Iceland itinerary: complete 5 to 9 day road trip guide

Iceland, land of ice and fire. A country of raw nature and sublime beauty. One of the most anticipated trips of my life!

I had already tried to visit Iceland twice (in 2006 and 2022), but for one reason or another (both related to lack of funds, of course), I had to postpone it. As time went by, my excitement to finally go only grew stronger. Iceland seemed like another world with its surreal landscapes, Nordic culture, and striking contrasts. For those who love scenery, hiking, nature, and outdoor experiences, Iceland is pure paradise.

First of all, follow me on Instagram @danae_explore – that’s where you can keep up with my trips, find lots of travel tips, and send me a DM anytime! I love chatting about travel

This travel itinerary focuses on the southern and eastern portion of Iceland., home to the country's most famous attractions. It has a little bit of everything you'd expect to find on the island: waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, ice caves, black sand beaches, basalt columns, medieval wooden churches, charming little towns—all wrapped up in a Nordic culture that seems straight out of a fairy tale.

To learn more about what to do in Iceland, we have another post here on the blog with all the attractions in detail. Click here to check it out!

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Our Iceland itinerary

We managed to make this trip to Iceland taking advantage of the kids' week off from school. As we had little time – if I could have easily traveled around the country for fifteen days – I tried to gather the main attractions in one place. quick road trip that made sense.

It was rushed, but just right: we finished the trip with the feeling that it was totally worth it.

In 8 days, we made a grand tour of southern and eastern Iceland, which contains most of the attractions you see in photos on Instagram or videos on TikTok. Below are suggestions for 5, 6, 7, and 9 days.

The script is composed of four blocks: Reykjavik (days 1 and 8), south and east coast (days 2 to 5), Golden circle (the 6th) and Snæfell Peninsula (day 7); we did it in the order below, but you can reorder as you prefer.

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Here's our eight-day Iceland itinerary:

1️⃣ Arrival and Reykjavik: landing in Keflavik, rent a car, get to know Reykjavik (here you have the option of a free tour of Reykjavik, we didn't do it because we arrived late); overnight stay at Hotel Odinsve

2️⃣ South coast of Iceland: Drive to Vík i Myrdal, with stops at Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss Waterfalls and Sólheimajökull Glacier; overnight at Vík Apartments, attached to Hotel Vík í Mýrdal

3️⃣ Vík i Myrdal Region: Reynisfjara Beach, Vík í Mýrdal Church viewpoint, Fjadrarglijufur Canyon and Mogafoss Waterfall, Foss a Sidu Waterfall; overnight stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Vatnajökull Glacier and Ice Cave: We joined the Glacier Adventure tour, and it was amazing! (Here’s another option of the same tour) Afterward, we visited Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon; overnight again at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.

Drive to Selfoss: Stop at waterfalls and viewpoints you missed on the way out, and spend the afternoon in Selfoss; overnight at Hotel Selfoss.

Golden Circle: Visit Kerid Crater, Strokkur Geyser, Gullfoss Waterfall, have lunch at Friðheimar Restaurant, and explore Thingvellir National Park. Continue toward Borgarnes; overnight at Hotel Hamar.

7️⃣ Snæfell Peninsula: Ytri Tunga beach, Barnarfoss Waterfall, Budakirkja Church, Hellnar View Point, Snæfellsjökull National Park (Visitor Center in Malarrif), Djúpalónssandur beach, Saxhóll crater, lunch in Ólafsvík, Kirkjufell Waterfall; overnight stay at Hotel Snaefellsnes

8️⃣ Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik; overnight stay at Hotel Local 101

The next day, wake up early to return the car to rental company, our flight took off at 10 am.
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For more details about the activities and tours we did in Iceland, check out our post on what to do in Iceland.

In practice, we had seven full days and one half day in Iceland, and we made the most of it. Even though it might not seem like it, it was quite a rush. We drove about 1,500 km, averaging 200 km per day!

If you have a bit more or less time, below are my suggestions for adjusting the itinerary to fit seven, six, or five days, as well as what we’d add if we had one more day on the island (nine-day itinerary).

