2 Best Sights in Reykjanes Peninsula and the South Coast (with the Golden Circle), Iceland

Two lighthouses can be found on Garðskagi, and Garðskagaviti is the smaller and older of the two. It is also known as “the lighthouse of love”: wives of fishermen would take a stone from the black-sand beaches surrounding the town, go to the top of the lighthouse, and walk in circles and pray for their husbands out at sea. Nowadays, you won't find too many women roaming the stairs, but if the northern lights forecast looks good, this beach is a great place to watch them. You also might be rewarded with some prime bird-watching—species like gull-billed tern, American bittern, and purple gallinule can be spotted here.

Walk or drive from the town of Grindavík to Hópsnes, and you will find old shipwrecks that washed ashore in the 20th century. At the end of the path is the lighthouse, Hópnesviti, which on clear days has views of the Eldey Island bird colony. The walk should take about two hours, with various stops along the way.