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

There are few places on earth with a landscape as vast and varied as Iceland. It’s a treasure trove of natural wonders, from mighty mountains to glistening glaciers, towering waterfalls, and moss-covered lava fields.

What’s more, many of Iceland’s most impressive sights are accessible from major towns like Reykjavík, which means you can drive there yourself if you want to – and we highly recommend it.

Driving around Iceland gives you a true sense of the scale and power of Iceland’s nature, boasting some of the most impressive roadside scenery you’re likely to see in your lifetime.

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?

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.

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 1,310km (814 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.

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. 

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.

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, and we’ve created a practical driving guide covering all the things you need to know – the rules of the road, the different road types and conditions you’ll encounter, how to choose the right vehicle, and the wildlife and hazards worth keeping an eye out for.

If you’re heading to Iceland to hit the open road, check out our fly and drive vacation packages. If you’d prefer to start your road trip somewhere other than the capital, you can select a regional pick-up location for your car – Akureyri in North Iceland, Egilsstaðir in East Iceland, or Ísafjörður in the Westfjords – and our fly-drive package includes internal flights to/from Reykjavík and the domestic destination.

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.