Iceland

The Best of Iceland: A Country of Beautiful Contrasts

Program No. 3342RJ
Traverse the wonders of Iceland with locals and scholarly experts, delving deep into a landscape of stunning geological features, glaciers and bubbling thermal pools.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

At a Glance

Named by a Scandinavian explorer inspired by the beauty of icebergs bobbing through a fjord, Iceland is in fact not very icy at all, boasting abundant vegetation, a veritable menagerie of wildlife and stunning geological features. Journey through Iceland’s north, south and west with native experts who introduce you to their country’s history, music, food and traditions. Learn about the sagas of Icelanders and explore a dramatic landscape, from the coast to the Blue Lagoon.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to 3 miles per day, most days on uneven and hilly terrain.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

What You'll Learn

  • Witness geology in action in the “Land of Fire and Ice” and visit a geothermal power plant.
  • Enjoy a scallop fishing demonstration on a boat excursion in the Breidafjördur and take a bite out of another Icelandic delicacy: shark.
  • Experience 1000 years of Icelandic history at the Borgarnes Settlement Center.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Year
2024
  • 2024
  • 2025
Date
Sep 21 - Oct 01
  • May 10 - May 20
  • Jun 04 - Jun 14
  • Jul 09 - Jul 19
  • Jul 20 - Jul 30
  • Jul 23 - Aug 02
  • Aug 06 - Aug 16
  • Aug 16 - Aug 26
  • Aug 30 - Sep 09
  • Sep 14 - Sep 24
  • Sep 21 - Oct 01
Please Note: The program differs on certain dates.
Please Note: The program differs on certain dates.
Select trip year and date
2024
  • 2024
  • 2025
Sep 21 - Oct 01
  • May 10 - May 20
  • Jun 04 - Jun 14
  • Jul 09 - Jul 19
  • Jul 20 - Jul 30
  • Jul 23 - Aug 02
  • Aug 06 - Aug 16
  • Aug 16 - Aug 26
  • Aug 30 - Sep 09
  • Sep 14 - Sep 24
  • Sep 21 - Oct 01
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Print All
Map details are not available for this location.
11 days
10 nights
27 meals
10 B 9 L 8 D
DAY
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
DAY
2
Arrive Iceland, Sky Lagoon, Check-in, Orientation
Reykjavik
B,L,D
Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel

Activity note: Walking from the airport terminal with luggage to the coach to driving 10 minutes to the Park Inn by Radisson. Getting on/off motorcoach; driving about 30 miles to Sky Lagoon, approximately 50 minutes; about 35 miles to hotel, approximately 1 hour. If you wish to swim in the Sky Lagoon, please remember to pack your bathing suit in your luggage where it is easily accessible. Towels will be provided.

Breakfast: At Park Inn by Radisson. Breakfast stops being served at 9:30 a.m. If you plan to meet the at Park Inn by Radisson and eat breakfast with the group, please allow enough time to sit down and eat.

Morning: After meeting our group at the Park Inn by Radisson we will depart via motorcoach at approximately 10:00 a.m. and make our way to Reykjavik for a short city tour.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will board the motorcoach and continue our Icelandic adventure with a soak in geothermal heated waters of the Sky Lagoon, where you can relax with a view of the sea. After, we'll continue our transfer to the hotel. After check-in, take some time to freshen up and relax before we meet for our Orientation session followed by dinner.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Meals will feature local cuisine. Water is included with all meals. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. The remainder of the evening is free to continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars. Then settle in and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
3
Borgarnes
Borgarnes
B,L,D
Hotel Borgarnes

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 80 miles, approximately 2.5 hours. Walking up to 2 miles; standing in the museum.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After breakfast, we’ll attend a lecture on Iceland’s past and present. Then we will board our motorcoach and start our transfer to Borgarnes En route, we will stop in Hvalfjarðarvegur for a farm visit. Bjarteyjarsandur farm is located by the beautiful Whale Bay just outside of Reykjavik. The farm is jointly owned by three families who work together to raise animals, grow produce, and offer meals based on local food sources and ingredients. Upon our arrival at the farm, we will enjoy a short film about life on the farm. After the film, the owners will offer a question and answer period along with a tasting of some of the products they produce.

