Iceland’s dramatic landscapes are often described as otherworldly. Raw and rugged volcanic features blend with delicate mosses and cascading waterfalls. Vast swathes of the island are uninhabited, glaciers sweep over mountains and the colour palette is elemental. This is the landscape that helped inspire Jules Verne to write his novel ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ in the 1860’s, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that since the start of the 2000s, Iceland has become one of the ‘go-to’ filming locations for moviemakers, particularly within sci-fi and action genres. From HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ to this year’s cinematic hit, ‘The Odyssey’, Iceland’s landscapes have lit up the screen.
From fantasy to space… Iceland takes us to another world
When a film storyline calls for an out of this world location, Iceland ticks a lot of boxes. The landscape is dramatic, ranging from green valleys and black sand beaches to stark Highlands and brooding glaciers. The light can be fantastic and atmospheric and the weather at times is extreme and certainly capricious.
Long stretches of this incredible and uninhabited scenery make it easy to believe you are not on planet earth. Or if you are, it is not in this era! These epic visual opportunities combine with accessibility, modern infrastructure, and creative locals who speak very good English to entice big budget blockbusters to film here. Virtually 24-hour daylight during the summer months, no doubt also appeals to budget-conscious producers keen to stick to a shooting schedule.
This other-worldly quality means many sci-fi blockbusters in the past few decades have used Icelandic locations for filming including ‘Batman Begins’ (2005) at Svínafellsjökull, ‘Prometheus’ (2012) at Dettifoss, ‘Oblivion’ (2013) in the Highlands ‘Interstellar’ (2014) at Svinafellsjokull again, ‘Rogue One’ (2017) on the black sand beaches of the South Shore and ‘Justice League’ (2017) around the West Fjords.
Iceland’s unspoilt nature… a window on the past
Iceland’s raw landscapes might lend themselves to films with a post-apocalyptic narrative, but the pure nature of this mid-Atlantic island also works well for films set in the past. It’s not difficult to imagine simpler times amid such untouched scenery. Productions such as ‘Stardust’ (2007), ‘Noah’ (2014) and ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2018) have called on Iceland’s scenery to help step into the past, albeit a fictional one. The Stokknes Pensinsula, Reynisfara beach and sites from Thingvellir to Lake Myvatn appearing respectively.
In 2025, Interstellar and Batman Begins director, Christopher Nolan, returned to Iceland to film The Odyssey (2026), a big-budget re-telling of Homer’s epic Greek poem.
All action Iceland
Twice have cinematic versions of Ian Fleming’s 007 called on Iceland’s icescapes to provide dramatic set piece cinema. Jokulsarlon in southeast Iceland has appeared in ‘A View to a Kill’ back in 1985 and ‘Die Another Day’ (2002). If you need to build an ice palace for a supervillain, it seems this iconic glacial lagoon fits the bill.
The same location was briefly used in 2001’s ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ as any icy double for Siberia. While North Iceland’s Lake Mývatn became Russia for the ‘Fate of the Furious’ (2017).
When Iceland is Iceland
While most Hollywood films use Iceland to represent somewhere else (real and fictional), the ‘Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ (2013) celebrated Iceland as Iceland. The romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller sees the titular character daydreaming about escaping his humdrum life. One day an unexpected challenge sets him on a life-changing adventure, taking him on a journey to Iceland, Greenland and Afghanistan. Multiple locations were used from Snaefellnes, along the south coast to Höfn and up to the East Fjords. Iceland even doubled for the Greenland and the Afghan Himalayas in the film.
In 2020 comedian, Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams starred in another unapologetic showcase of Iceland in the Netflix comedy, ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’. Set and partly shot in the fishing town of Húsavík in North Iceland, the fictional story tells of a pop duo dreaming of representing Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest. The kitsch music video from the opening track featured locations around the country including Valhnukamol Beach on the Reykjanes Peninsula; a frozen Skogafoss and the edge of Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. One sequence in the film depicting Húsavík sees two humpbacks breaching in synchro offshore is a nod to the town’s stellar whale watching credentials. Husavik has embraced the notoriety of this cult classic with a Eurovision exhibition and the Jaja Ding Dong bar (renamed) adjacent to Hotel Húsavík.
