How To Spend a Day on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

The underrated Snaefellsnes Peninsula is often called "Iceland in miniature" because driving along the loop gives you a glimpse into everything Iceland has to offer. Waterfalls? Check. Charming seaside villages? Check. Beaches? Caves? Rugged coastlines? Check, check, check!

We spent a full day on the peninsula, which was the perfect amount of time to see all the highlights. Here is our route:

Bjarnarfoss Waterfall

Bjarnarfoss Waterfall was our first stop on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. You can see this thundering beauty from right off the main road, but we decided to pull into the parking lot for a better view. There is an easy path that will lead you up to a viewing bridge in about 5 minutes. But if you want to get even closer to the falls, you can continue on from here for about another 10 minutes, but know it is very steep and muddy for that portion.

Budakirkja Black Church

In a 5 min drive, we arrived at Budakirkja, an isolated black church set on the dreamy coastline. It's tiny in size, but big in views. There are short, sandy trails all around it leading to the water, where you can walk along the beach.

Raudfeldsgia Ravine

In a 15 min drive, we arrived at the parking lot of the magical Raudfeldsgia Ravine. From the parking lot, it is a short gravel-y hike uphill to reach the narrow gorge opening.

As you peak around the corner of the opening, you'll see rushing water, and you can go in the gorge to explore. The time of year will decide how far in you can go. Definitely wear waterproof boots!

Port Arnarstapi

In a 7 minute drive, we arrived at the seaside village of Port Arnarstapi. We walked along the well marked paths getting views of the dramatic cliffs, rock formations, and choppy waves.

We ended up eating lunch at Stapinn Cafe. It was on the pricier side (what isn't in Iceland?), but the fish & chips were delicious

Londranger Cliffs

In 10 minutes, we arrived at Londranger cliffs. The cliffs are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but after seeing the cliffs at Port Arnarstapi, we felt it was very similar. If you're big into bird activity though, this would be heaven. Those suckers are everywhere... and so is their poop.

Hellissandur

In 20 minutes, we drove through Hellissandur. It is known as the "street art capital of Iceland" where artists paint beautiful, colorful murals on the sides of what would be rather boring building. It adds a lot of beauty.

I also saw a huge blob like trampoline in what seemed like a playground area for kids. So I had to unleash my inner kid and go jump around

Svodufoss Waterfall

In a 30 minute drive we made it to the massive Svodufoss Waterfall. There is a short, winding path along the flowing river that takes you to a viewing platform at the base.

The basalt columns behind the waterfall were covered in ice as if Elsa from Frozen had just left

Kirkjufell Mountain and Waterfall

In a 27 min drive, we arrived at our last stop of the day: Kirkjufell Mountain and Waterfall. This mountain and waterfall duo are the reason most people go to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in the first place. It is the most photographed mountain in all of Iceland. Maybe because iIt looks like the sorting hat in Harry Potter? It is also the only place they charge for parking on the peninsula. 700ISK (As of April 2023).

We stayed the night only 5 minutes away from here and caught this beautiful sunset view

A few things to note about the peninsula:

--We found bathrooms and gas stations to be nearly non-existent on the peninsula. Coming from Reykjavik, you'll pass through Borgarnes before turning on Route 54. There is a nice gas station that I recommend stopping off at to get a full tank of gas, some snacks, and use the loo.

-- It gets extremely windy on the coast, so make sure to wear layers!