9 Best Sights in West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

This brightly colored oasis is for kids and adults alike looking to have a bit of fun. Getting here is an adventure in itself—intentionally so, as designed by the creator of this wonderland. Spend some time playing on the slides, teeter-totters, climbing dome, and swings. Everything in the playground was made from salvaged discarded materials, which somehow makes it all a little more delightful.

Located in one of the oldest fishing villages in Iceland, the Fishermen's Park and Maritime Museum has a number of traditional turf houses you can explore while learning all about the industry that has long supported this community. Part of the museum is the back garden (free), where you'll find large whalebones from the nearby shore. If you're feeling strong, you can try to lift one of the Steintök, or lifting stones, that local people used to showcase their strength years ago. There are four total that range in weight from 50 to 339 pounds.

On Langisandur Beach, you'll be greeted by the Guðlaug Baths. The manmade springs are located in a natural rock garden and have a stunning view of Reykjavík across the bay. There's a small fee to enjoy these public hot springs, and they can get quite crowded on especially sunny days (the pool itself isn't very large).

The main goal here is to give locals and visitors a peek at the lives of a farmer and farm animals. Háafell mainly cares for Icelandic goats, which are endangered, but they also keep sheep, chickens, horses, dogs, and cats. You can visit the farm on a tour or just browse the shop for products made on-site.

Iceland has no shortage of thought-provoking art exhibits and museums, but the Library of Water is one of its most unique. The main exhibit, Water, Selected, presents 24 glass columns filled with melted ice collected from glaciers around the country. When light hits the glass columns, beams are reflected onto a rubber floor embossed with both Icelandic and English words pertaining to the weather.

On a clear day, you can see this 700,000-year-old glacier from Reykjavík. Book with local tour outfitters to hike the glacier or even ride a special terrain-specific bike on it. This is the place that inspired Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth.

There are two main exhibits at the Settlement Center: a breakdown of the Saga of the Settlement of Iceland and a display of Egill Skallagrímsson, both Iceland´s most famous viking and the country's first poet. It's a fantastic place to stop early on in your trip, so you can bring the knowledge with you on the rest of your travels.