East Iceland by car: the Eastfjords, Stuðlagil and Seyðisfjörður

Getting there from the south or the north

1. From the south: Route 1 along the south coast via Vík and Jökulsárlón to Höfn, then through the fjords. Just before Höfn it crosses the tolled bridge over Hornafjarðarfljót: pay at spolur.is within 24 hours.
2. From the north: Route 1 via Akureyri and the Vaðlaheiði tunnel (toll), past Mývatn and over the north-east highlands (Möðrudalsöræfi).

These are Vegagerðin's official distances (distance tables, in Icelandic), from the airport terminal; our office at Bogatröð 1 in Reykjanesbær is about 10 minutes away by our airport shuttle. Visit Iceland puts Reykjavík to Egilsstaðir at about 7.5 to 8.5 hours.

The Eastfjords on Route 1, leg by leg

Route 1, paved all the way round since 2019, follows the coast from Höfn through the fjords and the Fáskrúðsfjörður tunnel, then crosses Fagridalur to Egilsstaðir:

Straight through, without the short roads into each village, Höfn to Egilsstaðir is 252 km; from there Route 1 runs 163 km on to Mývatn (North Iceland by car).

• Djúpivogur: a historic trading post just off Route 1.
• Egilsstaðir: the East's commercial center, on the lake Lagarfljót, with an airport. Fill up before the 163 km to Mývatn; N1, for one, lists stations in Höfn, Djúpivogur, Breiðdalsvík, Stöðvarfjörður, Fáskrúðsfjörður and Egilsstaðir.
• Reindeer: the East is the only part of Iceland with wild reindeer, so watch the road edges.

Side trips: Seyðisfjörður, Hengifoss, Borgarfjörður eystri and Stuðlagil

• Seyðisfjörður: colorful 19th-century timber buildings, the waterfall Gufufoss on the way down from the pass, and the international ferry to the Faroe Islands and Denmark.
• Hengifoss: at 128 m one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls, 40 to 60 minutes up a moderately steep gravel trail of about 2 km, past the basalt columns of Litlanesfoss (Visit East Iceland).
• Borgarfjörður eystri: a village of about 100 people; puffins nest on Hafnarhólmi by the harbor from mid-April to early August.

Öxi (road 939) or Route 1 through the fjords?

Road 939 over Öxi leaves Route 1 in Berufjörður, 20 km from Djúpivogur, for road 95 in Skriðdalur; navigation apps often choose it:

So Öxi saves 67 km, on gravel, where the limit is 80 km/h. All our cars may drive Breiðdalsheiði when it is open.

Stuðlagil canyon: the road and the two sides

Stuðlagil is a canyon of tall basalt columns cut by the glacial river Jökla. Leave Route 1 in Jökuldalur for road 923, 112 km from Mývatn; the Grund parking is 131 km from Mývatn or, by the shortest route, 70 km from Egilsstaðir.

• Grund, for the viewing platforms: 19 km from Route 1, with toilets and several viewing platforms over the canyon. Vegagerðin is paving road 923 in stages; 4 km of gravel remain, and all our cars may drive it when it is open.
• Klaustursel, for the canyon floor: turn off at Hákonarstaðir, about 15 km up road 923, for the east side. The walk is about 5 km there and back from the parking by the waterfall Stuðlafoss, or 10 km from the bridge over the Jökla (Visit East Iceland).
• The color: blue-green, or grey-brown when the Hálslón reservoir overflows, most often from early August to October.

Seyðisfjörður, Öxi and the passes in winter

Vegagerðin's winter service rules treat the roads of the East very differently:

• Seven days a week: Route 1 through the whole East, from Höfn to Mývatn, and road 93 over Fjarðarheiði to Seyðisfjörður.
• Six days a week: road 94 to Borgarfjörður eystri.
• Öxi and Breiðdalsheiði: two days a week in autumn (until 1 November) and spring (from 20 March) while snow is light; in between, once a week until 5 January, then only on request.
• Only on request, at most three times a week: roads 923 to Stuðlagil and 924. No winter service: road 901 by Möðrudalur and the access road to the Grund parking.

Seyðisfjörður: all traffic to the town crosses Fjarðarheiði at 620 m; a tunnel has been planned (in Icelandic), not built. The pass is cleared every day, but snow and wind can close it: check umferdin.is before you go, and cross in daylight.

• Daylight: on 10 November the sun rose in Egilsstaðir at 09:19 and set at 16:04 (sunrise and sunset, in Icelandic); near the December solstice Reykjavík gets about four hours of daylight, and Egilsstaðir less.
• Tires and drive: winter tires on every car from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge (rental terms 1); from November to March we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4, which, as Safetravel notes, does not stop a skid on ice.

How many days for East Iceland

We suggest 6 to 11 days for Route 1, about 1,310 km around Iceland, and at least 10 in winter. Our day-by-day Ring Road itinerary gives the Eastfjords one day, with Djúpivogur and Seyðisfjörður as the standout stops. Add Stuðlagil (38 km there and back from Route 1), Hengifoss (68 km from Egilsstaðir) or Borgarfjörður eystri (142 km) and plan two or three days. For the drive to Höfn, see South Coast by car.

Which car, the ferry and returning the car

• Roughly May to September: Route 1 and the roads to Seyðisfjörður, Hengifoss and Borgarfjörður eystri are paved, so an Everyday car will do; choose a bigger one for more people or luggage.
• November to March: we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4; Comfort is our default winter pick, and 4×4 Adventure and Highland 4×4 have more ground clearance.

Ending your trip in Egilsstaðir? We rent from our office near Keflavík Airport, where the car goes back. A return in Egilsstaðir or another town is possible only on request, agreed in advance; we confirm the one-way fee in writing when we agree it (rental terms 11 and 40(o); see Locations).

Car trouble: call us day or night on +354 779 9499; in an emergency, call 112 (Accident & breakdown).

Questions about driving in East Iceland