A 7-day itinerary on Iceland's Ring Road

Iceland’s Ring Road is one of the world’s most iconic drives. Tracing the contours of a remarkable landscape and taking you within reach of glaciers and volcanoes, the country’s Route 1 is a two-lane paved road that unfurls like an Icelandic saga for 1322km. Apart from general wonder at the elemental terrain, you’ll see canyons, waterfalls, geysers and blue whales along the way.

I’ve driven this road in all seasons and in both directions, and I find something new to discover every time. But even returning to old haunts is a reminder of a very simple and old-fashioned feeling – great joy at the sheer beauty of this spellbinding landscape.

Here’s a perfect 7-day itinerary to make the most of your road trip around Iceland’s Ring Road.

• When to arrive: Try to arrive on an early morning flight into Reykjavík. Drop your bags at your hotel and get out and explore.

• How to get from the airport: Reykjavík’s Keflavík International Airport is 49km southwest of the city center, and you have three main options for getting into the city. The best is to pick up your rental vehicle on arrival and drive. The next best option is the Flybus, which takes 45 minutes and costs at least 3999 Icelandic króna (kr). You are dropped at the main bus station, where you can change to a bus for transfer to some hotels for an additional fare. Taxis from the airport to the center of town cost upward of 18,000 kr.

• Getting around town: Reykjavík has a compact town center that’s easy to get around on foot. Renting a bicycle is another terrific way to get around.

• Where to stay in Reykjavík: Self-check-in apartments are a big deal in Iceland, including in the capital. Reykjavík Dalur Hostel is an excellent value in one of Europe’s most expensive cities. Boutique Alda Hotel combines intimacy with genuine luxury in a central location.

• What to pack: Iceland’s weather is unpredictable. Even in summer, make sure to bring warm clothing, including a windproof outer layer (the windchill can be brutal) and a thermal underlayer. And since exploring is half the fun, bring hiking boots for trails and a swimsuit for Iceland’s famous geothermal pools.

Where can I rent a car?

Most of the international car rental companies have desks in the airport's arrivals hall; local companies tend to be located in the city center. Advance bookings are essential, especially from June to September. While most travelers rent a standard 2WD vehicle, we recommend 4WD if you plan on driving the Ring Road in winter or going on smaller roads through the highlands. Take note when reserving your vehicle whether it has an automatic or manual transmission.

How long does it take to drive the Ring Road?

The Ring Road covers 1322km, and most travelers take 7–10 days to do the full loop. On most days, there will be an enticing detour to tempt you off the main road, adding both time and distance. The Ring Road is entirely paved, although some side trips involve unpaved gravel roads. Even in autumn and spring, snowfalls and snowdrifts over the main road can occur without warning.

Traffic is rarely an issue, other than during peak hours on weekdays around Reykjavík; elsewhere, you'll rarely be slowed by other vehicles, except around major sights during the summer months.

Which direction is best to drive the Ring Road?

You can drive the Ring Road in either direction; both are good choices. Most itineraries, including this one, travel counterclockwise because it gets you to some signature attractions early on.

Day 1: Reykjavík and the Blue Lagoon

Depending on how far you’ve flown and what time you arrive, your first day in Iceland’s pretty little capital could vary greatly. Yes, it’s a cliché and can get overcrowded, but the Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes Peninsula (between Reykjavík and the airport) is where you can soak in geothermal waters an astonishing shade of blue. Some people even stop here on their way from the airport.

Reykjavík deserves more than a hurried day, but with just 7 days to encircle the whole country, something has to go. Focus your attention on the charming town center, a world of design boutiques, art galleries, cool cafes and colorful houses, all rising to the iconic Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík’s utterly unmistakable church.

If money is no object, consider taking a helicopter tour to see Iceland from above and get a taste of what awaits you out on the Ring Road.

The best afternoon meal in town has to be at Skál! for its unique take on Icelandic street food, followed by dinner at high-end Dill, arguably Iceland’s most creative kitchen.

Day 2: The Golden Circle and Selfoss

Grab something for breakfast at everybody’s favorite Reykjavík bakehouse, Sandholt Bakery, before hitting the open road toward Iceland's Golden Circle, a tourist route made up of three of Iceland's top sights: Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss.

In an ideal world, you’d devote an entire day to Þingvellir National Park, but you can see the best of it in a morning. Hike some of the shorter trails, then snorkel between continents (or their tectonic plates) at the Silfra Fissure. Signposts lead to tempting detours – to Hrafnagjá Observation Deck, Flosagjá Canyon, Almannagjá and Lögberg. Take as many of these as time allows. Þingvallakirkja, a much-Instagrammed church, sits on the site where Iceland’s first parliament met for 800 years. Somewhere in the midst of all this, get lunch at cozy Lindin, known for its local food, like Arctic char, lamb and reindeer.

Chances are that you’ve spent longer than you planned at Þingvellir. But if there’s any daylight left, make the most of it by squeezing in stops at Haukadalur Valley – containing Iceland’s most prolific geysers (including Strokkur), mud pools and hot springs – and Gullfoss, a fabulous glacial waterfall that pours down through a canyon.

