Iceland’s Most Underrated Places and Best-Kept Secrets, According to 24,877 Traveler Comments

We analyzed 24,877 traveler comments about Iceland and compared them with Google ratings for 93 places to identify the country's genuine hidden gems. The Kerlingarfjoll Mountain Range ranks first overall, and four of the top six hidden gems are in the Highlands, which has the highest average Hidden Gem Score of any region in Iceland.

Ask on any Iceland forum where to go, and the answers often include the Golden Circle and the South Coast. Both have earned their reputations as the most recommended destinations in Iceland. Scroll further down a forum thread, though, and you will find people quietly recommending somewhere else entirely.

Our findings show that many lesser-known places in Iceland earn high ratings despite having far fewer reviews than famous sights. Kerlingarfjoll Mountains and Askja Caldera take the top spots, while the Highlands and Westfjords stand out as the country's most underrated regions. You can explore these areas by renting a car in Iceland or choosing one of the available self-drive tours.

The comments in this study came from 2,068 threads on the two biggest Iceland travel communities on Reddit. We collected the full comment trees from the 947 most relevant threads, then added 98 posts from three Facebook travel groups, including our own Iceland Travel Tips group of 197,000 members when the study was conducted.

We matched 166 Icelandic place names against the full text of these comments and posts, scored how positively people discussed each place, and compared the results with each place’s Google rating, review count, and star distribution.

Read on to see which places made the list of Iceland’s genuine hidden gems and how they compare with the country’s better-known attractions.

Key Findings

• Iceland's best hidden gems are in the Highlands and the Westfjords. Kerlingarfjoll takes first place overall, and four of the top six are Highland sites. The Westfjords came as the second-strongest region.

• Crowds are what travelers in Iceland complain about, not the sights. Complaints rise from 16.4% of comments at the quietest attractions to 20.4% at the busiest, while the star ratings are barely affected.

• Travelers rate Iceland's hidden gems almost as highly as the famous sights. The 63 gems in this study average 4.64 stars on Google, and the famous sights 4.74, a gap of one tenth of a star.

• Iceland's small natural pools beat the big commercial lagoons. Travelers speak more warmly about the Hofsos Swimming Pool, Fosslaug, and Hrunalaug than about the Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, and Secret Lagoon.

• Almost nobody comes away disappointed by an Icelandic small town. Every comment about Patreksfjordur, Grimsey, and Hrisey in this study was positive, and 97% of the comments about Dalvik were positive.

What Counts as a Hidden Gem in Iceland

The famous sights are included in this study for comparison, not as candidates for the ranking. These include the Golden Circle trio, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skogafoss Waterfall, Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, and Kirkjufell Mountain.

Everywhere else in Iceland counts as a hidden gem, including quieter stops just a few minutes' walk from a famous sight. To qualify for this ranking, however, a place needed at least 15 mentions across the 24,877 comments and at least 50 Google reviews.

Sixty-three places met both thresholds. Each received a Hidden Gem Score out of 100, based on four factors: its Google rating (35%), how positively travelers discussed it (30%), its review count (20%), and how often people recommended it (15%).

Top 20 Highest-Scoring Hidden Gems in Iceland

Scores in the table are out of 100. 

Ranks 21 to 30 by Hidden Gem Score are Haifoss Waterfall (70), Raudisandur Beach (70), GeoSea Geothermal Baths (70), Sigoldugljufur Canyon (70), Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon (70), Thakgil Canyon (69), Hraunfossar Waterfall (67), Kolugljufur Canyon (64), Vok Baths (64), and Grettislaug Pool (63), followed by Bruarfoss Waterfall, Fridheimar Farm, Forest Lagoon, Efstidalur Farm, and Gunnuhver Geothermal Area.

Why These Hidden Gems in Iceland Are Worth the Detour

1. Kerlingarfjoll Mountains: Iceland's top-scoring hidden gem is a Highland range of rust-red rhyolite peaks, where the steaming valley of Hveradalir lets you hike between fumaroles and finish the day in a warm stream.

2. Askja Caldera: A deep blue crater lake in the middle of a black lava desert, so bare that Apollo astronauts trained in the area before flying to the Moon.

3. Thorsmork Valley: A birch-covered green valley ringed by three glaciers that only Highland buses and super jeeps can reach, which is why its hiking trails stay quiet even in peak summer.

