I cannot say enough good things about Iceland, even though I’m certainly going to try! While the country and this trip are expensive, and there’s a lot of car time on the Ring Road, Iceland was one of my favorites with EF Ultimate Break to this day.
This EF Ultimate Break review has everything you need to know about the Iceland: The Golden Circle & Ring Road trip, including where you’ll stay, what activities you’ll do, and the itinerary.
(EF Ultimate Break trips are for anyone between 18 and 35!)
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Published: October 2, 2025
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My Trip to Iceland with EF Ultimate Break
Here are some quick facts about my trip to Iceland with EF Ultimate Break, including when I went, my flight info, and how much I paid!
When: September 8 – 18, 2025
Trip type: Plus
Flights: ORD to KEF and MUC* to ORD (both nonstop with United)
Price: $4,699 trip fee + $1,056 flights + $250 optional activities + $199 travel protection
Savings: $500 Black Friday sale + $300 Repeat traveler code
Total price: $5,404
Group size: 21 people
*I did Iceland and Oktoberfest back to back, so I flew home from Munich.
Disclaimer: When you use my link to save $100 off a trip with EFUB, I also receive a discount on trips as part of the ambassador program. Discounts were used to book this trip, costing me less than the retail rate listed above. This review was not compensated, and I always give my honest opinion.
EF Ultimate Break Iceland Itinerary
I thought this tour had a great balance of activities and rest time, although there was almost too much down time in the middle of the trip.
Here is the itinerary my tour followed on the EF Ultimate Break Iceland tour:
*EF Optional Excursion
**TD optional
Day 1: Fly to Iceland!
- Overnight flight to Europe from North America
If you book your own flights, make sure you land on the right day, as EF’s itineraries have the flight days included. For this tour, you should land on Day 2!
Day 2: Land in Iceland & Welcome Dinner
- Land in Reykjavik (KEF)
- Free time/orientation walk of Reykjavik (if your flight lands early enough)
- Welcome dinner – LOA
Day 3: Golden Circle
- Thingvellir National Park
- Included lunch at Friðheimar Greenhouse
- Great Geysir Geothermal Area – Great Strokkur
- **Kerið Crater
- Free time in Selfoss
Day 4: Exploring the South Coast
- Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
- Skógafoss Waterfall
- Reynisfjara Beach
- Free time in Vik
- Diamond Beach
- Included dinner at hotel
Day 5: Glaciers
- Jökulsárlón Boat Cruise
- Fjallsárlón Walk
- Skaftafell National Park Hike
- Free time
Day 6: East Fjords
- Djúpivogur
- Cake tasting at Langabúð
- Free time in Egilsstaðir
Day 7: Travel to Akureyri
- Mývatn Nature Baths
- Lunch in Vogafjós
- Dimmuborgir lava fields
- Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters
- Goðafoss Waterfall
- Orientation walk/free time
Day 8: North Region
- Herring Era Museum
- Free time in Akureyri
- *Fjord Whale watching excursion
Day 9: Travel West & Lava Tunnels
- Viðgelmir Lava Tunnel
- Hraunfossar & Barnafoss
- Included dinner @ hotel
Day 10: Return to Reykjavik & Optional Blue Lagoon
- *Blue Lagoon
- Free time in Reykjavik
- Farewell dinner – MAR
Day 11: Leave from Reykjavik
- Fly out from KEF
EF Ultimate Break Iceland Hotels
I thought all the hotels on this trip were pretty standard with decent breakfast.
Hotels on my specific trip
- Skuggi Hotel (Night 2)
- Hotel South Coast (Night 3)
- Hotel Smyrlabjorg (Nights 4-5)
- Lake Hotel Egilsstaðir (Night 6)
- Hotel Akureyri (Nights 7-8)
- Hotel Vesturland (Night 9)
- Skuggi Hotel (Night 10)
*Night 1 was the overnight flight to Reykjavik
Food in Iceland
The food in Iceland is pretty basic and expensive, but good! We had lots of options including burgers, lamb, soup, fish and chips, pizza, and more everywhere we went.
The seafood in Iceland was also really good if you like fish. We had our farewell dinner at a seafood place in Reykjavik called MAR and it was the best.
However, I did find that the food got boring after a week and a half. It was hard to keep eating the same meat (lamb), pizza, and fish the whole week. And, when food is so expensive, it’s even harder to want to keep buying the same food over and over again.
