Claire in IcelandMemories now · plans west

Trip memories · live from iCloud

The trip is
in the pictures.

The shared album is now the heart of this place. New photos and videos can still appear here; the downloadable ZIP below is the final, permanently frozen snapshot.

Download final photo archive · ZIP Open in iCloud
Frozen 22 August 2026 · 165 photos · 170.65 MiB · no future updates

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Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellsfoss in warm low light

Future Plan · third visit · three nights

A third visit.
Further west.

Reykjavík at both ends, one night in Stykkishólmur, and enough time to let Snæfellsnes feel like somewhere we went—not somewhere we drove through.

3 nights1 hotel night530 kmwest & home

The shape of it

Night 1Reykjavík
Night 2Stykkishólmur
Night 3Reykjavík
01

Arrival day · Reykjavík

Land softly.
Walk west.

One good outing after the flight, close enough to abandon without consequence.

  1. KEF → Reykjavík

    Come home, have breakfast and leave the morning deliberately open for sleep after the overnight flight.

  2. The western edge of town

    Walk Grótta and the Seltjarnarnes shoreline, then find the Kvika footbath if the tide and weather cooperate.

  3. Vesturbær coffee

    A familiar neighbourhood pause rather than a first-day expedition.

  4. Easy dinner, early night

    Keep the first night soft. The westbound road starts early tomorrow.

The black Búðakirkja church below the Snæfellsnes mountains
BúðirDay 2 · the peninsula
02

The long day · Snæfellsnes

Seals, lava,
and the road north.

The fullest day earns the one-night stay. Keep Vatnshellir fixed; let weather edit the rest.

  1. Leave Reykjavík

    Follow Route 1 north, then turn west toward Snæfellsnes. Check road and wind conditions before setting out.

    Live road conditions

  2. Ytri Tunga

    A short beach walk with a chance of seeing the resident seal colony. Give wildlife space and let the stop be brief if the beach is quiet.

  3. Búðir

    Búðakirkja, the lava field and lunch at Hotel Búðir—with the glacier across the horizon when the clouds lift.

  4. Arnarstapi cliffs

    Walk the basalt coast from Bárður Snæfellsás toward the sea arches. Turn around when the weather says so.

  5. Vatnshellir Cave

    A forty-five-minute guided descent into an 8,000-year-old lava tube. This is the one fixed-time booking on the peninsula.

    Cave tour

  6. Djúpalónssandur

    Black pebbles, lava forms and the rusted remains of the Epine. Stay well back from unpredictable waves.

  7. Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss

    The classic view, timed for later light rather than a rushed midday stop.

  8. Stykkishólmur

    Check in at Hotel Egilsen and walk to dinner at Narfeyrarstofa. One night away makes this feel like a journey, not a day-trip sprint.

    Hotel Egilsen

Day 2 route

Reykjavík → Snæfellsnes → Stykkishólmur

Road
313 km
Wheel time
about 5 hr 05 min
Reykjavík → Snæfellsnes → StykkishólmurA road-route diagram with numbered stops listed below the map.12345678N

Road geometry · map sketch, not live navigation

  1. 1Reykjavík
  2. 2Ytri Tunga
  3. 3Búðir
  4. 4Arnarstapi
  5. 5Vatnshellir
  6. 6Djúpalónssandur
  7. 7Kirkjufell
  8. 8Stykkishólmur
Open full route on desktop Mobile route · part 1 Mobile route · part 2
Basalt sea cliffs and a cave at Arnarstapi
Arnarstapi · basalt edge
Black sand and lava formations at Djúpalónssandur
Djúpalónssandur · Atlantic side
03

The return · Hvalfjörður

A harbour morning.
Hot water home.

Give Stykkishólmur its morning, then trade the long road for a slow soak before Reykjavík.

  1. Stykkishólmur before the road

    Old wooden houses, the harbour and the short climb up Súgandisey for a last look across Breiðafjörður.

  2. Leave town

    Turn south and make the return leg part of the plan—not merely the drive home.

  3. Hvammsvík

    Lunch, then geothermal pools stepping down toward Hvalfjörður. Book a timed entry and allow the afternoon to breathe.

    Hvammsvík

  4. Back in Reykjavík

    Shower, reset and keep the final evening close to home.

  5. Farewell dinner at OTO

    A celebratory last table in the city—small plates, open fire and an Icelandic-Japanese point of view.

    OTO · Michelin Guide

Day 3 route

Stykkishólmur → Hvammsvík → Reykjavík

Road
217 km
Wheel time
about 3 hr 20 min
Stykkishólmur → Hvammsvík → ReykjavíkA road-route diagram with numbered stops listed below the map.123N

Road geometry · map sketch, not live navigation

  1. 1Stykkishólmur
  2. 2Hvammsvík
  3. 3Reykjavík
Open route in Google Maps
Colourful houses and boats around Stykkishólmur harbour
Stykkishólmur · night 2
Road 47 beside the sea near Hvammsvík in Hvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður · the road home

The short booking list

Four things
worth fixing.

  1. 01Hotel Egilsen · night 2
  2. 02Vatnshellir Cave · day 2
  3. 03Hvammsvík · day 3
  4. 04OTO · farewell dinner
Image credits

Kirkjufell — Robby McCullough / Unsplash · Búðir — Joseph Corl / Unsplash · Arnarstapi — K. K. / Unsplash · Djúpalónssandur — Alberto Zanetti / Unsplash · Stykkishólmur — Himmel S. / Unsplash · Hvalfjörður — Vincent van Zeijst, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped).

August 2026 · preserved in full

The second trip
has its own room.

The original day-by-day plan—South Coast, Viðey, Sky Lagoon, live watches, practical notes and all—is archived exactly where it belongs.

Open the second trip archive