Our recommended film locations to visit in Iceland
In plotting a journey through Iceland in search of filming locations you could easily focus on the south, with several recurring sites popular among film makers. If you’ve more time, follow a circular route around the ring road, including detours to the Golden Circle, Diamond Circle and Snaefellsnes. We’d recommend weaving in classic experiences like Superjeep tours, glacier hikes and perhaps sightseeing flights for a cinematic perspective.
The following are our pick of the filming locations in Iceland considering both ease of access and the ‘wow’ factor.
Thingvellir National Park
One third of the Golden Circle trio, and the site of Iceland’s ancient outdoor parliament, Thingvellir has graced our screens as the approach to The Bloody Gate in season four of Game of Thrones. Though not a recurring filmic location, it’s one of the most important sites in Iceland and easily accessible from Reykjavik.
Skogafoss
This stunning 60m high waterfall that sits just off Road 1 has a long list of screen credits. From adverts and music videos including Justin Bieber’s ‘I’ll Show You’ to ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Vikings’, ‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013), ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ and ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’. Travelling along the south coast, it is literally, unmissable.
Vík and Reynisfjara
Among the most popular destinations in South Iceland is the village of Vík. Situated in the foothills of Mýrdalsjökull glacier, it sits along a dramatic coastline of black sand beaches against a backdrop of glacier topped mountains. The view towards Reynisdrangar sea stacks adds a gloriously cinematic backdrop. The black sand of the south shore seems to a magnet for movie makers. The area was utilised in ‘Noah’, ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’, ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016), ‘Rogue One’ and ‘The Odyssey’. Star Wars fans will want to venture to Hjörleifshöfði headland near Vik and seek out Gígjagjá, more recently dubbed The Yoda Cave.
Jökulsárlón
Regardless of movie credentials, this glacial lagoon that glances the ocean is a star in its own right. It’s simply spectacular and is a must-visit on the south coast. It hosted an unforgettable car chase in James Bond’s ‘Die Another Day’ and Lara Croft took an amphibious boat ride across the lagoon in the 2002’s ‘Tomb Raider’. Aerial shots looked amazing too in ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’.
Svínafellsjökull Glacier
In the southeast of Iceland, this outlet glacier of Vatnajökull is sometimes referred to as “Hollywood Glacier”. Svínafellsjökull is a striking natural wonder and you only need to drive a few kilometres east from Skaftafell. ‘Batman Begins’ and the space epic, ‘Intersellar’ were filmed here.
Dettifoss
Surrounded by a dystopian aesthetic, Dettifoss featured in the dramatic opening scene of ‘Prometheus’, Ridley Scott’s science-fiction epic. The raw power of Europe’s most powerful waterfall amplifies its beauty. Tons of glacial water whirl in a furious torrent, cascading from a height of 44 meters.
Lake Mývatn
A true gem of North Iceland, Mývatn is a spring-fed lake renowned for its wildfowl and intriguing volcanic features. It’s also a great base for reaching Dettifoss and the coastal town of Husavik of whale watching, and now, Eurovision fame. The lake is at its best in summer, but it was the winter freeze that brought the film crew of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise to shoot some explosive scenes for the eighth instalment.
Stykkisholmur
Though not making prolific appearances on the big screen, this charming town on the northern shore of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula is worth a detour off the ring road. It featured in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ both as itself and as a double for Greenland along with nearby Grundarfjordur. This small fishing village is set beside Iceland’s most photographed mountain, Kirkjufell.
Even without knowing the definitive locations of places you spot on screen, travelling around the Land of Fire and Ice you’ll discover how distinctive the landscapes are. And once you’ve been to Iceland, almost as much fun is recognising the unmistakable Icelandic scenery when it appears on screen.
Planning Your Trip
Whether you target a specific area like the south coast or choose a journey around Iceland, we’ve a collection of self-drive itineraries that allow you the freedom to track down the places you’ve seen on screen at an easy pace. If you have a specific wish list, we can tailor a trip to suit you.
Get in touch with our team on 01737 214 250 or send an enquiry to start the conversation.