One-week itinerary in Iceland

If you only have 7 days in Iceland, you can do exactly what we did, condensing Reykjavik's activities into a single day. If your flight arrives early in the morning (ours landed at 3 p.m.), you can easily complete this itinerary in a week, especially if you’re traveling in summer.

The Blue Lagoon is very close to the airport and can be visited as soon as you arrive in the country or before you leave. There are excellent restrooms and changing rooms for showering before heading straight to the airport. Here’s the link to the official website, I recommend purchasing tickets in advance.

With only one week in Iceland, and if you want to spend two days in Reykjavik, check the suggested 5-day itinerary.

But I’ll be honest: Reykjavik is a very friendly city, I would say cute, but what makes Iceland truly magical begins as soon as you leave the capital behind. I wouldn’t think twice about cutting a day in the city if needed to explore other places on this route.

To learn more about what to do in Iceland, we have another post here on the blog with all the attractions in detail. Click here to check it out!

6-Day Iceland Itinerary

With six full days in Iceland, besides condensing Reykjavik’s activities into a single day, you’ll have to make a tough decision: either skip the Snæfellsnes Peninsula or leave out the Vatnajökull Glacier and ice cave tour.

It always breaks my heart to have to choose, but if you want my opinion, I would skip the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Not because I didn’t like it, on the contrary, it’s fascinating, but for me the ice cave was the highlight of the trip to Iceland and one of the most impressive and unique places I’ve ever seen in my life.
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5-Day Iceland Itinerary

With five days in Iceland, the solution is to skip the Vatnajökull Glacier tour and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula tour, as well as not spending too much time in the capital Reykjavik and being prepared to drive long distances.

The itinerary would look like this:

1️⃣ Arrival at Keflavik Airport, rent a car, Blue Lagoon, discover Reykjavik; overnight stay at Hotel Odinsve ou Hotel Local 101

2️⃣ South coast of Iceland: Drive to Vík, with stops at Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss Waterfalls and Sólheimajökull Glacier; overnight at Vík Apartments or Hotel Vík í Mýrdal

Attractions in the Vík í Mýrdal region: Reynisfjara Beach, Vík í Mýrdal Church viewpoint, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon and Mögafoss Waterfall; overnight stay at Hotel Vík í Mýrdal.

Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón: Drive to Selfoss; overnight at Hotel Selfoss. That day you will be driving almost 500 km; consider staying overnight again in Vík or in Hvolsvöllur, at Hotel Loa or Midgard Base Camp (we stopped for lunch at this hotel, it looks nice).

Golden Circle: Kerid Crater, Strokkur Geyser, Gullfoss Waterfall, lunch at Friðheimar Restaurant, Thingvellir National Park; go straight to the airport or return to Reykjavik, overnight stay at Hotel Local 101 or Hotel Odinsve.
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9-Day Iceland Itinerary

With nine full days in Iceland, you can consider doing the entire Ring Road, which is the main road that circles the island and is 1,322 km long.

Oh, but you drove more than that, you could have done the Ring Road! That's right, we drove over 1,500 km, but that includes some detours along the way, which will certainly happen on the Ring Road and will make any full Iceland itinerary easily exceed 2,000 km.

After the experience of driving for eight days in Iceland, I can say that to travel the entire Ring Road, the ideal is at least 10 days. If you want to include the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, add an extra day. For the Westfjords region, consider at least two extra days.

If you have nine days in Iceland and don’t feel like rushing through the Ring Road, I would suggest following the same itinerary we did and adding the Höfn Peninsula. After the day on the Vatnajökull Glacier, this extra day would allow to cover this eastern stretch of the island at a slower pace. I would have loved to visit Höfn, but I realized (and later confirmed) that with the time we had, it wouldn’t be possible. The accommodation options I had researched in the Höfn area were Fosshotel Vatnajökull and, on a more budget-friendly side, Apotek Guesthouse, with a great location in the village of Höfn.
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To learn more about what to do in Iceland, we have another post here on the blog with all the attractions in detail. Click here to check it out!

