The Ultimate Iceland Ring Road Itinerary!

Iceland is a magical country that’s small size and incredibly diverse landscape makes it the ultimate adventure! We took 7 days to drive around the full Ring Road, which circles the entire country, and saw the most incredible sites! We stopped at magnificent waterfalls, hiked on a glacier, saw the northern lights and soaked in hot springs! Get ready for an adventure of a lifetime in Iceland

Prepping For Your Road Trip

The Ring Road Route and detour to see the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Rent Your Car: Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world, and best places to do a Campervan trip - so we decided to go for it! We rented a van from Happy Campers and I couldn’t recommend it more, check out my separate post for further details on traveling by van around Iceland

Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Van in Iceland

If you’d rather book a car and accommodations separately - book your car from Iceland Car Rental. If you go during the winter months (Nov - March) I would recommend getting a 4x4 to handle the road if there’s snow. We went in March and Ring Road was crystal clear everywhere until we headed north - then there was a lot of snow and we were happy to have 4 wheel drive!

Day 1

Driving time: 2 hr 47 min

Destination Types: Hot Springs, Waterfalls

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon: 15 min away from the airport is the iconic Blue Lagoon, and there is truly no better way to beat the jet lag than soaking in a luxurious hot spring! Once you enter the lagoon explore all the little areas, get a face mask from the mask bar and your drink from the swim up bar that are both included in the ticket price. Book your day visit in advanced, and once you get your entrance time you can stay as long as you want. For those looking for the most luxurious accommodations Iceland has to offer (hefty price tag included) with direct access to a private part of the lagoon - staying at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is a must!

Enjoying the Blue Lagoon on a cold day in March!

Now hop back in your car and head a few hours to discover the magic of Iceland’s southern coast!

Seljalandsfoss - Waterfall

Seljalandsfoss: One of the most magnificent waterfalls in Iceland and a can’t miss. It was covered in beautiful snow and ice when we went in March making it even more stunning! Going in the afternoon and evening when the sun hits it is an added bonus because it lights up and you can see a rainbow right in the falls! When the weather is warmer you can even venture behind the falls

Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool

Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool: This hot spring is in the most magical setting and an easy hike to get to! Unfortunately when we visited the air was too chilly for the semi-warm water and it was already in the shade - but still really beautiful to see! highly recommend if the weather is a little warmer to take a dip, we couldn’t do it knowing our warm van was a hike away

Skógafoss Waterfall & Stay for the Night

Skógafoss Waterfall: Another impressive waterfall on the south coast in both height and volume! its a quick detour off the ring road, and also is where Skógar Campsite is. We parked our van and went for a hike up the trail, then made dinner with an awesome view of the falls! The facilities at Skógar Campsite were ok - a few bathrooms and hot showers all year round - but the location made it great!

For those of you looking for a solid bed - I recommend staying in Hotel Skogafoss that’s also right by the falls and has a great restaurant and amazing breakfast that’s included!

Day 2

Driving time: 2 hr 38 min

Destination Types: Black Beach, Town, Canyon, Waterfalll

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Reynisfjara Black Beach: There is so much to see on this beach from interesting basalt rock formations, to caves, to black sand, and jagged rocks poking out of the ocean. On the island just off the shore also is home to a huge Puffin colony you can book tours to! We really enjoyed exploring all this beach has to offer and it made for some incredible photos

Vik & Lunch

Vik: After the beach take a short drive to the adorable seaside town of Vik. Stop for lunch at The Soup Company and get your soup in their black bread bowl which is very fitting after the back sand beach and it tastes delicious!

Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon

Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon: A stunning canyon just a short drive to the parking lot of the ring road. Walk the easy trail that takes you above the canyon to overlooks, and be sure to see the canyon from the bottom as well - this is such a beautiful stop!

Svartifoss Waterfall & Skaftafell

Svartifoss Waterfall: This waterfall requires a hike up into the mountains a bit (it’s not difficult) and was the coolest waterfall I’ve ever seen!

