Vík í Mýrdal

Vík í Mýrdal is Iceland's southernmost village, on the Ring Road in the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, between the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the black-sand coast. Visit South Iceland lists a swimming pool, shops, an information centre, and places to stay and eat from hotels and guesthouses to camping. Our pick: stay at least one night. It puts you beside Reynisfjara's black sand and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, close to Dyrhólaey and Sólheimajökull, and it is a good base for the south coast and for Þakgil. Seen from the road it is a stop; slept in, it is the start of a slower south coast. Search stays in Vík.

Reynisfjara is dangerous. SafeTravel says sneaker waves arrive with no warning: stay well back from the water and never turn your back on the sea. A light sign at the beach shows the hazard level, so follow it, and watch from the viewing area when the beach is marked closed. Parts of Dyrhólaey close for nesting birds in early summer, so check before you go. Plan the south coast one way, moving bases, rather than out and back from Reykjavík.