Lunch: At the farm.

Afternoon: We'll visit the Borgarnes Settlement Center which is devoted to recreating Iceland's history over the last 1000 years. The Settlement Center uses the meticulously written Book of Icelanders and The Book of Settlement, both from the 13th century, as the resource for creating this exhibition. We will then walk a short distance to our hotel for check in. Take some time to relax and freshen up before dinner.

Dinner: Hotel dining room.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
4
Reykholt, Borgarfjördur Region
Borgarnes
B,L,D
Hotel Borgarnes

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 80 miles, approximately 2 hours. Walking up to 3 miles; uneven, hilly terrain.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll depart by motorcoach for Reykholt, homestead of the famous Saga writer, Snorri Sturluson. Here we’ll learn how Snorri’s poetic and political lives intertwined in medieval Iceland’s turbulent parliament and royal court.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch we’ll take a field trip by motorcoach through the Borgarfjördur region. Stops include Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most prolific hot spring, and Hraunfossar, rare and beautiful waterfalls. We will return to the hotel mid-afternoon. Enjoy some time to relax before dinner and our evening entertainment.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At the hotel we’ll enjoy an evening of traditional Icelandic fold music and dance.

DAY
5
Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Breidafjördur Boat Ride
Borgarnes
B,L,D
Hotel Borgarnes

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 130 miles, approximately 3 hours. Walking up to 3 miles; uneven, hilly terrain. Getting on/off a boat, assistance provided as needed. The boat ride is approximately 2 hours.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll set out by motorcoach for Stykkisholmur, a fishing village on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. From here, we’ll take a two-hour boat ride among the islands of Breidafjördur, watching locals fishing for scallops and tasting some of their catch!

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We'll visit the Bjarnarhöfn shark farm and museum to learn about shark processing, where we'll have the chance to taste this special Icelandic delicacy.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
6
Textile Museum, Horse Farm, Glaumbær Folk Museum
Akureyri
B,L,D
Hotel KEA

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 210 miles, approximately 4 hours. Walking and standing up to 3 miles; uneven, hilly terrain.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll set out by motorcoach to transfer to Akureyri, North Iceland. En route we will stop at the textile exhibition at Heimilisiðnaðarsafnið, to see its beautiful collection of wool, national costumes, and tools of the trade including looms and spinning wheels.

Lunch: At a country restaurant.

Afternoon: As we continue our transfer by motorcoach, we’ll visit a horse farm, where we will become acquainted with the Icelandic horse, enjoying an informative talk from the farmer about life at the farm, and meeting the remarkable breed during a "horse show." We’ll then enjoy an expert-led visit of the Glaumbær Folk Museum, located on an old turf farm that was inhabited until 1947. The farmhouse is a great example of the typical building method used in Iceland for centuries, and the exhibition focuses on rural life in Iceland in the 18th and 19th centuries. After, we will stop by the Vidimyri Church. The church was built in 1836 and is one of the six turf churches still preserved in Iceland. We’ll then continue to Akureyri, and check in to our hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
7
Lake Mývatn
Akureyri
B,L
Hotel KEA

Activity note: Did you know that the word "myvatn" means "midge" in Icelandic? Please be aware that you may encounter midges (small flies) at Lake Myvatn. If you do, it is better to be prepared. We recommend bringing insect repellent and a mosquito head net. Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 100 miles, approximately 2.5 hours. Walking and standing up to 3 miles; uneven, hilly terrain.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll board a motorcoach for a short ride to our lecture venue where we will enjoy a lecture on Iceland’s geology. We’ll then set out by motorcoach to Lake Mývatn, for a full day's exploration of one of the richest nesting grounds for water birds in the world.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We’ll continue our full-day field trip to Lake Mývatn. The pseudocraters, solfataras, craters and volcanoes of the surrounding landscape make for a fascinating geological study. We’ll return by motorcoach to our hotel in Akureyri.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
8
Whale Watching Excursion, Akureyri Exploration
Akureyri
B,L,D
Hotel KEA

Activity note: If weather permits you to embark on the Whale Watching excursion, please be aware that you will be required to stand for most of the time. There are only some seats on the boat. Getting on/off a motorcoach; walking up to 2 miles on paved streets.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Weather permitting, we’ll embark on a whale-watching excursion in the beautiful Eyjafjördur bay to get a closer look at the gentle giants inhabiting Iceland's waters.