The trail head leaves right from the Skaftafell Campsite so we first got our parking spot situated and then started the hike! The basalt columns lining the falls look otherworldly and since the river was completely frozen and covered with snow we were able to venture out right below it. Such an incredible place!

Skaftafell Campground

Skaftafell Campground: This campground is incredible and has so many trails branching off of it! There is so much to see and the facilities are top notch. The visitor center has a cute gift shop and they helped us pick some trails to see while we stayed.

Ginger Tip: The highlight here was that the campsite was an INCREDIBLE place to see the northern lights since there is no light pollution and you have the mountains as a backdrop! Check out the forecast and cloud coverage so you know what to expect. Mid March was a great time because the spring equinox brings with it high aurora activity!

Day 3

Driving time: 2 hours

Destination Types: Glacier, Mountains, Viking Village, Northern Lights

Vatnajokull Glacier Hike

Vatnajokull Glacier Hike: This was our favorite activity on the whole trip - a can’t miss especially if you visit Iceland in the colder months. We left our campsite and drove to Jökulsárlón which is a glacier lagoon full of ice chunks and seals where we met our group. There are several different tour operators that only take you on a quick walk through of an ice cave, but if we were going to go to a glacier I wanted more! We booked with Blue Iceland on their Treasure Iceland 6 hour tour which was incredible.

We hiked on top of the glacier, then down into a beautiful canyon that created a natural winding trail through walls of brilliant blue ice, then ended in the incredible Crystal Ice Cave! We had crampons and harnesses on to keep us safe and only had 6 total people in our group. Definitely book this tour I highly recommend it!

Vestrahorn Mountains & Campsite

Vestrahorn: After a long day of hiking. continue east about an hour to your stop for the night that has a ton to do! The Vestrahorn Mountains are on private land that you can access for a small fee, so put in The Viking Cafe into your directions, then head inside when you arrive. If you are camping pay the fee and they’ll tell you where to park - the fee to enter everything else is included! Past their gate you can head to the Viking Village Set that is cool to see and photograph, and there’s another road that leads to the coast where you can spot seals. The views of the mountains no matter where you are in the area are great and make for awesome photos!

The Northern Lights change drastically as you watch them. Bundle up and plan on bringing a tripod - even for a phone like we did for the best shots! I shot these all right on my Pixel 6 phone. Check the forecast here before you stay up late! We saw the most amazing northern lights from this campsite and the viking set and mountains made for amazing photos! It was a once in a lifetime experience. What an incredible day!

Day 4

Driving time: 4 hr

Destination Types: Fjords, Hot Spring

Driving Through the Eastern Fjords

The Eastern Fjords: it’s time to start driving north! The landscape changes dramatically compared to the south coast. The fjords hug the ocean and make for a dramatic drive! Soak it in and stop off at anything that calls your name! For us in March there was a lot more snow on the ground but the roads were nice and clear

Beautiful winter landscape on the Ring Road

Vok Baths

Vok Baths: After a longer drive and colder climate nothing is better than a lakeside Hot Spring! Vok Baths has different temperature pools to try out, a swim up bar and since its right on a lake part of the fun is jumping in it! For us it was freezing cold in a mostly frozen lake but it was worth it to do the viking plunge!

Campground Fjalladyrd/Mödrudalur

Campground Fjalladyrd/Mödrudalur: This is an adorable campsite on a working family farm with plenty of room for camper vans, tents and they have full size cabins as well! If you want to book a proper room in a cute wooden cabin book here. In the morning they had an amazing breakfast spread!

Day 5

Driving time: 6 hr 15 min

Destination Types: Waterfall, Hot Springs

Traveling West

Northern Iceland: This is a big driving day! We enjoyed the changing landscape and made some stops off the ring road that were easy and helped break up the drive

Stóragjá

Stóragjá: Game of Thrones fans this one is for you! Check out the secret hot spring lagoon hidden underground that Jon Snow and Egret visited. The pool is beautiful - clear and bright blue. Unfortunately it is too hot to swim in now!

