A guide to driving Iceland’s Ring Road
Date
09. Apr 202609. Apr 26
Reading time
5 min
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Iceland’s Ring Road, also known as Route 1, is one of the most scenic road trips in the world. The journey takes you past glaciers, craters, and waterfalls; through tunnels and mountain passes; and alongside wild windswept coastlines and gracefully meandering rivers. And this is just the tip of the iceberg (or ice cap?) when it comes to Iceland’s impressive landscapes and iconic natural wonders along the way.
With so much to see and do, planning is key to help you get the most out of your trip, however long you’re in Iceland for. A great starting point is viewing our handpicked Ring Road itinerary by region, which explains where to go, where to stay, how to get there, and how long it takes to reach each attraction.
However, there are no strict rules for this epic road trip. You can choose to drive the full Ring Road or cherry-pick by region or attraction. Whether you take a detour, extend your stay in certain places, or explore Iceland’s hidden gems – the choice is all yours. Learn more about how to plan your Iceland Ring Road trip in this guide.
The Ring Road skirts Eystrahorn mountain in the country’s southeast.
What is Iceland’s Ring Road?
Iceland’s Ring Road is a highway that circles the country, transporting you around its perimeter to countless popular geological sites and cultural points of interest. The Ring Road has various names, including its official name: Route 1 or Highway 1. In Icelandic it’s known as Þjóðvegur 1 or Hringvegur.
The length of the Ring Road in Iceland is roughly 827 miles (1,332 km), however you’ll veer off at various points to reach each tourist spot, so you’ll clock up a few more miles along the way.
Iceland’s Ring Road is considered to be one of the world’s greatest road trips for sheer number and proximity of attractions and diverse natural landscapes. It’s also popular due to its ease of travel, despite serving up some of the most dramatic landscapes and wildest terrains you’ll ever see.
Most travelers start and end their trip in Reykjavík, or upon arrival in Iceland at Keflavík airport, with many heading for the south coast as their first port of call. However, you can start your trip anywhere along the route, and you can opt for a clockwise or counter-clockwise circuit.
How long does it take to drive the Ring Road?
Driving the full length of the Ring Road will take around 7 to 10 days if you travel for roughly 3 to 5 hours a day.
However, to avoid rushing your visit or skipping destinations along the route, the Ring Road is better suited to a 10- to 14-day trip.
The north and south of Iceland are such large and rich regions that they easily warrant 2 to 3 days each. From lake Mývatn and the surrounding geothermal marvels of the north, to the glacier-filled stretch of Vatnajökull National Park and other icy highlights in the south – we recommend taking it slower to enjoy all there is to offer.
Our recommended Ring Road itinerary
This Iceland Ring Road trip itinerary takes you from South Iceland through the east and north, and finally on to West Iceland and back to Reykjavík, with Day 14 as the ‘travel home day’.
While we’ve detailed an itinerary covering most of Iceland’s Ring Road sights, spanning 14 days, it’s possible to do the Ring Road in 10 days. All you’ll need to do is reduce the number of days you spend in certain regions or skip certain attractions you’ve visited before.
Since the southern and northern regions are so large and varied, some people choose to spend fewer days in the east and west, or miss out Reykjavík altogether if they’ve already been to the capital. You might choose to skip some of the touring options we’ve listed that are off the Ring Road.
However you want to circumnavigate the country, simply use this Iceland Ring Road trip planner to pick out the best stops on the Ring Road for the duration of your stay. Mix things up a little, as you need! And explore alternative journeys that lie off the Ring Road with our guide to the best Icelandic road trips.
“Iceland’s Ring Road is considered to be one of the world’s greatest road trips”
For each region, we’ve given suggestions of overnight options, and places that are good stops for groceries etc, but these are suggestions only. Many of Iceland’s most memorable sleeping and dining choices are tucked away in rural areas, on farms and properties with magical views.
Tips for driving the Ring Road
Before you get behind the wheel, here’s some advice to help you prepare and get the most out of your Ring Road trip.