4. Dynjandi Waterfall: A 328-foot (100-meter) waterfall that fans out into many streams across a wide cliff face. Because it sits far off the Ring Road in the Westfjords, you can often have it to yourself.

5. Berserkjahraun Lava Field: A moss-covered lava field on the north side of Snaefellsnes Peninsula with red craters rising out of it, which almost every traveler on the peninsula drives straight past.

6. Landmannalaugar: The most-recommended Highland destination in the comments we analyzed. Landmannalaugar tours take you to rhyolite mountains in orange, pink, and green that surround a natural hot river at the start of the Laugavegur Hiking Trail.

7. Hofsos Swimming Pool: The most positively discussed place in this whole ranking. This infinity pool was built at the edge of Skagafjordur so the water looks like it runs straight into the fjord.

8. Mulagljufur Canyon: A moss-walled canyon with waterfalls dropping into it from a hanging valley. It is located 20 minutes from Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and far emptier than anything else on that stretch of the South Coast.

9. Hvammsvik Hot Springs: The most-recommended hot spring in this study. It features a set of geothermal pools on the shore of Hvalfjordur where the incoming tide cools the pools nearest the sea.

10. Nauthusagil Canyon: A narrow gorge off the road to Thorsmork with a rowan tree wedged between its walls and a waterfall hidden at the end. You can reach the waterfall by following the stream over rocks.

11. Latrabjarg Cliffs: Europe’s westernmost point and one of Iceland’s best puffin-watching spots, where puffins nest so close to the clifftop that you can see them without a zoom lens.

12. Aldeyjarfoss Waterfall: Travelers call this one a hidden gem more often than any other place we measured. Black basalt columns frame the fall's white water on every side.

13. Kvernufoss Waterfall: A waterfall you can walk behind, just a fifteen-minute walk from Skogafoss. Travelers rate it just as highly, but it attracts far fewer visitors.

14. Djupalonssandur Beach: A black pebble beach where the rusted remains of a shipwreck lie in the sand, beside four lifting stones that fishermen once used to test their strength.

15. Hrunalaug Hot Spring: A tiny stone-walled hot pot in a sheep field 20 minutes off the Golden Circle. It stays warm year-round and is just big enough for a handful of people at a time.

16. Krossneslaug Pool: A geothermal pool at the end of the Strandir road in the Westfjords, beside a black beach where you can watch waves break while you swim.

17. Fosslaug Hot Spring: A natural hot pool in North Iceland that sits right beside Reykjafoss Waterfall. It has been closed off as of June 2026.

18. Gljufrabui Waterfall: A waterfall hidden inside a mossy cleft, just 0.37 miles (0.6 kilometers) from Seljalandsfoss. Many visitors pass it by, but those who walk through the stream to reach it often find fewer people around.

19. Silfra Fissure: A clear-water fissure at Thingvellir National Park where you can snorkel between the North American and Eurasian plates, with visibility of up to 328 feet (100 meters).

20. Glymur Waterfall: Iceland’s second-tallest waterfall, about an hour from Reykjavik. The trail to Glymur is of the most popular hikes in Iceland, with a river crossing and a log bridge that is ideal for a half-day adventure rather than an easy roadside stop.

The Highlands Are Iceland's Most Underrated Region

The Highlands have the highest average Hidden Gem Score of any region in Iceland, at 79 out of 100. The Westfjords come second at 67, followed by the southeast at 65, the south at 62, Reykjanes at 61, the southwest and north at 60 each, the capital region at 57, the east at 54, and the west at 53.

Notably, places in the top two regions have far fewer Google reviews. Highland hidden gems average 425 reviews each, while those in the Westfjords average 428. In comparison, hidden gems in the southwest average 3,620 reviews, roughly eight times as many.

Highland roads open only in summer, usually between late June and early September, depending on the road, and nearly all require a 4x4 vehicle. This limited access helps keep the Highlands quiet. The season is short, and rental agreements do not allow two-wheel-drive cars on the F-roads leading into the region.

If you prefer not to cross glacial rivers yourself, guided Highland tours offer an easier way to explore.

Iceland's Hidden Gems Earn High Ratings With Fewer Reviews

Travelers give Iceland's quiet places and its famous ones almost the same ratings. The 63 hidden gems in this study average 4.64 stars on Google, compared with 4.74 for famous sights, a difference of just 0.1 stars.

