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Skógafoss waterfall in winter between snowy cliffs, with a faint rainbow in the spray

Destination guide

Iceland film location tours: Thrones, Interstellar and Mitty

Seven days from Snaefellsnes to the glaciers of Skaftafell, through the landscapes that played the lands beyond the Wall, an icy planet and Greenland, with a tour leader who lives in Reykjavik.

  • 1 tour
  • from $4,490 per person
  • Best months May to Sep
  • 5 filming locations

Britain, Ireland and Iceland

Iceland on screen

Iceland has no need for a set builder. Directors come here when they want a place that looks like nowhere else on Earth, and the country obliges: rift valleys, glaciers, black sand beaches and mountains shaped like arrowheads. Game of Thrones filmed here for its scenes north of the Wall and for the road to the Eyrie. Christopher Nolan brought Interstellar to a glacier near Skaftafell for one of its alien worlds. Ben Stiller turned the town of Stykkishólmur into Greenland for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and two James Bond films shot on the ice lagoon at Jökulsárlón.

Our Iceland tour follows those locations in one loop: west to the Snaefellsnes peninsula, inland to Thingvellir, then east along the south coast as far as Skaftafell and the ice lagoon. Sigrun Helgadottir, who lives in Reykjavik, leads every departure. In Iceland the land is the attraction and also the risk, so she will also hold you to the real safety rules: we stay well back from the waves at Reynisfjara, we walk on glaciers only with a certified glacier guide, and we change the day's plan when the wind says so.

The filming locations below, on the map.Map: Esri, OpenStreetMap contributors

Filming locations

Where Iceland played other worlds

The path through the Almannagja gorge in Thingvellir, the Bloody Gate in Game of Thrones

01

Thingvellir and the Almannagja gorge

Thingvellir National Park sits in the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, about 45 minutes from Reykjavik. Iceland's parliament, the Althing, first met here in 930, and the park is a World Heritage Site. The main path runs down Almannagja, a long gorge between walls of dark lava rock. In season four of Game of Thrones this gorge was the road to the Eyrie, with the Bloody Gate added by computer at its end: Arya and the Hound ride up it and learn that her aunt Lysa is dead. The path is wide and gravel, and it leads on to the Oxararfoss waterfall. Parking is paid, the walk itself is free, and the park is open all year.

  • The Almannagja gorge, the road to the Bloody Gate
  • Where two tectonic plates pull apart
  • The Oxararfoss waterfall at the end of the path
Best time
Morning, all year; quietest before 10 a.m.

Tours that visit Thingvellir and the Almannagja gorge

Snow-covered Kirkjufell above the half-frozen Kirkjufellsfoss falls near Grundarfjörður, two hikers on the ridge

02

Kirkjufell

Kirkjufell, Church Mountain, rises alone beside the fishing town of Grundarfjörður on the north side of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, about 2 hours 30 minutes from Reykjavik. It is the most photographed mountain in Iceland, and Game of Thrones fans know it as the Arrowhead Mountain beyond the Wall. It appears in season six, in one of Bran's visions, and in season seven, as Jon Snow's party walks north to capture a wight. The classic view is from the small Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall across the road, a short walk from the car park on a gravel path. We do not climb the mountain itself: the route is steep and loose, and there have been fatal falls.

  • The Arrowhead Mountain from seasons six and seven
  • The view over Kirkjufellsfoss falls
  • Grundarfjörður, the fishing town at its foot
Best time
Evening light, May to September

Tours that visit Kirkjufell

The crevassed ice of the Svínafellsjökull glacier flowing down between dark mountains near Skaftafell

03

Svínafellsjökull glacier

Svínafellsjökull is an outlet glacier tumbling down from Vatnajokull, Europe's largest ice cap, just south of Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park. Its blue, broken ice played the frozen planet of Dr. Mann in Interstellar (2014), and Game of Thrones used the glacier for scenes north of the Wall. Since 2018 a fracture in the mountainside above it has been monitored by the Icelandic Meteorological Office, guided walks on this glacier have stopped, and access near the front is restricted. So we look at it from a safe distance, and do our glacier walk with a certified glacier guide on a neighboring outlet glacier chosen by the guiding company on the day, with crampons, helmet and harness provided.

