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Reykjavík has its charms, but to get the most of all Iceland has to offer, it’s best to hit the road.

The city is overrun with tourists. But what if travelers were part of the solution, not the problem?

As Venice struggles with the strain of overtourism, travelers may wonder how they can visit without adding to the problem. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while planning your next trip to La Serenissima.

Situated close to the otherworldly Lake Mývatn in northern Iceland, this unique café and restaurant—heralded by a simple wooden sign on the roadway—is located in a glassed dining room inside a working farm’s cowshed. Vogafjós offers homemade local food like smoked trout, breads baked in underground geothermal ovens, raw smoked lamb, and cheese that comes from the very cows you can see through the venue’s windows. (Guests are welcome to visit the herd before or after a meal.) The farm also runs a cozy bed and breakfast, and the lake’s geothermal spa is in the vicinity, should you want to make more of an experience out of it.

Built in 1947 on the banks of Lake Mývatn, this intimate, family-run hotel exudes traditional charm despite its nondescript exterior. The nine country house–style rooms are simply furnished, with peach-and-orange walls, wood floors, and beds dressed in crisp white linens; higher-level rooms come with great views of the lake’s crystal-clear waters and compelling lava formations. On the ground floor, a lounge and breakfast room is served by friendly, helpful staff, making it difficult to leave. But on warm days you can sit at one of the outside tables and watch Icelandic horses graze nearby, visit the adjacent village, or explore the surreal landscapes and rich birdlife that mark this remote region.

The Grand Canal is the no-brainer must-do Venice experience, and the best way to explore the city’s main thoroughfare is on a vaporetto, or water bus. For a great introduction to the area, ride the vaporetto from the railway station, at the edge of the lagoon on one end of the canal, all the way to its other end at San Marco’s basin. Along the two-mile trip the waterway makes a big reverse S-shape through Venice’s central districts and gives you a true feel for what makes this romantic, historically rich city tick. The banks of the canal are lined with Venice’s most expensive real estate. Here, you’ll find some 170 palazzi originally built for nobility between the 13th and 19th centuries. Today they house luxury hotels, private residences, and even art museums.