Goðafoss

Goðafoss: This waterfall is an easy stop off the Ring Road! In mid March the icey blue waters were stunning against the snow and ice! This is a can’t miss and such a beautiful waterfall

Forest Lagoon

Forest Lagoon: One of Iceland’s newer hot spring spas, the forest lagoon is a truly luxurious experience perfect during a long travel day! The springs are tucked in the woods and have 2 swim up bars, pools with different temperatures and top notch shower products! We did not want to leave this place

Búðardalur Campsite

Búðardalur Campsite: This campsite was conveniently located right off the ring road, but not as cool as the other ones so only plan to come and sleep here. There isn’t anything to do in the area, but the facilities have everything you would need. This is one of the fewer winter spots so if you are coming in the summer you will have a lot more options I would check out!

Day 6

Driving time: 4 hr 26 min

Destination Types: History, Lava Fields, Waterfall, Seals, City

Eiríksstaðir - Viking Longhouse

Eiríksstaðir - Viking Longhouse: A bit of history to see where Leif Erikson lived and what his house looked like! In the warmer months there is interactive things to do, but in the winter the inside of the building was closed so we just checked out the outside

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Snæfellsnes: Often referred to as a mini Iceland - this little peninsula has a very diverse landscape! It was a nice way to end our Ring Road adventure because it felt like a recap of everything we had just seen - waterfalls, fjords, snow and lava! Drive the loop and stop off on anything that calls your name. The weather changed dramatically with every stop we made too - just how it did throughout our trip! Here are the highlights we enjoyed most

Lava Fields

Lava Fields: As you enter the peninsula its hard to miss the vibrant red and green lava fields and volcanos. There are some hikes in the area too if you have time!

Kirkjufell

Kirkjufell: You’ve likely seen this mountain before when Iceland comes up. Kirkjufell is a whimsical mountain with a beautiful waterfall and river running in front of it. Parking is easy right off the ring road - definitely pay the fee they have cameras tracking who comes in!

Ytri Tunga

Ytri Tunga: A great little cove on the coast where you can spot seals playing and sun bathing right on the beach!

Reykjavík

Reykjavík: It’s finally time to see Iceland’s capital city! We were able to find street parking easily with our van and start exploring. The city is not that big so take your time walking up and down different streets as your venture to the sites. The must sees in the city are the famous Rainbow Street which leads you right up to the iconic Hallgrímskirkja. The Sun Voyager is another must see - a cool sculpture right on the water!

Dinner at Salka Valka: I usually opt for more off the beaten path spots - but this cool restaurant right on the Rainbow Road had the best Fish Stew that came recommended to us - and it was AMAZING!

Reykjavik Campsite: This was an awesome campsite close to the city center! It was huge, had very nice ammentities included a big kitchen and a hot tub & pool!! I recommend booking this one in advanced because it is a busier site but mainly since they give you a code to enter in the gate and the code took a very long time to become activated so we sat at the gate for 20 minutes trying it until it finally opened!

ION City Hotel: If you are looking for a nice room with top notch amenities for the night its hard to get any better than the ION City Hotel - the location couldn’t be better, the rooms are chic, the food is great and they have saunas to warm up in!

Day 7

Destination Types: City, Flight Home

Reykjavik

Breakfast at Brauð & Co: Another spot that came highly recommended - Brauð & Co is a must despite what the line looks like for breakfast! Don’t plan on eating inside - this is a tiny bakery but they are efficient. The cinnamon rolls are to die for and the caramel was amazing too!

The National Museum of Iceland: We wanted some more history on the great country of Iceland and headed to the National Museum where we took a free tour! It’s not a terribly big place and we had plenty of time to see it all before we needed to leave to return the van and head to the airport