Places jessicawanders Wants to Go

A formerly glacier-tipped volcano that inspired none other than Jules Verne.

Dozens of large, brightly-colored paintings adorn the walls of the "street art capital of Iceland."

Surrounded by ash fields in Iceland, an impossibly verdant valley looks like something out of a fairytale.

Travel deep inside of Europe's second largest glacier in the world's largest man-made ice cave.

This hobbit-y little hot spring may be the oldest spring used by humans in all of Iceland.

A trio of hidden hot tubs takes advantage of Iceland's natural geothermal vents.

The oldest church in Iceland is one of the few to feature ornate decoration.

The Icelandic Sea Monster Museum explores the area's history of aquatic cryptid sightings.

A little-visited waterfall in an otherworldly landscape.

The oldest (maybe) swimming pool in Iceland is a stunning oasis built into the side of a lush hill.

A winding, blood-red tunnel of hardened lava navigable by foot.

Iceland's "Smoky Valley" is a beautiful river that is shrouded in a constant cover of steam clouds.

Climb right into the heart of this colorful Iceland volcano.

The bright red stripes streaking across the rocks are the star feature at this Icelandic waterfall.

Iceland: home to volcanoes, waterfalls and, apparently, Santa?

This black church sits alone among a field of lava rock.

This replica Viking village was created for a film that was never shot and is now open to visitors.

This modern monument to pagan belief looks like it was transported straight from ancient times.

The most powerful waterfall in all of Europe.

Icelandic folklore says this giant boulder was ripped from the mountains and placed at its current location, where it became home to elves.

This wrecked airplane has been sitting on a black sand beach since the 1970s.

This fairytale-like structure is the last turf church ever constructed in Iceland.

The vaulted ceiling is home to a scurry of “squirrelgoyles.”

A strange, heartwarming, decades-old declaration of love on a New Hampshire roadside.