Vegetarians + vegans: Vegetarians, vegans, and people with food allergies had little issue finding food they could eat and being accommodated at all the included meals!
Optional Add-ons
There are some optional activities that you can add on at checkout or before you depart at an additional cost:
- Akureyri fjord whale watching: A 3-hour cruise off the northern coast of Iceland to look for whales and dolphins
- Blue Lagoon: Visit the famous geothermal spa with the comfort pass
These activities cost extra and you can book them when you book the trip, or add them on in your account after you book.
Iceland Trip Types
Here are the options EF Ultimate offers for the Iceland Golden Circle and Ring Road trip (descriptions from efultimatebreak.com):
- EF Ultimate Plus: Stay in hotel-style accommodations, room with just one other person, and enjoy more included meals. Designed for friends, couples, or anyone that just values their me time, Plus combines an immersive itinerary with more space to unwind.
I took the Plus trip, where I had one roommate each night.
Overall Rating: 4.1/5
I loved Iceland. Like I cannot stress enough how beautiful the country has, and it has so much to see, from waterfalls to lava caves to Europe’s largest glacier. Every day we were seeing something new, and I genuinely feel like I got a great deep dive into Iceland thanks to this trip.
So the country itself is not the reason for the lower rating. I think there are some things that can be improved on when it comes to the tour.
First, there was a lot of down time in the middle of the trip. Days 6 and most of 7 were a lot of driving, which is expected on a trip called the Ring Road. However, we spent a lot of time sitting around in small towns doing… not much. If we could keep moving on those days and spend another night in or close to Akureryi, it would improve the pace a lot.
Second, our Tour Director was not from Iceland. I really liked him as a person and he was just as excited to see Iceland as we were.
But, this was my first tour where our TD was not a local, and it was a noticeable difference from my past trips. I wish we had someone from Iceland to teach us about their culture, life, and more which would’ve been a huge improvement to the trip.
Finally, the trip is pretty expensive and I would be lying if I said it’s not. Both the cost of the trip alone, and the amount you spend on the trip itself is a lot.
If you can afford it, I would absolutely do the longer Ring Road trip. If not, you will still see so much on the shorter Winter Escape, or Summer Escape.
If you want to hear more on my thoughts on this trip, check out my Iceland YouTube videos!
Packing Essentials for Iceland with EF Ultimate
In addition to your standard travel items (clothes, bathroom essentials, good shoes), here are some things I wouldn’t go back to Iceland without:
- Waterproof hiking boots
- Waterproof winter jacket
- Waterproof pants
- Hat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- GoPro
- Water bottle
- Snacks
- Swimsuit
- Hair ties
- Hair conditioner or masks
For more of my travel must-haves, check out my Amazon page!
EF Ultimate Break Discount
For first-time EF Ultimate travelers, you can save $100 off any trip by booking here + using code UASarahET100
(or any of the links in this article. Code & discount are automatically applied at checkout. Reach out with questions or issues!)
If you’ve traveled with EF Ultimate before, use code REPEAT for up to $300 off your next trip.
EF also frequently runs sales throughout the year, with their biggest being in November for Black Friday.
Send me a DM on Instagram (or any other social media!) if you want details on their next sale!
Trips Similar to Iceland with EF Ultimate Break
If this trip sounds fun, check out some similar options that EF Ultimate offers:
- Iceland: Summer Solar Eclipse – Summer 2026 ONLY
- Iceland Winter Escape
- Iceland Summer Escape
- Spring Break: Iceland
EF Ultimate Break Iceland Verdict
I loved Iceland so much. Whether you do the Ring Road, Winter Escape, or Summer Escape, you can’t go wrong!
Remember, you can save $100 off your first EF trip by booking here + code UASarahET100!
If you have any questions about traveling with EF, check out my FAQs which also includes EF Ultimate Break discounts.
Need more ideas for your trip? Check out other trips I’ve done with EF Ultimate Break:
- Oktoberfest – LOVED
- Egypt & Jordan: Pyramids to Petra – LOVED
- Highlights of Japan – LOVED
- Costa Rica Adventure (New Year’s in Costa Rica) – LOVED
- Iceland: The Golden Circle & Ring Road
- Belize: Rainforests, Reefs, & Ruins
- Sicily & Malta Getaway
- South Korea Spotlight
- Grand Tour of Turkey – Not good
- Thailand Island Paradise – coming SOON
- Peru & Machu Picchu Adventure – coming SOON
- New Year’s Trips with EF Ultimate Break
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