Vík í Mýrdal

Vík needs 2 days: Reynisfjara black sand beach, with hexagonal basalt columns and powerful surf, on one, and an excursion to the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue to walk on the ice with crampons, on the other. June-August brings the best weather, though the wind on the beach is strong year-round. It's expensive, like almost everything in Iceland, with guided excursions as the main expense. It's Iceland's southernmost inhabited village, with just a few hundred residents, and its Reynisfjara beach, ranked among the world's most beautiful by National Geographic, is also one of the most dangerous for its «sneaker waves», unexpectedly large waves that have claimed the lives of unsuspecting tourists.