The bigger difference is in the number of reviews: famous sights average 8,368 Google reviews each, 4.7 times the hidden gems' average of 1,779. Mulagljufur, Kvernufoss, and Kerlingarfjoll all have 4.9 stars, matching Gullfoss and Skogafoss despite having far fewer reviews.

Busier Iceland Sights Draw More Complaints

Dividing the places in this study into three equal groups by review count shows that complaints increase with visitor numbers. The study showed that 16.4% of sentiment words are negative in the quietest third, 18.3% in the middle, 20.4% among the busiest.

Star ratings barely change across the three groups. Someone can leave a five-star review and complain about crowds in a forum thread on the same day, which is why star ratings alone do not reveal the full problem.

Among places with at least 100 mentions, the rankings by share of negative comments are dominated by famous sights: Geysir Geothermal Area (28%), Svartifoss Waterfall (27%), the Blue Lagoon (25%), Gullfoss Waterfall (23%), Skaftafell Nature Reserve (22%), Kerid Crater (22%), Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach (21%), and Thingvellir National Park (21%).

At these busy sights, complaints focus on other visitors rather than the scenery. Crowd-related words appear 53 times in negative passages about the Blue Lagoon alone.

Every Famous Iceland Stop Has a Quiet Twin

This study found eight famous-and-quiet pairs of Iceland attractions, each within a short drive of the other. In six of the eight pairs, the quiet neighbor matches or beats the famous one on Google.

• Jokulsarlon (1,428 mentions, 4.9 stars) and Fjallsarlon (118 mentions, 4.8 stars)

• Skogafoss (620 mentions, 4.9 stars) and Kvernufoss (164 mentions, 4.9 stars)

• Seljalandsfoss (459 mentions, 4.8 stars) and Gljufrabui (208 mentions, 4.9 stars)

• Gullfoss (325 mentions, 4.9 stars) and Bruarfoss (195 mentions, 4.8 stars)

• Fjadrargljufur (257 mentions, 4.8 stars) and Mulagljufur (164 mentions, 4.9 stars)

• Blue Lagoon (1,222 mentions, 4.6 stars) and Hvammsvik (263 mentions, 4.8 stars)

• Svartifoss (231 mentions, 4.7 stars) and Hengifoss (114 mentions, 4.7 stars)

• Secret Lagoon (307 mentions, 4.6 stars) and Hrunalaug (47 mentions, 4.6 stars)

The same logic runs through our study of the most overrated attractions in Iceland, which pairs each of the ten most overrated places with a better-reviewed stop nearby. Two of its picks appear in the list above.

Bruarfoss stands in for Kerid Crater, and Hvammsvik stands in for the Blue Lagoon. The Dyrholaey Peninsula, which replaces the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck there, is the least overrated place in that study.

Places in Iceland That Get the Most Praise

For each mention, this study analyzed the 170 characters on either side, weighing words of praise against words of complaint. The places at the top of the ranking score 90% or higher: Dalvik (97%), Hjorleifshofdi (96%), Hofsos Pool (95%), Fosslaug (95%), Borgarfjordur Eystri (93%), Nauthusagil (92%), Aldeyjarfoss (92%), Hrunalaug (91%), and Askja (91%).

Meanwhile, Iceland’s famous sights average 79% positive sentiment.

One pattern stands out across the ranking: small natural pools receive more positive comments than large commercial lagoons. Hofsos (95%), Fosslaug (95%), and Hrunalaug (91%), all score higher for sentiment than the Blue Lagoon (75%), Sky Lagoon (82%), and Secret Lagoon (83%).

Hvammsvik Hot Springs is the only commercial bath that scores as highly as the small natural pools, with 85% positive sentiment and 4.8 stars.

To compare more bathing spots, read our guides to the best hot springs in Iceland and the best swimming pools outside Reykjavik. You can also browse hot spring tours if you prefer to leave the driving to someone else.

Iceland's Most Underrated Towns and Villages

Google does not rate entire towns, so these smaller settlements are ranked by traveler sentiment alone.

The percentages show the share of positive sentiment, while the number of mentions appears in parentheses: Patreksfjordur 100% (39), Grimsey 100% (19), Hrisey 100% (13), Dalvik 97% (40), Bildudalur 94% (29), Flatey 94% (15), Borgarfjordur Eystri 93% (128), Isafjordur 90% (237), Heimaey 89% (272), Siglufjordur 89% (73), Stykkisholmur 87% (149), Hellnar 86% (75), Djupavik 86% (19), Seydisfjordur 84% (266), and Djupivogur 80% (78).

