Ultimate Iceland Itinerary: 9 Day Road Trip

If you’re looking for an Iceland itinerary that will take you around the full island without missing a thing, look no further. Our trip to Iceland was a literal once-in-a-lifetime experience; we wanted to get it all done in one trip as we don’t plan on going back. We interviewed four different sets of friends and probably skimmed 100s of different websites to make sure we didn’t miss a thing.

Note: this page is a work in progress! We will be adding links to posts with further details and pictures on each day and excursion around the island.

If you’re looking for a practical Google map of every destination worth considering on a trip to Iceland, download our full travel map.

When is the Best Time to Visit Iceland?

The best time to visit Iceland is whenever you can get a week off from your regular life duties and go. There is no “bad” season to visit, as each time of the year offers different benefits. But here are some things to consider:

Summer months (May-August)

Summer is high season in Iceland. You’ll find the largest crowds, the longest hours of daylight (almost 24 hours at times), warmer temperatures, and some of the lushest green landscapes you can dream of.

Though summer is peak season and brings “large” crowds as they say, we didn’t find any of the major destinations overcrowded – and we went the first week of July. That being said, Iceland is gaining popularity (especially with the recent volcano eruption), so get your trip in while it’s still a new hotspot. Also, keep in mind Iceland summer is relatively cold compared to other parts of the world. The temperatures ranged from 35-65 F on our trip.

If good weather and plenty of daylight is a must for you, and you don’t mind higher prices or missing the northern lights, visit in the summer.

Northern lights (Sep-April)

The northern lights are visible September through April. November-February, Iceland is the least crowded. The weather is rainier than in the summer, but the winter landscapes gives Iceland a completely different look (so pretty it was used for many wintery Game of Thrones scenes).

If the northern lights are a must for you, or you’d enjoy the wintery landscapes and tolerate shorter days and iffy whether for a lower cost, visit in the off-season (fall/winter/spring).

How Many Days do I Need to Visit Iceland?

To see most of the major sites and destinations Iceland has to offer, we would budget no less than 5 days. To do a road trip around the entire island, you need a minimum of 6 days, and this doesn’t include spending a solid day in Reykjavik. 6 days would be incredibly fast and would cut out a lot of highlights (hot springs, cute coastal towns).

7-9 days is the sweetspot for a road trip that takes you around the entire island.

The more time, the better. A 7-9 day Iceland itinerary will give you time to go around the island, enjoy the waterfalls, relax at some hotsprings, do some hikes, and maybe one excursion. We did the below itinerary in 7 days, and added a day for the Westfjords. However, this was a pretty aggressive itinerary and we missed a few destinations/excursions below.

How Do I Get Around in Iceland?

We recommend getting a car. Day trips with a touring company are possible out of Reykjavik, but for ultimate flexibility and freedom, a rental car is the way to go.

For the most authentic Iceland experience, we recommend renting a campervan. For everything you need to know about renting a car or campervan, check out our blog post: Renting a Car in Iceland for Road Trip of a Lifetime!

Best Places to Eat in Iceland

If you’re on a road trip, we recommend eating camping food for the majority of your trip. Iceland isn’t particularly known for great food, and it’s notoriously costly. That being said, a gas station hotdog is a delicacy (you have to try it!) and there are some amazing restaurants in Reykjavik, which we will include on our guide to Reykjavik (coming soon). We’ve also saved all our favorite restaurants in our Iceland Travel Map.

Fun fact: because of the glaciers, Iceland has some of the freshest water in the world. Don’t buy water at the store! Refill your water jugs at campsites or parks.

Iceland Itinerary: 9 Days on the Ring Road

We chose to travel the Ring Road counter-clockwise for one reason: our top destinations are in the south of Iceland. With our aggressive schedule, we wanted to make sure we saw our top spots and had flexibility to cut/speed things up later. We left exploring Reykjavik for the last day. Reykjavik is a common layover spot, so its easy to explore on another trip if it came to it.

A 9 Day Iceland itinerary will look like this, with more details below.

