Iceland is an incredible all-around destination; whether you’re looking for adventure or luxury, there’s something for everyone! There’s not many places that you can road trip around a country in just ten days and see all sorts of dramatic landscapes, fjords, active volcanoes, glaciers, or maybe even the northern lights — it is called “The Land of Fire & Ice,” after all!
The main road around the country is called Route 1, or the Ring Road, which is 1,322 kilometers or 821 miles around the loop. I highly recommend doing the trip in 7 – 10 days, but feel free to explore at your own pace! It’s an amazing place to explore, and everything is so photogenic.
ICELAND ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
This post is aimed at travelers looking to explore Iceland with their own vehicle or camper van, primarily in the summer or the shoulder season. Having been to Iceland in both the summer and winter, I will touch briefly upon visiting in the latter season, but my personal favorite time of year to travel to Iceland is late July / early August for the wildflowers and beautiful greenery. Iceland is a very easy country to travel around; it’s similar to driving in the US or any other developed western country and everyone speaks good English. Anyways, let’s get started!
DAY 1: KEFLAVIK TO VIK
Since most international flights seem to arrive at the Keflavik Airport (Reykjavik) early in the morning, you’ll grab your rental vehicle and hit the road. Iceland is an expensive country, so if you have your own camper van or just want snacks, I highly recommend stopping at a Kronan grocery store along the way. If you want to plug it into your GPS, check out the one in the city of Selfoss and it’ll have everything you need — snacks, groceries, water, cooking propane, toiletries, etc.
Seljalandfoss
Seljavallalaug Pool
Skogafoss
Dyrholaey
Reynisfjara
Vik
DAY 2: VIK TO HOFN
Today’s a long day of hiking, so start your morning early and grab a cup of joe at Skool Beans! You’ll end the day at Hofn, which is a total of about 3.5 hours of driving. Let’s go!
Fjadrargljufur Canyon
Mulagljufur Canyon
Jokulsarlon Iceberg Lagoon & Diamond Beach
Hofn
DAY 3: HOFN TO SEYDISFJORDUR
VESTAHORN (STOKKSNES)
HENGIFOSS
SEYDISFJORDUR
DAY 4: SEYDISFJORDUR TO HUSAVIK
STUDLAGIL CANYON
VITI CRATER
MYVATN
HUSAVIK
DAY 5: HUSAVIK TO GRUNDARFJORDUR
GODAFOSS
AKUREYRI
KIRKJUFELLSFOSS
GRUNDARFJORDUR
DAY 6: GRUNDARFJORDUR TO REYKJAVIK
SVORTULOFT LIGHTHOUSE
ARNARSTAPI
BUDAKIRKJA (BUDIR)
REYKJAVIK
DAY 7: REYKJAVIK TO KEFLAVIK (AIRPORT)
FAGRADALSFJALL VOLCANO
BLUE LAGOON
