Southwest Iceland has been a winter wonderland over the past few weeks due to higher than average amounts of snow. We are talking epic levels here people. While you might think this makes driving difficult, I would argue it makes it more interesting. I recently spent a half day driving from Reykjavik to Borgarnes with stops along the way and think it makes for a perfect winter day trip.

Over the river we go...

After driving for 2o minutes, my companion and I started with a stop for hot chocolate at the adorable Esjustofa, a restaurant on the slopes of Mount Esja. Then we drove the windy road along the scenic Hvalfjordur, stopping at frozen waterfalls along the way and only getting stuck once when we pulled over to look at the remains of a WWII station.

Hvalfjordur is a nice place to get stuck.

In Borgarnes we stopped to refuel at the Hotel Hamar, where we enjoyed a meal of fresh cod and contemplated a dip in one of their outdoor hot tubs. But instead we opted to explore the town a bit and ended up at the Settlement Centre where we enjoyed some of the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.

Try the chocolate cake or carrot cake at the cosy Settlement Centre.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a snowy day in Iceland.

Here’s another worthwhile stop in Borgarnes.