7 days in Iceland by car: an itinerary from Keflavík Airport

The week at a glance

Seven days and six nights from Keflavík Airport, and every leg below is paved. The distances are Vegagerðin's official figures (distance tables, in Icelandic); the minimum driving time is the distance at 90 km/h, the highest speed limit in Iceland, without stops. You sleep in the place in bold.

Day by day

1. Day 1: Reykjanes and Reykjavík. Our free airport shuttle takes about 10 minutes to our office in Reykjanesbær, where your car is ready. The Blue Lagoon, 23 km from the airport, lies close to the eruption sites of recent years, so check before you go (Reykjanes Peninsula by car). After an overnight flight, keep the day short: Safetravel warns that jet lag can last a few days.
2. Day 2: the Golden Circle. Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir geothermal area, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes, and the Gullfoss waterfall; then Route 35 south to Selfoss (Golden Circle by car).
3. Day 3: the South Coast to Vík. Seljalandsfoss, which you can walk behind, Skógafoss and the black beach Reynisfjara, where waves can surge far up the beach without warning: stay well back (South Coast by car).
4. Day 4: Jökulsárlón. East across the sands to Skaftafell and the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, with Diamond Beach across the road, then 122 km back west to Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The longest day: start early, and never step onto the floating ice.
5. Day 5: back to Reykjavík. The canyon Fjaðrárgljúfur, then Route 1 west. Stay on it: Vegagerðin also lists a shorter route over the mountain roads F210 and F261, impassable for ordinary cars and excluded for every car by our rental terms (clause 16).
6. Day 6: Snæfellsnes. North through the Hvalfjörður tunnel, which has no toll, then round the glacier Snæfellsjökull: Arnarstapi, Djúpalónssandur, Ólafsvík, Kirkjufell at Grundarfjörður and Stykkishólmur for the night (Snæfellsnes by car).
7. Day 7: back to the airport. At least 2 h 20 min at the wheel: leave in good time.

A week without rushing

The full plan is about 1,490 km. For a slower week:

• Skip Snæfellsnes (about 1,010 km): spend Day 6 in Reykjavík and drive the 50 km to the airport on Day 7, the better plan before a morning flight.
• Turn back at Vík (about 1,110 km): head back toward Reykjavík on Day 4 and give Snæfellsnes Days 5 and 6, with a night in Ólafsvík or Grundarfjörður.

Summer and winter

Around midsummer the sky stays light all night in Reykjavík; around the December solstice it gets about four hours of daylight (Visit Iceland). The plan suits roughly May to September (Driving month by month). From November to March:

• Shorten Days 4 to 6: turn back at Vík, or sleep near Jökulsárlón, so that you drive in daylight.
• Snæfellsnes only in calm weather: in winter, Route 574 round the tip is cleared only two days a week (winter service), and gusts there can be sudden and strong.
• Keep a spare day before your flight, with the last night near Keflavík.
• Check every morning: roads on umferdin.is, warnings on vedur.is. A closed road is closed; if the weather turns, wait somewhere safe (Safetravel).

If you want the whole Ring Road

Route 1 alone is about 1,310 km, before the drives to and from Keflavík and detours such as the Golden Circle. In 7 days it is possible in summer, but you drive every day and sleep somewhere new each night. The full plan above is about as long, but has two nights in Reykjavík and long days you can cut; on the Ring Road, a closed road far from the airport costs a day you don't have.

We suggest 6 to 11 days for the loop, 6 or 7 only with summer daylight, and at least 10 days in winter. See Ring Road car rental and our day-by-day Ring Road itinerary.

Which car for which plan

• Roughly May to September: every leg of this plan is paved, so an Everyday car is enough for one or two people. For more people or luggage, choose Comfort or the 9-seat Family & Space (category B license).
• November to March: we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4, and Comfort is our default winter pick; 4×4 Adventure and Highland 4×4 have more ground clearance. Four-wheel drive helps you get going, but it does not stop a skid on ice.
• Winter tires: on every car from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge (rental terms 1). In October and late April, ask at the desk for a car that has them: free when one is available, but we can't promise one.
• F-roads: only in Comfort, 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4 booked as F-road approved, never in Everyday or Family & Space.

Returning the car before your flight

• Opening hours: 04:00–18:00 every day, with different hours over Christmas and New Year (Opening hours). Outside them, a return is possible only on request, agreed in advance (€75, shuttle included; rental terms 40(b)).
• Timing: reach our office at least 30 minutes before you want to be at the terminal; the shuttle takes about 10 minutes.
• Fuel: bring the car back full, refueled within 5 km of our office, or we charge the missing fuel plus the €30 refueling fee (rental terms 11 and 40(j)).
• Day 7: Stykkishólmur is 215 km from the airport, at least 2 h 20 min: fine for an afternoon flight. Before a morning flight, end the week in Reykjavík; in winter, be near Keflavík the evening before.

Questions about a week in Iceland by car