Map with our complete Iceland itinerary

The map below shows our complete Iceland itinerary, covering over 1,500 km driven in eight days. Just click and save it to your Google account. When you’re planning your next trip to Iceland, you’ll know where to start.

In this post, I explain how I use Google MyMaps to plan my trips. It’s an amazing tool for saving locations, calculating routes and distances, and organizing your entire journey. I highly recommend giving it a try!

How to use this map: Click the menu tab in the upper left corner of the map to access different layers, including points of interest and routes. You can toggle layers on and off by checking the corresponding boxes. To see details about specific locations, click on the icons on the map.

To save this map to your Google Maps account, just click the star icon next to the map title. To access it later on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, tap the menu button, go to “Your Places”, select “Maps”, and you’ll find this map saved there.

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How to get to Iceland

Sitting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there’s no shortage of ways to get to Iceland.

If you’re fortunate enough to live near an airport with direct flights to Reykjavik, take full advantage of the opportunity. Otherwise, a connecting flight is required, which can be made either in the US or Europe. The most common hubs, which tend to offer the best routes and fares, are New York and Boston in the United States, and Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Zurich in Europe.

In our case, we flew from São Paulo to Zurich with Swiss, and from there continued to Reykjavik on an Edelweiss flight. On the way back, we connected through Frankfurt, with both flights operated by Lufthansa.

Another possibility is to arrive in Iceland by boat: there are ferries operated by Smyril Line, which connect Seyðisfjörður, in eastern Iceland, to Hirtshals, in Denmark, with a stop in the Faroe Islands. This is another one of those little-known destinations, but you can be sure it’s on my travel wish list.

When to go to Iceland

We visited Iceland in mid-autumn and enjoyed beautiful, cool, sunny days. I consider autumn and spring to be the best times to visit Iceland: the weather is pleasant, there are fewer tourists, and the scenery is just as impressive. We didn’t experience snow, but we managed to hike the Vatnajökull Glacier, visit an ice cave, and make good use of our hats, scarves, and gloves.

In summer, temperatures are mild and the main attraction is the daylight: the sun stays in the sky until very late and the days are long! I speak from experience: we’ve visited other high-latitude destinations in summer, such as Norway and Alaska, and the days seem endless. It may seem like a small thing, but those long summer days fill us with energy to keep going and always find another beautiful place to explore.

In winter, the days are short and the cold is intense. The upside? That’s when you have the best chance to see the Northern Lights, not to mention the snow, which is always a treat for those of us coming from warmer places.
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How to get around Iceland

There's no doubt: the best way to get around the island is renting a car. Iceland is a country to be enjoyed at your own pace, driving leisurely along the roads and stopping as you please, discovering waterfalls that aren't even on the map, enjoying the view, the sunset, a new viewpoint. Iceland cries out for a road trip.

You will most likely arrive in Iceland by plane, landing at Keflavik Airport, about 50 km from Reykjavik. Remove the renting a car at the airport and start your journey, stopping at the Blue Lagoon or heading straight to the capital or the Golden Circle.
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To rent a car, I always use the website RentCars, that's usually where I get the best rates. After checking this site (which is an aggregator of several rental companies), I compare the prices of the best options with the rental companies' own website, but almost always RentCars ends up being the best option.

But, if you really don't want to, or can't, rent a car, It is possible to organize an itinerary through Iceland similar to the one we did using tours from Reykjavik.. It would be a mix of different tours, for example: a tour that visits the southern part of the island, another for the Golden circle, one more for the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and of course the Blue Lagoon; or else a multi-day tourBut I'm being honest here: I find this Reykjavik day trip tour system quite tiring, rigid and expensive. Trust me, rent a car.
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Is it better to rent a car or a motorhome in Iceland?

On this trip, we seriously considered the option of renting a motorhome, which is very popular in Iceland. We had an amazing motorhome experience in Alaska, and I highly recommend it!

A motorhome gives you the flexibility to adapt your trip as it unfolds. Want to enjoy a place longer? No problem, stay another night. Didn’t like a spot that much? That’s fine, move on.

