Vík

Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland, sitting at the edge of a black sand beach with some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the country. The sea stacks of Reynisdrangar rise from the Atlantic just offshore, and the cliffs of Reynisfjara beach stretch out nearby — a place worth every bit of its reputation, even on a grey day.

The village itself is tiny (fewer than 500 people), but it punches well above its weight as a base for exploring South Iceland. You're within easy reach of the Dyrhólaey arch, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, and the ice caves of Katla — one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, which happens to sit directly beneath the ice. A Katla ice cave tour out of Vík is genuinely unlike anything else on the South Coast.

Visit between November and March for the best northern lights conditions — the dark skies here are excellent, and the beach at night is something you won't forget. Summer brings puffins nesting in the cliffs above Reynisfjara, usually from May through August. Whenever you visit, bring a windproof layer; Vík is one of the wettest, windiest spots in Iceland, and that's part of what makes it so alive.