  • The ice planet from Interstellar
  • A guided glacier walk with crampons and a certified guide
  • Skaftafell and the Vatnajokull ice cap
Best time
Midday, all year; glacier walks run in every season

Tours that visit Svínafellsjökull glacier

Walkers on Reynisfjara black sand beach below the basalt column cliff, with the Reynisdrangar sea stacks

04

Reynisfjara black sand beach

Reynisfjara is the black sand beach just west of the village of Vík, backed by a cliff of basalt columns and facing the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. In season seven of Game of Thrones it was the shore at Eastwatch by the Sea, where Jon, Jorah and Gendry set out north of the Wall. It is also one of the most dangerous places in Iceland. Sneaker waves run far up the sand without warning, and people have been pulled into the sea and drowned. A warning light system by the path shows how far you may go that day. We stay on the upper beach, at least 100 feet from the waterline, never turn our backs to the sea, and skip the cave when the lights say so.

  • Eastwatch by the Sea from season seven
  • The basalt column cliff and the sea stacks
  • Vík, the village beneath the cliffs
Best time
Morning or late afternoon, on calm days

Tours that visit Reynisfjara black sand beach

Fishing boats in Stykkishólmur harbor below painted houses and the white church at sunset

05

Stykkishólmur

Stykkishólmur is a fishing town of about 1,300 people at the tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, with painted wooden houses above a harbor sheltered by a basalt island. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) it played a town in Greenland: Walter walks into a bar on the main street, hears Space Oddity and runs out to jump into a helicopter piloted by a drunk Icelander. The street looks much as it did, and locals are used to visitors asking which door it was. The Norwegian House, built in 1832, is now the town museum, and you can climb the small island of Sugandisey for a view over Breidafjordur bay and its many islands. We spend the night here.

  • The Greenland town from Walter Mitty
  • Painted houses and the Norwegian House museum
  • The view from Sugandisey island
Best time
Evening, May to September

Tours that visit Stykkishólmur

Iceland film location tours for 2026 and 2027

Price per person sharing a double room; day tours per person. Flights to the start city are not included.

Compare with all tours

1 tour

Getting around

How our tours get around Iceland

01

A small coach and a driver who knows the weather

We travel in a 16-seat 4x4-capable minibus with a professional Icelandic driver. Distances are long, about 870 miles over the week, so we break every drive with stops and never push on when the road authority closes a pass.

02

Walking at every stop

Most locations are 5 to 20 minutes on foot from the car park, on gravel paths and sand. The longest walk is the glacier hike, about 3 hours on the ice at a slow pace, with your glacier guide setting the speed.

03

Glacier walks only with certified guides

Glaciers move and crack, and their surface changes every week. We never let guests walk on the ice without a certified glacier guide from a licensed local company, who brings crampons, helmets and harnesses.

04

Reykjavik on foot

Reykjavik's center is compact. From our hotel you can walk to Hallgrimskirkja, the old harbor and Harpa concert hall in 15 minutes.

What is included

What our Iceland tours include

In Iceland

  • A 3-hour guided glacier walk with a certified glacier guide and all equipment
  • Sigrun Helgadottir, our Iceland tour leader, every day
  • A 16-seat minibus with a professional Icelandic driver
  • Thingvellir, Kirkjufell, Reynisfjara and Stykkishólmur
  • Six nights in hotels in Reykjavik, Snaefellsnes and on the south coast
  • Time at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
  • All parking fees at national parks and waterfalls

On every tour

  • Central hotels with daily breakfast on trips of two days or more
  • A named Scenes Found tour leader with the group from the first day to the last
  • Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
  • Hotel taxes, parking, park entry and local guide fees
  • Our 24/7 line while you travel, in every time zone

Not included: flights to the start city and home, meals not listed, drinks, tips and travel insurance. Each tour page lists exactly what is in the price.

