Planning

Driving around Iceland: A guide to the best Icelandic road trips

Date

01. Sep 202501. Sep 25

Reading time

10 min

In this guide, learn how to plan a road trip in Iceland based on each region, the length of your trip, and the time of year you’re visiting. We also share important tips for staying safe on the roads, as well as some of Iceland’s driving rules to keep in mind ahead of your vacation. Ready to set off?

Why take a road trip around Iceland?

Exploring Iceland by car is one of the best ways to see the country. You’re quite literally carving your own path, which is a great way to immerse yourself in the Icelandic landscape.

Your own route can lead you to explore sites deeper within the landscape, such as the dramatic canyons and the unimaginable forces that created them, as well as Iceland’s many waterfalls, geothermal pools, mountains, and fjords.

The best part? You can view all these wonders from your own personal vantage point.

Whether traveling alone, with a partner, or in a group, a road trip in Iceland lets you become an active participant on a journey of discovery. You’ll also get away from the main tourist groups, the chatter of the tour bus, and enjoy the peace of both your surroundings and the drive.

Plus, we take road safety very seriously here – especially in the face of our temperamental weather conditions. Icelandic car-hire companies will advise you on the right type of car for the time of year – for example, a 4x4 in winter – and roads will be closed if there are adverse weather risks. You can learn more about this in our driving tips section later in this guide.

What’s the best Icelandic road-trip itinerary?

While there are many routes to explore, the most popular of the Iceland road-trip routes is undoubtedly the Ring Road (Route 1, or Highway 1). At 1,322km (821 miles) long, it follows the perimeter of the island – except for the Westfjords, a remote, rugged region in the northwest of Iceland.

Iceland’s Route 1 is paved, which means that you don’t need a special vehicle to travel on it, and with plenty of time up your sleeve, you can even take public transport for most of it. That is, unless you want to veer off onto the minor roads to explore for yourself.

Traveling the full length of the Ring Road requires around 10-14 days to do it justice. It covers a variety of attractions, such plenty of waterfalls, black beaches, the Mývatn region in the country’s north, and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach in the south.

However, if you’ve already traveled the Ring Road route, or you don’t have time for this full road trip of Iceland, there are countless other routes to explore in Iceland.

Road trips in Iceland by region

Wherever you’re staying, there are some fantastic road trips in each region that allow you to explore a variety of natural wonders, attractions, and landscapes that represent the essence of Iceland.

Some road trips can take a few days, so visitors often choose a different base each time they come to Iceland, or make a series of stops around the island to allow enough time for each route. Popular bases include the southwestern capital city of Reykjavík, Akureyri in the north, Vík in the south, and Ísafjörður, the hub of the remote Westfjords.

No matter how many days you’re visiting for, or where you choose to stay or stop along the way, you won’t be short of awe-inspiring sights to discover on the road. Open the cards below to view our top picks for the best road trips in each region of Iceland.

From Reykjavík

Reykjanes peninsula

South Coast

West Iceland

Westfjords

North Iceland

East Iceland

When’s the best time to do a driving tour in Iceland?

You can take a road trip at any time of year, but it’s important to consider that Iceland has vastly different road conditions in summer and winter.

Summer road trips

It’s generally considered safer to drive in spring or summer. More roads will be open, particularly the interior mountain roads (F roads), which close in winter, and with less chance of ice, snow, and stormy winds, your driving experience is likely to be more pleasurable – and less risky overall.

Summer’s longer daylight hours allow for greater exploration and visibility of the landscape, which makes Iceland a fantastic destination for road trips during the season.

However, these longer days also need to be approached carefully. Tourists are often tempted to make the most of the daylight and pack as much as possible into a single day. However, it’s easy to become fatigued on long drives. Certain attractions can be several hours’ drive away (and back), and it’s important to plan enough rest stops along the way to ensure you stay attentive on the roads.

Winter road trips

Winter is a popular time to travel, especially for those wanting to hunt for the northern lights. If you’re planning an Iceland winter road trip, your vehicle will need to be able to handle the conditions. The strong winds, snow, and ice mean you’ll need to consider a 4WD car, with studded tires or appropriate winter tires, to give you enough traction on the road.

There are, of course, some recommended road trips for each time of year.

The Golden Circle and south coast are good options in winter due to their accessibility from well-maintained roads. You can travel to many of these sites from the Ring Road, which only requires a regular car to travel on.

Parts of the Westfjords and the Highlands are some of the most remote and difficult-to-reach locations, often closed in the winter, so these are traditionally considered to be summer-only routes.

Note that it’s now easier to travel around the Westfjords out of season. The new Dýrafjarðargöng tunnel links the north and south parts of the Westfjords. It’s 5.6km (3.4 miles) long and lets drivers bypass Hrafnseyrarheiði, the difficult mountain route that’s often closed in winter due to ice or heavy snowfall.

Tips for how to drive in Iceland

For the conscientious driver, exploring Iceland by car is a whole lot of fun. However, there are a number of rules and unique obstacles to be aware of on Icelandic roads.

If you’re planning on driving around Iceland, here’s some practical advice for navigating the terrain:

It’s illegal to drive off-road in Iceland: Not only will you receive a fine, but the main reason is that it poses a risk to both plant and animal life, so you must stick to designated roads.

Follow the speed limit: The maximum speed limit is 90 km/h (56 mph), which only applies to paved roads such as the Ring Road (Route 1). For gravel roads, this limit is reduced to 80 km/h (50 mph).