Another major advantage of traveling by motorhome, especially in Iceland, is being able to prepare your own meals. Believe me, the cost of food in Iceland is extremely high! You’ll be shocked by the price of meals — it’s easily around USD 50 per person for an average lunch.

When researching for this trip, most of the options I found were compact campervans without bathrooms, which wouldn’t be practical for traveling with two teenagers. There are companies that rent larger motorhomes with bathrooms, similar to the one we rented in Alaska. But even after much negotiation, we couldn’t find a cost-benefit that made sense, and the pickup and drop-off times didn’t match our flight schedule. We would have had to pick up the motorhome the day after our arrival and return it the day before leaving, and I didn’t want to “waste” those two days in the country. So we opted for the car instead.

If you enjoy RV travel or have never tried it and are curious, go for it. Iceland is one of the best places in the world to travel by motorhome.
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What it's like to drive in Iceland

Driving in Iceland is very smooth. The roads are single-lane but in excellent condition. The signs are clear, always in English, and traffic is almost non-existent. We went in the fall, considered low season, and for long stretches we drove without seeing another car.

We didn’t see any speed cameras or police checks. Parking is paid on many streets in Reykjavik and at major tourist attractions (Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Reynisfjara, Kirkjufell, etc.). Download the Parka app, register a credit card and your car’s license plate, and manage everything directly through the app.

The main thing that requires attention when driving in Iceland is planning: refuel whenever possible, calculate travel times carefully, plan meal stops, and keep supplies in the car, especially for those traveling in a motorhome.

In winter, planning ahead becomes even more important, as it gets dark early, some smaller roads close, and snow can fall at any time, requiring extra caution while driving. When renting a car in winter, make sure it has snow tires, comes with chains, and that you know how to install them.
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What to pack for Iceland

Iceland is a nature-focused destination. It’s cold, windy, rainy, and snowy, but there are also beautiful days with sunshine and mild temperatures. Bring comfortable clothing suitable for the weather.

In reality, warm days in Iceland are rare. If you go there in the summer, you’ll find pleasant temperatures, and it may even get warm one day or another, but in general, even during summer, temperatures don’t get very high.

Make no mistake: even in summer, it can be cold. The wind is ever-present on the island, at any time of year, and can turn a mild day into a bone-chilling one.

Obviously, if you go in winter, be prepared for the cold. Bring appropriate clothing.

Even in the mid-seasons, temperatures are low. We went in mid-autumn (late April, early May) and had beautiful days, with stable weather and little wind, but quite cold, with temperatures from zero to ten degrees Celsius.

Checklist – what to pack for a trip to Iceland

For a week in Iceland, my carry-on bag (I only travel with a carry-on) included:

– 1 thermal legging (can be worn alone or under trekking pants)
– 1 pair of trekking pants suitable for low temperatures (mine are from Decathlon)
– 5 dry-fit t-shirts, my favorites for this type of trip (any brand will do: Decathlon, Centauro, Track&Field)
– 1 fleece (mine is Columbia)

– 1 winter coat (mine is a Columbia with Omni-heat technology, designed for low temperatures)
– 1 raincoat (which also works as a windbreaker)
– 2 thick wool socks (to wear over regular socks, I bought them at Decathlon)

– 7 pairs of regular socks
– scarf, hat, and gloves
– socks and underwear for a week
– 1 pajama
– 1 swimsuit + quick-drying towel (essential for thermal pools!)
– 1 pair of slippers

– 1 pair of waterproof trekking shoes (mine are Timberland, but Quechua, Columbia, and Merrell are great options — the key is that they are waterproof and have good grip)
– toiletries (in containers up to 100ml)

If it were summer, I would have packed exactly the same. In winter, I would add waterproof snow gloves.

Actually, this is pretty much my standard packing list for any winter trip. The bulkiest items go on my body (except for the thermal pants), and everything else fits into my carry-on. For longer trips, simply add more leggings, t-shirts, socks, and underwear, and maybe an extra hat or scarf for variety.

For more tips, check out my post on how to travel with only a carry-on.

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