Iceland Ring Road: 7 Days Around the Island

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The route · 7 stops

1
Reykjavik
1 night
Iceland's capital, compact and creative. Use the first evening to walk the Old Harbour, visit Hallgrímskirkja, and stock a cool box before the clockwise loop begins the next morning. Pick up the hire car early on day two.
Fuel up and stock supplies before leaving Reykjavik. Supermarkets thin out quickly, and fuel prices rise at smaller stations on the road.
2
Vík í Mýrdal
2 nights2h 57m · 212 km from previous
The South Coast's essential two-night base. Drive in from Reykjavik via Seljalandsfoss (walkable behind the falls) and Skógafoss. From Vík: Reynisfjara black sand beach with basalt columns, Dyrhólaey sea arch, and the Sólheimasandur plane wreck on black sand.
Reynisfjara's sneaker waves kill people every year. Stay 30 metres from the water and never turn your back on the ocean.
3
Höfn
1 night3h 45m · 270 km from previous
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon sits 80 km west of Höfn and is the unmissable stop on the drive from Vík. Icebergs drift across the wide lagoon; Diamond Beach catches the same ice on black sand. Höfn itself is Iceland's langoustine capital.
Book the Jökulsárlón zodiac or amphibious boat tour well in advance. Skaftafell glacier hikes also need booking; commercial operators provide crampons.
4
Egilsstaðir
1 night2h 9m · 155 km from previous
The main hub of East Iceland, reached via the spectacular East Fjords coast. Route 1 winds into every inlet on the 265 km drive from Höfn; the fjord roads slow average speed to around 50 km/h, so allow four hours and enjoy the unhurried pace.
Top up fuel in Egilsstaðir before heading north; it is the last full-service stop before Mývatn.
5
Lake Mývatn
1 night2h 18m · 165 km from previous
Iceland's most otherworldly landscape: a shallow lake ringed with volcanic craters, lava formations (Dimmuborgir), steaming fumaroles, and geothermal pools. Dettifoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall by volume, is an hour north and worth the detour.
The Mývatn Nature Baths are a quieter alternative to the Blue Lagoon. Midges around the lake are fierce in calm summer weather; pack insect repellent.
6
Akureyri
1 night56m · 67 km from previous
Iceland's second city and the northern hub. Godafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods, is 50 km east on the drive from Mývatn and has a dramatic curved 12-metre drop linked to Iceland's adoption of Christianity in 1000 AD. Fill up here before the long return south.
Fill the tank in Akureyri; it is the last large town on Route 1 before Reykjavik, and fuel stations thin out on the 380 km return drive south.
7
Reykjavik
4h 28m · 322 km from previous
Close the loop back in the capital after the Ring Road's longest leg: the 380 km drive west from Akureyri takes around five hours on Route 1. Drop the car, or spend a final night before onward travel.
The return drive from Akureyri is long but straightforward on Route 1. Check road.is before setting out; conditions can change quickly even in summer.

Iceland Ring Road: 7 Days Around the Island

The route · 7 stops

Reykjavik

Vík í Mýrdal

Höfn

Egilsstaðir

Lake Mývatn

Akureyri

Reykjavik

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