Road Trip Ringroad Iceland 10 Days: Our Itinerary
In the spring of 2022 we made a road trip over the ringroad of Iceland in 10 days, following the ring road and even more. Our original plan was to only visit the south side of Iceland, but in the end we chose to drive all the way around the island and even took an extra trip over peninsula Snaefelsness. Our experience is that we can see quite a lot in one day and that driving quite fast due to low amount of traffic. We didn’t feel rushed for a moment during our tour. In this article we will share all our stops with practical information, so that you can create your own road trip through Iceland. See also our Google Maps itinerary Iceland.
We always rent our car through Sunnycars. They always provide an all-in rent price, insurance included and without hidden fees.
Day 1: Flight to Keflavik, Collect Rental Car
Distance: 50 km
Accommodation: Reykjavík (update 2025: we stayed at Blue House B&B, but it seems this place does not exist anymore)
On the first day our roadtrip over the ringroad of Iceland, our flight is scheduled from Amsterdam to Iceland. Several car rental companies are located near the airport and can be reached by shuttle bus or even by foot.
Day 2: Road Trip Golden Circle Iceland
Activities: Þingvellir National Park (1), geyser Strokkur (2) Gullfoss (3), Reykjaladur hot spring (4) (Golden Circle)
Distance: 150 km
Accommodation: Hotel Kannslarin Hella
During the first ‘real’ day in Iceland, we immediately visit the most famous trip of the island: The Golden Circle. This route includes the Þingvellir National Park, the active geyser Strokkur and one of the largest waterfalls: Gullfoss. There is a lot of typical Icelandic landscape to see on the route of The Golden Circle alone, which is why we wrote a separate article about it!
We end the day with a visit to the Reykjaladur hot spring, a river that originates at a hot spring. The walk is already very nice, because you can walk close to bubbling mud pools. At the start of the walk is a (paid) parking lot, here is also a small café and toilet. After walking about four kilometers you will be rewarded with a wonderful hot spring.
Day 3: Ringroad Southern Iceland
Activities: Seljalandsfoss (5), Vestmannaeyjar & Eldfell (6), Skógafoss & Kvernufoss (7), Dyrhólaey (8), Reynisfjara (9)
Distance: 100 km
Accommodation: The Barn Hostel Vík
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Our third day of our roadtrip Iceland starts with a waterfall: the Seljalandsfoss. You can park at the Seljalandsfoss Parking near the waterfall and then it is only a short walk from here to the waterfall. Tip: wear decent shoes and have a raincoat at hand, regardless of the weather, you will get soaked from the waterfall! The route is quite slippery, as you have to walk over wooden stairs, being wet all the time. It is possible to walk completely behind the waterfall and make a round, having nice views through the waterfall from behind!
Vestmannaeyar Island
To arrive at the largest island of the Vestmannaeyjar, you can navigate to Landeyjahöfn. This is the port from which the ferry departs to the island. There is a large (free) parking lot. In the only building you see, we bought return tickets without reservation. The crossing does not take long and on the way you have plenty of opportunities to view the beautiful islands. If you come in the right season you already have a chance to see the puffinshere. Unfortunately, we were travelling too early in May to see theses nice little birds. On the island we made a small hike to the volcano Eldfell. This walk is about 5 kilometers long and you have to climb a little more than 300 altimeters. Once on top of the Eldfell, there is a beautiful view in all directions.
Waterfalls: Skógafoss en Kvernufoss
The next stop of our roadtrip over the ringroad of Iceland are the Skógafoss and Kvernufoss. To get to these falls, you need to make a short hike. The Skógafoss cannot be missed, from the parking spot it is immediately clear which way to go. However, the Kvernufoss is a bit further walking and therefore not in sight. Near the parking lot you first have to climb over a small fence to continue your hike. You then walk along the river after which you see the waterfall in the distance. You can also walk behind the waterfall just like the Seljalandsfoss.
Viewpoints Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjarna
Because we have a hostel near Reynisdrangar (also known as Black Beach) we decided to go there immediately. The stop at Dyrhólaey was more than worth it. From here you can walk over the cliffs and look at Reynisdrangar. On the beach itself you will find high basalt columns on the sides that you can also climb on.
Day 4: Glacier Lakes along the Ringroad
Activities: Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon (10), Svartifoss (11), Fjallsárlón (12), Jökulsárlón/Diamond Beach (13)
Distance: 300 km
Accommodation: Höfn Hostel
To get to the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, we drive off the ring road for a while, to arrive at a smaller parking. You can make the route as long as you want. We continued the route to the small waterfall at the beginning of the canyon.
The next stop is a walk to the Svartifoss. This is a waterfall surrounded by black basalt columns. It is quite a special picture! The walk to the waterfall is easy and very clearly marked, but you will have to make some altimeters.