Click the links below for more details and pictures on the destinations! (We are updating this as we go along).

• Day 1: Golden Circle to Landmannalaugar
• Day 2: Landmannalaugar
• Day 3: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, airplane wreck, Vik area, black sand beaches
• Day 4: Svartifoss and glaciers
• Day 5: Studlagil and Dettifoss
• Day 6: Myvatn area
• Day 7: Godafoss, Akureyri, and Glaumbaer
• Day 8: Western Iceland waterfalls, lava, and craters (Kirkjufellsfoss, Gatklettur, and more)
• Day 9: Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon

If you want a complete list of everything we would consider doing, download our complete Travel Map of Iceland below. You can also check out our complete list of maps on our Travel Map page.

Day 1: Golden Circle to Landmannalaugar

Our flight to Iceland landed around 8:30 am. Getting through the airport was faster than we thought. We budgeted almost 4 hours to land, get our rental car, and do some grocery shopping before hitting the road. This was plenty of time. Since this was our first day in Iceland, we took it easy and did a lot of driving.

The Golden Circle of Iceland is the most popular tourist circle. Its essentially a road that “circles” through top destinations such as Thingvellir National Park, Gulfoss waterfall, and the famous geysers.

If this is your first full day in Iceland (you didn’t travel in this morning) plan a stop at Thingvellir National Park in the early morning.

Thingvellir National Park wasn’t high on our priority list, so we skipped it. We headed straight to Geysir, Golfoss, Sigoldugljufur, and finally ended the evening at Landmannalaugar. Landmannalaugar has one camping site, so we stayed there. It was the worst camping site of our entire trip, so set your expectations low. The campsite also has a hotspring you can enjoy.

Note: you will need a 4×4 car to reach Sigoldugljufur and Landmannalaugar, and it is absolutely worth it.

Day 2: Landmannalaugar National Park

Spend the entire day at Landmannalaugar National Park. We recommend doing the Blue Peak and Sulfur Wave trails. These two hikes take 6+ hours and gives you some crazy views of the park.

There are touring companies that can take you through the park. If you’re a DIY adventurer, we recommend downloading AllTrails to get you around the trails.

When you’ve completed your hike, eat some food, take a break, and drive back towards the ring road. We stayed at Gaddstadaflatir camping site that evening.

Day 3: Waterfalls and Vik Area

Day 3 on our road trip is a perfect blend of waterfalls, ruins, beaches and adventure. For a full Vik Iceland itinerary, check out Unforgettable Road Trip to the Vik, Iceland. Otherwise, read here for a quick summary.

In the morning, head out to Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is very close to the ring road, it doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to explore it. Next, head to Skogafoss, a massive waterfall featured in Game of Thrones. Another hour can be spent here – this one has a decent amount of stairs to climb.

After Skogafoss, head to the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck.

To maximize your time at the plane wreck, we recommend taking the shuttle. The hike out to the plane wreck is very dull.

For the rest of the day/afternoon, we recommend the following stops:

• Dyrholaey viewpoint
• Reynisfjara viewpoint
• Reynisfjara (black sand beach) & Halsanefshellir Cave
• Explore downtown Vik (if you want): black sand beach, voyages friendship statue, Vik i Mydral Church
• See a lava show

Protip: if you want to cut out a day, you can combine Days 3 and 4. Make sure you have enough daylight to do it all. We did days 3 and 4 from 8am to 10pm in July, plus a drive to the next campsite.

Day 4: Svartifoss and Glaciers

On the way to Svartifoss, there’s a couple stops we highly recommend along the way. For more details and pictures on each of these adventures, check out our post: A Guide to Iceland Glacier Lagoons and Hidden Gems.

• Gigjagja (cave that looks like Yoda’s outline)
• Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon (MUST see! Takes 1-5 hours depending on if you go into the canyon)
• Eldhraun lava fields
• Kirkjugolf (hidden gem, highly recommend! We were the only ones there when we went mid-afternoon)
• Stjornarfoss (nice quiet waterfall. Again, we were the only ones there in peak of July)

Svartifoss requires a hike to get to, but is absolutely breathtaking. Afterwards, you should continue down the road to:

• Fjallsarlon Glacier
• Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
• Diamond Beach

Consider doing a boat tour at either of the glaciers.

