Highlights of Iceland: Reykjavik, Golden Circle & the South Coast

Today you explore colourful Reykjavik, one of the warmest and most creative small cities in the world. You climb the tower of the landmark Hallgrimskirkja church for a sweeping panorama over the brightly painted rooftops, the bay and the mountains beyond, admire the shimmering glass Harpa concert hall on the waterfront, and stroll the old harbour and the lively streets of cafes, galleries, design shops and geothermal bakeries. You might visit an excellent museum on the sagas, settlement or volcanoes. This afternoon you soak in the famous Blue Lagoon, its milky, silica-blue waters steaming amid a black lava field, unwinding with a silica mask and a drink at the swim-up bar. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, savour Reykjavik's superb seafood. Rest well, for tomorrow you follow the Golden Circle.

Today you follow the classic Golden Circle, linking three of Iceland's most famous wonders. You stand in Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Atlantic tectonic plates visibly pull apart in a dramatic rift valley, and where Iceland's parliament, the world's oldest, was founded in the year 930. You continue to the Geysir geothermal field, watching the Strokkur geyser blast a column of boiling water high into the air every few minutes, and gaze at the mighty Gullfoss, the Golden Falls, thundering in two vast steps into a rugged canyon. You may visit a geothermal tomato farm or the crater lake of Kerid along the way. As the day ends, you continue to the countryside near Hella, in the farmland of the south. This evening, savour a country dinner beneath the volcanoes. Rest well.

Today you follow the spectacular South Coast, Iceland at its most cinematic. You walk behind the shimmering curtain of Seljalandsfoss, then feel the spray and thunder of the broad, powerful Skogafoss, tumbling from a cliff that was once a sea cliff. You pass beneath glaciers spilling from the highlands, perhaps visiting the Solheimajokull glacier tongue or the Lava Centre, and reach the black volcanic sands of Reynisfjara, with its towering basalt columns, sea caves and offshore stacks, where Atlantic breakers crash (your guide will show you where to stand safely back from the powerful sneaker waves). Nearby, the seaside village of Vik nestles beneath green cliffs and a red-roofed church. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel near Vik. This evening, enjoy a seafood dinner. Rest well amid the drama of the South Coast.

Today you journey east to one of the most astonishing sights in Iceland. You travel along the coast beneath the vast Vatnajokull ice cap, Europe's largest glacier, passing lava fields, glacier tongues and the striking Skaftafell nature reserve, to reach the sublime Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Here luminous blue-and-white icebergs, freshly calved from the glacier, drift slowly across the still water towards the sea, often with seals bobbing between them; you may take an optional boat among the bergs. On the neighbouring Diamond Beach, chunks of crystal-clear ice glitter like jewels against the black volcanic sand. The colours and otherworldly stillness are magical. As the day ends, you continue to the harbour town of Hofn, famous for its langoustine. This evening, savour fresh seafood. Rest well beneath the glacier.

Today you journey back west along the beautiful South Coast towards Reykjavik, savouring the landscapes once more in changing light. You retrace the route beneath the great Vatnajokull ice cap and its glacier tongues, perhaps pausing at viewpoints you loved, at a black-sand beach, or at the folk museum and turf farmhouses of the region, and stopping for photographs of the waterfalls and volcanoes along the way. It is a long but spectacular drive through some of Iceland's finest scenery, with glaciers on one side and the wild Atlantic on the other. As the day ends, you arrive back in colourful Reykjavik and settle into your hotel. This evening, celebrate your journey with dinner in one of the capital's excellent restaurants, and in the darker months keep an eye on the sky for the Northern Lights. Rest well.

Today you enjoy a flexible final day. You might tour the dramatic Reykjanes peninsula, a UNESCO Geopark of steaming geothermal fields, the Bridge Between Continents spanning the tectonic rift, the Gunnuhver hot springs and the coastal lighthouse at Reykjanesta, perhaps near the recent eruption sites where new lava has flowed. Alternatively, spend the day in Reykjavik at your own pace, revisiting the harbour, browsing design shops for Icelandic wool and ceramics, relaxing in a geothermal pool, or visiting a museum you missed. This flexible day lets you savour Iceland and reflect on the wonders you have seen. In the darker months, this evening offers a final chance to hunt the Northern Lights, while summer glows with the midnight sun. As the day ends, gather your impressions of this extraordinary land. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final Icelandic breakfast, perhaps a last stroll along the harbour or some souvenir shopping for Icelandic wool, chocolate and design, you are transferred back across the lava fields of Reykjanes to Keflavik International Airport for your onward departure. You leave having experienced the very best of Iceland, colourful Reykjavik with its landmark church and lively harbour, the classic Golden Circle of Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, the dramatic South Coast of waterfalls and black beaches, and the sublime Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon with its drifting icebergs and Diamond Beach. The images stay vivid long after you land, the erupting geyser, the thundering waterfalls, the black sands and basalt columns, the glittering ice and the steaming Blue Lagoon. Iceland offers raw natural beauty, adventure and wonder in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the land of fire and ice.