamed the Black Seal Beach.  The beach is most likely the first of many black sand beaches you’ll come across in Iceland. 

I loved the serene waters and smooth black pebbles that lined the shore.  If you’re lucky, you can spot seals here. 

There’s a dedicated parking lot at this beach.

Enjoy your drive around the peninsula as the scenery evolves and becomes even more dramatic.

Give yourself time to pull over as your surroundings change. These lava fields were unreal.

We took the southern loop around Route 54 and went clockwise, but you could also go the other way.  The next stop is Arnarstapi, for lunch and then a cliff walk.

From the small town, walk towards the water to see Gatklettur, a sea arch.  Give yourself some time to walk along the cliffs as there are other beautiful vantage points including an official “Cliff Viewpoint” on Google maps.  If it is nice outside there are even a few picnic tables you can sit at.

We grabbed a light lunch of soup and fries at Stapinn, but there are a few small restaurants in the same area that share a parking lot. 

Don’t expect anything fancy, this is a small fishing village.

At this point, you’re close to Snaefellsjokull National Park, but it was winter, so we opted to get back onto Route 54 and head up the peninsula to enjoy some more sites.  Keep in mind, when we went the days were shorter, but in the summer you’ll have a lot more time and daylight to explore the peninsula.

Next stop: Kirkjufell, the most photographed mountain in all of Iceland.  This mountain is also famous for making an appearance in Game of Thrones. Be sure to stop at Kirkujfellsfoss, a nearby waterfall.  The money shot here is to take a picture of the waterfall with the mountain in the background.

We almost passed by without stopping, don’t make the same mistake!

Your final landscape stop should be the most northern point of the peninsula, Stykkisholmur, and specifically the Sugandisey Island Lighthouse. 

Climb to the top (there are stairs) and enjoy the sunset or epic view of the harbor and landscape.

We lingered here for a while.

As you head back to Reykjavik, you can stop again at the grocery store by Geirabakari Kaffihus for a stretch break and to get some more snacks. We enjoyed dinner in Reykjavik after a full day of road tripping.

There were a few times we could not see any cars in front of us, or behind us. It was a peaceful feeling and a lot more isolated than the Golden Circle and Glacier Lagoon/Diamond Beach stops. Enjoy it as it’s a great introduction to the natural beauty Iceland has to offer.