April to October is easily the best time to consider a full Ring Road tour of Iceland. This is because the spring/summer season offers many more practical advantages for road-trippers. Not only do the longer daylight hours allow for greater exploration each day, but the weather conditions are far less likely to disrupt your progress.
Traveling in summer is also a wonderful sensory experience. The waterfalls roar with the full force of spring meltwater and the landscape is teeming with vibrant new life, from the country’s wildflowers across the landscape of rolling hills to nesting birds in the coastal cliffs.
Although Iceland’s colder months can be magical, driving Iceland’s entire Ring Road in winter is generally not recommended. Sections of the road can be closed due to weather conditions, and certain activities and attractions are off-limits. If you do wish to drive the entire Ring Road in winter, be mindful that the journey will take longer, and you’ll need to be flexible with your itinerary – and, most importantly, you should be experienced and comfortable with driving in winter conditions. The limited number of daylight hours should also factor into your winter planning.
Counter-clockwise is the most popular direction in which to drive Iceland’s Ring Road. This is because the big-ticket destinations, like the well-known waterfalls, black beaches, and glaciers, naturally draw visitors arriving into Reykjavík towards the south of the island first.
However, if you head north in the other direction, you might just free yourself from the initial flow of tourist traffic.
Travel the Ring Road clockwise: If you’re picking up your rental car at Keflavík airport, drive north to Reykjavík to join the Ring Road there.
Travel the Ring Road counter-clockwise: From Keflavík airport, travel along the scenic south coast of the Reykjanes peninsula to join Highway 1 at the towns of Hveragerði or Selfoss.
Popular stopover towns and villages while driving around the country include Vik, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri, and Borgarnes. These areas offer a range of hotels, guesthouses, and camping grounds, serving as key access points to many of Iceland’s sights.
Remember that summer is a busy period for visitors, so any hotel or guesthouse accommodation should be booked well in advance. Also, certain regions of Iceland – such as the southeast, where the landscape is dominated by glaciers – have few towns for visitors to stop in, and so accommodation in these areas is often in high demand.
In terms of where to stay when driving the Ring Road in Iceland, it’s hard to beat camping or a campervan when it comes to flexibility, availability (since you don’t need to book camping spots in advance), and access to the full experience of Iceland’s scenery. There are camping spots and campervan parks throughout Iceland, with popular pitches neighboring waterfalls and in the shadow of rugged mountains.
The Ring Road passes through all regions of Iceland except for the remote Westfjords in the northwest, and the central Highlands area.
Other gaps include the Reykjanes pensinsula in the southwest of the country, Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, some of the scenic northern peninsulas, and the northeast corner of the country.
If these areas sound appealing, you can check out some of the alternative road trips that lie off the Ring Road in our guide to the best Icelandic road trips, where we tackle great driving routes in each region.
Regardless of when you visit Iceland, it’s vital to check the road conditions of both the Ring Road and any detours to each destination, as well as the weather forecast, which could impact your driving ability or overall enjoyment of the journey. You can also check safe driving advice and rules for the Icelandic landscape and climate year-round.
As well as being mindful of the weather, there are a few other quirks to the roads and some driving rules that tourists wouldn’t necessarily be aware of. We summarize these in our guide to driving in Iceland, so it’s definitely worth checking them out before your trip.
Do your homework if you plan to drive the Ring Road in winter.
Explore Iceland’s Ring Road at your own pace
Feeling inspired? Discover Iceland by road with Icelandair’s range of fly and drive vacation packages.
Choose from our classic fly and drive, opt for a fly and drive of an electric vehicle, or rent a campervan or motorhome to take in Iceland’s incredible landscapes as fast or slow as you like.
If you want to start your Ring Road adventure somewhere other than the capital, you might like to check out fly-and-drive options that fly you from Reykjavík Airport to a designated car pick-up location in regional parts of the country: Akureyri in North Iceland, Egilsstaðir in East Iceland, or Ísafjörður in the Westfjords.
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