Seydisfjordur and Isafjordur appear more often in the comments than any other small towns in our study. Borgarfjordur Eystri also gets plenty of attention for a town of its size, with 128 mentions and 93% positive sentiment. Its Hafnarholmi puffin colony has a 4.9-star rating from 543 reviews, matching the highest-rated places in the study.

If you are planning a route through Iceland's smaller towns, start with our Westman Islands guide and the Siglufjordur guide.

Planning Your Iceland Trip Around These Hidden Gems

Travelers exploring famous Ring Road attractions can add a quieter nearby stop to their trip. Visit Gljufrabui Waterfall after Seljalandsfoss, Kvernufoss Waterfall after Skogafoss, or Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon before reaching Jokulsarlon.

Mulagljufur is another option if you want canyon views and waterfalls instead of a second glacier hike. Each of these detours takes about an hour and offers a break from the tour bus crowds.

If you have a week or more in summer, consider renting a 4x4 to explore the Highlands and Westfjords. Kerlingarfjoll Mountains, Landmannalaugar, and Thorsmork in the Highlands are the three highest-scoring places in our study.

In the Westfjords, Dynjandi Waterfall, Latrabjarg Cliffs, Raudisandur Beach, Krossneslaug Pool, and Isafjordur can all be included on one loop. The Westfjords also have the best-rated campsites in our study on campsites in Iceland, so camping works well on this loop. Rental cars or self-drive tour packages are the most practical way to reach most places in this ranking.

Our guide to the best time to visit Iceland explains the seasonal trade-offs, and our road-sign guide is worth reading before driving.

How We Analyzed 24,877 Traveler Comments About Iceland

We used 40 search queries in the two largest Iceland travel communities on Reddit. The queries focused on phrases people use when recommending places, such as hidden gem, underrated, off the beaten path, best kept secret, favorite place, less crowded, worth the drive, and trip report.

These searches returned 2,068 threads. We selected the 947 most relevant threads and collected their full comment trees, totaling 24,877 comments. We then added 98 posts from three Facebook Iceland travel groups, found through 24 searches within those groups.

A dictionary of 166 Icelandic places, including spelling variations, was matched against accent-normalized text. This ensured that variations such as Gljufrabui and Gljúfrabúi, or Stokksnes and Vestrahorn, were counted as the same place.

To measure sentiment, we counted words of praise and complaint within 170 characters of each mention. We also collected the Google Maps rating, review count, and full star distribution for 93 places on August 30, 2026, to compare traveler sentiment with their ratings.

Limitations

Two limitations are worth noting. Some major attractions have multiple Google listings, so their review counts may be lower than the actual totals across all listings. Reddit users also tend to be English-speaking travelers who drive themselves and travel in summer.

The findings therefore reflect what this group shares with one another, rather than the experiences of every visitor to Iceland.

Sources

• Reddit: r/VisitingIceland and r/Iceland. 2,068 threads identified using 40 queries. The full comment trees from the 947 most relevant threads provided 24,877 comments.

• Facebook groups: Iceland Travel Tips, Reykjavik ICELAND Travel and Vacation, and Iceland - Tips for travelers. 98 posts collected across 24 searches within these Facebook travel groups.

• Google Maps: Google ratings, review counts, and star distributions for 93 places, collected to compare traveler satisfaction and review volume across Iceland's hidden gems and famous attractions.

Conclusion

Overall, this study shows that some of Iceland's most rewarding places are not its most famous attractions, but the quieter spots that travelers recommend to one another.

Kerlingarfjoll is Iceland's highest-scoring hidden gem, while the Highlands and the Westfjords are the country's most underrated regions. Meanwhile, the places that receive the most complaints are often the ones that attract the most visitors. Quieter alternatives are often close to famous attractions and receive similarly high ratings.

For more ideas, our guide to the hidden gems in Iceland covers places that did not meet the study's 15-mention threshold. Our guides to the country's most beautiful waterfalls and best hot springs explore two popular categories in the ranking.

You can also check some places to visit in East Iceland and Snaefellsnes Peninsula to find more stops worth adding to your itinerary.