Have dinner at the Hotel Gullfoss' restaurant, known for its Icelandic salmon or Icelandic lamb stew, before the final drive into Selfoss, which is on the Ring Road proper.

Day 3: Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Vík

Begin the day with a hike through the red-hued lava tunnel of Raufarhólshellir, where nature’s power can still overwhelm even 5000 years after the lava last flowed. If the very idea of lava gives you frisson (isn’t that everyone?), 50km southeast of Selfoss down Rte 1 you'll find the state-of-the-art LAVA Centre at Hvolsvöllur, cowering in the shadow of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that shut down Europe's air travel for a week in 2010.

In the afternoon, move from volcanoes to waterfalls. At 61m high, Seljalandsfoss is a Ring Road highlight because you can walk behind the cascade – you absolutely will get wet in the process. En route to Vík, stop at Skógafoss, another cascading beauty that never fails to impress.

In Vík, eat Icelandic-Asian fusion for dinner at Suður-Vík. And anytime you find yourself under darkening Icelandic skies away from big cities, look up to the sky in case the aurora borealis puts on a show.

Day 4: Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón and Höfn

A full and fabulous day with three of the Ring Road’s signature attractions awaits. But before you do any of these, climb to the hilltop Víkurkirkja above Víkalong for spectacular sunrise views. Follow that with either a walk to Reynisfjall for more superlative views (and possible puffin sightings) or a morning ride on an Icelandic horse on the black-sand Víkurfjara with Vík Horse Adventure.

Around 20km beyond Vík, follow the signs to Dyrhólaey, an island-turned-peninsula with a gorgeous natural rock arch visible from the cliffs.

But the day is only just getting started, and Skaftafell is utterly magnificent: walk from the visitors center through the forest to Svartifoss, the achingly superb Black Waterfall, its waters plummeting past deeply striated rocks; then head onward to the Skaftafell glacier tongue. The road connecting these sights is among the most beautiful in Iceland, and the stretch to Jökulsárlón is no exception. (We doubt you’ll have time en route, but looking for puffins at otherworldly Ingólfshöfði is a fine detour.)

When you get there, Jökulsárlón is a wonderland of floating icebergs heading out to sea, with some coming ashore at adjacent Fellsfjara (aka Diamond Beach).

You'll overnight in Höfn; Pakkhús does excellent local specialties for dinner – order a sheep-dung-smoked local whiskey while you contemplate the menu.

Day 5: Seyðisfjörður and Egilssatðir

Don’t mess around with a leisurely breakfast: pick up a lobster baguette to go from Hafnarbúðin and munch during your travels.

Today's Ring Road route is less about specific sights than the freedom and awesome natural beauty of the open road. Rte 1 hugs a narrow ribbon of land between steep mountains and the wild sea, bucking and weaving past rocky headlands, crossing ancient lava flows that once reached the sea, and skirting black-as-black rocky cliffs tinged with improbable green. Along the way, isolated farmhouses and villages huddle around sheltering harbors, lonely outposts in a region where nature very much holds sway. You’ll find yourself pulling over often for photos or to gaze in wonder.

Egilsstaðir, at an important crossroads on Rte 1, may be the end goal, but I always take the short drive up and over the mountains into Seyðisfjörður. Surely one of Iceland’s loveliest villages, it has colorfully painted houses, a pleasing little church and a pervasive feeling of being somewhere very special at the end of a quiet and beautiful road. On the descent back into Egilsstaðir, there’s a parking area where, weather permitting, the whole valley is visible in all its glory.

Day 6: Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss, Húsavík and Akureyri

Today, too, the drive really grabs the attention, at least in the morning. For 175km of Rte 1 between Egilsstaðir and Lake Myvatn, settlements are few, but the views are unrelenting, a classic panoramic unfurling of Iceland’s high plateau amid mountains and lakes that sometimes remain icebound until well into summer.

Two detours call you away from the Ring Road on your way to Akureyri. The first is to Jökulsárgljúfur, home to the superb Dettifoss – a waterfall that easily belongs in Iceland’s best attractions – and a canyon stretching 25km.

The second detour is to Húsavík. Worth a visit for its setting alone, Húsavík is also Iceland’s whale-watching capital. Sightings are common in summertime, with even the occasional blue whale venturing within range. The mere possibility of seeing the largest living creature on earth is enough to draw me here over and again.

Day 7: Skagafjörður and Reykjavík

After a hearty breakfast at Blaá Kannan, it’s a longish, nearly 400km drive back to Reykjavík. What you see along the Ring Road on the way depends on when your flight leaves the capital. If time permits, explore Skagafjörður, a little-visited peninsula that's home to turf-roofed houses and opportunities to ride tough and yet strangely beautiful Icelandic horses: Lýtingsstaðir and Syðra-Skörðugil both offer rides. At Blönduós, you’ll catch a last glimpse of the wildly beautiful northern Icelandic coastline before the route heads southwest and inland.

This being Iceland, it’s a relentlessly picturesque drive on your way back to the capital. Along the way, you’ll pass tempting roads that fan out into the Westfjords and Snæfellsnes Peninsula – journeys in themselves and reason enough to start planning your next trip.