Best time to go

Best time to visit Iceland

Late May to mid September is the best time for this tour. Days are long, nearly 24 hours of light around the June solstice, the roads are open and the temperature is 50 to 60 F, sometimes higher in the sun and much lower in the wind. July and August are the busiest months. September brings darker evenings, the first chance of northern lights and autumn color in the low birch woods. April and October are possible but less settled: snow and storms can close roads for a day. From November to March daylight drops to 4 to 6 hours and winter storms are frequent, so we do not run this route then.

  1. Jan: no departures
  2. Feb: no departures
  3. Mar: no departures
  4. Apr: good months
  5. May: best months
  6. Jun: best months
  7. Jul: best months
  8. Aug: best months
  9. Sep: best months
  10. Oct: good months
  11. Nov: no departures
  12. Dec: no departures

Best monthsGood monthsNo departures

Practical

Iceland at a glance

Best months
May to Sep
Airport
Keflavik International (KEF), about 30 miles and 45 minutes from Reykjavik; there are direct flights from several US cities
Getting around
Our minibus and driver for the whole loop; walking in Reykjavik and at each stop; there are almost no trains or useful buses on this route
Time zone
Greenwich Mean Time all year, with no daylight saving: 4 hours ahead of New York in summer, 5 in winter
Weather
Cool and windy: 50 to 60 F in summer, around freezing in winter, with rain or sleet possible in any month
Filming today
Iceland offers a refund to film productions, and crews come for its landscapes; shoots sometimes close a road or a beach for a day
Location etiquette
Driving off road is illegal and scars the moss for decades; stay on marked paths, and shower without a swimsuit before entering any pool or hot spring
Book ahead
The glacier walk is booked with a licensed guiding company; boat trips on the ice lagoon are extra and we can book them for you
Tipping
Not expected in Iceland, where service is included; tips for your tour leader and driver are welcome but up to you
Entry rules
Iceland is in the Schengen area. Your US passport should be valid at least 3 months beyond the day you leave. ETIAS, the EU travel authorization, has not started yet; when it does, US travelers will need it for Iceland, and we will tell you before you fly.

FAQ

Iceland tour FAQs

More on the FAQ page, or call +1 (323) 641-2870.

Do we walk on the Interstellar glacier itself?

No. Guided walks on Svínafellsjökull stopped after a fracture was found in the mountain above it in 2018, and access near its front is restricted. We look at it from a safe distance and do our glacier walk on a neighboring glacier with a certified guide.

Is the glacier walk hard?

It is slow rather than hard: about 3 hours on the ice with crampons, uneven and sometimes steep for short stretches. If you can walk 3 miles on a hill path you will be fine. Your guide fits the equipment and teaches you how to walk in crampons first.

Is Reynisfjara safe?

It is safe if you follow the rules, and deadly if you do not. Sneaker waves come much farther up the beach than the others. We stay high on the sand, watch the warning lights by the path and do whatever your tour leader says, immediately.

Will we see the northern lights?

On departures from late August on, maybe. The sky has to be dark, clear and active at the same time. On those tours your leader watches the aurora forecast and will knock on doors if it happens.

Why does the tour not run in winter?

From November to March there are only a few hours of daylight, and storms close roads along the south coast often enough to break the loop. We prefer to run it when the light and roads are on our side.

Do we see the Walter Mitty longboard road?

No. The road where Walter skates down to Seyðisfjörður is in the East Fjords, a full day's drive beyond Skaftafell. We do visit Stykkishólmur, the town that played Greenland in the same film.

Travel guides

Iceland guides to read before you go

All travel guides

Locations

Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland: a local's guide

The locations, the Studio Tour in Banbridge and the weather, from a tour leader who lives in County Down and has watched Westeros turn back into farmland, forest and beach.

Niamh Magennis ·  · 4 min read

Locations

Planning a Lord of the Rings trip in New Zealand

Hobbiton, Mount Doom, Rivendell and Isengard: a tour leader who lives in Wellington on which locations are worth the drive, what is left of the sets, and when to come.

Kiri Walsh ·  · 5 min read

Planning Iceland?

Tell us when you can travel, who is coming and the films and shows you love. A travel advisor replies within one business day with dates and prices.