Iceland: the land of ice and fire

Reykjavík is the world''s northernmost capital, a compact and colourful city spread between Faxaflói Bay and the snow-streaked profile of Mount Esja. The heart of city life beats along Laugavegur, the main shopping street, and through the lanes of the Old Town, where houses clad in corrugated iron painted red, yellow and turquoise crowd around Lake Tjörnin, alive with waterbirds. The skyline is dominated by Hallgrímskirkja, the Lutheran church with expressionist lines inspired by basalt columns, whose tower offers sweeping views over rooftops, sea and mountains. On the waterfront the Harpa concert hall and conference centre glitters behind a honeycomb glass façade that catches the northern light, while a little further on the Sólfar sculpture (the “Sun Voyager”) traces its steel skeleton against the fjord. Culture carries a weight out of all proportion to the city''s size: the National Museum of Iceland tells eleven centuries of history from the Vikings onward, the Reykjavík Art Museum and the studio-house of sculptor Einar Jónsson round out the picture, while live-music venues and famous cafés come alive on summer evenings, when the sun never sets. Reykjavík also runs on warm geothermal water: open-air pools such as Laugardalslaug are social institutions, and the geothermal beach at Nauthólsvík allows bathing even in winter. The city is the ideal base for the Golden Circle — Þingvellir, Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall — and for trips in search of the northern lights or whales out in the bay. Between Nordic design, a cuisine that reinvents fish, lamb and foraged ingredients, and an outsized creative energy, Reykjavík is a vibrant gateway to the whole of Iceland.

Borgarnes occupies a narrow peninsula reaching into Borgarfjörður, a scenic spot along Route 1 north of Reykjavík. Closely tied to the Icelandic sagas, the town is home to the Settlement Centre, which recounts the Viking colonisation and the story of Egill Skallagrímsson, hero of one of the most famous sagas. The surrounding district is one of the west''s richest in history and nature: nearby lie the Deildartunguhver hot springs, the most powerful in Europe, and the Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls, which spill from a lava field. Borgarnes is also a handy crossroads for those heading towards the Snæfellsnes peninsula or the interior highlands. Between watery landscape, saga heritage and volcanism, it is a town with character on the road west.

Akureyri stands at the head of Eyjafjörður, Iceland''s longest fjord, and is the “capital of the North”, the country''s second urban area. Sheltered by mountains, it enjoys a surprisingly mild microclimate that nourishes the Lystigarðurinn botanical garden, one of the northernmost in the world, rich in Arctic and alpine species. The centre gathers cafés, shops and the church of Akureyrarkirkja, designed by the same architect as Hallgrímskirkja, which crowns the town from the top of its stairway. Akureyri is the natural base for exploring the North: the Goðafoss waterfall, Lake Mývatn with its lava fields, the whaling town of Húsavík and the ski slopes of Hlíðarfjall are all within a day''s reach. In winter the fjord offers excellent chances of the northern lights, while summer brings long hikes through green valleys and whale-watching cruises. Lively and welcoming, Akureyri combines urban comforts with grand nature.

Egilsstaðir is the main town of eastern Iceland, founded relatively recently on the shores of Lake Lagarfljót, whose dark waters feed the legend of a water serpent, the Lagarfljótsormur. On the far side of the lake stretches Hallormsstaðaskógur, the country''s largest forest, a rare wooded space on an island almost without trees. A hub for regional roads and flights, the town is the gateway to the eastern fjords and their landscape of deep inlets and fishing villages. From here travellers reach the spectacular Hengifoss waterfall, with its red bands of clay, and picturesque Seyðisfjörður beyond the mountain pass. Egilsstaðir offers services, comforts and an ideal starting point for discovering Iceland''s remote east.

Höfn, whose name simply means “harbour”, looks out over the Hornafjörður lagoon with a dreamlike backdrop: the Vatnajökull ice cap and its glacial peaks. A lively fishing town, it is famous for its langoustine, the star of the annual Humarhátíð lobster festival. The waterfront and piers offer glimpses of the glacier mirrored in calm waters, while the harbour restaurants serve the day''s catch. Höfn is the eastern gateway to the UNESCO-listed Vatnajökull National Park and a convenient base for visiting the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and trying a glacier hike. Between sea and ice cap, it is a flavourful and scenic stop along Route 1.

Vík í Mýrdal is Iceland''s southernmost village, gathered between steep green cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean, in the shadow of the subglacial volcano Katla. The little white church with its red roof, perched on the hilltop, is the village''s postcard image. A few steps separate the settlement from the famous black-sand beach of Reynisfjara, where the basalt columns of the Hálsanefshellir cave and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks rise from the waves — a beautiful but dangerous shore, to be admired from a distance because of its sneaker waves. Vík is an ideal base for exploring the south coast: the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, the Dyrhólaey headland with its rock arch, and the puffin colonies. Suspended between glacier, volcano and ocean, it is one of the country''s most striking places.