Short on time? Pick one, but don’t skip Diamon Beach! Fjallsarlon is less crowded if you prefer.

After, we recommend hitting the road as there’s a bit of distance to travel. The ring road in Eastern Iceland winds through the coast, which makes the drive a bit longer to get through. If you can make it, Seydisfjordur is an adorable coastal town with lodging or a camp site (small, fills quickly). The farther you drive on Day 4, the more time you can spend at the amazing destinations in Day 5 or our Iceland itinerary!

Day 5: Studlagil and Dettifoss

We would recommend starting your day in Seydisfjordur if you’re up for the detour from the ring road. The cute coastal town has a miniature version of the famous rainbow road, and a couple waterfalls on the way down (or back up) – Fardagafoss and Gufu.

For the rest of your day, make your way east, stopping by Studlagil Canyon (includes a hike) and Dettifoss Waterfall (very short,flat hike). End your day in the Myvatn area for the night (grab dinner if you have time – there’s actually decent restaurants here too).

Day 6: Myvatn Area

Any Iceland itinerary that misses the Myvatn area is missing out. The Myvatn area has so much to do, and is high in ours and our friends’ favorite places to explore in Iceland. Here are all the things you can (and should try to do) on a day in the Myvatn area:

• Leirhnjukur hike
• Krafla crater
• Hverir geothermal area
• Mt. Namafjall crater hike
• Grjotgja cave
• Storagja cave
• Hverfjall crater rim hike
• Dimmuborgir lava field hike (easy)
• Myvatn Nature Baths (end here!)

We camped at Laugar camping, which had showers and a restaurant across the street we recommend (Dalakofinn).

Day 7: Godafoss and Northern Towns

Head to Godafoss in the morning. The parking lot isn’t far from the falls, so it shouldn’t take you too much time. For the rest of the day there are a couple of cute town to explore:

• Akureyri: great for whale watching
• Glaumbaer: known for the Glaumbaer Farm & Museum (hobbit-esque houses with grass roofs)
• Saudarkrokur: black sand beach and horseback riding

If you’re short for time, check out Godafoss and skip to Day 8.

Day 8: Western Iceland

At this point in your Iceland itinerary, you’ll notice a common theme of waterfalls, lava fields, craters, and views. Western Iceland continues on with that theme. Personally, we skipped these lava fields as we felt the Myvatn lava fields were sufficient. Regardless, you should be able to fit all the below in a full day exploring the west:

• Snaefellsnesvegur lava fields
• Kirkjufellsfoss: iconic Iceland picture you see everywhere (see below)
• Gatklettur: see picture above
• Grabrok: 3 volcanic craters in one!
• Hraunfossar & Barnafossar: right next to each other, easy hike to do both

Protip: if you’ve got extra time, this might be a good opportunity to add a quick hike in Thingvellir National Park.

Try to end your day as close to Reykjavik as possible, that way you can start your day early (or sleep in). There are plenty of hostels, hotels, and campsites around Reykjavik. We opted to stay 2 nights at Grindavik campsite as it was close to the airport for our early flight out.

Protip: hotels, hostels, and cabins fully book in peak season. If you think you’ll want a nice bed your last night, book in advance.

Day 9: Reykjavik

To end your ultimate road trip, our Iceland itinerary finishes in Reykjavik. We ended our day at the Blue Lagoon, which was the best decision we made our entire trip. We walked all over Reykjavik and relaxed at the Blue Lagoon to end the day. As an added bonus, the Blue Lagoon has amazing showers, so we skipped the camp showers.

There are a ton of things you can do in Reykjavik, but here were our top choices:

• Rainbow road
• Museum of Punk
• Reykjavik food tour
• Hallgrimskirkja
• Laugavegur: street to walk down/explore

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