Lunch: At a family-owned restaurant.

Afternoon: We’ll spend some time getting to know Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city, with a sightseeing excursion through Akureyri by bus and on foot. We’ll walk through the Botanical Garden, explore Akureyri's church, and view the distinctive architecture of the Hof Cultural Center.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: We’ll attend a music performance at the Minjasafnið Museum church. Afterwards, prepare for an early check-out the following morning for our flight to Reykjavik.

DAY
9
Akureyri, Fly to Reykjavik
Reykjavik
B,L,D
Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel

Activity note: Please note that today's internal flight is an Iceland Air flight, and is approx. 45 minutes long. The luggage limit is 50 pounds, and the hand luggage limit is 13 pounds. Please see Internal Flight Luggage Note for further luggage information.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will check out of the hotel and transfer by motorcoach to the Akureyri Airport for our flight to Reykjavik. Upon arrival we'll board a motorcoach for a panoramic field trip through Reykjavik, first seeing the historic Höfði House, site of the 1986 summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev that precipitated the end of the Cold War. We will also drive by Lake Tjornin, a small lake in downtown Reykjavik known for its birdlife, as well as the Parliament House and City Hall, worth a visit for its large topographic map of Iceland.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, we'll board a motorcoach and enjoy an expert-led field trip to the National Museum of Iceland. In addition to a permanent exhibition on the making of a nation, there are special exhibits on a variety of history and culture topics. Next we'll head to an amazing site called Perlan. Here, we will have unforgettable 360-degree views of the city from the observation deck atop the museum, that is itself situated on gigantic tanks filled with geothermal hot water. After our visit, we will transfer to the hotel for check-in.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
10
Hellisheiði, Þingvellir, Gullfoss, Geysir
Reykjavik
B,L,D
Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 150 miles, approximately 3.5 hours aboard motorcoach. Walking distances up to 2 miles; uneven, hilly terrain.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll set out from the hotel on a full-day field trip by motorcoach, beginning at the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant. The largest in Iceland, it’s the second largest in the world, situated in the Hengill volcano area. Here we’ll learn about this renewable resource and how geothermal energy is used in Iceland. We’ll then visit Espiflot and learn about how flower greenhouses work.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Our full-day field trip will also take us to the fascinating sites of Iceland’s “Golden Circle”. þingvellir National Park, site of the original parliament, is known as the most sacred place in Iceland due to its geological and historical significance. The Althing, or General Assembly, was established here in 930 CE and is the world’s oldest existing parliament. Not only historically significant, the site is located on the meeting point of the American and European continental plates. Gullfoss — golden falls — is the most famous waterfall in Iceland. Water from the Langjökull glacier flows into the Hvítá (White) River. When it reaches the great Gullfossgjúfur canyon, it falls in two stages more than 100 feet (32 meters). We’ll experience the stillness and beauty of the wintry countryside and the frozen waterfall. At Geysir, the site from which all geysers take their name, the active Strokkur geyser bursts forth every few minutes in a cloud of steam. We’ll return to our hotel late in the afternoon by motorcoach.

Dinner: At a local restaurant to enjoy a farewell meal. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
11
Program Concludes, In Transit from Program
In Flight
B

Activity note: Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m. See your program’s travel details regarding transfers.

Breakfast: At the hotel. This concludes our program.

Morning: Free time depending on departure flight time.

Lunch: On your own based on departure flight time.

Afternoon: Staggered transfers to Keflavík International Airport based on final flight times. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






Recommended For You

loading spinner