The inner lane has the right-of-way at a two-lane roundabout: There aren’t many roundabouts in the countryside in Iceland, but there are quite a few in Reykjavík. When navigating one, you have to give the car in the inner lane priority if they’re signalling to leave the roundabout.

Don’t park in the middle of the road, even if it looks empty: Visiting drivers have been known to park up along what they believe to be deserted areas of road in order to take photos. However, this can result in a serious accident. Always find a safe space to pull over, on a secure verge and away from moving traffic.

Be mindful of animal crossings: In summer, keep an eye out for roaming sheep. Be on the lookout for arctic foxes and reindeer, too – they’re not common, but they’re not predictable either.

Beware of strong winds: Strong winds not only make your car less stable on the road, but they can also rip a car door from your hands or slam it back into your body. Be mindful and vigilant when opening doors.

4x4 vehicles are a good idea for winter travel, and they’re essential for river crossings and highland roads: This is essential for both road traction and elevation when crossing a body of water.

Check your fuel level (or battery if using an electric car): It might seem obvious, but certain Icelandic road trips are long. Longer still, if you happen to get lost along the way. Always make sure that you have enough gas or power to get you to the next station or stop.

Make sure you have emergency numbers handy: The emergency number in Iceland is 112. It’s also good to know your car-hire company’s number for roadside assistance.

Submit a travel plan: You might not always have cellphone reception on remote stretches, so it’s a good idea to let someone at your next destination know your approximate arrival time and the route you intend to take in case you don’t show up. You can submit a travel plan with Safe Travel for peace of mind.

Helpful resources

There are a number of resources to help you plan and check that your route is safe before traveling:

Safe Travel Iceland offers advice according to the weather, any volcanic activity, and road closures.
The Icelandic Met Office offers detailed meteorological information, including weather patterns, earthquakes, and avalanche risk.
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (IRCA) provides transport and travel updates. This page details road conditions and closures, while this page will tell you which mountain roads are open.
You can also find out more about getting around from Visit Iceland and their guide to driving in Iceland.

Iceland road-trip FAQs

Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about hitting the road in Iceland.

The number of days you need for an Iceland road trip depends on where you’re based and the attractions you’d like to visit from there.

You can take a sightseeing trip from Reykjavík to the Golden Circle, the Silver Circle, or the Reykjanes peninsula in one day. Visiting the Snæfellsnes peninsula requires around 2 days, and a trip to the South Coast (driving to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and back) will ideally need 3-4 days.

It’s possible to travel around all of Iceland using the Ring Road in about 6-7 days in summer, but this would be to drive the trip only.

Realistically, a longer trip of 10-14 days is needed to allow for sightseeing, rest stops, and hiking deeper into the landscape if you want to.

During the winter, you’ll need to plan greater flexibility into your schedule as the driving conditions and weather can be more unpredictable.

You have several options for a 7-day road trip in Iceland. You can take the Ring Road around the island for a quick pit stop at each location, although you’ll gain a richer experience with an extended timeframe of 10 days.

With 7 days, we recommend exploring one of the following options:

Reykjavík, the Golden Circle, Reykjanes, and the South Coast
The West, Snæfellsnes, and the North
West Iceland and the Westfjords in more detail
The Highlands in summer with a 4x4 vehicle

If you’re staying in Reykjavík, combining the Golden Circle and South Coast makes an excellent 5-day road trip.

This lets you tick off some of the country’s most amazing sights, including Þingvellir National Park, exploding geysers, majestic waterfalls, black sand beaches, glacier lagoons, and more.

If you’re short on time and staying in Reykjavík, the Snæfellsnes peninsula, which includes Snæfellsjökull National Park and the black beach at Djúpalónssandur, is a great option.

Or you can spend the 2-day period on an extended Golden Circle and Highlands trip, which, as well as the Golden Circle’s top attractions, such as Þingvellir National Park and Gullfoss waterfall, allows you to explore some of the Kjölur route and hike the geothermal area at Kerlingarfjöll.

You need a valid driving license from your home country with full driving privileges. If it’s not in English, it must be written in Latin letters as well (this applies to languages like Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Russian etc).

If your driving license does not have any English information, then you'll need an international driving permit.

The driving license must have a photo of the driver. It must have an issue and an expiry date. This way, the staff at the office can see it is a full driver’s permit. Provisional ones are not acknowledged.

You should have held your license for at least one year. This period is tallied from the original issue date.

In Iceland, most car rental agencies have an age requirement of 20 to hire a car; there may be additional age restrictions to hire a larger car.

Plan your Iceland road-trip itinerary with Icelandair

If you’re heading to Iceland to hit the open road, check out our fly and drive vacation packages. You can select a pick-up location for your car, which includes an internal flight from Reykjavík to the destination of your choice, such as Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, or Ísafjörður.

Alternatively, our motorhome package allows you ultimate flexibility on your road trip. You can stop and explore each site as long as you need without rushing to check into your hotel, as there are around 200 campsites you can visit across Iceland.

If you’d prefer to hire a car without an accompanying travel package, make sure you tell your car-hire representative about your planned road-trip itinerary to help them understand the type of car you’ll need for the specific terrain.

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Driving around Iceland: A guide to the best Icelandic road trips

In this article

Why take a road trip around Iceland?

What’s the best Icelandic road-trip itinerary?