The glacial lakes Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón are close to each other, so you can visit them at the same day during a roadtrip Iceland. Fjallsárlón is the smallest lake. We spent a little more time at Jökulsárlón, because there was a group of seals swimming in the lake. When you are lucky, you can even see giant ice cubes on the opposite side of the ring road on Diamond Beach.
Day 5: Visit the Diamond Circle Iceland
Activities: Egilsstaðir (14), Dettifoss & Selfoss (15), Hverir (16)
Distance: 400 km
Accommodation: Vogar Travel Service
On the fifth day, we drove further along the fjords on the eastern side of the island. Most travelers will turn around at Höfn, however we decided to drive the whole ringroad of Iceland in our road trip of 10 days. This route is really beautiful, however it is quite a long drive and it is so quiet that it is easy to drive tens of kilometers wihtout seeing anyone. We stopped briefly in Egilsstaðir, to continue our way towards Dettifoss and Selfoss, two beautiful waterfalls that are about one kilometer apart from each other. Dettifoss is even the most powerful one in Iceland. At the Selfoss, it is possible to get a lot closer, making it more adventurous!
On the way to the final destination of this travelday we passed Hverir. We stopped at this geothermal area and walked for a while past the bubbling mud pools and steaming mounds of rock. It smelled a lot like sulfur. In this part of Iceland you can also visit the geothermal pools of Myvatn. There are, however, more options for a visit to a geothermal area.
Day 6: Ringroad Northern Iceland
Activities: Hverfjall (17), Húsavík (18), Goðafoss (19), Akureyri (20)
Distance: 150 km
Accommodation: Akureyri (unfortunately we cannot recommend the accommodation we booked in this city)
Close to Myvatn and the campsite of Vogar we visited the volcano of Hverfjall. This volcano is about 300 meters high and you can climb it via an easy (but rather steep) hiking trail. Once at the top of the crater, you can walk a full loop over the volcano.
Húsavík is a fine base if you would like to go on a whale tour. We did not do a tour during our roadtrip over the ringroad of Iceland, but in the village there are several stands to get information for a tour. The third stop of our travel day is Goðafoss. This waterfall is quite wide and easily accessible, being located right next to the ringroad.
Today’s overnight stay is in Akureyri which is also called the capital of the north. It is indeed a bigger place than we are used to since we left Reykjavík. You will find cozy terraces, shops and restaurants.
Day 7: Ringroad to Western Iceland
Activities: Reykjafoss & Fosslaug (21)
Distance: 300 km
Accommodation: Fossatun Camping Pods
The waterfall Reykjafoss was our first stop of the day. If you want to get to the waterfall, you have to drive a bit of an unpaved road to get to a parking lot near a farm. The beauty of this waterfall is that you can literally stand in it, there are no guided paths, this place is not (yet) made a touristic attraction. At the top of the waterfall there is a small pool, heated naturally: Fosslaug. We really were surprised of the beautiness of the place!
Day 8: Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Activities: Ytri Tunga (22), Lóndrangar (23), Kirkjufellsfoss (24)
Distance: 350 km
Accommodation: Reykjavík (update 2025: we stayed at Blue House B&B, but it seems this place does not exist anymore)
We decided at the last minute to also visit the Snæfellsnes peninsula during our roadtrip Iceland. Here you will encounter all the landscapes of Iceland once again: black beaches, a glacier and a volcano! On the way we stopped at the beach Ytri Tunga where you can spot seals. There is a parking lot at the beach from where you can walk straight onto the beach. A nice viewpoint to stop is Lóndrangar. Here many birds gather and fly along the rocks. The last stop of today on the peninsula is Kirkjufellsfoss, before driving back to Reykjavik.
Day 9: End of Road Trip, Visit Reykjavík
Activities: Reykjavík (25)
Distance: 0
Accommodation: Reykjavík (update 2025: we stayed at Blue House B&B, but it seems this place does not exist anymore)
On the last full day of our 10 days road trip itinerary over the ringroad of Iceland, we visited the Capital: Reykjavík. Although being the capital, the city is not that large and within a short period of time, you will find yourself in front of the Hallgrímskirkja! Nevertheless, the city is definetely worth a visit!
Day 10: Drive to Airport, Flight Home
Activities: Reykjavík (25), Blue Lagoon
Distance: 50 km
We drove back to Keflavík via a beautiful road on the Reykjanes peninsula along the Fagradalsfjall volcano. This volcano erupted in March 2021 and August 2022. At the moment we drove past, the weather was too bad to get out of the car for taking a closer look, unfortunately. However, the small detour was still worth it. If your flight is later on the day, you could also visit the famous Blue Lagoon on this last day!
